How my travel bucket list can change your life
By Jeremy Branham on Feb 12, 2012 with Comments 53
Another year older, another year wiser. Celebrating another year is a great time to look back and reflect on life. So what better time to reflect on my travel bucket list.
Where do I want to go? What am I doing with my life? Am I satisfied with where I am?
There is a part of me that really enjoys a philosophical approach to travel and life. So when Traveling Ted shared his bucket list and asked me to be a part of it, thinking about “where I want to go?” seemed like a fun way to stop and take a look at my life.
So using the bucket list approach, I want to look back at experiences I have appreciated as well as places I want to go – a bucket list for the past and future.
However, travel photos and shared destinations aside, why does anyone else care about another person’s bucket list?
My bucket list shouldn’t matter to you. You’re not allowed to disagree with it. However, reading what is on my bucket list and understanding why they are there can change your life and help you understand who you are.
A bucket list from the past
These are the places that I have been that I am thankful I had the chance to see. For many of these, the memories and impact they had on my life are more meaningful than the destinations themselves.
These destinations may not have been on my travel bucket list but they impacted my life.
Estonia
This is the one trip that has had the biggest impact on my life as a traveler. Visiting Estonia stirred a passion for culture, languages, people, and travel that I never knew I had. I was 20 years old and in college when I went to Estonia. Wide-eyed fascination, meeting Estonian people, trying new foods, and learning Estonian phrases on a 3 hour bus ride I may never use again.
I haven’t written much about that visit to Estonia but it did inspire me to write an Estonian love story – The Crush
Paris
For the city of love in France, I have quite a few memories – and lessons learned – from here. The first trip was my last stop on a month long tour of Europe – my first trip to Europe aside from the two trips to Estonia.
I enjoyed the trip but it was full of highs and lows. This trip happened during a difficult time in my life. I let my hair down on this trip and had some fun.
Yet there were also times I was lonely and sad. I had my best and worst experience in those last few days in Paris. I loved the city but my time there was a metaphor of the ups and downs I was experiencing in my life. However, eating at McDonald’s on my last day in Paris did give me one of my best travel experiences.
My second trip to Paris also felt a bit like an escalator – more ups and downs. However, I was able to experience Paris in the Fall and see things I didn’t see the first time. I also learned a lot about myself and some lessons on traveling as a couple.
Here are some ways to save money in Paris when you are on a budget.
Kauai
Who doesn’t love Hawaii? I admit I do love it. However, in my travel confessions I’ve also stated I don’t like really like the beach. I grew up at the beach, I am white and sunburn easily, and I’ve been stung by a jellyfish. I don’t avoid the beach completely – I’ve even been to a nude beach. However, Hawaii is different.
On this trip, I rented a fantastic house on the beach. I’ve been to Maui but I loved Kauai a lot more. It’s a quiet island with not as many tourists.
I love the hiking there and the many other things to do in Kauai that didn’t involve the beach. I love the memories I have from Kauai. And while there is no way I can probably recreate the experiences I had from that first trip, I can’t wait to go back.
Lake Tahoe
I have the privilege of living just 100 miles away from one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. While many people love to visit during the summer, hang out on the lake, and enjoy the many ski resorts, I love Tahoe for other reasons. One of the best things I’ve learned from my trips to Tahoe is that you don’t have to travel far away from home to enjoy the pleasures of traveling.
I love hiking in Lake Tahoe. There are lots of trails and some beautiful scenery. The area surrounding Tahoe is also my base for my annual trip to check out the Fall colors – places like Hope Valley and Markleeville. Whether it is being in nature or just enjoying time with family, Lake Tahoe provides a place of peace, quiet, and reflection and calms my soul like no other place I’ve been.
Annapolis, Maryland
Honestly, this place was never on a bucket list for me. It’s near a destination that many put on their bucket list – Washington DC. However, this trip helped me appreciate America, its people, our culture, and history.
