Here is my bucket list! I think it’s good to keep dreaming and to keep reaching for those amazing experiences! Behind each item I add the year wherein I was able to tick it off the big list! Sometimes I visit places and countries more than once (like New Zealand, Australia and Sweden), so there I just add the first year.
Countries/regions
Australia– 2002New Zealand– 2005Canada– 2012Iceland– 2019- Greenland
- Mongolia
- Alaska
Sweden– 2008Norway– 2018Finland (mainland)– 2021- Hawaii
- Scotland
Ireland– 2015- Patagonia
Cities
Vancouver– 2012Rome– 1996Sydney– 2002
Specific sites and things
Brandenburger Tor, Germany– 2008Big Ben– 2000- Nordkapp, Norway
- Crater Lake N.P., USA
Mount Cook– 2005- Minyip, Australia
Sydney Opera House, Australia– 2002Lake Louise, Canada– 2012
Activities and other cool stuff
Dog sledding/mushing trip– Svalbard 2020- Whalewatching, the really big ones
Sleep under the stars– Western Australia 2003Wish upon a shooting star– Ayer’s Rock Resort, Australia 2003Horse riding– 1990-1995See a bald eagle– Vancouver, Canada 2012Swim with dolphins– Akaroa, New Zealand 2005See orcas in the wild– Vancouver 2012Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Sydney– 2011/2012Wall climbing– 1998Diving– 1993 (test dive in a swimming pool, never again!)Skydiving– Byron Bay, Australia 2003 and Taupo, New Zealand 2005Bungy jumping– Queenstown, New Zealand 2005Multiple day trekking– Routeburn Track, New Zealand 2012Study at university– 2005-2009Multiple day sailing trip– Whitsundays, Australia 2003See Patrick Stewart in a play– 2016Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)– Iceland 2019- Southern Lights (Aurora Australis)
Hiking on a glacier– Fox Glacier, New Zealand 2005- Hiking on the neve of a glacier
Go to a concert– 2013- Multiple day kayaking trip
- Canyon swing
- Ride a snowmobile
Celebrate my birthday abroad– Sweden 2011Hike the Vasaloppsleden– Sweden 2019- Multiple day Icelandic horse trek
Alive and Trekking 
I was curious, I had to have a look at your bucket list. We share a lot of dream destinations (Greenland, Alaska, Hawaii, Patagonia) and I have visited some places you would like to go (Iceland, Scotland, Norway), and at the opposite, you visited some places I would love to visit (Australia, New Zealand, Patagonia) ! Hawaii is probably our next big trip. I’m interested by seeing volcano in activity.
Concerning the cities, San Francisco is amazing, it’s a lovely city. Seattle and Chicago as well, I would recommend the visit even if they are not in your to do list (maybe you have been there, because Seattle is not too far away from Vancouver). Seattle is very laid back, you have nice opportunities to visit some national parks around (St Helen, mount rainier, Olympic national park), the coffee is good and you can see orcas (killer whales) !! The architecture in Chicago is very interesting ! I don’t share the enthusiasm about New York, I stayed a week over there and I didn’t fell in love with this wonderful city. The statue of liberty is … ok 😀 Not very impressive according to me. It’s tiny, full of rude tourists, not for me.
Concerning the specific sites, Bryce canyon and Yellowstone are my two favourite national parks. The best hike we did was in Bryce canyon. Monument valley is very iconic, it’s nice to drive close to it.
I don’t share the enthusiasm about horse riding, I did some in Iceland and I ended up with blisters on my bum, very traumatizing experience 😀
what’s bungy jumping ?
Oh well, I was very chatty just to say that your to do list is awesome !!! I should write a bucket list as well 😀
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I saw! You lucky you, having been to gorgeous Iceland. Hope that we both get to see all those amazing countries! That would be awesome! New Zealand is amazing. I’m so in love with that country!
I’ve heard many good things about San Francisco and I would really love to visit. Haven’t been to Seattle and while not on my bucket list, I do hope to visit that city one day. I hope to go to NYC one day. It just speaks to my imagination and even though it’s swamped with tourists, I do want to see it.
Wow, you’ve been to all those areas in the US? Sweet! Not sure when I’ll head over that way, but it would be great to see those sights. I’ve heard good things about Bryce Canyon.
Haha! I love horseriding and especially Icelandic horses! I used to ride Icelandic horses at home in the Netherlands. I love this breed and prefer them over those big horses. When I’m in Iceland, I’ll just have to do some horseriding 😉
Bungy jumping (or bungee jumping): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_jumping. You basically jump off a high structure with an elastic cord tied around your ankles. It’s such an adrenaline rush, I loved it!
