When we rounded the corner into 2020 and looked at our travel plans for the year, we noticed we had inadvertently front-loaded a number of trips early on followed by more weekend adventures and roadtrips the rest of the year.
Reflecting back in light of COVID-19, it seems divine intervention was at work. By the time we were understanding we had a global pandemic on our hands, I had enjoyed time snowshoeing in British Columbia, hiking around the Channel Islands, driving the Big Sur coastline in California, snowmobiling in the Cascade Mountains, relaxing with my girlfriends in Florida, and exploring Iceland with Brian and my parents.
Obviously everything has been flipped on its head since then– our weekend hikes have been on hold, our concert tickets have been refunded, and we just found out the ferry system we were relying on for my birthday motorcycle trip to Bella Coola in July has been canceled for the entire summer. No one knows how long the severity of this virus will carry on, but you can bet that I’m spending the weekends I’m not working revisiting the trips we already had booked and exploring safe ways to get back on the road as soon as possible.
All of this reflection and daydreaming about the days ahead has resulted in two bucket lists: 50 things to inspire your travel planning–all of which I have personally done and endorse!– and 50 things that are guiding my travel planning moving forward.
50 Things for Your Travel Bucket List
- Dance in a ceili in Ireland
- Backpack around Europe with your siblings
- Giggle at the Manneken Pis in Brussels
- Eat haggis in Scotland
- Get a Thai massage in Thailand
- White water raft in West Virginia
- Walk the Great Wall of China
- Ride a camel to the Egyptian pyramids
- Explore the labyrinths under Budapest
- Visit one of the world’s four green sand beaches
- Attend mass at Notre Dame Cathedral
- Wonder as ice bergs calve in Glacier Bay
- Visit the southernmost point of Europe
- Watch for wildlife in Banff National Park
- Overlook the activity in Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakech
- Take a cruise on the Nile River
- Ride a tuktuk in Thailand
- Watch the changing of the guards at Arlington National Cemetery
- Have high tea at the Fairmont Empress in Victoria
- Meet Judy Bloom in her Key West bookstore
- Explore the bazaar in Istanbul
- Celebrate New Year’s Eve in another country
- Attend Easter service at Winchester Cathedral
- Tour a WWII concentration camp in Germany
- Taste champagne in Reims
- Go on a gondola ride in Venice
- Take a wine tour in Napa/Sonoma
- Roadtrip across the U.S.
- Toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain
- Taste olive oil in Greece
- Ride a funicular in Lisbon
- Hike Yosemite National Park in the snow
- See the bears in Bern
- Take a horse-drawn carriage ride to Neuschwanstein Castle
- Eat pierogi in Poland
- Watch lava flow in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park
- Spend the night in a Tuscan villa
- Walk the harbor in Denmark
- Touch the falling priest in Prague
- Look for Dracula at Bram Castle
- Explore Vancouver Island by motorcycle
- Hike the ice caves and glaciers in Iceland
- Go whale watching in Cabo
- Walk the royal mile in Edinburgh
- Eat Pasteis de Nata in Lisbon
- Drive through the redwood forests in California
- Take a boat ride through the Amsterdam canals
- Watch a drag show in Bangkok
- Smoke a hookah in Egypt
- Reflect at the Atomic Bomb Memorial in Hiroshima
50 Things On My Travel Bucket List
- Visit all 50 states
- Experience the seven wonders of the world
- Watch the Northern Lights
- Travel first class overseas
- Learn a foreign language
- Go on an African safari
- Explore Cuba in an antique car
- Hike through the Alps
- Vacation on a houseboat
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
- Walk with the tortoise on the Galapagos Islands
- Hike in Patagonia
- Watch the Macy’s Day Parade live in NYC
- Visit Easter Island
- Take an icebreaker to Antarctica
- Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia
- Hike the Incan Trail at Macchu Picchu
- Take a hot air balloon ride over Cappadoccia
- Visit all 61 national parks
- Eat pasta alla Norma in Sicily
- Ride a donkey in Santorini
- Float in the Dead Sea
- Enjoy jazz music in New Orleans
- Slow travel all of Scandinavia
- Drink tea in the Cotswolds
- Go glamping in the Sahara
- Ride a motorcycle to Alaska
- Read Anne of Green Gables on PEI
- Experience Petra
- Walk inside the Taj Mahal
- Take a Rhine River cruise
- Drive Route 66
- Admire the Bellagio fountain at night
- Tour Normandy Beach
- Look for puffins along the Wild Atlantic Way
- Drive to the top of Pikes Peak
- Relax in a cafe at Lake Como
- Learn about Maori culture in New Zealand
- Experience a performance at the Sydney Opera House
- Eat pho and banh mi in Hanoi
- Learn about crystals in Sedona
- Spend the night in a U.K. Great House
- Take a dogsled ride in Greenland
- Spot a moose in Denali
- Admire St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow
- Follow the tides at the Bay of Fundy
- Visit the San Diego Zoo
- Stay at the Fife and Arms in the Scottish Highlands
- Head to the mountains in Cumbres de Monterrey national park
- Enjoy an outdoor concert at The Gorge or Red Rocks Amphitheater
What else is on your list for when we can safely travel again?
Heather's Compass 