My first trip for 2013 is officially BOOKED! Okay, technically, my cousin’s destination wedding in Mabini, Batangas in January comes first, but international-wise…Cambodia is a sure thing!It’s one of my promises and challenges for myself to be able to visit at least ONE new country a year. Let’s see…I started off with Thailand and Singapore in 2005. 2006 was Australia, and 2007 was the year our family finally made it to the US. 2008 was a no-go, as I was busy with three internships that summer. I more than made up for it in 2009, when my brother, sister and I took on a whopping 9 countries in Europe, all in one summer (thanks to my parents and Contiki…oh and my sis’ friend, She, who let us crash at her flat in London). To my delight, I was able to go back to Amsterdam and Germany for work-slash-pleasure in November 2010…those don’t count as new countries, though.

In February 2011, my officemates and I had our crazy trip to Hong Kong and Macau in celebration of the great sales we had the past year. Then that summer, my sister and I revisited Bangkok, Thailand, adding Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai to the mix.

2012 started off with our family celebrating new year in Coron, Palawan–a first for all of us. Holy Week was the time for some Seoul-exploring (there was also Gyeongju, but that was a disappointment). Last, but not the least, was my Singapore trip two weeks ago.

It’s been a great year for me so far. You could say that I’m more than itching to get some future travel planning on the way.

And still, there’s Scotland. The idea of it is whispered by that persistent voice in my head, felt through that constant tugging on my heart strings. It’s keeping me up at night, images of eerie lochs, green, rolling hills and stalwart, crumbling castles tumbling through my head like a slide show.

I wonder, if it’s something I want this much, should I risk the near possibility of rejection and go ahead with my visa application?

Oh God, the indecision is killing me. I told my mom (and the rest of my friends) that one day, I might just shock her with a UK visa and bookings for Scotland.

I sure do hope so.

But for now, I’ll rejoice in my accomplishment of my task for the day–that of convincing my former colleagues to raid those ancient tombs with me. My trip to the office on a holiday paid off after all. 🙂