GTKY: Bucket List

squirttheturtle

Tell us about what's on your list

Have you already crossed some things off?  What were they? 

Xath

One of my more ridiculous ones: At some point in my life I want to travel to Burundi and buy a hat.  



I think a lot of my fanciful ones are travel related. 

My biggest dream is to become a doctor. 

tuxielove93

I have kind of a huge list, but I already crossed one thing off! DH and I traveled to all 48 continental states this year, which was really cool. We drove it all, and it took about 5-6 different trips. We also went to Canada and Italy. which was awesome. 

satsumasandlemons

South America. An around the world ticket and a year (or 2) off. 

Dovahkiin_99

My bucket list involves a lot of travel related adventures. A big one that's on my list is to visit New Zealand, I've wanted to travel there for years. Just so happens that's where my boyfriends from and now I incidentally have a bunch of family there. Baby will also be a dual-citizen. Score! 

One trip that I crossed off 'my list' was my visit to Turkey a couple years back. I really wanted to see the country before their political situation went insane, which I could see coming a mile away. It's such a beautiful country and the history and culture is so rich. I'm sad to say that I wouldn't go there now, what with the terrorist attacks and Erdogan becoming a full-on dictator. 

Personally I want to obtain a Masters Degree in a couple years (I have my eye on a reputable online program). I've mulled over the idea of getting a law degree, but I don't know if I can manage going to school full-time without working, plus the time required and the costs would be much higher than a Masters. Maybe I'll get the law degree when I'm a little old lady and have all the time in the world. 

Dovahkiin_99

@kerils Where in Canada did you visit? I love visiting the USA, I've been to Seattle multiple times, and went to Portland in December. I did a big New Orleans trip about 10 years ago and can't wait to go back. There's so much to see and I want to continue travelling down there, but I'm a little freaked out by the current administration. 

squirttheturtle

We crossed Ireland off for our honeymoon. DH told me very early in our relationship that Ireland/Dublin had always been a big dream for him.  When we started talking about honeymoons, Ireland was always the front runner.  We were surprised when we found out that it was insanely cheaper then our other top choice, Hawai'i.

I've been to Europe twice and all over the states.  So mine includes Bali, Fiji, and a transatlantic cruise.  Plus, more time in Europe, including the village where my grandpa was born in Italy.

Together we'd love Australia and New Zealand and Japan.  We plan on having lots of road trip vacations with our LO's like we had with our parents, too. So much of the US and Canada we want to see.

Itsnotyourturn

We went on a cruise for our honeymoon we went through the English Channel and I got to see the White Cliffs of Dover which was definitely on my bucket list.  I cried.

I have several of those type of things on my list.  My next favorite one is to drive up (or down) the California coast.  Still working on that one.

supermom83

I think the top item on my bucket list is getting a master degree is neuropsychology. I've looked at programs in universities around me, and know what's out there and all the requirements. I just feel so scared going to grad school with two kids (and now it'll be three kids come July!) but I know deep in my heart that I need to do this. I'll probably apply when baby is two or three years old. We'll see!

I also would like to visit Thailand and take my kids there since they're half-thai and DH has a bunch of extended family still living there. I think it would be a really cool trip. I also would love to go to those natural hot springs in Iceland, and then also do a bridge tour of Europe. I LOVE bridges and find the engineering of them completely fascinating.

Another random bucket list wish of mine is to be able to do 15 burpees in a minute. Pre-pregnancy, I was up to 7 in a minute, and I would love to get back into shape and do 15! Don't ask me why 15 specifically, it just feels like a huge accomplishment in my head, and I want to be able to do it! 

Edit to add: I also dream of doing peace corps. I was going to do it right when I graduated college, but I was engaged to DH and he begged me not to leave for 2 years, so I stayed instead, which I've always been happy to do, but I made him promise me that when the kids are in college and out of the house, that BOTH of us would do peace corps together. He agreed, so that will happen at one point in the future! 

Creedon778

My top bucket list locations are Nepal, Bhutan, Australia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I really need to get to the US national parks too. It's also on my list to visit every baseball stadium. I'm getting another one this week in San Francisco.

I've done a fair amount of travel already. Tanzania where I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro (harder than giving birth IMO), Zambia (Victoria Falls is the best natural wonder I've experienced), Kenya, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China for the 2008 Olympics (highly recommend seeing the Great Wall of China), South Korea, UAE, India, Ireland, England, Spain, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Canada, St. Maarten.

I highly recommend Thailand and going on a safari in Africa. 

OperaSingerMommy

Travel to Paris, Tokyo, London, Cape Town, and a million other places but those are the favorites.

Get my doctorate and get a tenured position at a music conservatory.

Those are the dreams for down the road!

tuxielove93

@Dovahkiin_99 Toronto and Montreal. It was really fun for us, and we want to see more of Canada 

irishrose54

@SquirttheTurtle DH And I did a stop in Dublin for our honeymoon as well. I studied abroad in Ireland in college so I love any opportunity to visit! it was definitely an awesome honeymoon spot! Great minds.

@supermom83 your degree aspiration is awesome!! I'm inspired just reading your post.

my travel bucket list place is Japan. Don't ask me where yet lol I haven't done enough research but DH has me convinced it will be amazing so I'm all about it.

other bucketlist item- finish my first novel (you guys, I started it 3 years ago... lol)

JmUDuuuukes 07

I wanted to live abroad and did that a summer in college- has turned Paris into a second home. I also opened my own successful business. I I want to see Alaska and some glaciers before they're gone. I have been eying a haven suite cruise on NCL. We have Ireland on our short list but you know, having a baby an all pushes that off a little bit

stokesm21

@kerils You need to go out West in Canada if you want to see true beauty!  

