My Ever Evolving Bucket List

A Bucket List… A Work in Progress

So, I admit that I love to travel. And having my daughter didn’t change that.  I used to teach, but when I had my daughter I decided to stay home. Two years into staying at home with her, I knew I needed to do something to stimulate my brain; not knocking being at home, just needed something to talk about other than diapers and pre-schools. So, I founded my travel company, Small Earth. I did it because talking to my other mommy friends I realized how little time people had to plan vacations. I wanted to help other families create memorable vacations. And I love doing it. Which brings me to the bucket list…

I started to follow travelers and mommies on Twitter. And if you’re on Twitter you know that an amazing amount of information is shared on a minute by minute basis. But one of the things I love most about Twitter is how it has opened my world up. Seriously. 

Everyday somebody tweets about a new resort, island, hotel or country that I’ve never been to. There are places I would never have known about traveling to or have dreamed of going to, but now all I can think about is how my bucket list keeps expanding. So, thought I would share some of the places or things that I’ve learned about, that I keep adding to my list. I’d love to hear about some of the places you’ve been or that you’d like to get to.

1. Vietnam and Cambodia: I have wanted to get to Vietnam and Cambodia for awhile. We were supposed to spend a month there when I found out I was pregnant.  I have dreamed of seeing Angkor Wat all of my life. And the more I read about Vietnam, the more I want to get there. Hoi-An, Hue, Saigon, the Mekong Delta and Halong Bay were all on the itinerary before our trip got cancelled. I want to see the floating villages on the Mekong Delta, wander the shops of Hoi-An, kayak in Halong Bay and see the ancient city of Hue. I’d need an extended period of time, which is in short supply, but I know it’s at the top of my list.
2. Tapas Crawl in Madrid: I love Spain. And I love food. So going on a Tapas crawl through Madrid sounds like an amazing time to me.
3. Sicily: I have never been to Sicily. I have always wanted to go. I want to visit ancient Syracuse, the place I read about in Latin class not so long ago. I want to see the Valley of the Temples, the largest collection of Greek Temples in the world. My mother used to read me Myths at bedtime, and I want to see where those myths were born. I would love to eat my way across the island, savoring all of the pastries that I grew up eating, but made at the source and not in my grandmother's kitchen.
4. Skiing the Alps: I love to ski. So does my husband. And I’m pretty sure my very active child will love it too. And I know that at some point we’re going to go ski in the Alps. Someday. (Maybe when the dollar is stronger, someday.) We’ve skied all over the United States but the Alps would be the ultimate for me. A friend of ours skied there several years ago and she told me the easiest trails made her scream the entire way down. I can’t wait!
5. Tikal, Guatemala: I was a history major. I love historic sites. And I cannot wait to get to Tikal. An ancient place, in a beautiful country, at a reasonable price. I would love to spend several days wandering the ruins and learning about the place from a local guide. I wouldn’t mind staying at Francis Ford Coppola’s Inn while I’m there either.
6. Venice: Venice is someplace I’ve never been. I’ve read everything I can find about it. I know so many people claim they were disappointed (my brother) but I have to get there. I want to glide down the Grand Canal and see the palazzos lining either side. Afterwards I want to wander the back alleys until I find a menu that’s appealing and enjoy a meal, Italian style -- long and slow. Of course, I plan to end every day in Venice with Gelato but that’s me.
7. Iguazu Falls, Argentina & Brazil: These amazing falls are on the border of Argentina and Brazil. They are stunning.
8. Bali: This is a place I knew nothing about before I started following Twitter travelers. It’s now in my top 10 places to visit before I die. The beaches are amazing, the ancient sites are amazing,      and the hotels are simply stunning. I’m not sure this is a place I’d take my daughter, right now. But someday…
9. Cooking School at Le Cordon Bleu: I love food. I’d love to go to cooking school at Le Cordon Bleu. It now offers classes for women on a short-term basis. And I think I would like to pretend to be Julia Child for a few weeks in Paris. I’m sure my family would support this one if it meant I would cook for them when I returned.
10. Rum Cay, Bahamas: Okay, I’ve been to this one. I was here during a semester at sea in college. At that time there were no accommodations, just a fledgling yacht club. It was a small island with very few inhabitants, a small yacht club, amazing scuba diving and sugar white beaches. I want to go back with my husband and spend some time in the new villas that the yacht club built. Total decompression time. No TV, no computer, no phone. Just a drink, a book and a beach.

You’ve probably got your own list. In my life I’ve probably crossed a few out that I would love to share with you. Maybe next week I’ll blog about cross country skiing into Yellowstone or hiking to the falls at Havasupai. The more I learn the more I want to travel, so I imagine I’ll be adding more places to my list all the time. But for now, these are 10 of my “must-do’s.” I can’t wait to hear what other people are thinking about.