True Confessions of a Travel Junkie

It’s been about a month since I was last in the Caribbean (swanning along Mexico’s Riviera Maya reporting a variety of stories for upcoming issues) and I gotta say, I’m already itching to go back. My carry-on sized toiletries have been replenished, I’ve had the wonky wheel on my rollaboard suitcase replaced, and while it’s been great sleeping in my own bed for the last few weeks, jetting off to somewhere exciting and new sounds pretty good right about now.

Now the only question is, where to go?

Truth is, the decision belongs to our ed-in-chief, Dave, who gives all the editors marching orders according to our (many) individual talents and the magazine’s editorial schedule. I’m not sure where he plans to deploy me next, but on the off chance that he’s reading, here are some of the destinations at the top of my Caribbean wish list:

The British Virgin Islands
I’ve not yet been to this English territory, but I’m dying to experience the pleasure of wending my way through its 60-something isles and islets. I want to swim at The Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel off Cooper Island, and drop anchor for a cocktail (or two) at Foxy’s and The Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke. (We’ll be featuring the BVI on an upcoming episode of our Affordable Caribbean TV show, so tune in and see for yourself what makes them so special.)

The Grenadines
One of the first articles I edited when I joined CT+L was a Day Trip (June/July 2007) about a day sail through the Grenadines. Baz Dreisinger’s account of her idyllic voyage from Union Island through the 600-islet chain that runs between St. Vincent and Grenada was instantly captivating, and her description of the Tobago Cays’ ocean floor being tiled with starfish is an image that has stayed with me ever since. Must. Go. Soon.

The Out Islands of the Bahamas
Unlike the rest of the CT+L team, I’m based in sunny South Florida, so you’d think I’d have been to this paradise that’s less than an hour’s flight away a million times, right? Wrong. For years I’ve had a vague idea that I wanted to one day tour the tiny outposts where deserted white- and pink-sand beaches seem to go on forever, but when our online editor Reagan returned and blogged about swimming with pigs off Big Majors Cay in the Exumas, I was sold.

I don’t know if I’ll make it to any of these places anytime soon, but I’m keeping hope alive. (Nudge-nudge, wink-wink, Dave.)

What about you? Which Caribbean destinations are you eyeing for your next trip?

True Confessions of a Travel Junkie