Hehe, thanks! It will take some time to cross everything off my bucket list. I like chatty and am glad you like my bucket list! Curious about yours too! 😀
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Which part of New Zealand would you recommend for a road trip ? The North or the South island ?
New York is something to experience, I agree. I was also very curious about this town, I don’t regret it at the end, but it was very iconic.
We did a 2 months road trip during summer 2012, one day I will post some stuff about it on my blog but… pictures at that time were not that amazing 😀
Maybe horse-riding is more pleasurable if you are “an experienced rider” and not a complete newbie like me. I could really stay still and was moving lot on the horse.
Bugee jumping sounds fascinating and scary at the same time. I’m not sure I’ll have the gut to do it. When in the water it’s not a problem, I love diving, all watersports, but in the air it’s something else. I’m a bit scared of highs. I did canyoning, canopy trail and indoor skydiving (above a giant fan, it’s easier to describe it like that). Otherwise, nothing that fancy !!!
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I personally adore the South Island. I mean, the North Island is stunning too, but the South Island is so rugged and just…wow! So for a road trip on one of the islands, I’d choose the South Island for sure.
Maybe that’s it, NYC is iconic. People seem to love it or hate it. I’m just curious and would love to visit, but I’m not in an extreme hurry to go over there. It will come 😉
I hear you. I have pictures from when I travelled with an old fashioned camera, but I just post anyway. Not everything, but when I feel like it.
They should have horses suitable for newbies, I think. I’ve done horse riding in Australia and in New Zealand and my experience is that they will always pair you up with a suitable horse, Since I have riding experience, I got a more advanced horse in Australia and I absolutely loved it. She was great!
That’s interesting, because I’m scared to go diving and would rather get thrown out of an airplane. I did a test dive once and…no, not for me. But I tried! There is something for everyone and if people ask me ‘should I do it’ I always answer ‘only if you want to, not because you think you should’.
I did two skydives and that’s enough for me. First one was great, second was not. It’s okay, I don’t have to skydive again, but you never know, haha!
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Good to know for the South Island. I think I would love to see some raw nature, so I suppose the South Island is the best as you said.
For horse-riding, they gave me a horse for beginners (she told me she would trust this horse with her newborn), but I think the horse “felt” I was scared, so He tried to eat the grass, and I wasn’t strong enough to pull it. So he knew he could do everything he wanted.. and that was scary for me. He didn’t respond to anything, and at the end, the guide at the hold him, he wasn’t responding to her neither. All in all, that was a scary experience.
Why the second skydiving experience was not great ?
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Both islands are beautiful in their own right, but if you look for desolate and rugged, go south 😉
That’s really bad! That horse definitely needs some more training or they should have given you another horse. I’m sorry you had such a crap experience. It can be absolutely amazing to ride horses, but I can totally understand it’s no fun that way. I know what it’s like to be scared on a horse. The first riding school I went to was awful. It was only on my second riding school (the Icelandics) that I got over my fear and started to enjoy it.
Nope, it wasn’t. The air was very thick so when we jumped out the plane I couldn’t breathe and I panicked. Plus, the straps were way too tight and it was very painful (tight it good, too tight definitely not!). I got pretty sick. First jump was a dream so I’d like to remember that instead! 🙂
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What a brilliant list! Seeing the Northern (or Southern!) Lights is definitely on my list too. And you’ve seen orcas in the wild – I am so jealous!! I missed seeing a pod of orcas in New Zealand when we were in the North Island, I was gutted 😦 Hopefully one day that will be rectified!
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Hee, thank you! I reckon seeing the Northern or Southern Lights would be so amazing! Mesmerising! It’s going to happen, just not yet sure when 😉 And yep, when I was in Vancouver we saw orcas. Pretty sweet! And I hope you’ll be able to see orcas in the wild too someday! 🙂
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It really would wouldn’t it! Hopefully one day 🙂 Chatting about New Zealand has made me reminisce, I want to write a post about my time there – would you mind if I reference your site, as our conversations have been the inspiration?
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You should! Would love to read about your NZ adventures. And of course I don’t mind, I’d be honoured! 😀
I love having conversations like these in the comments 😉
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Thanks! I’ll get working on it 🙂 Me too, it’s so much fun discussing places we’ve been – or places we plan to go to in the future!
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Yay! And absolutely. In my mind my backpack is already packed for the next adventure, haha!
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Me too 🙂 Always wondering where I’d like to go next (the list is long!)!
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