Welcome the new year with a promise to do something you dream of

Take the A Train -- or any train! If you've wanted to take a special trip, if you've had a cruise or
tour in mind, we remind you of tempus fugit, carpe diem. It's a new year. Dream, plan, act!

TRAINS, BOATS, PLANES! REACH FOR THE SKY IN 2025! PLAN NOW TO MAKE YOUR DREAM TRIP HAPPEN!

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

The gorgeous Amalfi coast awaits your planning, with orchards, winding
 roads and stately villas. It's in southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian
 Sea and Gulf of Salerno. Savings can be had by planning now for summer.

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

IF YOU have long wished upon a star -- wanting to visit a particular country or island -- maybe see Paris or Rome, or take a train trip across Australia or Africa -- time's a wasting. Have you dreamed of climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge? Is Hawaii a lifelong dream? Why not now? Tempus fugit, carpe diem. "Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera," as the monarch of Siam said in "The King and I." We're not getting any younger. Planning is part of the fun. It's crucial to plan and narrow:

Bruce Keller takes aim at a street scene in Rome.

* WHAT'S YOUR wish? Shopping, culture or the rush of discovery? If you like theater, shows, opera or concerts, consider New York, Prague, London, Vienna, Milan, New York, Buenos Aires and Las Vegas. Architecture, antiquities up your alley? Think Rome, Venice, Petra. Cairo is cleaning up its act after decades of political unrest. Turkey is coming back on the radar after cruise lines left.

* Budget savvy or going for broke? Somewhere in the middle? Make a daily expense plan. Google Expedia for affordable travel.
* Who's traveling? Family, friends,  partners, college buddies, boyfriend, girlfriend? Maybe you're traveling solo and want to meet people? Figure out who can contribute and how much.

Egypt's pyramids are within
reach if you begin to plan now.

* Want independent travel, with room and time to strike out on your own?  Do you prefer everything organized and pre-paid for you?

* Off the beaten track to a "undiscovered" place? Or do you have your heart set on a tried and tested destination?

If purple mountain majesty
beckons, planning can 
make it happen.

BE DARING and creative. After answering the questions above, settle on basic preferences. If you truly want to see a place and can't coax anyone to come along, go solo. Put yourself out there and meet people. Look for singles-friendly

Cookie and Keller on their
second climb of Sydney's
famous Harbor Bridge.

tours. Or consider treating a niece, nephew, cousin, sib, friend. Most cruises have singles happy hour every day and LGBTQ gatherings.

Think outside the box. If you have your heart set on Malta -- a clean, progressive and welcoming place with great food, pretty scenery and friendly people -- don't be put off if the flights seem high.  Fly to Rome or Sicily, enjoy, then take a ferry to Malta.

HIT THE library or book stores.  Stock up on brochures, travel books, magazines.  We keep a huge box of files, newspaper clips, magazine pieces with features on places of interest. We're big fans of Rick Steves and catch his helpful shows on Public Television.

Enjoying a breezy tour on the Kona coast.

We also enjoy the Lonely Planet books -- and we hold out for the print edition, although Kindle is available. There are bargains to be had, too, with last-minute bookings. (In travel lingo, that usually means 60-90 days before the trip.) Look at Vacations to Go and other "last minute" websites. 
If you're "bucket-listing" remember the Seven Wonders of the World await:

Cookie and Keller at
sea, exercising at Zuma.

Colossus of Rhodes, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Why not take the leap?
Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Statue of Zeus at Olympia and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. All await your curiosity.

More information: www.britrail.com; www.celebritycruiselines.com

www.ncl.com;cunard.com; expedia.com

pearlseascruises.com

vacationsbyrail.com

 

Bruce Keller ticked one more item off his bucket
 list when he sailed on an America's Cup yacht
s Cup yacht on a recent trip in the Caribbean.  

COMING SOON: While we're on the subject of dreams, one of Bruce Keller's dearest wishes is to sail in an America's Cup yacht.   

The Caribbean and St. Maarten
beckoned for Bruce Keller
to fulfill his dream to sail
an America's Cup vessel.

To pilot the vessel was even a higher dream.  It came true! Cookie is not a lifelong sailor but Keller is.  He has long followed the adventures of the famed America's Cup racing vessels.  In a bargain with Cookie, he agreed to take tango lessons in return for a promise from Cookie. The deal he brokered was in return for his dance effort,  she would join him on a sail on one of the famed boats.  He did, she did. He has crushed toes and she has white knuckles to show it. Then we're off to Harrison's Caves on Barbados, a train trip in the British Isles and a visit to three museums in Spain dedicated to the life and work of the eccentric and brilliant Salvador Dali. Remember to explore, learn and live! Catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, art, family, nature and more:

www.whereiscookie.com

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