Bucket list?

[mecllap]

How do you figure out what to put on your bucket list?

I'm afraid that Kenya/Tanzania and China have fallen off mine, because of financial and physical capabilities/restrictions. (Fortunately, I have gotten to see many other wonderful places).

I'm reduced to figuring out why to go to North Dakota to finish out making it to all 50 States (well, I also have Iowa and Michigan, but I think I can easily get to those and find something interesting to see).

I found the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie to be very annoying because Morgan got to latch onto someone who had a lot of money who could afford to take him to great places to see -- seemed very unfair.

So, my kissing my very cute grandson meets the "most handsome guy in the world" thing that was in the movie -- so what/where else should be on someone's "Bucket List"?

 

[heathpack]

Rafting the Grand Canyon.

H

How do you figure out what to put on your bucket list?

I'm afraid that Kenya/Tanzania and China have fallen off mine, because of financial and physical capabilities/restrictions. (Fortunately, I have gotten to see many other wonderful places).

I'm reduced to figuring out why to go to North Dakota to finish out making it to all 50 States (well, I also have Iowa and Michigan, but I think I can easily get to those and find something interesting to see).

I found the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie to be very annoying because Morgan got to latch onto someone who had a lot of money who could afford to take him to great places to see -- seemed very unfair.

So, my kissing my very cute grandson meets the "most handsome guy in the world" thing that was in the movie -- so what/where else should be on someone's "Bucket List"?

 

[Passepartout]

I'm reduced to figuring out why to go to North Dakota to finish out making it to all 50 States.

Great pheasant hunting!

I am still missing a continent (Antarctica)- and I can't think of a good reason to go there. Sub-Saharan Africa is still on the list. And the biggie that I hatched some 50 years ago- driving a lap of the Mediterranean. Start in Portugal or Morocco and drive until I get to the other end. It's not gonna happen. I've driven virtually every mile of every red or blue highway in the US, though- well over 4 million miles of 'em.

All in all, at this stage of life, I have very few regrets. Rode motorcycles fast. Was on ski patrol. Lived in Europe. Fought in jungles. Learned to fly. Caught a lot of big fish. Made it to the top of my profession. Have traveled extensively- usually independently. Married a great woman. What she sees in me remains a mystery. Don't tell her.

I'm kinda down to passive travel now. Cruises. Timeshares. Beaches. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Jim

 

[Talent312]

That sort'a depends on what you've already done.

For Trips Abroad:
-- Strolled the cobblestone streets of Florence, Italy?
-- Rode the glass-sided elevator to the top of the Eifel Tower?
-- Taken the train to the top of Jungfraujoch in Switzerland?
These are pricey, but not super expensive.

Closer to home:
-- Driven the Going to the Sun Hwy in Glacier Nat'l. Park?
-- Ridden the Durango-Silverton Railroad in Colorado?
-- Spent a day winery-hopping in Napa?
-- Toured Warner Bros. Studios in L.A.?
-- Felt the sprayed of Niagra Falls on the Maid of the Mist?
-- Snorkeled at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas?
-- Wandered thru the Smithsonians & Monuments in D.C.?
-- Yelled "out" at a Redsox game in Fenway Park?
-- Watched eagles soar over Homer, Alaska?

Hey, whatever floats your boat, dude.

 

[ScoopKona]

How do you figure out what to put on your bucket list?

I'm afraid that Kenya/Tanzania and China have fallen off mine, because of financial and physical capabilities/restrictions. (Fortunately, I have gotten to see many other wonderful places).

I'm reduced to figuring out why to go to North Dakota to finish out making it to all 50 States (well, I also have Iowa and Michigan, but I think I can easily get to those and find something interesting to see).

I found the Jack Nicholson/Morgan Freeman movie to be very annoying because Morgan got to latch onto someone who had a lot of money who could afford to take him to great places to see -- seemed very unfair.

So, my kissing my very cute grandson meets the "most handsome guy in the world" thing that was in the movie -- so what/where else should be on someone's "Bucket List"?

Kenya? Check -- four months
Tanzania? Check -- one month
Walk around Lake Victoria? Check.
China? Check -- Taiwan, at least. The rest coming soon.
Sail the Caribbean? Check.
Backpack through Europe? Check.
Drive the PCH? Check.
Hang out with winemakers in Napa? Check.


