I’ve always maintained that I have no bucket list.
I want to do and see as much as I can in my lifetime (as I’m sure many reading this blog also do) and have never felt an impending need to impose a list on myself that I know I will then feel pressure to complete. I should point out here that I very rarely make myself “to do” lists, which is possibly why the thought of a bucket list has left me cold. I feel as though any points which are not covered off within a sufficient amount of time sit there mocking me like only your own scribbled handwriting on a scrap of paper can. (In other words, not at all – both the ink and the paper are inanimate objects, yet I feel them calling out to me: “Julia…….you’re rubbish……you’ve hardly done anything you need to do yet……Julia……you stink”. Ahem. Okay, enough of the crazy list voices).
However recently I’ve been having more and more thoughts along the lines of “ooh I’d really like to do that at some point” every time I read an interesting tweet or watch an informative travel programme and thought that maybe I should really write some of them down. Some of them I have harboured fantasies about for years, some are more recent. It was only the other day that I realised that many of the things I dream of doing before I am old and decrepit revolve around experiences with animals and nature. Being an animal lover I suppose this should have come as no surprise, but I found myself feeling unconvinced. Should my bucket list not be filled with lists of famous pieces of architecture and landmarks that have been documented the world over? Should I not want to spend my time in museums and art galleries soaking up the culture and history of each place I visit? Well, in a word, no. The whole point of having a list of this nature is to envisage what you would enjoy the most and quite frankly staring endlessly at stone buildings and paint on canvas doesn’t really do it for me. Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed visiting architectural masterpieces in the past and I truly believe that marvels such as Angkor Wat and the Taj Mahal will take my breath away and I will no doubt have some amazing photographs to gaze at for years to come (including the obligatory ‘long arm’ photographs of myself taken in front of them and the blurry out-of-focus ones that kind natured strangers take of you). And I will still do and see these things and enjoy them wholeheartedly. But it is experiences that excite me. People-watching at a street side café, eating exciting foods, listening to live music…..you get the idea.
“So, what are these unconventional experiences you speak of?” I hear you ask. Well, here are just a few of the things I would love to be able to say I have seen or experienced before I hit my deathbed. Note the lack of a numbered list – this is to protect my sanity (I refer you back to the aforementioned crazy list voices).
– See the Northern Lights
– Spend the night in an ice hotel under the cover of furs (this could also coincide with the first point)
– Take a jeep safari in Africa
– Experience the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico
– Go dog sledding in Alaska
– Swim with wild dolphins
– Take a hot air balloon ride
– Visit the Orangutan rehabilitation centre in Borneo
– Partake in a jungle gorilla trek in Uganda
– Eat the hottest curry I’ve ever tasted in India (this may need to be the last one on the list, just in case I do literally kick the bucket afterwards)
– See pandas in Chengdu, China
– Take part in La Tomatina in Spain
– Drink myself into a ridiculous stupor at Oktoberfest (I am quite surprised this hasn’t been crossed off my list yet; I have been in a drunken stupor in many other places, why not make it legitimate with a recognised festival? Lederhosen and thigh-slapping optional).
– Listen to some impromptu live music on a beach (be it a gig or just one person with a guitar. Sunset and fireside bbq optional but welcome).
– Attend an authentic Hawaiian luau (cocktails and roast pig? Erm, yes please!)
There are so many more that this could turn into a ridiculously rambling list that never ends. But you get the idea. And now at least I have put into writing some of my travel fantasies. And faced one of my fears in the process: the crazy list voices.
Photo credit: balloons
Hahaha the crazy list voices won in the end…they always win.
Hahaha the crazy list voices won in the end…they always win.
I agree with your experiences theory and most of them are on my list too! I need to create lists to survive, as I have a goldfish memory (also why I need to take a lot of pictures) but I have not yet written my bucket list – just because there is soo much I want to do and as you said it would be never ending. Love reading others though!
I agree with your experiences theory and most of them are on my list too! I need to create lists to survive, as I have a goldfish memory (also why I need to take a lot of pictures) but I have not yet written my bucket list – just because there is soo much I want to do and as you said it would be never ending. Love reading others though!
