Many travellers have a travel bucket list or refer to it often. I always call my list a travel wish list and it is mainly something in my head. As I have a hard time to determine where I’ll travel to in 2018, I decided to put my virtual list in writing and write down my travel bucket list.
For the past two year, I travelled as much as I could and blogged about it. I had a mystery shopping assignment where I flew across Europe and explored several destinations. It was perfect. I knew I wanted to do these mystery guest assignments and just looked what there was to see and do in the surrounding area and off I went. Unfortunately, the assignment has now stopped and I need to determine on my own where to go next. It looks like a dream to not be limited by plans, mandatory family visits or events I want to go to. However, it couldn’t be further from the truth. I can look at a map now and all dots, lines and places on the map are potential travel destinations. I just really don’t know where to go first!
Where to go next?
The abundance of choice is causing my mind to paralyze itself. I just can’t make a decision. And I feel lost without any travel plans. As you know from my travel planning OCD, I just love to plan trips and travels. But now, I just can’t make up my mind and determine where I’ll be exploring in 2018! Owh the modern day dilemmas. Anyways, to make things a little easier on myself, I decided to verbalize my travel wish list. Some call it a travel bucket list, others refer to it as a wish list. I have a never ending, ever expanding list of places I want to visit, but I decided for the purpose of travel planning in 2018 I would put things in writing. So here it is: my travel bucket list (for 2018 and beyond)
Europe Travel Bucket List
- Explore Portugal, see Lisbon and taste Port in Porto – Done, see my Portugal page
- Live for a few weeks in Rome, Italy (getting there)
- Walk the Camino de Santiago
- Road Trip around Greece and see as many Greek ruins as possible. Athens is happening in August 2019.
- Explore the island of Sicily, Italy
- Hop aboard the Hurtigruten boat in Norway
- Hike part of the Wales coastal path – Done! 2019
- See Neuschwanstein Castle near Munich, Germany
- See Mona Lisa smile at the Louvre in Paris, France – Done, see my Thalys Train post
Middle East Travel Bucket List
- Traverse Turkey West to East and North to South
- Hike part of the Lycian Way in Turkey
- Travel to Jordan (Done! November 2018)
- Visit Syria
- Explore the desert of Oman
- Eat my way around Lebanon (Done! April 2019)
- Walk like an Egyptian in Egypt
- Explore Morocco
South America Travel Bucket List
- Amaze me at the Galapagos
- Visit Colombia
- Travel to Easter Island
- Set foot on Antarctica
- Hear the ice crack at Perito Moreno glacier
- Explore Buenos Aires, Argentina Planned October 2019!
- Road Trip around Salta, Argentina Planned October 2019!
Unique Travel Experiences not location bound
- See the Northern Lights – hopefully in Iceland Dec. 2019
- Learn to snorkel or dive to swim with Sea Turtles
- Work on a husky farm or help herd reindeer in winter
- See Killer Whales in the Wild – maybe in Argentina October 2019?
Other Bucket List Destinations
- Visit Hobbiton in New Zealand
- Stay overnight in a monastery in Bhutan
- Go to the land down under
- See the march of the penguins on Antarctica
- See wild lions in Africa
Train Travel Bucket List
This train travel bucket list deserves a whole topic of its own, see my post about my train travel wish list, but to highlight a few:
- Flåm Railroad in Norway
- Travel by train across Switzerland – Done, start reading all about my Swiss train adventures, like the Bernina Express or the Glacier Express Train
- Travel across Scotland by train
- Travel coast to coast in the USA, Canada and Australia
- Travel on the modern Orient Express (done)
Why I haven’t made a travel bucket list sooner?
In all honesty, because I think it is bull shit. I don’t need a list to tell me what to do next. One of my favorite movies is The Bucket List, not because of the list but because of the friendship and the travel Morgan and Jack undertake. But I don’t plan on dying any time soon and I don’t feel a midlife crisis is coming either (although I just turned 35). I feel writing down a list, might limit you to take other opportunities (not yet on the list). Or the list will hold you accountable for things you’ve done or didn’t do yet. But maybe that is just what I need.
Read more: Photography Gear Gift Ideas for Travellers
How the travel bucket list will help and maybe inspire (you!)
I hope my travel bucket list will help me determine and prioritize where I want to go next. Sometimes all it takes is a good price on a plane ticket or an event nearby to explore the area. But often, to really go somewhere, you have to focus and dedicate your time to it and not let other things get in the way. I wanted to go to South America for ages. But it wasn’t until I gave up my passion to pursue my true love that I was able to plan and prepare for my month in South America.
Still not sure where to go? Take this travel quiz to find out! (Mine said Namibia!? Say what?)
I hope I can slowly but surely cross off the items of my travel bucket list and focus on adding new items and crossing those off! I’m pretty confident the list will grow and expand. With one item crossed of, 2 more will be added.
What is on your travel bucket list? What are your travel plans?
Great bucket list with so many wonderful things to see and do. Many of these are also on my list, such as seeing the Northern Lights, visiting Antarctica, exploring Morocco to name a few.
Good luck with your travels in 2018!
thanks Mike! I hope your travel dreams for 2018 will come true too!
That’s quite a list!
I too have an overall travel wish list for life, and currently honing in on my plans and wishes for this year.
You voiced the same train travel list as I have! I’d love to do all of those too as I love travelling by train.
As and when you end up in Wales, let me know and I’ll come meet you. The Welsh Coastal Path is stunning, I’ve done lots of segments of it. Can recommend most of the Pembrokeshire coast path especially around Manobier and Lydstep, also the section through Ceredigion!
Look forward to seeing where you go!
Xx
Hi Naomi,
You have listed quite a no of places to visit. Hope you can do all well before 2018 ends. Since you haven’t visited my country Bhutan, you can see if it also deserves to be in your list, not necessarily this list, but in future.
Regards
Thanks Sherab but the list is not only for 2018! It is more the general guide for my future travels. But you’re right, Bhutan should be on it!