Theresa from London:
My doctor informed me last week that I am now officially middle-aged -well I've got things to do.... I want to go to Argentina to surf the rapids, I want to go to New Zealand to jump the biggest bungee jump in the world, I want to go the Arctic and see a polar-bear and I want to go to Australia to shear a sheep. Is that weird or what?
Helen from Dumfries:
Where to start! I want to go everywhere and see everything - but that isn't possible in just a year. So - wish list goes like this - Iceland, Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. What would I do? Paddle - my partner and I are passionate about sea kayaking. We have a folding double (Feathercraft Klondike) that packs up into a rucksack - have boat will travel! We've named her Anam Cara (soulmate in gaelic). We've already had some great adventures in her paddling on the west coast of Scotland - now we are ready to venture further afield. Our dream is to travel, paddle, see the world from a different perspective. I want to meet people from different cultures, talk to them, listen to their stories, gain knowledge and understanding of not only the issues they face everyday but also the environmental issues faced. I never go anywhere without my camera and want to record everything I see and hear in a book (two dreams in one!) Thank you for giving me opportunity to realise my dreams.
Liz from Leeds:
During the day it looks as though I'm switched on to work. Really it's all a big act... I'm secretly dreaming about one day finally travelling round South America. Listening to Jorge Ben, learning samba, visiting carnival and drinking caipirinha in my dream country of Brazil... trekking through the jungle of Bahia... elegantly dancing tango in Argentina... savouring Colombian green banana guineo... snorkelling in the Galapagos Islands... inhaling the aromas of a Peruvian street market... photographing the colours of a Uruguayan sunset from my beach posada... to my ultimate dream of climbing to Machu Picchu in Peru... the dream grows more vibrant every day! Added to this, my best friend is working in Nicaragua for 18 months and I could visit her before she leaves! The continent has well and truly fascinated me since I was tiny: so much so I've been taking Spanish classes for the past few years with the express intention of some day visiting!! I have never been to South America, and at the moment can't even afford to get to Scunthorpe, let alone Santiago! Please let me win Gina and Charles, I'm a born gringo and you'll be making my dream come true!! Viva Hill Station Helado!!
Peter from Crowborough:
Visit some of the American national parks including the Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Arizona, Gila Desert, Yuma, Los ?Angeles, Yosemite, San Francisco. Then off to Australia's East Coast from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, up to Bundaberg and the Great Barrier Reef and Cookstown as Captain Cook was a fantastic explorer!!
Victoria from London:
Leaving college and working full time I have never had the luxury of a year off but I always promised myself that one day I would take a year off and go with my camera and write a book/photo-diary of all the places I have only ever experienced by their food before. I live in Hackney and have done for the past 10 years so Vietnamese is my regular take-away menu but then on to Kerala in India, the Caribbean, Mexico and then to Thailand with China as my final destination. It is amazing how something as simple and natural as a herb or spice can evoke the imagination beyond the every day and as adventurous as I may be ordering from a take-away menu there is nothing like savouring the flavours of a country while you are actually there. Meeting the people from these countries and understanding how their lives and cultures have an effect on the basic elements of life, down to even the food they eat, would not only give me food for thought but satisfy my desire to experience and taste all the flavours of life.
Shirley from Reading:
I am reasonably fit,an independent traveller, and my ambition is to visit TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK in southern Chile. It is a world biosphere reserve, and would be so exciting for observing flora and fauna, and fantastic photography. There are snow-capped mountain peaks, cascading rivers and waterfalls, glaciers and mirrored lakes. Heaven on earth. On the outward journey I could visit my son in California, and return via my friend in Australia. I hope you sell Hill Station icecream in both those places!
Eric from Leicester:
Next year is my 50th birthday and I'd like to do something spectacular to celebrate it - by cycling through 50 countries! I'm a keen cyclist and find that travelling by bike gives you the chance to get to know people - you're part of their world, and everybody stops to chat. I'll think about the countries I'd like to visit if I win - what a magnificent task that would be!
Eleanor from Glasgow:
I have a card on my desk at work. It says "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. Sail away from the safe harbour. Explore. Dream. Discover." It's been there for three years. It's time to stop dreaming about what I'd do in a year off while I keep running in the rat race. I'd like to find out that fulfilment doesn't come from having the right house, the right car and the right clothes. It's time to appreciate what I have by taking myself out of my comfort zone. Where would I go? I don't really know. I'd set off for South America or Africa with and open ticket and an open mind. But I'd want to get away from the 'must-do's' and the well worn routes set out in mass-produced travel guides. I'd try to make sure that the money from my tourism wasn't supporting corrupt regimes, or damaging the cultures and landscapes that I find. I'd be humbled by the welcome I'd receive in foreign countries by people who I know wouldn't receive the same welcome in my home country. I'd find out how I can still share a joke with people from the most alien of cultures. My mother says taking a year out would be the biggest mistake of my life. My grandmother told me that if she had her life over again she'd make more mistakes. The time has come to sail away from the safe harbour. Will you give me a boat?
Sean from Burwell:
I'm a desk-bound editor, so I'd want to get out there and really DO stuff! 1. COMMUNITY - Tsunami relief work alongside the wonderful people of Sri Lanka, where my mother was born. 2. CONSERVATION - work in Africa with big cats, which I loved since childhood. 3. NATURAL WONDERS - See active volcanoes, whales and rainforests in Hawaii - all totally awe-inspiring. 4. PUSH MYSELF TO THE LIMITS - I'm naturally cautious, so I'd like to test my nerve with some scary outdoor activities in New Zealand!
Ayesha from London:
I am a solicitor working in the City. This is an aspiration that I have had for sometime, and after many years of hard slog I finally made it. Now that I am here though I have realised that there is something missing from my job; depth. I don't feel that I am making any kind of real contribution to the society (global or local) that I live it! I am determined to do something about it. I have started to dedicate more time and money to charity, but because of the hours that I work it is difficult to get really involved. My dream is to take a year (or more?) off and go and work with women in Asia (my mother is Indian, and I am very drawn to the eastern cultures) and teach literacy skills so that they can achieve true independence for themselves. Frankly, I would sweep floors and fetch water if it would help! I am also keen to explore Asia, and the Indian sub-continent in particular to learn more about that side of who I am. Please give me the chance to realise this dream. Thank you.
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