@Anthony – They do, damn them
@Fifi – Thanks for reading, I too like to take lots of pictures, both mental and photographic 🙂
@Anthony – They do, damn them
@Fifi – Thanks for reading, I too like to take lots of pictures, both mental and photographic 🙂
An interesting list Julia – more interesting, as you say, than ticking off sites and famous museums. I only dislike lists is because people add a city or even an entire country to a list and then say they have ‘done’ the Great Wall or China. But watching animals and eating are things that can actually be done.
I hope you don’t mind me giving you some advice.
If you want to go on safari, try seeing the veld on horseback safari instead of in a jeep. You get much closer to the animals, sleep in what is truly the middle of nowhere, and don’t rattle around in a sweaty vehicle, looking at nothing but the road ahead of you, and other jeeps, for most of the day.
India’s hottest curry, in my experience, is the Goan Vindaloo. Unfortunately, Goa is the Indian province most ruined by tourism.
You can pay to hold and be photographed with baby pandas in Chengdu. It costs about $70 dollars, and is worth it because you won’t get very close to the adults in their compounds.
An interesting list Julia – more interesting, as you say, than ticking off sites and famous museums. I only dislike lists is because people add a city or even an entire country to a list and then say they have ‘done’ the Great Wall or China. But watching animals and eating are things that can actually be done.
I hope you don’t mind me giving you some advice.
If you want to go on safari, try seeing the veld on horseback safari instead of in a jeep. You get much closer to the animals, sleep in what is truly the middle of nowhere, and don’t rattle around in a sweaty vehicle, looking at nothing but the road ahead of you, and other jeeps, for most of the day.
India’s hottest curry, in my experience, is the Goan Vindaloo. Unfortunately, Goa is the Indian province most ruined by tourism.
You can pay to hold and be photographed with baby pandas in Chengdu. It costs about $70 dollars, and is worth it because you won’t get very close to the adults in their compounds.
Thanks for the great tips Iain. I agree with your point about people just trying to ‘tick off’ countries on a bucket list, which is primarily why I have stayed away from them for so long and was hoping to buck the trend! For me, it’s all about the local people (as well as the fellow travellers) that I meet, the food I eat and other special moments that make a trip exciting.
Thanks for the great tips Iain. I agree with your point about people just trying to ‘tick off’ countries on a bucket list, which is primarily why I have stayed away from them for so long and was hoping to buck the trend! For me, it’s all about the local people (as well as the fellow travellers) that I meet, the food I eat and other special moments that make a trip exciting.
Great ideas! I totally agree about the experiences being the highlight of travel. I am still gonna hold out on making a list any more extensive than this: 1) see and do everything I want to do around the world & 2) help animals and other people in need. But, I’ll probably cave and make one though like you did!
Great ideas! I totally agree about the experiences being the highlight of travel. I am still gonna hold out on making a list any more extensive than this: 1) see and do everything I want to do around the world & 2) help animals and other people in need. But, I’ll probably cave and make one though like you did!
Haha go on, cave….. I dare you 😉
Haha go on, cave….. I dare you 😉
Oktoberfest is truly a site. And it is really easy to get into the drunken stupor. Drindl (the female traditional dress) are available in a lot of stores.
I have been to Oktoberfest once, but I had the flu or something like and couldn’t bring myself to have a beer.
The rest of the list looks great. Balloon ride is on our list next year.
Oktoberfest is truly a site. And it is really easy to get into the drunken stupor. Drindl (the female traditional dress) are available in a lot of stores.
I have been to Oktoberfest once, but I had the flu or something like and couldn’t bring myself to have a beer.
The rest of the list looks great. Balloon ride is on our list next year.
Oh no, what a shame that you couldn’t enjoy a nice refreshing stein when you were at Oktoberfest! When I get there I will be sure to enjoy one for you 🙂 Will also look forward to your post about a balloon ride.
Oh no, what a shame that you couldn’t enjoy a nice refreshing stein when you were at Oktoberfest! When I get there I will be sure to enjoy one for you 🙂 Will also look forward to your post about a balloon ride.