People always ask us about our picks. Such as: “What’s your favorite destination?” Or about our bucket lists. We love to talk about this, so this page answers those questions and many more. Be sure to click on the specific images below on our picks for specific Bucket List suggestions. We suggest you go to Destination Bucket Lists first and then branch out from there. You’ll notice that some of the lists are incomplete. Please be patient: they’re a work in progress because we’re still living them!
What is a Bucket List, anyway?
Bucket list. We’ve all heard the term, which originated with the 2007 movie “The Bucket List”. The movie tells the story of two terminally ill patients who devise a “bucket list” of things they want to do before they die, and then go an epic road trip to fulfill their wishes before they “kick the bucket”. (You can read a synopsis of the movie here, and order it here if you like.)
So the term “Bucket List” has passed into everyday language, and it’s become a rallying cry, especially for Baby Boomers/Seniors. Our generation reinvented everything else, so we’re busy reinventing aging as we get into it. We’re more active and more open to adventure than our predecessors, and nobody we know wants to wait until they’re ill to start living their dreams. As you get older, you begin to relate to the idea that time is finite, and postponing dreams is just foolish.
Having a bucket list simply means creating the list of things you really want to do before you die. Sounds morbid? It’s actually a fun exercise, and can really help you map out a fulfilling future.
Where do I begin my Bucket List?
You’ll notice from the movie, or from talking with others or from thinking about your own dreams, that very few bucket lists envision people staying home and doing new activities. That’s fine for a few things, but the grand vision of most peoples’ Bucket List is to GET AWAY! To discover new horizons, new people, new foods, new attitudes. It’s the challenge and excitement of travel that stretches us and keeps us young in spirit. That’s why our focus when we created these special bucket lists with Baby Boomers/Seniors in mind is destinations first, and activities second. To illustrate, you can probably fly a hot air balloon over your home town. But isn’t it a bit more exciting to do it over the Serengeti Plains as you observe millions of migrating wildebeest below?
So we’ve focused our advice on picking Bucket List destinations by interest (you’ll find them by clicking the images below this article.) We suggest you start with Our Top Ten Destinations Bucket List (click to see it) and go from there.
Plus, our Bucket List Builder (free when you sign up for our newsletter) will help you get started.
It Takes 2 To Travel: Matching Your Bucket Lists
The thing about a bucket list is that it’s more fun if you do it with someone. The reason we call our site “It Takes 2 To Travel” is that we find sharing, even competing, with a travel partner just adds resonance to the whole experience. Doesn’t matter who your partner is – a spouse, lover, friend or someone you meet up with and travel on the road – nobody’s tastes are exactly alike. Yet you want to travel together. So reconciling your different choices and arriving at a consensus that gives you both some of what you want is a very real-life, practical consideration as you consider your bucket lists. After all, there’s only so much time and so much money to work with.
Use The Bucket List Builder
The Bucket List Builder will help you prioritize your favorite things and to find common ground with your partner. Here’s a simple example: her life dream is to go on safari. His dream is to play golf on a legendary golf course. Both easily done in, say, South Africa. Make the planning fun by getting started, daring to dream and picking out places from the different lists and penciling dates in on the calendar. We suggest worrying about the money later, because your dreams may be much more affordable than you think. That’s one of the reasons we created this site: to help Baby Boomers and Seniors discover how accessible the world can be. We hope you ‘ll explore our tips to find ways to make it happen for you. Don’t assume things are not affordable. For example, many people think it’s impossibly expensive to go on safari. Safari is our specialty, and it’s really fulfilling for us to be able to open that door, even to people who are on a low budget and see them come back with stars in their eyes. So go ahead and put a date in your mind and on your calendar. Everything will manifest from that. And remember, when in doubt, choose adventure.
Our Picks: Top Bucket Lists for Boomers/Seniors
So, with all that in mind, here are our Bucket Lists for the things people ask us about the most, starting with destinations, and going on from there. We’ve categorized them by places rather than activities to make it practical (so you won’t see a list of weird activities – maybe we’ll add one in due course). Go ahead and cherry pick from each list so you can combine experiences. Our Bucket List Builder will help you and your travel partner narrow things down to what you both want to do; just fill it in at here. We’ll send you the report so you can compare notes with your travel partner. As we’ve said elsewhere, life is too short to make bad travel choices – especially when doing a little homework can be so rewarding.
Whether it’s our Top Destinations Bucket List, Delve into each one: there are plenty of links to find out more or just go ahead and book!
We’ll be be sending lots more free suggestions to our subscribers, so please be sure to sign up for our newsletter.
