Maybe this posting of photographs from across Europe will inspire you to book the trip of a lifetime.

Westminster Abbey, London, on a blue-sky autumn day.

Looking for somewhere a bit more exotic?

Church in central square, Hvar, Croatia, during sunset.

Have you been thinking about taking an adventurous vacation? Hike the five villages of Cinque Terre in Liguria, Italy.

View approaching Vernazza, during a hike from Monterosso.

Or maybe a cultural city break will entice you to book the flight?

View down on the river in Budapest

Or maybe rent an apartment and spend a week cooking with local, fresh ingredients?

Market in Vienna, Austria

Check back for more photo travel inspirations, and make 2010 the year you visit somewhere you’ve always dreamed of going.

When the weekend papers arrive, I skip all the recession-related bad news and go straight for the travel section. The photographs are like reading a menu at a great new restaurant you’ve been dying to try – and the articles help you decide what to order. But the papers come every week, and the list of ‘Next Trip’ keeps getting longer.

Fjords of Norway

To complicate this even further, my freelance work extends to researching and writing about places I haven’t yet been. It can be a rainy, dark November day outside my window in Dublin – but I might be engrossed in reading about the beaches and culture of Thailand. This ‘escape’ during the day is a blessing and a curse, as it continuously adds to the list of places I want to get to… soon.

So here’s my MOST WANTED list – places I’m going to try and squeeze in, in the next, year? (I like to be ambitious…)

1. Norway: Just this week I finished up a series of articles about Norway. I had no idea that the city of Oslo was only a two-hour flight from London, and that many budget airlines are extending service to the Norwegian capital. I had no clue that affordable ferries follow the same routes along the Norwegian coast that cruise ships do; providing a budget approach to touring the fjords. And while I did know about the quality of the salmon and other fish that are plentiful in Norway’s waters – this just wasn’t enough by itself to convince me to book a trip. The first picture I saw of the fjords made this Scandinavian destination shoot up to the top of my list.

St Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow

3. Chile: I’ve been thinking about adventure vacations lately. While I’m all for a much-needed week on a sandy beach, swimming in the warm Caribbean waters, I’ve also wanted to add certain adventure activities to the ‘things I don’t do at home’ list that inspires vacations. I recently finished up a series of articles about adventure activities in Chile, and I was seriously interested in certain kayaking tours on offer in Patagonia. This experience allows travelers to get intimate with the landscape, all with the assistance of an experienced guide who can fill in the gaps.

4. Valencia, Spain: Valencia is the hometown of Paella, need I say more?! Beside my culinary interest, this city in Spain has everything in a getaway I could ask for. Unlike another Spanish city I love, Sevilla, Valencia is on the sea. The city has a beautiful old quarter, home to buildings on the UNESCO world heritage list. A combination of good food, cultural history, and manageable size (so I don’t feel tempted to do too much, returning home more exhausted than when I left…) make this city in Spain an appealing destination for me.

Plaza in Valencia

What are your current travel dreams? Share your MOST WANTED below.