Tonight there were $640 million dollars up for grabs in the Mega Millions Lottery. It got to the point that people who had never ever played the lotto actually took to the quick pick and took a shot at winning the insanely huge jackpot. I will admit that I too took a $5 shot at stupid money and for 3 hours had the chance to dream about the things I would do when I won. What does one do with $640 million dollars?

The first few things are a given: pay student loans, pay off credit cards, kill the mortgage. But once all that is settled and debt is a thing of the past, what next? Invest? Naturally, but we all want to have fun too right? And what does an avid traveler do when he or she suddenly has to means to see anything and everything that he or she wants to see at the drop of a hat, any hat? Hit the road baby!
I for one would make a beeline for Cuba. There are several organizations which have begun offering tours of the island and while they aren’t always 100% green, they manage to do a pretty good job. Plus there are few legal ways in which an American Citizen can actually get to the island. Tour groups are the way and I’d be on my way as soon as the ink was dry on my deposit receipt at my bank.

But after Cuba and a couple days at DisneyWorld, then what? Careful consideration isn’t necessary if you want to see it all. The only thing you have to decide is where to start. Do you take an alphabetical approach? Do you consider the difficulty of the trip and your age or physical condition and do what you can handle now, then begin working out for those you can’t yet physically handle? You better believe you do.

Now you have a plan of attack for the world, and you realize you need gear. Trips of this sort need gear. All sorts of gear. Off to your local supplier you go. Gear they have and gear you buy. Well suited up and properly prepared you hit the road. But now that you can buy anything you want, do you forget about the importance of green? Of course not. The green in your wallet makes you more responsible for the greenification of the rest of the us. If is up to you to set the example and make it obvious that green is as important as it has always been. Therefore, your trips include as many green hotels, spas, and resorts as possible, right? And if you want to find the perfect green resort, look no further than the Islands of Fiji and the son of a well known, French Oceanographer.

But if you are like me, you have seen the numbers and you were not lucky enough to have the magic combination that opens the door to more money than many of us will ever see in our lifetimes. Big collective sigh. Now that the fantasy has become a thing of the past, ready to return when the next huge jackpot turns up again, there is nothing that says you still can’t do all the things you fantasized about. It just may take you a little bit longer, and you might not have all the best gear, but why let something like money stop you from doing the things you want and seeing all that you want to see? Get out there, any way that you can. It’s an amazing planet on which we live and we all deserve to see as much of it as we want to. So pack up and go, just be sure to get time off from work before you go.

Travel green. Pass it on.