It may surprise you to learn that this is the first time I have created a travel bucket list.
I have been thinking about writing one for a long time. What has turned me off is the simple fact that I want to go everywhere I haven’t been and I want to return to most places I have! Such a long bucket list that contains basically everywhere except Vietnam and Egypt seemed unnecessary.
The other worldly Pag in Croatia – Croatia would have been near the top of this list before we visited last year. So amazing!
So what’s changed?
Our situation of course. Now that we’re committed to living in Australia for the next few years and our financial situation is very good, we are planning to go on many short trips. This means that many of the destinations I have wanted to go to most that I have still not visited are suddenly more achievable.
This is because most of my travel out of Australia has been part of longer trips which would have necessitated getting visas on the road. This means I have had to ignore destinations which have hard-to-get visas. They also tend to be out of the way and more expensive to get to.
I decided to finally create a list so that I can refer to it when we are planning travel. I want to start knocking off some of the harder to get to/enter places and keeping a list seems the best way to ensure this happens. Josh and I have decided to create the goal of ticking off one of the harder destinations (ie our classic list, see below) on our bucket list every year.
I also think this is necessary as I keep getting sucked into cheap flight sales and ending up back in South East Asia. I love this part of the world but it’d be nice to go other places as well!
Manarola from Corniglia in Cinque Terre – another place I long wanted to go
How I worked out my bucket list
I decided I needed to sort my bucket list into three piles which I called my classic list, my more achievable list and places close to home. I did this because I want to ensure we go to one of the harder ones (classic list) every year. I also wanted a list so that when we just had a few days to fill in, I also had something easy to refer to (places closer to home). Finally, I wanted a list in the middle for the longer breaks where we want somewhere relatively easy to go.
I would also have a kids’ bucket list but it’s very straight forward – it includes everywhere there is a Disneyland and/or a KidZania, as well as back to Penang. They miss our old house.
Why am I putting this list here?
Because it’s my travel blog and I can do what I want 😛
Not really!
I find that declaring things publicly is the best way to make it happen. Then I have to go to all of these places! It also gives you the chance to get a sneak peak of what places you will get to read about over the coming years.
Classic Bucket List
My long time, most wanted to visit places!
1.Visiting 100 countries by/on my 40th birthday!
I’m currently set to achieve this and hoping to arrive at country #100 on the big day in two years time!
2. The Stans – especially Uzbekistan, Kygryzstan and Azerbaijan
But ideally I would like to follow the old silk route from Beijing through to Europe.
3. Trans Siberian Railway
Ever since the genie in the tim tam advertisement sent the boyfriend to Vladivostok (this will make no sense unless you are Australian) I have wanted to visit this destination. And what better way than to do it on this legendary rail journey.
4. Iran
I have read so many amazing experiences of people visiting this little visited country that I couldn’t help but want to visit too. Iran may not be on many people’s wish lists but it looks and sounds fantastic and I can’t wait to go. Our daughter actually has a Persian name which makes me want to go even more for some reason.
I am hesitant now that it means not being able to use the visa waiver scheme to enter the US again. This means it is currently out of the question to visit Iran.
5. North Korea
Looking across to North Korea – I went in those blue buildings straddling the border
The less I know and understand a country, the more I want to go! I can’t wait to visit this bizarre little nation especially after having such an amazing experience in South Korea and technically walking over its border and being glared at by its soldiers in the DMZ.
I’ve done it now! Read about it here.
6. Visit gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda
7. Have a white Christmas, probably in Europe
Hoping to do this in 2017.
8. Visit my sponsor child in Zambia
Visiting my sponsor child and her family in Mexico
I visited my sponsor child in Mexico which was one of my most amazing experiences ever. Read about it here.
9. Colombia and Venezuela
This item and the next one are here for two reasons:
- I love Latin America
- I have visited all countries in the American continent but these four. I need to fix that!
10. Costa Rica and Panama
11. Go on an Alaskan cruise
12. Visit more of Patagonia and Moreno Glacier in Argentina
I had one of my most amazing travel experiences ever in Northern Patagonia – getting close to these magnificant Southern Right Whales
13. Zanzibar
14. West Africa
15. Cape Town
Coming June this year!
16. Go on safari in Africa
Coming July this year!
17. Camino de Santiago
I don’t need to do all of this long pilgrimage walk in Spain. Just a few days would suffice.
18. Tibet
19. Make a sudden decision to go to the airport and hop on the next plane to anywhere!
20. Every capitol building in the US
I have already made a start on this but have a long way to go!
Louisiana State Capitol building – photo taken by S!
Easier Bucket List
1. Shanghai and Nanjing
2. Panama Canal cruise
3. East Timor
4. Sulawesi, Indonesia
5. See Komodo Dragons in the wild, Indonesia
6. Cambodian coast
7. Mongolia
8. Swim with whale sharks near Exmouth, Australia
9. Broome, Australia
Coming in April
10. Bahrain/Qatar/Kuwait
Done in October 2016!
12. Spend a month in NYC
Josh and I are both city slickers so NYC is our idea of heaven
13. Hong Kong
Currently on the schedule for April 2017.
14. US road trip
Anywhere. We just loved our Deep South road trip
15. Kerala, India
Close to Home List
1. Fiji
2. New Caledonia
3. Hawaii
4. Newcastle
Visited in September 2016
6. Any cruise
We did another cruise in the US in January 2017. I still want more though!
7. More of Malaysia
Visiting again in April.
8. Canberra, Australia
Visited in October 2016.
9. Perth, Australia
Visiting in April 2017.
Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays from a trip to get my PADI certification on the Great Barrier Reef many years ago
10. Hamilton Island/Whitsundays
11. Papua New Guinea cruise
What’s top of your bucket list? Where would you like us to go first?
