My Best Bucket List Ideas

Bucket lists. Everyone has one. Mine seems to expand with each National Geographic article, Instagram photo, and Facebook family trip I see. So you could say I have continent bucket lists. Thus, my best Bucket List ideas.

Lonely Planet, yes the grandfather of all travel guides, stated that travel can be a real addiction. Of course they would, and I’m sure that the only cure is . . . more travel with their guidebooks in your backpack.

Having said that, I completely agree with them. I’m not a reformed traveler, not do I wish to be one. I’ve been pretty darn lucky to roam this globe and I don’t take any single trip for granted, but I still would like to experience a few more corners or plazas of the world. The opportunity to travel freely is obviously a luxury that the majority of the world never has or experiences. I respect this opportunity and gift to wander.I believe there is a certain amount of stereotype breaking that happens when someone travels.

So here is my Bucket List of spots I would like to experience in the very near future, or at least near future, or at the very least, in the future:

The Top Ten

#10 – Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are the next Iceland. Rarely visited but full of great views. The Faroe Islands are located directly between Iceland and Norway. Their newest promotion is offering visitors a chance to volunteer in the Faroe Islands the last weekend in April to help support the island. In return, they will offer free food and lodging. Sounds like a great deal to me.

#9 – Madagascar

The image of Baobab trees covered with lemurs is a Madagascar image that is stuck in my head. Even before the movie Madagascar. That obviously didn’t help that mental image. I am not even sure if lemurs climb the super wide trunks of the Baobab trees, but in my mind they do.

#8 – Dominica

Dominica is a smaller island than Madagascar, but on our flight to Saint Martin, our American Airlines flight attendant described vividly how much she liked the island. Not many tourists. Plenty of hiking and outdoor activities to be done. Great food. Thus, Dominica is on our top ten best bucket list ideas.

#7 – Tanzania and Kenya

The thought of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, observing all the animals crossing the Serengeti, or going on a safari across Kenya, this region of Africa has been on Nadine and I’s radar for a long time. When we organized our around the world trip, we had to decide between Tanzania/Kenya, India, or South Africa. Eventually, we went with South Africa, but this eastern shoulder of Africa is beckoning.

#6 – Maldives

Who hasn’t seen all of those magical wooden huts floating over crystal clear turquoise water. Not only that, there is a slide that throws you into the safest waters ever created. Frowns have been rumored to have never existed there. In order to get there, a private helicopter shoves you out as you parachute down. The other less exciting option is walk along the two-mile long picturesque wooden walkway with the breeze blowing through your hair. I mean, it seems like it would be a decent vacation . . . to me.

#5 – Patagonia and Antartica

Who doesn’t like Morgan Freeman narrating your trip through time on the southern edge of the world? I can only imagine Freeman in his celestial voice saying, “From one of the most southern towns of South America, John departs Ushuaia for the frigid waters of Antarctica, home to emperor penguins that begin an impossible journey, to find a mate in the most inhospitable conditions.” I’ve never had that feeling that Morgan Freeman narrated my trip to San Angelo, Texas.

#4 – Mendoza, Argentina

Wine. Chocolate. Mountains. Biking. Argentines. Isolation. When I think of Mendoza, this is the spot where I will secretly buy a plane ticket, find someone to watch our troupe of kids, surprise Nadine, and then get lost for a few weeks. Who’s with me? Just kidding, you’re not invited.

#3 – Bora Bora, French Polynesia

A random atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean replete with blue water, sounds pretty great like the Maldives. I considered listing the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, the semi-permanent site for Survivor filming, but Bora Bora seems to have a halo of an atoll protecting with a few mountains protecting the entire area. I would still pass on a visit here to spent 39 days on the Mamanuca Islands.

#2 – Iguazú Falls, Argentina and Iguaçu Falls, Brazil

Cannonball! However you want to spell it, Iguazu Falls is mesmerizing. The falls are located right smack dab between Argentina and Brazil, with Paraguay not far away. One of the falls is called the Devil’s Throat. This spot isn’t a new one on the tourist trail. I was told an intriguing story once. European visitors in the early twentieth century would sometimes go out with locals to get a closer look of the falls . . . on a rowboat. That soon stopped when a boat captain and his guests got a bit too close to the edge of the falls and went over the edge. Now there is a safe raised platform.

#1 – Easter Island

Giant stone heads greet you. Easter Island has been shrouded in mystery for many reasons. Scientists and historians pondered how Polynesians inhabited an island so isolated from other Pacific islands. Moreover were the Moai. The Moai are rock statues of large heads that dot the island. I read a book that proposed that they designated regions of the island and when another chief had a bigger stone head, another had to build an even bigger one. I’m sure a few wives would mutter, “typical”. This run on bigger statues caused deforestation and the ultimate downfall of the population. I would like to conduct my own research or at least figure out if Matthew Pepper’s nose is bigger than the Moai.

This concludes my Top Ten Best Bucket List Ideas. I’m sure the list could change weekly, but here are some honorable mentions.

Honorable Mention

Oman and Qatar – My only exposure to the Middle East was a layover in Dubai on a flight from Cape Town, South Africa to Rome, Italy

Saba – The tiny island of Saba is off the tourist trek

Bhutan – Honestly, any country that measures their GNH, Gross National Happiness, definitely looks at the glass of goat milk as half full

Alaska – Wide open spaces and the lights never go out during the summer. Plus, all the salmon you can eat with Alaskan Amber, Nadine’s favorite beer

Russia Trans Siberian Railroad – The idea of starting in Moscow and ending in Beijing while seeing nuances of a country from a train window seems pretty fantastic. Plus seeing the world’s largest freshwater lake in Lake Baikal seems pretty cool

Dubai – Dubai is a global hub to spots all around the world including the chance to snow ski in the desert

Phillipines – Like Aussies, you will find Filipinos all over the world, and they are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Plus they have some pretty great beaches

Japan – I envision Japan as being a super modern, super clean, and super friendly place

North Korea Marathon – What better way to see a city than by running 26.2 miles of it! This way you know no one is following you, but at the same time, everyone is following you. Just have to make sure you don’t finish in last place

Iran – While studying abroad in Besançon, France, there were tons of Iranian students studying French, and the way they described the country, seems like an interesting spot to visit. The thing is, Iran doesn’t have the best rep in the Western world.

Morocco – Mix of dessert and ocean, Africa and Europe

Croatia – When I backpacked Europe in 2000 and 2001, people said that Croatia was a hidden gem. Not so sure how hidden it is now, but I would still like to walk the coastal towns

Equatorial Guinea – As a Spanish teacher, this is the only country in continental Africa that has Spanish as their official language. When I heard this unique sounding Spanish while studying abroad in Besançon, France, I was intrigued. It’s also one of the least visited countries in the world