My bucket list includes India (the Taj Mahal is in imminent danger of collapsing -- I WILL see that before it goes), Nepal -- hike to the Everest base camp and back, Southeast Asia -- particularly Angkor Wat, a food journey through Japan, Ireland and Rio. Also, dive Palau, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Truk Lagoon. Oh, and see the pyramids in Mexico, because I've seen the pyramids in Egypt -- six months worth of desert trekking.

My big "I just gotta do that before I die" trip is to walk the entire Silk Road. But so many of the countries on the Silk Road are too dangerous. Someday.

 

[rhonda]

I am still missing a continent (Antarctica)- and I can't think of a good reason to go there.

Possible reasons:

• Walking among hundreds and hundreds of Gentoo penguins? (Sure, you'll also spot Adelie, Rockhopper, adorable Chinstrap, and such ... but hundreds of Gentoo!)
• Taking a daring dip in a trough of steaming hot water (dug hastily in the sand at the ocean's edge) then cooling off in freezing ocean water at Deception Island. An impromptu hot tub, sorta?
• Being the target of a skua dive bombing raid?
• Getting close-up to whales while floating in a small, rubber raft? Experiencing the joy of whale's breath on your clothing?
• Petting icebergs?
• Observing wildlife in action as a leopard seal demonstrates his hunting prowess (poor gentoo penguin!) while simultaneously flirting with the subjects in the small, rubber raft?
• Sliding down a icy path .. hoping to avoid the nasty crevasse? (Hope your camera monopod/walking stick holds up better than mine did ... sure glad REI offered full replacement.)
• Mailing a postcard from Port Lockroy?
• Hearing the sound of icebergs sliding along your ship's hull?

Just a few ideas? We loved it ...

 

[amycurl]

I spent the week of my 19th birthday rafting the Grand Canyon, because it was on my mother's bucket list. Great trip--Judge Wapner and his wife were also on it--but it probably wouldn't have been my first choice for that particular birthday.

My current list includes....
-River cruise in China
-Transoceanic first class
-Private jet
-Over-water hut in South Pacific
-Taking my family on a "One Year Off" style-trip. (It's a great book, if it's still in print....)

 

[MichaelColey]

I refuse to grow up. My bucket list looks something like this:

• Visit every Disney park: Disney World (check), Disneyland (check), Disneyland Paris (check), Disneyland Tokyo (to do), Disneyland Hong Kong (to do), Disneyland Shanghai (opens in a few years).
• Stay at every DVC property (did five of the six in Orlando this year, have Grand Californian booked for next year, hope to do Bay Lake Towers next year, and hope Aulania appears in RCI by 2013). Not sure we'll do Vero Beach or HH.
• Atlantis in the Bahamas (booked for next year).
• Bluegreen Big Cedar Wilderness Club in Branson (hope to get a summer week next year).
• South California theme park tour (did this a couple years ago and will probably be doing it again next year).
• Round The World Trip (plan to do this sometime in the next few years).
• Israel (went about 15 years ago, hope to go back soon, probably on the RTW trip).
• Italy. One country I just can't get enough of. Beautiful. Wonderful food. So much history.
• Hawaii. One of our favorite places to go. We've been to Oahu (many times), Kauai (several times) and Maui (once, and scheduled to return next year) and will finally go to the Big Island on our next trip.
• Australia and New Zealand (probably on the RTW trip).
• Maldives in an over the water bungalow.
• Would like to try more of the Tug Top 30. I've stayed at three so far, have two more booked, and have ongoing searches for others.
• Sandusky, Ohio (Roller Coaster Capital of the World).
• St. Petersburg - love the history of this city, and hope to visit it some day (perhaps on our RTW trip).
• Alaska - one of the few states I haven't been in.

 

[pwrshift]

A retired friend of mine and his wife budget and take two lengthy cruises each year. He says his month long cruises cost about $10,000 for wife and him, including air, but he earned it and plans on spending it while he still can travel, instead of saving it all for his kids in the will. Right now he's on a 29 nighter from Turkey through to Mediterranean and on to Brazil. Earlier this year they took a 34 night cruise from San Fran down around SA ending in Brazil. Works out to about $300 a night for two including food and entertainment and they see places they wouldn't otherwise get to.

 

[beanie]

Rafting the Grand Canyon.

