My Travel Goals for 2026 and Beyond
A Personal Bucket List of Places, Cultures, and a Life Designed Around Movement and My Lifestyle.
Travel is one of the most popular bucket list dreams in the world — and for good reason.
It represents freedom, curiosity, and expansion. It’s often the first thing people imagine when they think about “living fully.” New places, new food, new perspectives. A break from routine. A reminder that the world is bigger than our daily lives.
For me, travel has never been something to check off someday.
It has been a constant presence — formative, grounding, and deeply woven into who I am.
It has been a constant presence — formative, grounding, and deeply woven into who I am.
As I look ahead to 2026 and beyond, my relationship with travel is evolving again, not because I’m new to it, but because I finally have something rare: time, flexibility, and intention.
This is not a list driven by trends or urgency.
It’s a reflection of a life designed around movement, culture, rest, and meaning.
It’s a reflection of a life designed around movement, culture, rest, and meaning.
Travel Was Never New to Me — It Was Formative
I’ve been traveling since my early twenties, long before travel became a form of online identity or social currency.
My first major work trips took me to China and India, and those early experiences permanently expanded how I saw the world. Cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong didn’t overwhelm me culturally — instead, they shocked me in an entirely different way.
It was a technology shock.
China felt like the future. The infrastructure, the speed, the efficiency, the ambition — it challenged every assumption I had about progress and innovation. I wasn’t disoriented. I was energized. My vision widened almost instantly.
That fascination never left.
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A Career That Turned the World Into a Classroom
As a fashion designer and product development leader, travel quickly became part of my professional rhythm.
I’ve traveled to China more times than I can count, often three to four times a year, working closely with factories, design teams, and production partners. These weren’t sightseeing trips — they were immersive experiences that taught me how people live, work, problem-solve, and build at scale.
Over time, I learned more than manufacturing processes.
I learned cultural secrets.
Work ethic.
Unspoken values.
I learned cultural secrets.
Work ethic.
Unspoken values.
That education couldn’t have come from anywhere else.
Europe Through the Lens of Fashion
Fashion also took me deep into Europe, especially London and Paris, cities I’ve visited many times over — not as a tourist, but as someone embedded in the fashion ecosystem.
Street fashion, studios, global trends, collections, timelines — these cities shaped my professional identity.
And yet, among them all, London stands apart.
Despite not loving city life in general, London is the one city that consistently draws me back. Its fashion heritage, architecture, layered history, and quiet elegance feel endlessly inspiring. The streets tell stories. The restaurants feel lived-in. Creativity exists without trying too hard. I’m ready to go to Oxford Street anytime, for fashion, food, and culture – all in one place.
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Staying in the Heart of London
When I travel to London, I always prefer staying close to Oxford Street, where fashion, food, culture, and daily life intersect effortlessly. For those trips, I usually book hotels through Hotels.com or Expedia, which makes it easy to compare locations and find places that truly fit how I like to experience the city. Being centrally located means I can walk everywhere, soak in the energy, and let the city unfold naturally — without over-planning.
The United States: Familiar, Functional, Expansive
My work also took me repeatedly across the United States — New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Chicago, and most major U.S. cities.
These trips were efficient and fast-paced, built around meetings, production schedules, and deadlines. But they still added to my understanding of how differently cultures function — even within the same country. I loved spending hours watching the surf lifesavers at Huntington Beach in LA when I merchandised a skater brand, and I equally enjoyed sitting at the salad bars in New York watching the fashion, Wall Street, and food come together.
Every place teaches you something, even when you’re not looking for it.
Italy With My Son: Travel as a Shared Memory
Some trips become milestones.
One of the most meaningful journeys of my life was a two-week trip to Italy with my son, Krish. We traveled slowly and intentionally — from Venice to Tuscany, down the Amalfi Coast, and through Rome.
We took guided tours, vineyard visits, cooking classes, walked endlessly, ate simply and well, and experienced Italy not as a checklist, but as a shared story.
That trip reminded me why travel matters beyond destinations:
- It deepens relationships
- It creates lifelong memories.
- It teaches presence
Those are the trips that stay with you.
What Travel Has Taught Me About Culture
Over the years, I’ve realized that travel, for me, has never been about seeing everything.
Yes, historical landmarks matter. Architecture matters.
But what captivates me most is how people live.
But what captivates me most is how people live.
I pay attention to:
- Daily rituals
- Cultural values
- Traditions passed quietly through generations.
- The way ancient architecture still influences modern life.
- How similar human priorities are across cultures
No matter where you go, certain things repeat themselves — respect for family, pride in craftsmanship, food as a connection, and community as a foundation.
Travel teaches you that humanity is far more connected than divided.
Beach Vacations: A Non-Negotiable Tradition
While global travel expanded my mind, one ritual has always anchored my life.
I travel south two to three times a year, and at least twice a year with my family. Beach vacations are a tradition — restorative, grounding, and deeply necessary.
They are not indulgences.
They are how I reset.
They are how I reset.
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Moving forward, beach trips are non-negotiable. In fact, I see them increasing to three or even four times a year. I’m still working on convincing my sisters to join me more often — but that’s part of the long game.
Planning Beach Vacations, the Simple Way
When I plan my all-inclusive beach vacations, I usually book through Expedia Travel, mainly for the convenience once I arrive. What I appreciate most is being able to reserve the resort restaurants directly through the app, instead of standing in line or coordinating schedules on the spot. On my last trip to Jamaica, I also had access to a concierge service via WhatsApp, available at any time — a small detail that made the experience feel seamless and well supported. If you’re planning beach travel for 2026 and beyond, having the Expedia app makes the entire process easier, from booking to arrival.
The Shift: Time, Freedom, and a Laptop Lifestyle
Like most people, I once lived within strict limits:
- Three to four weeks of vacation per year
- Travel squeezed between responsibilities.
- Time always rationed
Even with frequent work travel, personal travel required precision and compromise.
That’s changing.
As my son approaches university and I’ve built a laptop-based lifestyle, I now have flexibility that once felt impossible.
Living in Canada, where winters are long and brutally cold, I’ve started imagining a different rhythm:
- Longer stays in warmer places.
- Traveling with my laptop
- Working from inspiring environments
- Staying for a month instead of a week
My Travel Vision for 2026 and Beyond
This bucket list is intentional now, not rushed like before.
The Structure I Envision
- One immersive trip in Asia
- One meaningful trip in Europe
- Multiple beach vacations for rest and balance
- The freedom to stay longer — weeks, not days
Asia: Depth, Culture, and Return
Asia continues to call me.
On my list:
- Japan — especially with Krish, who has long wanted to visit
- China — returning not for work, but for exploration
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- Visiting the Great Wall with Krish
- Experiencing cities beyond factories and meetings
- India — going back with intention
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- Traveling with my parents
- Visiting ancient places
- Learning more about my own culture as an adult
- Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia – Bali — places rich in spirituality, history, and daily beauty
Europe: Familiar, Yet Never Finished
Europe still holds unfinished chapters for me.
Next on my list:
- Greece
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Portugal
And without question:
- Italy again — because Italy is never a one-time experience
- London, always — my forever favorite
Travel as a Life Philosophy
Travel has shaped who I am — not because of where I’ve been, but because of what I’ve learned along the way.
It taught me:
- Perspective
- Cultural respect
- Openness
- Patience
- Life does not need to be lived one way.
As I look toward 2026 and beyond, this travel bucket list is about designing a life where movement, curiosity, rest, and learning are woven naturally into how I live — not postponed until “someday.”
And this time, I’m not rushing.
I’m staying longer.