I’ve never lived in Annapolis but my visit there made it feel like home. I enjoyed the people and the community and the connections I made there. As part of my College Football Travel Tour, my visit to the Naval Academy gave me goosebumps as I was there to see the Army – Navy football game. This trip gave me a greater appreciate for food, opened doors I never knew existed, and was one of the most rewarding trips I’ve ever taken.
So after looking back on a travel bucket list, I look ahead to where I want to go. And my travel bucket list for the future begins where the bucket list in my past ended.
A travel bucket list for the future
Maybe I am different than other travelers but when I think about where I want to go, my experiences and moments in life are more that the sights, attractions, or a checklist of places. I am not turned on by places but experiences.
With that perspective, I can never argue with anyone’s bucket list. For me, a travel bucket list is personal made up of who we are, our experiences in life that have shaped us, and the people who have been a part of our lives. My bucket list may not be for everyone but it is uniquely me.
While many people may have visited the same places I listed on my bucket list from the past, no one can say their experiences were exactly the same as mine. It is these experiences that have helped my put together my travel bucket list for the future.
College football games
While sports aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I love the passion and culture of sports and how it relates to travel. Growing up as a college football and South Carolina Gamecocks fan, these experiences had a big impact on me growing up.
This past year, I had the chance to combine two of my passions, travel and college football, to create the College Football Travel Tour. This series allows me to check out college football games all over the country while exploring college towns, enjoying local food, learning more about these colleges and universities, and sharing stories and my experiences that can inspire people to check out a part of American culture that is so much bigger than a football game on a Saturday.
After visits to the University of Washington, University of South Carolina, and the US Naval Academy, I will now have opportunities to see more college towns and attend college football games as I learn about college life and local cultures here in America.
Yosemite National Park
As excited as I am to have this on my list, I am almost embarrassed for putting it on here. I like the outdoors, love to go hiking, and I have lived in California for over 10 years now. However, I have to admit that I’ve yet to visit Yosemite. I have a feeling some of that peace, quiet, and beauty that I experience in Tahoe will be found here as well (along with a few tourists as well).
England, Scotland, and Wales
There is so much about the British culture that I love – English football, small villages and towns, the outdoors, the history, and places like the Cotswolds. I’ve spent many days watching soccer/football on TV following my favorite teams in England.
Some of my favorite TV shows of all time are British sitcoms and dramas (and this coming from someone who doesn’t watch that much TV). Scotland and Wales have some beautiful places and history that I want to learn about as well.
However, part of the intrigue comes from my family history – I’m part English. So discovering my roots along with my interest in British culture and geography puts this high on my list. Also, this seems like an easy place to take kids. Plus when your last name is pronounced and spelled like David Beckham’s it makes England (as well as Scotland and Wales) all the more intriguing.
The Alps
I’ve been to the Alps before but I would love to spend a week or more hiking the trails in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Slovenia. I love the mountains, alpine villages, and being outdoors. I’ve hiked in the Alps but this would be a dream trip. I don’t need to skip and twirl singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music.” The sounds of nature will be a harmonious melody to my soul.
Australia
The Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef. Just a few of the places that come to mind when I think of Australia. And before you say “I thought you didn’t put stuff on your bucket list based on places or destinations?”, you are correct – I don’t. And Australia doesn’t go on the list for these reasons as well. Some of my reasons are sentimental and some are sports related.
Because I enjoy sports, I would love to see the Australian Open (I love Grand Slam tennis) while I am there or even a rugby or soccer match. Plus the stories I hear about the people and culture make me want to go even more.
A travel bucket list – a personal travel journey
So why does my travel bucket list for the past and future matter for your life?
As I’ve spent time reflecting on my bucket list from the past and looked ahead to my bucket list for the future, I realized that a bucket list is more than a checklist of places you want to see before you die.
A travel bucket list is life’s personal journey reflected in a list of future destinations.
Each item on my list reflects the moments and experiences that have shaped my interests and personal journey through life. Those bucket list items tell me where I’ve been, what I’ve experienced, who I am, and what I have enjoyed.