H

this is on ours as well . last year we did the glen canyon raft and it made us think about doing one of the multiple day grand canyon ones .

 

[pkyorkbeach]

I never made one. Guess I need to think about it...

 

[K&PFitz]

You've all got some great ideas. A lack of money more than anything else precludes me from doing all those things.

Number one on my bucket list is something I have no control over: I'd like to have a grandchild.

Number 2: A trip to Ireland. Through census records, I know the country lanes on which my grandparents grew up, and should be able to get very close to the spots where their homes once stood. I have the trip mostly planned out, starting with several days in Dublin, then meandering over to the Kerry Coast. Almost pulled the trigger this year, then I was watching the rise of the Euro against the dollar and read forecasts that it would get worse. The forecasts were wrong, and we should have gone. Maybe next year. Soon.

Other than those two things, there isn't much I can't live without. Italy again would be nice. Honestly, as long as my wife is with me, I don't care about the destination.

The one thing I think about doing, if I had the time and money, is learning to sail, then buying a sailboat and traveling around the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, or perhaps up and down the west coast of North America. I'm not sure I could ever talk my wife into that, even if we had the time and money. But if we ever win the lottery, maybe I'll bring it up over a bottle of wine.

We were in a little restaurant in downtown Cancun, and struck up a conversation with a couple that was gradually sailing from around the equator, where that had spent hurricane season, back to the US. It sounds like a great way to live.

 

[Elan]

I'm sure a lot of you will shake your heads at this one, but one thing on my bucket list, with respect to travel, is to buy or rent a motorhome and take my family on a multi-month trip around the US. Have a rough itenerary, but nothing so strict that we can't spend a few extra days where we see fit. Basically just wake up, make some breakfast and drive. Where we end up is where we spend that night.

 

[Kel]

I have a long bucket list. One day I asked my husband what was on his bucket list and he simply said he’s living his bucket list. I liked that.

 

[stevedmatt]

Elan, I do love your idea and hope to do that soon after my retirement (which is a minimum of 16 years away). But my retirement trip is my only real traveling bucket list item....

6 week plus trip through the south west Pacific. Simple enough right?

 

[Sandy VDH]

Diving Bucket List

SCUBA diving related bucket list items for me

Dive Kingman reef most pristine reef in the world
http://www.fws.gov/kingmanreef/
But it is my special permit only, so I have to figure out an applicable reason

Palau
Jelly fish lake
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jellyfish_Lake

Swim with Whale sharks in the Wild
Various locations: Honduras, Western Australia, Mozambique
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark

 

[mecllap]

I'm sure a lot of you will shake your heads at this one, but one thing on my bucket list, with respect to travel, is to buy or rent a motorhome and take my family on a multi-month trip around the US. Have a rough itenerary, but nothing so strict that we can't spend a few extra days where we see fit. Basically just wake up, make some breakfast and drive. Where we end up is where we spend that night.

I don't want to put a downer on this fun thread, that I'm really enjoying, but you reminded me of why I have done a lot of the traveling I've done. My Mom refused to fly, and for years I listened to my folks talk about doing just this after Dad retired. Unfortunately, by the time he retired, she was well into early onset Alzheimer's so never went anywhere. Thankfully, Dad had many great trips on his own. I learned from that to go ahead and travel on the "fly now, pay later" plan (altho I haven't overdone that) -- one of my first big trips was to camp with my 8yo daughter around the southwest National Parks for about a month (altho it was in August and HOT, but that was the only time I could take that long off work). So, I think your idea is great, (and the sooner the better - maybe in chunks, 3-4 weeks at a time).

Some of the world's greatest travel destinations are in North America after all. (Altho my all-time favorite trip was to the Galapagos Islands).

 

[Patri]

A bucket list doesn't have to be extensive travel. It can be experiences. Sky diving, running a marathon, taking a grandchild camping overnight, learning to drive a stick shift, earning some type of degree, etc.
Money doesn't have to be the determining factor in getting the most out of life.

 

[Talent312]

A bucket list doesn't have to be extensive travel. It can be experiences. Sky diving, running a marathon, taking a grandchild camping overnight, learning to drive a stick shift, earning some type of degree, etc.

One item doesn't require doing anything at all:
Pushing back in my recliner and vegging out for a full week, 2-3x each year.

I could be happy living only in my den with a HD-TV, Blu-ray Player and a cooler... and a bathroom.