T minus 25 days

You know that saying "You don't know what you've got till it's gone"? Well, it works the other way too - "You don't know what you're missing till you find it".

Or maybe you do know, maybe you read a book or spoke to someone or watched it on TV - Catriona Rowntree exploring some exotic architectural feat, her chest taking over the screen as you imagine yourself visiting somewhere new. The need to explore foreign shores doesn't consume us all, but for some it's more than something you would like to add to your 'Done' list - it's absolutely necessary to acheive before you inevitably become to old to physically travel.

Some people collect seashells. Some collect first edition novels, or model planes or every Barbie ever released, including Festive Season Barbie and Fitness Freak Barbie who comes with a gym bag and slouch socks. Then there's people who collect visas, passport stamps, boarding passes and Delhi Belly. The die hards who hang out for the sale at Kathmandu so they can get 3 thermal spencers for the price of 1.

But unlike some hobbies, you can't collect the whole set. You can't file every experience away in a scrapbook or alphabetise them on your bookcase. You'll never get them all and you'll never be satiated. It is the pursuit of adventure and neverending source of locations that keeps us going, and the exact reason why two small trips overseas is just not enough when it could be 12 months in the middle of Europe. Reading #FrenchSafari: T minus 25 daysTweet this!