Without Estonia, I may have never taken that first trip to Europe or realized how much I love other cultures. If it wasn’t for the college football games I went to with my dad and in college, I wouldn’t care as much about sports. And if it weren’t for those travel and sports experiences, there would never be a College Football Travel Tour.
On each and every item on my list, I can point back to experiences or moments in my life that have made me exclaim “I want to go there!” and put it on my list. Funny how life is connected like that.
My hiking experiences, Lake Tahoe, Switzerland, and Slovenia – bucket list items for the Alps and Yosemite.
My bucket list won’t allow you to experience the same things I have. However, a travel bucket list can help you understand your life journey and path. It can be a bridge that helps you connect your past to the future. Why many people may know where they want to go, they may not understand how they got there or why a place is on their list (beyond it being pretty or romantic).
The places on your travel bucket list can help you understand what experiences in life have had the biggest impact on you.
So use your bucket list as a chance to dig deeper, to understand that places you have chosen are on there beyond the superficial reasons of “it’s beautiful” or “I’ve heard a lot of great things about it.”
As time goes on, I may add items to this list as I have more experiences and moments that impact my life. That’s why no one can ever argue with another person’s bucket list – no one’s personal travel journey and experiences of life are the same.
What items are on your travel bucket list? What experiences in your life led you to putting those things on your list?
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Filed Under: Traveling Thoughts
I'm Jeremy Branham and I love to travel. Check out my travel stories, guides, sports travels, and adventures.
I really enjoyed this post. Travelling changed my life. Creating a list of “What I Want” 3 years ago changed my life. I’m originally from Sacramento, and while it will always be home I have learned so many valuable lessons in seeing the world! My first time in Florence I will never forget. I moved to Barcelona amidst the most heartbreaking time in my life, and from that blossomed a story I couldn’t have even dreamed for myself. Now, I’m living in the Netherlands and couldn’t be happier.
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My first big trip to Europe came during a very difficult part of my life. The details of that trip, the emotional up and downs, and what it meant to me personally are not things I have shared with others before. So I definitely understand how travel in the midst of hurt can impact you. As for the lessons you learn in life, I think that is the most important thing from my experience – allowing travel to teach you. The best experiences I have had in travel are those shared with other people. Glad you found your peace and happiness through travel.
What is your biggest lesson you learned from traveling?
I don’t keep a bucket list because I think it would just be too long, and I do not think people should feel like they are failing at life if they cannot check everything off.
But I like your interpretation of what a bucket list is. If you’re just checking off the cool things to see and do in the world, it’s not really personal.
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Honestly, I don’t think much about a bucket list. I don’t have a long list of places. I struggled to come up with 5. It’s not that there aren’t places I want to see. For me, it’s all about my feelings and experiences. Sure, I may want to see a place but if I am not connected to it in the moment, it’s not a high priority. The flow of life really determines what is on my bucket list. After this weekend, I have a new one I want to put on there and it might be #1 above all the others.
Even without a list, you have one place that you do want to see right?
I like your take on the Bucket List. I’m more about experiences than places too. I’ve been to beautiful places and have been miserable for one reason or another and then been deliriously happy at other places that were so-so because of the people I’ve met there.
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Thanks Laurel. I think most people are about the experiences – or at least I would like to think so. As I went through my bucket list, I thought about why those places were on the list and felt that those places said more about me than they did the destinations. Maybe a lot of other people feel the same way.
[...] How my travel bucket list can change your life [...]
Maybe you can help me, Jeremy. Why on earth is the thing called a bucket list???
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Inka–because it is a list of things to do before “kicking the bucket.”
Stephanie–I am with you. No list because I want to see and do many things.
Jeremy–nice article. I like that you explained the reasoning behind your choices rather than just make a list. Indeed, the experiences are what makes travel important to most.
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I agree Charles. Without the experiences are what make travel bucket lists come alive! A list isn’t meaningful if there isn’t a story behind each check mark!
