In Search Of A Travel Bucket List

I need to make a travel bucket list.

Us in Paris. June, 2016.

See, I didn't grow up traveling. My childhood was wonderful and full of adventure, but our family wasn't one for going far for that adventure. We had an almost yearly visit to Florida, trips to Illinois, Tennessee or Indiana to see family and that was about it. My wife still finds it hard to believe that I've never been to either Disneyworld or Disneyland. We were always busy with school, sports or work and seeing family just took precedence.

There was a trip to Mount Rushmore once. I was young and don't remember the details but can still see those stone mountain heads in my mind. There was a magic quality to those massive busts that enthralled me. That magic feeling is what I'm still chasing when I head out to a new country. A certain wide-eyed wonder that only seeing the world through those kid-like eyes can bring.

Lately, we've been dreaming of taking more exotic trips so we've started making a bucket list to help guide us in our adventures. Kim is a beach lover so we're combing through lists of best beaches and dreaming big. I'm more of an urban or cold weather traveler so basically I've tagged Iceland and the Nordic regions. Needless to say, it's a bit slow going. There's going to be a lot of compromise, a must for any marriage.

Travel Bucket List Resources

One of my new favorite apps is Journi. A simple way to keep track of where you've been, what you're doing while there, and a way to let people know about your adventures. The virtual passport map is probably my favorite part. Each country you visit gives you a stamp to fill up a map of the world. The adventurer in me wants to color the entire thing.

I also like to watch travel videos on Vimeo for inspiration. There's nothing like seeing others experience new places. That visual look into a trip really whets my appetite to pack a bag and go.

You can't forget the classic resources like bucketlist.org, which is invaluable for finding perfect places to achieve those hard to check off items. For now I think I'm going to get more comfortable with going to the beach. There's plenty of beaches I've yet to go to and those passport stamps don't stamp themselves.

What are some of your more exotic bucket list locations?