RTW: Cross-Country Companion

It’s Day 3 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge, and it’s also Road Trip Wednesday day on YA Highway. This week, the YA Highway folks want to know:

If you could visit any country with a fictional character as your guide, who would you pick and where would you go?

This may seem like an obvious answer if you’re a regular to the blog, but I would choose The Doctor (as in Doctor Who). My reason may not be so obvious. You see, I’m a contradiction. I’m a home-bod, but I like foreign travel, experiencing different cultures, and meeting people from different countries. I’m also not very adept socially. It takes me a while to get comfortable with people. I don’t do small-talk very well. Now, once I’m comfortable with someone, I can yabber on for hours. But it’s that initial awkward “Uhh… hello…” that doesn’t help if you want to meet people and get to know them. This is why The Doctor would be my perfect traveling companion. He would be all smiles and enthusiasm, going up to complete strangers saying, “Hello, I’m the Doctor and this is my friend Colin. We’re new in town–my, that’s an interesting hat…” etc. I would learn a lot more than if I was left on my own.

Where would we go? Honestly, I wouldn’t care. The Doctor would make it interesting, wherever it was. However, I know the first thing he would ask me when I step into the TARDIS would be: “So, Colin–where d’you want to go?” I ought to have an answer ready, so I’d probably say Scandinavia. Maybe Norway or Finland. I’ve never been to any Scandinavian countries, and I’ve always wanted to visit that part of the world.

What about you? Who would be your ideal fictional traveling companion, and where would you go? You can share your thoughts in the comments, or join in the Road Trip (see the YA Highway blog for details).