For many, plans for a once-in-a-lifetime trip don’t make it past the vision-board stage. It can take a lot of discipline to turn those dreams into reality, from saving enough to nailing down the logistics. Current geopolitical realities have further complicated considerations, narrowing the number of destinations that are on travellers’ lists. To help ease the planning process, The Globe set out to build a guide to exploring big-ticket vacations. If you need some more inspiration for getting started, three Canadians also shared how they mapped out the itinerary of their dreams.

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