We crossed one off last year before TTC. Cross country road trip. It was amazing! 3 weeks, just a little over 10,500km. The mountains, my goodness, the mountains. One day we will make the west our home. I too, obviously have a lot of travel related ones but I think more than anything I'd want to go live in Africa or some 3rd world country and just... help out. Building, teaching, working in orphanages. You name it. All sorts of humanitarian stuff. I wish I would have done something like that before we decided to start having kids. 

Another one that is unrelated haha is to get off the grid. We have the land, the space, the perfect roof and sun exposure. I don't believe that one has to be secluded to live that kind of life. Ideally though we'd do that in a green home as opposed to what we live in now but beggars can't be choosers haha! I'd love nothing more then to be self sufficient and stop giving my hard earned money away. I mean, why? When I don't have to. 

virginiaunicorn11

I want to visit every continent. Only Antarctica is left, but I have some moral dilemmas about going there, actually. (Not to mention that I can't afford it right now!) 

I want to take our kids on a safari.

I want to get a master's degree.

I want to write a book. (And am talking to an editor/press about this!)

I want to hike a long trail alone one day. Something that takes a couple months. Won't happen for at least 18 years, probably!

I used to want to work for the UN but lately I've become disenfranchised, and am pretty satisfied at the NGO where I am.  

I want to learn French.

Xath

@virginiaunicorn11. Friends of mine are doing a cruise next year out of Argentina to go to Antarctica to see the baby penguins.  It's supposed to be minimally intrusive but has great reviews.

squirttheturtle

@virginiaunicorn11 We met some people that did an Antarctic cruise.  The cruise was through Nat Geo and they were actually on a research vessel.  Only about 100 non research guests are allowed on the cruise.  I believe that you can also go to lectures about conservation and what they are researching while on board.  

SpongeWorthy

@Creedon778 I'm so jealous you did Kilimanjaro!  That is a huge one on my bucket list.  I'm nowhere near the shape I need to be in for that, but I will get there someday 

@virginiaunicorn11 @irishrose54 I will totally read your books!  That's amazing - you guys are inspirational.

I would love to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and do an African safari.  I want to go to Patagonia.  I want to live in another country.  I want to work for social justice in some capacity.

Last year I visited the Galápagos Islands, which was something I never thought I would do.  Having a family is a big one too, so hopefully I will cross that off in July!

stokesm21

@virginiaunicorn11 For your trail hike, check out the Camino de Santiago. My in laws did some of it about 2 years ago and are going back this year to finish. I think if you do it straight it takes about 7 weeks?!  

clio

I had no idea Antarctica was a tourist destination- one more thing to add to the bucket list! My current list includes taking DH to Europe (something we planned but never achieved before having kids), taking my kiddos to visit my brother and his family in Tokyo, riding a snowmobile for the first time, visiting all 50 states, writing a book (I'm a historian), and becoming a master gardener. For our ten-year anniversary, DH actually checked off one of my bucket list items- riding in a limo! We cruised around town like giddy teenagers headed to the prom.

greenbean-2

For a long time, my biggest bucket list item was to go to Greece, and we checked that off for our honeymoon.  Another big one was to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, and we squeezed that in as a last pre-baby adventure before TTC.  I love traveling, and would love to see as much of the world as possible, but right now there aren't any particular destinations that jump out to me as much as those two did.  

Like some others on here, I would love to travel to every continent - I still have Africa, South America, and Antarctica to go.  I want to see the Northern Lights some day (which requires traveling somewhere very cold in the winter, but I still think it would be worth it).  I had a window seat flying over Greenland last summer, and it looked absolutely amazing and beautiful, so I think that would be a cool trip, too.  I also love visiting National Parks in the US and I think it would be fun to see every one.  Starting a family has been my biggest life goal recently, and hopefully I'm well on my way to that.  

virginiaunicorn11

@greenbean-2 ooo yes, Northern Lights! That's also on my list.

@irishrose54 let's go to Japan together and write?

@Xath and @SquirttheTurtle thanks for the notes on ethical Antarctica travel! I hadn't even looked into it yet since it can't be a financial priority for a while. Those trips sound amazing, though!

@stokesm21 that hike definitely sounds interesting. Have you ever read Paolo Coelho's books? They're kind of simple but they touch on themes like this thread (bucket lists and living for a purpose), and it's where I first learned about that Road to Santiago. Other potential routes could be the Pacific Coast Trail or Appalachian Trail. I've told DH about this and he was pumped...til I said he wasn't invited, lol. Sorrynotsorry!

@clio I love that limo riding story!

This thread makes me so happy. I'm a big dreamer and generally feel like nothing's impossible if you actually put your mind to it. This is inspiring me to get working on something on my list. Third trimester be damned!

Creedon778

@SpongeWorthy it was our last big adventure before starting a family. My friend that I did it with got so sick at the top and then found out it wasn't altitude sickness....it was morning sickness! I would also say that even being in decent shape it's the altitude that gets you. So hard to train for that unless you live in Colorado. There were about 200 professional rugby players climbing a day ahead of us and only about half made it up. I couldn't have done it without our amazing guide who was practically pushing up at the end.

irishrose54

@virginiaunicorn11 I am totally game with that plan. But in case we can't get to Japan together, we can always read each other's work and give feedback.

postywiththemosty

Wow!  All such great ideas on here!

I'm also a travel junkie and would love to see Asia (Japan and Hong Kong), see Dubai, Europe, see every state in the U.S., travel to Canada and Prince Edward Island, also a remote tropical destination like Bora Bora or those ones with the pretty pictures and just little huts on the water?

I want to learn fluent French and Spanish (both need work).

Major bucket list item - I'd love to pick up and move to NYC.  DH and I have wanted to do this so badly, but timing is everything.

Last thing I can think of that we both really want to do is build a Jurassic Park jeep from the original movie.  Love them!