Merging your Bucket List and Travel Plans

A Bucket List and Travel Plans – Let’s start at the beginning…

A lot of folks out there probably already have a “bucket list” made up and that’s awesome… However, I bet there are a lot of people out there that either don’t have one written down or worse yet, may not even know what one is or why they need one. Yeah, crazy right?

The Taj Mahal, among many other travel destinations, was definitely on my ‘bucket list’!

In case you need a friendly reminder, a bucket list at its heart is simply a list of all the amazing places you want to see, all the crazy and unforgettable experiences you wish to have, all things you want to achieve in life and it can also include all the people you want to meet and spend time with in life before you ‘kick the bucket’ – which hopefully occurs in old age! It is made up of those things in life which get you excited, fuel your desires and give you something to pursue. It doesn’t have to all be travel related of course but when planning your travels, having one made up will help tremendously as you try to plan which countries you want to visit and more specifically, what you want to see and experience within those countries. In fact, I would say that travel destinations may make up 50% or more of most people’s bucket list.

For myself, I’m a bit of a planner and decided to create a bucket list very early on in life. So far, I’ve traveled through 30 countries and fulfilled a lot of what I wished to see and experience in each of those specific countries. But does that mean I no longer want to travel to those countries? Of course not! In fact, it has only fueled my desire to go back and spend more time in each of those countries. And since creating a bucket list years ago, I’m continually going back and revising the places I’ve been to and adding new things I want to see and experience which I’d imagine you will do as well…

Sure, I may look a bit too excited here but come on, this place was amazing! (taken in Luang Prabang, Laos)

If you already have a bucket list made up, great! If not, here’s the short and sweet on how to create one of your own:

Start by making a list of all the things you want to see in life, all the things you want to experience, all the things you hope to achieve, etc. Just try to get your list to at least 100. No matter how crazy your bucket list items might be, how unrealistic they are to actually happening, write them down anyway! Seriously, you would be amazed how some crazy dreams you may have now can be turned into reality as soon as you write them down and put some planning in place that will help you achieve them. And writing down an extensive bucket list will help you to craft the best trip to take and will also get you motivated and excited! Too many of us float through life without ever taking time out to do the things we really want to do. I was living proof of that. But when you decide you want to do something and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen! It may take some time and planning but you can turn things into reality. I’m living proof of that too…

After you have your list, try and pinpoint which things are ‘doable’ for this year or your upcoming trip you’re planning

In other words, when planning out your trip, what can you afford to see or where can you afford to travel to? How much time do you have? Try to route yourself so that you are able to see and experience as many things as you possibly can on your list but always allow yourself enough time during your trip to really enjoy yourself as you travel along. Don’t think of it as a ‘checklist’ of items to get done. In reality, that is the one problem with having such ‘a list’ that many people may fall victim to. Treating it like a checklist will only detract from the experience and you don’t want to find yourself racing from one place to the next. Instead, plan a smart route allowing yourself time to really enjoy the journey and you’ll have a better chance of seeing more of the things you really want to see along the way.

Also, factor in your allotted budget when deciding what to see, what to experience and where to go. If you want to travel to Antarctica like me, you may need to save this for another trip since two weeks there could cost the equivalent of about half a year’s worth of travel backpacking through Southeast Asia! However, if you want to see the Pyramids in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, the Louvre in Paris, before ending up at the Red Square in Moscow, you may just want to route your trip in exactly that order as you’ll save much more on transportation costs which usually will save more on your budget than anything else.

Whatever you end up planning, just go for it. Make a list, treat it as an attainable goal that you’ll go for this year or the next and make it happen. Even if many of the places you desire to travel to seem too far away, too expensive or the like, just make a plan to make it happen. You’d be amazed at how excited you’ll be by just taking one or two good trips each year even if only going for a week or two. So there you have it… now let me know how it goes and share your bucket list ideas and achievements!!

Cruising around on a camel in the desert sands of India… Wasn’t necessarily on my original bucket list but made for a great substitute for the Sahara!