A bucket list: do we need one and, more importantly, do we need to tick all those boxes? /

Those who have been bitten by the travel bug know what I mean when I say that my bucket list just keeps getting longer, even though I do my very best to check many of them off. But for those who are not much into traveling and their ideal vacation consists of lying on the beach while enjoying the all-inclusive hotel they are staying at, it is not obvious to have a list. But is that really necessary? allow me to express my humble opinion.

Do you really need a bucket list?

To be clear, I’m talking about a travel-related bucket list, not the one you list your personal crushes on!

With that out of the way, let’s talk about those who don’t really need (or care about) a bucket list. They are the ones who look at a holiday purely for relaxation, which means going to a sunny place and chilling next to the pool or on the beach all day while enjoying all the benefits of their hotel in the most relaxed way possible. This category of travelers does not need a bucket list because they are happiest when their need for sun and sea is met, and there is nothing wrong with that, on the contrary.

Although most of those who will be reading this article have a much deeper interest or even passion (I must confess) for travel and all the different experiences that come with it. For this group, a bucket list is usually something they’ve always had, even before the term “bucket list” was invented. Anyone bitten by the travel bug knows what I’m talking about and to this day I have yet to meet the first person in this category who doesn’t have a personal bucket list, no matter how long or short that list is.

Still, the question remains… do you really need a bucket list? In my personal opinion, it is good to have one, especially when it comes to traveling. Having a set of goals makes you work harder to achieve them, which in return gives you an even greater sense of accomplishment. It is also known that checking one box can lead to adding more boxes. I experienced this firsthand when I visited the mountain gorillas in Virunga NP, DRC. Just minutes after meeting these amazing animals I knew I wanted to see them in all 3 countries where they still roam the forests (DRC, Rwanda and Uganda). Those with a passion for travel know how hard it is not to keep expanding your list. On the one hand, you can check regularly, but on the other hand, you continuously experience new adventures that make you look even further than what you have just seen. Not to mention all the things you discover these days by reading travel related literature, social media and yes… blogs like this one too.

Which destinations and experiences are the most popular?

While we all had our own personal list, I’ve become very aware that it comes up with a lot of items among the people I’ve talked to about it, but it’s also often influenced by your interests and where you live. For example, Stonehenge is a favorite among my American friends and family, while it’s almost never featured on any of its European counterparts. One way or another, bucket lists are often full of things that can’t be found in a nearby radius, though of course there’s always the odd exception.

For many the idyllic tropical destinations on this tiny little thing called Earth are at the top of their bucket list, so it’s no surprise if I hear the Maldives, Bora Bora or Hawaii come up every time we talk about it. And to be honest, I totally get it. These destinations are everything everyone imagines when they think of tropical islands where the palm trees sway gently to the rhythm of the sea breeze.

One thing that is almost never on the bucket list is nature destinations and experiences. For me personally, this is the biggest contributor to my endless list, but it always surprises me that I am far from an exception. The iconic African safari is truly a favorite among so many accompanied by seeing the mountain gorillas and witnessing the great migration in the Serengeti. Those are just the ones on African soil and every continent seems to have a natural gem that is in high demand, like the beautiful national parks in the western US, or the Great Barrier Reef down under…

Possibly easier to manage and with a smaller budget, the city ​​trips to iconic places like New York, Paris, Venice, Singapore or Tokyo. In this category, the location of the person concerned often plays a crucial role. So far I have never heard any of my American friends family tell New York made it on their list even if they haven’t been there yet for many who live in Africa, Europe and Asia it is one of those places where she just wants to experience. Looking at it from the other side of the pond, Americans often have these romantic European cities on their radar, while for many of us they don’t seem to be such a high priority, irrelevant whether we’ve been there or not. Again… it seems that places of interest not too far from your home are rarely on the list.

I find that most people are too conservative when it comes to determining what is on their bucket list. let’s be honest, unique destinations such as Easter Island, Antarctica, Bhutan and other destinations that are a bit more difficult to reach or are not on the cheap side are often overlooked or ignored. But isn’t the whole purpose of a bucket list to dream about all these places and experiences that you hope to check off one day without any constraints, be it money, physical or location?

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Often unique experiences like Burning Man, Tomorrowland, seeing the Northern Lights or flying intercontinental in first class are also on the list and I’m all for it! Because these are experiences that are often more attainable and easily shared with like-minded friends or family who often have the same item on their list.

In the end, there are people who believe more is always better, where they try to set certain goals, often combining different items from the list. The most common examples are setting foot on all continents, visiting all the countries of the world, or climbing the highest mountain on each continent. They’re not always attainable for everyone, but I’m a firm believer that you need at least 1 item on your bucket list that is almost certainly unattainable, because that’s what dreams are for, isn’t it?

Need to tick those boxes ASAP?

In short… no.

Buuuuuuut we never know what’s around the corner! And I’ve seen it multiple times where people become unable to make their bucket list a priority, let alone check any of the boxes, due to certain circumstances. That’s why in recent years I catch myself looking at my bucket list a lot more and trying to shorten it in some way. The only downside to it? The fact that I’m discovering new things to add to my bucket list while I’m planning a trip to check another box, my list taking on a life of its own to a level that I already know it’s it will be impossible to finish everything . But that’s okay because we need to keep some of those dreams alive.

My personal bucket list

I’ve been lucky enough to tick a lot of boxes already (we’re quick to ignore the amount of time I’ve already spent on this planet, which definitely helped) but it still has quite a few items on it and in recent years my list remarkably longer ! Therefore, it is an impossible task to share them all with you, but I will give you a few examples of those that are on them. Mind you, these are arranged in no particular order, so here we go:

• look for lions in the Hoanib Desert
• Visiting Antarctica (if all goes well I should check this off in a few weeks)
• explore New Zealand and be sure to spend plenty of time in and around the wineries
• try to spot snow leopards in the Himalayas
• I know it’s cliché, but Bora Bora is on it too
• discover more of the Andes aboard the Belmond Andean Explorer and visit Machu Pichu while I’m there
• see all the beauty that Bhutan has to offer
• try to reach the North Pole on an expedition ship
• enjoy Ngorongoro National Park in all its glory
• sail across the spice islands

And so everyone has their own bucket list. It may be small for some and endless for others (no judgment whatsoever), as long as you can keep crossing some items on it, there’s little more worth it!

Those who can help me with any of the above… let me know 🙂 All jokes aside, I can’t wait to hear what’s on your bucket list or what you’d recommend to others that might be worth getting their add list.