RTW: The Bucket List

Recently, J and I were doing some planning for our round-the-world trip when something dawned on me.  Essentially what we were doing was looking at an entire world of possibilities (literally!), picking out where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do, and then we’re going to make it happen. I’d never quite thought about it that way before, and it was quite the mind-blowing moment. There’s something very freeing, empowering, and completely insane about the idea that we can do this because we choose to make it happen. The world really is our oyster, no fairy godmother needed.

Having said that, J and I have traveled enough (we’ve both visited close to 30 countries apiece, probably about half of those as a couple) that this trip needs to be more than just a longer version of our other trips. While I don’t want to discount the simple things- meeting people, seeing new sites, trying new foods and activities- it’s really important for me to step things up and maximize the potential of the trip on different levels.

So with that said, here’s our bucket list for our round-the-world trip! We’ve kept the items pretty general because we want to be adaptable and open to whatever opportunities organically evolve during the journey. Where we go and what we do aren’t nearly as important as how we do it.

Take a spontaneous trip: Explore a new place without pre-planning or guidebooks and see where the journey takes us. I love spontaneity and surprises, but have not traveled this way as much as I would like. Since I usually only travel for a week or two at a time, there’s been little room for experimentation and error. Having the luxury of time during this trip will open a lot of doors.

Acquire a new skill: I would love to learn a new skill that I can continue to use after the trip. It would be amazing to become conversational in Spanish or maybe learn outdoor survival skills in the event that I’m ever stranded on a desert island (hate when that happens).

Explore a niche: It would be incredible to learn about a certain type of music, art genre, or food by tracing its history and development through different countries.

Take a multi-country road trip: I love road trips because it’s nice to have the freedom to travel far distances but stop and wander off course on a whim. It’s always exciting to have those inevitable random encounters and find things that don’t make it into the guidebooks. I’ve driven while overseas, but not for extended distances or across country lines.

Live like a local: We definitely want to rent an apartment and settle into a place for a while. Even better, we’d love to live with a local family for a bit.

Complete a physical challenge: We will embark on at least one extensive trek, but hopefully more if we can endure it. I’m not a very athletic person, so this will encourage me to step outside of my comfort zone. I also appreciate how adventure excursions allow me to see places from a different perspective.

Take a long-distance train trip: I think train journeys are so romantic and throwback. I love that trains meander right through small towns and villages; I can stare, fascinated, out the window for hours on end. I’m also a fan of train culture- love them sleeper and dining cars.

Stay in unusual lodgings: I like staying in places with history like the cave dwellings in Cappadocia, Turkey. I’m also fascinated by innovative takes on the concept of shelter like treehouses or capsule hotels.

Attend “quintessential” festivals: What better way to rub elbows with locals and learn about their culture (and to have a blast!) than by attending some of the major events that they take pride in.

Give back: This is probably the most important item on the list. I have had a ten year career in the non-profit sector and have volunteered extensively throughout my life. It’s an integral part of my identity and has given me a great sense of fulfillment and purpose in life. A few things we’d like to do:

• We definitely want to take part in at least a couple of volunteer projects during our trip. One will be some sort of conservation/science expedition working with animals, and we’d love for the second to be a Habitat for Humanity-esque building project.

• I will be attempting to track our mileage as we travel so that I can calculate our carbon footprint and make a donation to offset it after our trip. I’ve never done this before, so we’ll see how it goes. Given how much we’ll be moving around, I thought it would be a good thing to do.

I think The Ultimate would be to discover something during this trip that I can integrate into my life after I return home- to bring it all around full circle- whether that be work for a specific cause or something else I haven’t considered. Let’s see what happens!