August 28, 2009

55 Places... A Travel Bucket List

It's tough having perma-wanderlust. Regardless of whether I'm freshly back from some amazing adventure or completely desperate for anything remotely resembling a three day weekend, I can't stop looking ahead to where I'm going next.

So, with this inherent wanderlust I am constantly saying "oh, I'd love to go there" about places I read about, but whenever I have the means or time to actually take a trip, my mind kind of freezes up because the possibilities are endless. It's so overwhelming that all of my previous travel aspirations just go out the window!

So, I've decided to create a list of my top 55 Places... some of the fantastic adventures I want to have in my lifetime. Most of them are exotic and faraway and will take some time to check off, but some are local and may seem ordinary, but still something I want to experience.

At the very least, I hope this list will provide some guidance when I'm lost and looking for places to go. I hope this helps provide you some ideas for your own trips as well (and let me know in the comments if there's someplace I've left off!)

Without further ado... my 55 PLACES TRAVEL BUCKET LIST!  (Also, for bucket list naysayers, here's why I'm a fan of travel bucket lists...) 

1. Visit every continent… even Antarctica
a. North America (COMPLETE, long ago!)
b. South America (COMPLETE! 10/16/09)
c. Europe (COMPLETE, long ago!)
d. Asia
e. Africa
f. Australia (COMPLETE! 4/4/10)
g. Antarctica (CLOSE... BUT NOT QUITE...)

2. Hike the Milford Track in New Zealand (COMPLETE! April 2010)


3. Spend a few days walking village to village in the Cotswolds, England


4. Pet a tortoise in the Galapagos Islands (PLANNING: 2012)

5. Take a picture with the Moai at Easter Island

6. Visit the Steve Irwin Zoo in Australia

7. Stay in a Treehouse at an Eco-Resort

8. Hike the Cinque Terre in Italy

9. Try to paint a water lily like Monet at Giverney, France

10. Swim in the ocean in Guadeloupe

11. Stay in a hut over the ocean

12. Hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (COMPLETE! October 2010)

 

13. See a giraffe in the wild on an African safari

14. Eat BBQ in Memphis

15. Chill with iceburgs in Patagonia (COMPLETE! October 2009)















16. Listen to the roar of Iguazu Falls


17. Have a solo trip and rent a cabin on a lake

18. Walk across the sand to Mont St Michel


19. Explore Machu Picchu

20. Go all out with the chef’s tasting menu at CityZen in Washington, DC

21. Visit the “Shire” in New Zealand (COMPLETE! April 2010)
22. Eat Belgium chocolate in Brugge

23. Driving through Big Sur, California

24. Have a cappuccino at a café in Vieux-Montréal


25. Try not to lose my footing on a glacier (Complete! April 2010)

26. Dance in the mist of Victoria Falls

27. Soak in zen luxury at a destination spa

28. Do nothing in the Seychelles or the Maldives

29. Do something unexpected in Interlacken, Switzerland

30. Sing pub songs with the locals in Ireland

31. Look for Nessie in Loch Ness

32. Sail around the Caribbean

33. Take a picture of lava flows after hiking up an active volcano

34. Savor every bite at the French Laundry in Napa Valley

35. Learn to Scuba dive and go the Great Barrier reef for my first dive

36. Dance a waltz in Vienna

37. Stay on a working farm in Italy

38. Visit the Olympics… somewhere

39. Head to Germany for Oktoberfest and drink beer with the locals

40. Live the Medici life by renting a villa in Tuscany

41. Swim in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland

42. Try the guacamole at Chicago’s Frontera Grill

43. See Glow Worms in the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand (COMPLETE! April 2010)



44. Take a picture of the Northern Lights

45. Go whale-watching in Alaska

46. Swim to the edge of an infinity pool

47. See the cherry blossoms in Japan



48. Mine for gold

49. Bet $100 at a game in Vegas (Almost, but not quite...)

50. Cheer for a horse at the Palio in Siena

51. Climb the Great Wall in China

52. Geek out at Comic Con in San Diego

53. Go on a road trip with no particular destination

54. Ponder the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright at Falling Water (COMPLETE! April 2011)

55. See the city of temples at Angkor Wat

By Packed Suitcase with 9 comments

9 comments:

There are a lot of fun things to do on Cape Cod. It is an exciting place where you can find amazing beaches, great lodging, good food and wonderful people!

That's a good one! I would love to go to Cape Cod... whale watching, beaches, lobster rolls... all good things! :)

I once looked for Nessie in Loch Ness. The water is very dark and constantly choppy, so it plays tricks on your eyes incessantly. No wonder so many people have made "sightings!"

Here's a good list of landmarks to see before you die... vote up your favorites! http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/historical-landmarks-to-see-before-i-die

When I was younger I was convinced Nessie was real. So, that bucket list spot is a nod to my childhood imagination. :)

That list is very comprehensive indeed... I may need to change this list to 155 places!

you made it all the way to Patagonia but not to Antartica, AHHH, so close and yet so far!

It's an expensive trip, but definitely something that is high on my list too...

Kyle, I KNOW! It was really tough being so close and having to turn around and go home. Another time, for sure... one day.

I love your bucket list! This is giving me tons of inspiration...and travel fever! Great Blog :)

I also have a lengthy travel bucket list, but you helped me to add three new items! Great list, and may I say, I am terribly jealous of some of your amazing trips! You sound like someone I'd have fun traveling with! Check out my site for some new ideas too! :)

@Wrabbit007 Thank you! I'm always looking for new ideas to add to my list. I just may need to do a 55 places - part 2! :)

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