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5 Ideas to Kick Start Your Bucket List Today - Mapping Megan
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If you’re like most people, you might have a list of things that you wish to do before your life comes to an end. They are the things that make your life more meaningful, and for the travel enthusiast, this is often called a bucket-list (list of things you want to do before you ‘kick the bucket’).

But the world is full of incredible experiences and destinations, so where do you even begin?

Generating a bucket list is pretty simple, and while it’s likely something that you’ll keep adding to throughout your life, it should only take a couple of minutes to start one. All it requires is putting your dreams and aspirations into writing.

But if you’re truly stuck for where to start, the following are 5 ideas that commonly feature on almost everyone’s list!

5 Ideas to Kick Start Your Bucket List Today

Take a Cross Country Road Trip

Whether you buy or rent an RV, take a train, or choose to backpack across the country, taking a cross country road trip is an experience that you’ll never forget in your lifetime.

A road trip is often the best way to explore if you’re looking to appreciate the diversity of natural scenery you would otherwise miss from a plane. And it’s an especially good idea if you’re one of those travelers who enjoys the freedom and flexibility to travel at your own pace.

With some truly stunning roads throughout the world, your first decision is planning out where you want to drive. And then you should conduct some research on how to stay safe, as every country will have different road rules, environments and landscapes.

[clickToTweet tweet=”A road trip is often the best way to explore if you enjoy the freedom and flexibility to travel at your own pace.” quote=”A road trip is often the best way to explore if you enjoy the freedom and flexibility to travel at your own pace.”]

Experience A Major Sporting Match Live … and Then From a Suite

If you’re a sports fanatic with the travel bug, worldwide sporting events are a great opportunity to experience the energy of your favorite competition in a new place. And why settle for a TV screen when you can be right in the middle of the action and watch it live?!

But as well as plans to hit up the Olympics, or take in the World Cup, add a second item line for watching a major sporting event from a luxury suite; the advantage being that you don’t get interrupted by the noise of the cheering crowds, rain or strong winds!

Unlike the terraces that limit your space, luxury suites give you the freedom of watching the game with friends and relatives without any disturbance from the rest of the fans. And certain sports actually offer packages because this is such a popular experience (like Dallas Cowboys suite tickets for their forthcoming events).

[clickToTweet tweet=”Worldwide sporting events are a great opportunity to experience the energy of your fav competition in a new place.” quote=”Worldwide sporting events are a great opportunity to experience the energy of your fav competition in a new place.”]

Photo credit: Yu-Jheng Fang

Take to the Skies in a Hot Air Balloon Flight

Flying in a hot air balloon is an incredible experience; it’s actually more interesting than flying in a plane! This is because the balloon moves slowly which allows you spectacular view from an aerial angle.

Some of the best places in the world for a hot air balloon flight include flying above the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, Turkey, taking in the majesty of thousands of ancient ruins and temples above Bagan, Myanmar, and soaring over the ancient wonders of Luxor in Egypt.

Or, why not combine two huge bucket list items at the same time and take a hot air balloon while on African Safari! you can do this when visiting the Masai Mara in Kenya.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Why not combine two huge bucket list items at the same time and take a hot air balloon while on African Safari!” quote=”Why not combine two huge bucket list items at the same time and take a hot air balloon while on African Safari!”]

Bagan, Myanmar, by Christopher Michel 

Every Year, Go One Place You Haven’t Been Before

Traveling is arguably the best hobby; by visiting various parts of the world, you get to make new friends, taste new and exotic flavors, expose yourself to different lifestyles and cultures, and explore landscapes you may not have encountered before.

Though to keep alive the wonder and excitement of experiencing something new, make a promise to yourself to visit one place every year that you haven’t been before.

While there is definitely something to be said about revisiting destinations you love, and immersing yourself deeper with every trip, there are 196 countries in the world (and even then, that number is only those which are officially recognized), so you shouldn’t have any trouble running out of places to visit.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Every year, go somewhere that you haven’t been before. There are 196 countries so you shouldn’t easily run out!” quote=”Every year, go somewhere that you haven’t been before. There are 196 countries so you shouldn’t easily run out!”]

Cancun Mexico Megan

Visit Historical Sites

Whether you visit Normandy in France where the historic D-Day events took place, or choose Egypt and see the pyramids, visiting historical sites can be an exhilarating experience, and a great way to further your knowledge in a way that you’ll actually remember.

The world is full of historical sites and you would have to travel consistently to be able to see everything. Some of our favorites to date include Hagia Sofia, in Istanbul, Chichen Itza and the Mayan ruins throughout the Mexican Riviera, and the Silk road which is an ancient trading route including many historic site throughout Asia.

By visiting historical sites, you’re able to imagine in person the events that took place there and fully grasp the concept at how remarkable (or horrific) the event was.

THESE BOOKS WILL INSPIRE YOU TO TRAVEL! ↓

Journeys of a Lifetime

 

100 Countries, 5,000 Ideas

 

World’s Best Travel Experiences

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.

    

    12 Comments

  1. Going to new places gets those creative juices flowing Meg! Love it. You start seeing what you missed, or what you resisted doing, or where you resisted going, and this opens you up. Having a blast here in New Zealand. We are planning a return trip to see much more of the South Island sometime down the road. Thanks for sharing!

    Ryan

    • Yes it does Ryan! We’re hoping to get to the South Island at some point in the future for a road trip, so I’ll be excited to follow your updates from the journey :)

  2. Which is your favorite country for a cross country road trip?

    • The USA is a great choice, as is Australia. Europe is a fabulous region for a roadtrip as you can drive freely between countries. Personally though Iceland has been one of our favorites :)

  3. I love the idea of making a pact with yourself to visit at least one new place every year. I feel like that’s fairly manageable too :)

    • Absolutely Leesa! It usually means too you know you always have something to look forward to!

  4. On my bucketlist:

    Antarctica
    La Tomatina in Spain (Tomato fight!)
    Attend Mardi Gras
    Bungee jump
    Camp in the Amazon Rain Forest
    New Years in Times Square
    Everest base camp
    Eat pizza in Italy
    Fly first class – just once!
    African Safari
    Go volcano boarding
    Hike the Camino De Santiago
    See Cinque Terre in Italy
    Hike the Great Wall of China
    Learn to pilot a plane
    See the Northern Lights
    Sleep beneath the stars in the Sahara Desert
    Take the trans Mongolian Express
    Visit North Korea

    • What a fabulous bucketlist Tamra! Sounds like you have some incredible adventures ahead :)

  5. Hot air ballooning over Bagan looks incredible – Myanmar has been on my bucketlist for the longest time. I’m making a point of not traveling at the moment though while the Rohingya people are facing genocide.

    • Easily one of the most spectacular places to take a hot air balloon. We’ve actually addressed the political situation in Myanmar in a couple of our posts on the region – the Rohingya tragedy might make boycotting seem like the honorable thing to do, as no one wants to be complacent of human suffering, but the reality is that a sanction against Myanmar really won’t positively impact the humanitarian crisis. This is a fabulous post for further reading: https://matadornetwork.com/read/heres-shouldnt-boycott-travel-myanmar/

  6. I love these ideas!! Especially the hot air balloon! Seeing the world from a different perspective is bound to aid in helping you see the world differently and achieve your goals!!

    • So glad you enjoyed the post Marie!! Yes, hot air balloon is one of my favorite ways to see a city, especially somewhere as incredible as Africa, or Myanmar, where the birds eye perspective is just breathtaking!

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