The Importance of having a Bucket List

According to the urban dictionary a Bucket List is a list of things to do before you uhm well, kick the bucket.

To me the Bucket List is simply a list of things I must achieve or at least try my darnest to make a reality. I have lived far too long in fear of doing what I want to do and I am not the only one. You always seem to have a reason, or rather an excuse, not to do the things you wish you could. It’s always too expensive, too far, too early, too late or too something or there is always someone in the way: maybe if I was still single, when the kids grow up, yada yada yada. You know what I am talking about, don’t you?

Before you know it you’re lying on your death bed wishing you had taken that trip to the Galapagos Islands, or dove with sharks or simply built that extra room in your house. Your bucket list does not have to be filled with strange daredevil achievements. It can be the simplest of things like cutting your hair short or getting a new puppy.

Creating your own Bucket List and Inspiration Board is important. It reminds you of the “Why” you want to do something rather than the “how”. Periodically taking it out and looking at it can bring new motivation to your life and it can definitely re-energize you. The boost in confidence you get when you finally get to mark one of the items on your list as “completed” is exhilarating. A Bucket List can be passed on to the generations after you. Your children, nieces and nephews will get a better understanding of the person you were and your list will hopefully serve as an inspiration to them. Then you have of course the LAW OF ATTRACTION. Write it down and it is no longer a dream but a possibility of becoming a reality.

My Bucket List
My own bucket list is a constant work in progress. I keep adding things to do as I get introduced to new challenges, new destinations and new adventures. In sharing my list with you I hope to inspire you to start working on your own Bucket List. Make it into something you can be proud of.

1. Learn to scuba dive
2. Swim with whale sharks
3. Jump out of a plane (skydive) 
4. Get financially independent
5. Visit each of the 28 island nations in the Caribbean
6. Visit Wales
7. Explore the US’ Pacific Northwest for a month
8. Visit Mount Saint Michel
9. Become a successful and sought after travel blogger and hotel reviewer
10. Open a shelter for homeless dogs and cats
11. Cut my hair short
12. Go white water rafting
13. Go river tubing
14. Go cave tubing
15. Get in shape
16. Commit to yoga
17. Go cave rappelling
18. Hold a gecko in my hand without passing out
19. See Canon Beach in Oregon
20. Go horseback riding in the sea
21. Travel across the US in a RV
22. Go bungee jumping off a bridge
23. Go hang-gliding
24. Learn to speak French fluently
25. Volunteer at a non-kill farm
26. Visit the US’ west coast
27. Live in Antwerp for a year 
28. See Krewella live
29. See Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano live
30. Visit Iceland
31. See and meet Fedde Le Grand
32. Visit an elephant sanctuary
33. Visit Victoria, Canada
34. Visit Havasu falls in Arizona
35. Soak in the blue lagoon in Iceland
36. See the waterfalls in Icelan
37. Get 6 new tattoos
38. Get hired to do a review of a hotel
39. See the twelve apostles in Victoria, Australia
40. See orcas in the wild
41. See sea lions and seals in the wild
42. Visit La Push in Washington State
43. Go hiking in Forks, Washington.
44. See the Salto de Tequendama in Colombia
45. Give my bedroom a boho makeover
46. Get rid of everything I no longer have a need for and live minimally
47. Visit all 7 continents
48. See all the 7 new wonders of the world
49. Go kayaking in the mangroves in Curaçao
50. Get a Sari
51. Learn to shoot, disassemble and assemble a gun
52. Kayak in Lake Taboe
53. See the different Florida springs
54. Swim with manatees

It’s a long list, I know but I invite you to keep checking this page as I continue to update it and add new and exciting things to it.

What are three things on your Bucket List?

Bucket Vision
About 5 years ago just after my husband and I opened our hostel I had the pleasure of welcoming a 20-something year old yacht crew member from New Zealand named Adam Rikys. Little did I know that this guy who stayed with us for just a week or two with a broken foot (or was it an arm?) would become one of my biggest inspirations. Every so often he would show up on my Facebook wall with stunning pictures of his many travels. Until one day he invited me to try his new app, Bucket Vision.

Bucket Vision is a goal and achievement sharing community. Their goal is to give you the motivation and inspiration needed to go after the things that make you feel alive.

Adam’s enthusiasm for life and all that it offers is infectious to say the least and I am proud he walked through our hostel doors 5 years ago. Isn’t it funny how people you meet in your life can be silent for so long and then reach out to you when you most need it? Adam, keep inspiring!

Here is an introduction to the app and website by Adam himself:

Create your own Bucket List or inspiration board on Bucket Vision here.

In the meantime, start writing down those goals and dreams and start working at making them a reality. I dare you to try something new, visit someplace new or try something that scares you at least once a week.

Don’t forget to Live, Laugh and Travel Often.

Much <3 TTIG