Inka, there are a number of books and stuff written out there like 1,000 places to see before you die. So there have been a number of takes on these type of lists. I think this really became popular with the movie The Bucket List. Where the term itself came from? I believe the origins behind it comes from the term “kicking the bucket” – a polite expression for dying. So creating your bucket list has to do with doing all the things you want before you “kick the bucket.”
Get thee to Yosemite, Jeremy! But don’t be embarrassed — I have yet to get to some great places in Northern California, too. We also spent our honeymoon on Kauai — and then returned for our 10th anniversary. It was just as romantic and special.
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Thanks Cathy! I do need to get to Yosemite. I hope to check off my bucket list in the next year. As for Kauai, I definitely want to go back there as well. Just need to figure out when for that too!
What places do you still want to see in northern California?
I like your focus on experiences rather than on places. Lake Tahoe is on my bucket list! It’s an unofficial, mental list, but I love lakes and so that’s a must-see.
Juliet, I like lakes as well too. For me, they are one of the appeals of mountains. As for my bucket list, I think the experiences matter much more than the check marks. If there isn’t a story behind each check mark, then you need a better bucket list!
Interesting idea – with bucket lists. I guess when one traveled a lot, the list could be a good idea – for those that haven’t visited many places/countries, it could be a little… strange. But with many on the bucket list for the future.
I wish you, Jeremy, to be able to write, in the future, a bucket list where to include all that is now mentioned in the bucket list for the future. And many more extra
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I hope to add a lot more destinations on my bucket list as well. I do love traveling but I don’t always think of places to add on a list. However, I am working on a list right now – one for my College Football Travel Tour. I am excited about that one and that is one I can do this year!
I don’t have a bucket list either – I just keep going to fabulous places and loving them. I guess I need a bucket list of all the places I have visited already because I’m pretty open to going anywhere!
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Honestly, I can be quite picky about the destinations I want to visit. I treasure the opportunities I have when they come. And hopefully, I will be able to add a lot more to this bucket list in the future. And each one of those will have a story behind them as well.
Yosemite is definitely on my list as well. I am not sure I actually included it on my post, but it is in my head.
Interesting interpretation on the reasons and how each person’s list is different. I tend to agree with the experiences are more important than the place; however, I have had my most incredible experiences in the coolest places. I have had more life changing experiences in Thailand than I have in Berwyn, Illinois, but sometimes amazing places happen in the most unusual settings.
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Yeah, not good that I haven’t been to Yosemite. If I dig a little deeper, I think part of me has put it off because it is so touristy. I love outdoors but I like them peaceful and quiet.
As for bucket lists, I don’t think your places have to be the most unique. However, each one should have a story that is memorable!
Jeremy,
I like the approach you took to writing this post. A lot of people (myself included) create bucket lists. For some it is a been there, done that thing. But for others it is more of a personal journey. I like to think I am in the second category. For example, I publicized a bucket list at the beginning of the year for the first time. The idea behind the post was to motivate people to do interesting and fullfilling things even if they are close to home. There are so many cool things to do!!!
On a different note, since I published my list I have noticed I have been a little bit anxious about achieving some things (which is no good). So, I guess this exerceise has positive and negative sides.
I do have some other lists of things I would like to do. However, I don’t have dates or prioritize what I want to do. I have done a lot of things in my list but I leave room for opportunities I have never considered.
I imagine Estonia was a great experience. Even though it is in Europe, it sounds exotic to me. Would love to go. Also, I have never been to Yosemite either. I am dying to go to hike and take a good look at the waterfalls.
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Ruth, I think you touched on some of the psychology of bucket lists. For some people, a bucket list is a challenge to accomplish things in life to make sure that live a life that gets things done and means something to them. In that respect, I believe a bucket list is a journey even if it is just a list of places or things to check off.
As for the anxiety that comes with a bucket list, is there something in our mind that wonders what happens when we’ve checked off everything on the list? Maybe the hesitancy of doing it all comes from always wanting something else to look forward to or anticipate.
