Beautiful photos, JTL!
As for favorite places to travel to, I would have to list the following: England, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands--all countries I have visited. I have also traveled to Ukraine, Hungary and Japan. Japan is expensive but has many lovely sights. Right now, there is political unrest in Ukraine, so not sure it would be a good place but there are some beautiful sights there, at least in Kiev and western Ukraine where I was. Budapest, Hungary is very interesting, but I don't know much about the rest of the country.
I've always been fortunate to have a friend and/or a husband who took care of my kitties in my absence. Also, I've had to ask a friend to water flowers in my yard when I've traveled in the summertime. We often have long stretches of drought in Oklahoma, so the only way to keep things alive is to water them.
I do buy some souvenirs, some for myself and some for family and friends. A number of years ago, I hit onto a perfect souvenir. Most are relatively inexpensive. They are lightweight and small, so it's easy to pack them. What are they? Bookmarks! Nearly everywhere I've gone, whether it's a touristy area or not, I find bookmarks that show off some local place of significance. I have given away many of these bookmarks because I buy duplicates, so I keep one and give one in many cases. Even so, I now have a few hundred bookmarks of all sorts. In England and Wales, I have found lovely leather embossed ones but I've also found many styles. Friends who travel now bring me bookmarks, too! Of course, one may not want bookmarks, so there are usually other small things. I look for locally produced items rather than those made elsewhere (nothing better says you had a great time visiting the Vatican or seeing the Eiffel Tower by having a snow globe made in China

). When I visited Vancouver and Victoria, Canada, last year, I bought flower seeds so I have a lasting memory of the beautiful flower gardens (Butchart Gardens). I also collect turtles, so one of my favorite souvenirs from one of my trips to England is a turtle I found in a charity shop. And, then, of course, I have to stop at the duty free shops in the airport to buy those chocolates and any other last minute souvenirs before leaving.