My Travel Plans for Eight Years From Now

As I said in a recent post, I played my travel planning Google Maps game.  I actually wrote a whole post about it on Tuesday. Then in frustration, I deleted the post. What went wrong? Well, I had it in my mind that we'd drive from Brisbane to Sydney. Then I read that the Pacific Highway is a dangerous road. All roads are dangerous, and all roads scare me. But if a road has a reputation as being scary; I feel it's best that we skip it.

So I deleted my plans and started over.

This is what I have for now. And in the next eight years or so (before we actually go) it will probably change again.

I have us flying to Brisbane. We'll stay there for two nights. It will give us one day in the city to look around and start to recover from jet lag.

Then we'll drive to the Gold Coat and spend five nights there. I don't know where we'll stay. The main attraction for me is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  Or maybe not. It's expensive! More expensive than Featherdale and Wildlife Sydney. I'll have to do research to see if it's worth the extra money.

The main attraction for Jack is Dreamworld. But that's 13-year-old Jack. I'm not sure the same will be said for 21-year-old Jack. I don't even know if he'll want to travel with us to Australia.  If he doesn't go with us, I don't imagine we'll stop at Dreamworld.

If Jack isn't with us, I'm not even sure we'll go to the Gold Coast. It kind of looks like a big tourist trap...like Las Vegas. But I feel silly judging it, since I'm a huge fan of Disney World. It's kind of hypocritical of me.

Have you been to the Gold Coast? If so, what did you think of it? Do you have favorite places there?

So anyway.....

After either staying in the Gold Coast or driving past the Gold Coast, we'll go somewhere in the Byron Bay area. I'll have to do more research. We could  go there, or maybe Ballina. We'll spend three nights there, which will give us two full days.  If, when reading about it, I realize it's a place I might adore, we'll spend a few more nights.  At this point, I imagine it to be a place for trendy wealthy hippies. I'm not sure if that's my thing. Or maybe it IS my thing. I really don't know.

After Byron Bay, we'll drive back to Brisbane. We'll spend one night there, and then we'll fly out to Hobart.

So now we're on to Tasmania, which, for now, I'm more excited about than Queensland. But that will change a zillion times in the next eight years.

We'll spend four nights in Hobart. I probably want to see Port Arthur. I might want to visit MoMA. It's likely we'll go to the Salamanca Markets. My parents went to an animal park in the area. I'd like to see that.

I doubt I'll go to MoMA. It's not cheap. And I don't even like modern art that much.

What else do people do in Hobart?

I think I found the park my parents went to. It's Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. It's more affordable than Currumbin.  If I'm not in my usual cheap mood and I feel like totally spoiling myself, I'll do this Face To Face Feeding Frenzy activity. It's $149 per person. But you get to help feed Tasmanian Devils!

And you know what...I think the money goes to a good cause. From what I see on the website, it seems to be a charitable organization with the goal of helping the animals. They're not just out for a profit. They might not be seeking profit at all.

After Hobart, we'll drive up the east coast to the Coles Bay area. We'll spend three nights there. Or more.  Then I want to go to Wing's Wildlife Park. It's a holiday park with an animal park. It's like a dream come true for me. Although I worry it's too good to be true, and there's going to be something awful about it. I'll have to do more research.  When I did research in the past, though...I don't remember encountering anything to scare me off.

After Wing's, we'll go to Cradle Mountain for a few nights.

After that, I was thinking of staying in some small town. Maybe Sheffield—the one with the murals. Or there's the town with the cool mailboxes.  Any other recommendations?

After that we'll drive back to Hobart. We'll stay a night there, because I don't want to fly right after doing a long drive.

We'll fly to Brisbane. I think we should spend a couple more nights there.

Then we'll return to Texas.

Or somewhere else. Who knows if we'll still be living in Texas.

We might not even be alive period.

All humans might be gone. From what I've learned from watching Doctor Who, the human race is in drastic danger pretty much every day.

If we're all still alive in eight years; there's still an Australia; and I can afford to go there, I shall be thanking my lucky stars.  Or I'll the thank the Doctor and his Tardis.