Our Bucket List Destination series continues! We want your travel dreams to come true, not because we are a travel company, but because as individuals we sincerely believe in the long-lasting positive memories that travel can create. How can travel dreams become a reality? What is on your travel list? What will you cross off in 2014? Don’t wait. This will be your year with dedicated planning and playing your cards right. It’s time to go for it!
Today Natalie Rice, Scholastica’s marketing director, fills us in on a region in South America that is high on her list. You can read other team interviews: here, here, here, and here.
Bucket List Destination: Interview with Natalie Rice
Q: Where have you always dreamed of traveling?
A: Currently topping my list is Argentina and Chile. Both are such immensely beautiful places with such varied landscapes.
Q:What would you like to do when you go there?
A: There is so much to see and do, I would either need several weeks or to take few a shorter trips! A definite dream of mine is hiking the Fitz Roy range and Torres del Paine in Patagonia. I would also like to spend time wine tasting in Santiago and Mendoza and visiting the penguin colony in Tierra del Fuego.
Q: Do you prefer to travel for adventure or relaxation?
A: Definitely adventure… There is always a new place to explore and an adventure to be had!
Q: What are some of your favorite travel memories or experiences?
A: When my husband and I got married in 2009, we had the dream of celebrating the New Year in a different country every year. I am very blessed to say that we have succeeded in that goal so far. Although we carefully monitor our spending throughout the year to make it happen, I wouldn’t trade the experiences for anything. It ends and starts the year on such a high note! 2010 was spent in Belize, 2011 in Germany, 2012 in Bonaire, 2013 in Ecuador, and 2014 in Costa Rica. Experiencing the different cultural traditions that surround the New Year holiday have definitely been highlights for me.
Q: What advice can you offer to travelers who want to make their travel dreams a reality?
A: Set a destination, a daily budget, and a defined plan for saving. When you can afford the plane ticket (usually the most expensive part of a trip for me), book it! This makes the trip “real” and will motivate your continued savings and planning. Often if you wait too long, something will inevitably postpone the trip. Save in big ways, but also in small ways. Everything adds up! Look into an airline credit card so that you can earn airline miles for your flight while buying the things you purchase regularly.
This video shows many beautiful views of Patagonia:
Timelapse Montage of Argentine and Chilean Patagonia from the view south on Vimeo.
What are your travel plans for 2014? What advice can you offer? Comment below!
