My ‘Not a Bucket List’ List

Posted 364 days ago by

Last week I read a post by Adventurous Kate on ‘My Problem with Bucket Lists‘ and it got me thinking, I may not have a bucket list as such but why am I putting off doing things and visiting places when I can go and do it now.

As I look at my bookcase I can see two books, “1000 places to see before you die” and “100 unforgettable places to see before you die.” Maybe these should be renamed “places to make your travel priorities.”

Kate set a challenge to come up with 5-10 travel priorities and achieve at least one of them in the next two years, not a big ask really.

So here are the priorities I have set myself:

Skiing in Queenstown

My first attempt at skiing, in Queenstown

Visit South America

South America is the one continent that eludes me and I want to complete the set. Peru has always appealed mainly because I want to do the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu but I’d also want to travel to the far south of Argentina and hop over to Antarctica.

Travel around Europe by train

The idea of travelling around my home continent by train is something that has only appealed to me recently. Considering that Europe is on my doorstep I haven’t really explored it and discovered its rich history.

Recent trips to Austria and Italy and seeing how picturesque and interesting they are have only fuelled this ambition.

Observe a wild animal in its natural habitat

I’ve been to a lot of zoos around the world and it’s great to see animals up close and I’ve even fed lemurs and stroked a cheetah but it’s not the same as witnessing them in their natural habitat.

For that I must delve deeper into Africa than I’ve ever done before. A safari may be too cliché but just being around wild elephants or gorillas as they go about their normal natural lives would be special.

Go back to New Zealand

I LOVE New Zealand just in case you didn’t know and I don’t need an excuse to go back. There are corners of the country such as Dunedin and Cape Reinga that I’ve yet to go to and on my next visit these are a must.

Learn to Ski or Snowboard

When I was travelling around New Zealand I had a two-day beginners skiing lesson in Queenstown and I was rubbish. So rubbish that I fell off the rope tow, the normal ski lift and about four or five times down the beginners’ ski run.

Needless to say I threw down my poles in a huff and retired to the bar whilst Angie went off onto the intermediate and advanced runs.

So to overcome my inability I want to try again or even snowboard which appeals more to me but I’ve been told it’s even harder.

And if I’m just as bad, I can always head off to the nearest bar again.

Can I do it, can I achieve one of these in the next two years? I WILL make sure I do.

What are you priorities? Where should I go in Europe or South America? Where is the best place to learn to ski?

  • Adventurous Kate

    Paul, thanks for the mention, and I’m so glad to see you’ve put together a list of your own!

    One thing to keep in mind — if you want to travel Europe by train, you’ll probably be able to wrangle a comped Eurail pass. They do a lot of work with bloggers.

    I can’t ski or snowboard either, and one of my Uk friends has asked if we can do a ski trip in France or Italy — eek is all I have to say. Time to learn.

  • http://www.eurotriptips.com EurotripTips

    Agreed with Kate for Eurail – I just got a comped global pass that I will use in Scandinavia later this fall, and Eurail is very easy to work with.

    • mypostcardfrom

      Thanks Kate and Eurotrip Tips – I’ll check out Eurail

  • http://mslistologist.com/ Annette | Bucket List Journey

    I like your non-bucket list :)
    Learning to snowboard is on my agenda this year too. I have skied before (not very well), but would like to be able to say that I have shredded on the slopes ;)

  • http://neilandggowalkabout.com Geri

    Great list. I’m severely uncoordinated when it comes to snow and ice, after falling over numerous times and causing injury to others I always head straight for the bar. Neil on the other hand heads straight for the mountain top! I’ve only tried snowboarding so I can’t say if it’s easier or harder, perhaps I should give skiing a go?

  • http://www.theworldofdeej.com D.J. – The World of Deej

    Great list! I’ve only gone skiing one time, and I was 12 years old. I’ve wanted to give it a try again for years and have never made it happen. Perhaps that should be added to my own priority list:)

  • http://bitesizedtravel.wordpress.com Krista

    Your post was a real inspiration for the one I wrote today – thanks!

    • mypostcardfrom

      Thanks Krista,

      Glad I inspired you :-)

  • Pingback: Not a bucket list: the travel priority challenge | Bite-sized Travel

  • http://www.fourjandals.com/ Cole @ Four Jandals

    Stoked you have NZ in there. I am sure you will make it back some time soon!

  • http://suzyguese.com/ Suzy

    Great list! I think it’s great to make travel a priority rather than a list of wishes. Europe by train is a great priority I must say. I love traveling by train in Italy. I never get tired of looking out the window.

  • http://www.changesinlongitude.com/ Michael @ Changes In Longitude

    Oh can I relate to your skiing escapades so I changed that one to “learn to ice skate” and it worked out much better.

    Cheers,

    Michael

  • http://www.hotelopia.com Hotelopia

    I’m thinking of travelling around more of Europe, not necessarily by train but I’ve been to all these far-flung places in the Caribbean and South America and yet there are countries right on my doorstep that I have yet to see! In fact, most of Europe still eludes me… Greece will be next year’s destination I think, or maybe I’ll take a winter trip to somewhere cold like Sweden or Finland!