As for Yosemite, I really need to go. However, I think there are some deeper reasons why I haven’t gone already. As for Estonia, I do want to go back. It’s been many years since I’ve been there. When I was there, it had been just a few years since the USSR broke up. I am sure it has changed a lot since I’ve been there.
To be honest with you, I haven’t expected such detailed explanation on each location on your list. It was great to read it all! I am longing for Paris, especially on this day
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Thanks Julie! I wanted this list to be a little different. For me, travel isn’t just a narrative of what I did and what I saw. There is something meaningful about each place that I’ve seen that’s taught me a little more about myself or life. That’s a good thing. That’s why a bucket list is a journey for me, not just a list.
I’ve never actually made a bucket list of any kind, but I can see the benefits of it. I have random lists of places I’d like to visit and things I’d like to experience, but they’re pretty disorganized and mostly in my head.
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Christy, I am the same way honestly. I blame Ted – he’s the one that forced me to do this by nominating me!
I am sure there are many more places I will add to this in the future. I just need to sit down and think about it a little more – and allow life to give me some new destinations.
I totally believe in the power of Bucket Lists! That’s why I created a unique page on my blog for mine.
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I’ve read your bucket list. It’s really long. As detailed as I am, I don’t think I could ever come up with a list like that. Hope you get it all done!
Great post Jeremy. I think it is important to have these lists, but they are meaningless if you don’t make an effort to scratch items off. Good for you for being out there and making it happen. Of course, I find as soon as I scratch off one place, I add another…
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I think it is actually good to add to the list. For one, it means we are continuing to live life with a desire to explore new places. And second, another destination gives us that anticipation – something else to works towards and drive us.
I enjoyed reading your perspective on bucket lists, Jeremy. I can’t believe you haven’t been to Yosemite though! Go off season, in spring or fall…you’ll love it. There is a reason why it’s world-famous, you know.
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Michael, the only way I think I could enjoy Yosemite is in the offseason. I think that is one reason I haven’t done it – I want to avoid the tourists and just haven’t made the time for it in the offseason.
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I totally disagree with your bucket list!! Just kidding… I think I’m like Christy, I have a mental bucket list rather than anything written down. I am also in the “ashamed that I haven’t yet visited Yosemite but want to go someday” club!
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For a long time, my bucket list was a mental thing too. I am sure there will be more I add to this list. Whether I not I actually right them down, we’ll have to wait and see. I think there is some good that comes from writing it down – seeing it in front of you can give one great motivation and purpose.
I loved your take on the bucketlist Jeremy. Similar to you, I think that the things I can look back and reflect on are the places where I’ve had meaningful experiences and learned valuable lessons. Often having to do less with the place but more with the situations, people, and experiences.
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Completely agree Mark. For me, a bucket list is a journey from the past and a look ahead to the future. We check off the destinations but it is those destinations that lead us on our journey/path in life.
i’m just like you , i have to do a bucketlist and do whatever i can to achieve all of the items lol. Right now i have arranged a list of house swaps to get to make all the travels i want without spending much ( you must agree that students can’t afford luxurious vacations lol). Looking forward to read more of your experiences !
Home swaps can be a great way to check items off a bucket list! I believe being in someone’s home or a local neighborhood will give you a more meaningful experience – and save you money!
Wow! Can my bucket list be filled with anything and everything? When I think of traveling, I feel like a kid in a candy store. I literally want everything that I see and hear about! I know that our experiences will be varied, but it’s inspiring to hear about your experiences and the experiences of others. I won’t kick my bucket. I’ll fill it up with travel experiences and my travel wish list!!!
Thanks Michaela! I think our experiences and memories are the key to all of our travels. If are bucket lists become just a checklist that we check off, then I think we miss out on what travel is really about.
I like to think of a bucket list this way. I have heard people talk about someone’s tombstone. On it, it gives the person’s birth date, a dash, and the day of their death. However, what really matters is the dash – how we lived in between those dates. On a bucket list, it isn’t just the items on the list. It’s what happens with the check mark once we cross it off.
