Travel the World

The above three-word phrase is so commonly used when people express their life dreams that it's almost cliché. However, I think it's a perfectly legitimate and reasonable wish for everyone. Reasonable, yes. Realistic, no. Unless we have tons of money, unlimited free time, and/or are lucky enough to land a job in which our requirements are to travel to all types of places on planet Earth, how many of us, when we get too old and frail to travel anymore, will be able to have proudly said that we have been to every place that we'd wanted to visit? Not nearly enough of us, that's for sure.

Unfortunately, I believe that the root of all inability to travel the world is money, because let's face it, we need money to travel. Usually lots of it. Sure, some people don't travel because they have kids which are often difficult to travel with, or other obligations like parents that need to be taken care of. But the main reason is money. Jobs are a hindrance to this desire, but what do we have jobs for? Money. Or, take a college student who has the summer off and a generous amount of free time, but has no job or doesn't make enough to go on a summer trip.

People get so caught up in their daily routines, schedules, responsibilities, and obligations that we forget that there is so much more out there. Who doesn't want to soak in all that the world has to offer and really get an idea of just how tiny we are compared to all that surrounds us? I am lucky enough to have been able to experience many different cultures, both in and out of the country, but still feel that it's not enough. Going through some kind of culture shock and learning about people and places that are so completely different (yet in many ways, the same) than I deletes any form of ethnocentrism within myself and is such a humbling and invigorating experience that I want more and more of it. I've become a travel junkie, but because of money, I can't feed that addiction nearly as much as I'd like to.

I wish I had a solution, but unfortunately, I don't. At least not right now. And until I land that dream job with National Geographic magazine and can visit, learn and write about people and places in every nook and cranny of the world, I'll continue with the list of places that I want to experience, both inside and outside of the United States.
So far, the list is as follows:
West Virginia
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Vermont
Oregon
Washington (State and DC)
Illinois
North & South Carolina
Canada
South America (Machu Picchu, Patagonia, Brazil)
Central America (I've been to two countries here, but I want more!)
Spain
Switzerland
New Zealand
Amsterdam
Malaysia
Germany
Ireland
Tuscany & Rome, Italy
Jerusalem
Indonesia
Turkey
Africa (specifically, Egypt, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Morocco)
Greece
Croatia
Paris
Scotland

And the list certainly continues. This list doesn't even include the places I have already been to but would give anything to see again.

Is this too much to ask for?