Jeremy, I had a chance to visit Annapolis as well. My relatives lived there for a time. I loved it, the history and the architecture and the quaint waterfront. It surprised me in a really great way. Thanks for sharing how your bucket list and experiences changed you.
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I was very surprised by Annapolis. I honestly didn’t know much about it when I went. Honestly, if I went during the summer I may not have liked it as much. However, it was a great community to be a part of for a few days.
Comments from 2 Michelas in a row…. huh!?!
I have mixed feelings on bucket lists. My most memorable trips came from spontaneous decisions not trip lists. Case in point: I wouldn’t have gone to Croatia if my friend and I hadn’t watched Casino Royale and said we’re going there. (Ironically, the film was produced in Prague not Montenegro but I don’t care at this point.) Bucket lists might also create unrealistic expectations about a trip that could fall flat for things out of one’s control.
That said, there are places I want to see – for the exact reasons you mention Jeremy (personal journey, not box checking) and a list helps me focus on making them happen. So I guess I would say make a list, but stay open to other opportunites as they come to you. Great post!
I think there is something to be said for spontaneous trips. I’ve done a few of them although not that many. There is something memorable about them because you are already opening yourself to experiences that you didn’t plan. For most trips, we think and plan months in advance. For spontaneous ones, we let those places take care of the plans for us.
I do like your point about bucket lists. For each item on that list, it can create an expectation. And that may be the dangerous part. An item on our list can inhibit us from what we could or should be experiencing because we expected something different.
I have learned that for any and every trip taken, there are things that should be planned. However, always leave time for unplanned moments – to be open to what happens so you can experience a place right where you are at that moment without worrying about getting something checked off on your agenda.
Tahoe?! Hm… May be, but You should see the lake Issyk Kul in Tien Shan mountains, 3000 m. about see level. I never have seen something more beautiful.
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Tahoe is one of the most pristine, well preserved lakes in the US. It really is beautiful. There’s so much about the area I love. It just feels right to me and I love hanging out there. Without a doubt, I am sure there are a lot more lakes that are just as beautiful! This one is personal to me though
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I write a travel blog based entirely on my Travel Bucket List. For me, it is both a goal-setting mechanism that I am constantly adding to, a personal journal and reflection of where I’ve been, what I’ve done, and what it meant to me, and finally (hopefully) a tool to inspire others to see the world. I live by the quote “the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”. I want to read as much as I can while I can, and to encourage others to experience this amazing, beautiful, mysterious, and exciting world of ours!
The bucket list isn’t a meaningless stream of to-dos… for me, my list is a reminder that there’s more to life than paying bills, cleaning out the kitty litter, and grading papers.
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That is definitely a great idea. I always have places in my head that I want to go (someday) but never write them down. Then I get busy or distracted and then a few days, months, years later and I will be reminded about certain places and what drew me to them. I believe bucket lists are very personal – it’s a part of our story, who we are, and our experiences.
I completely agree that a bucket list is about living – not checking things off a list. If only some of us lived more of our lives that way.
I’m not much of a bucket list person (because I’m just not organized like that), but I enjoyed your take on the idea (and am sorry I missed this post when you first published it!). I agree that travel experiences can definitely change your life and that experiences are usually more important than places. About Yosemite, you will love it, and there is an excellent insider’s guide to getting the most of your time there. It’s in a recent Sunset magazine (it’s the one that says “Travel” on the cover). You should be able to find it on their website, but I would highly recommend saving it for when you go there.
To be honest, I am not much of a bucket list person either. I think about places and like them but I rarely create a list for anything. Maybe I should. Maybe that will inspire, motivate, and get me moving in a direction.
To me, bucket lists are an extension of who we are. I think those places reflect those experiences that have shaped us. For me, I don’t go to a place because I just want to see. I want to go because I feel connected to it or drawn in some way.
As for the Sunset magazine, I actually get that every month. Do you know what month that issue was? Was it a recent issue?