The more I think about it (and the older I get), the less inclined I am to have a “bucket list”. What is a bucket list, anyway? Things you’d like to do before you die? Or things you’re going to actually be really disappointed on your death bed that you didn’t do?
To me, there are few things that I’d be disappointed about never doing. A safari in Africa, visiting New Zealand and road tripping in a VW camper? Sure. But visiting Venice or eating out at a stupid restaurant? I want to do them, but let’s be honest with ourselves, I won’t lay there dying and think, “damn, I never did have a meal at Cabbages & Condoms.” (…okay, knowing me, I probably would.)
So this page is now a much bigger, but much less urgent, collection of awesome things I want to do – which means I can add really stupid and fun places I’ve heard about, without worrying about whether they fit the “bucket list” category. Call it an alternative to bookmarking ideas.
And after all, I am definitely about the stupid and fun.
Want to read about the places I have been to? Click here!
My Current Top 5 (i.e. the actual “bucket list”)
- Japan. My number one bucket list item, but one I want to do right
- Norwegian fjords
- Slovenia
- Road trip northern Italy and eat all the food
- The bits we missed in Australia (a lot, then)
Challenges
- Visit every continent in the world (5/7)
- Visit every country in Europe* (27/45)
- Visit every visit-able island in Scotland** (19, we can dispute the final amount)
- Bag 10 munros (1/10)
Visit four countries in a day(done! Switzerland, Germany, France & home to the UK)- Cycle (or walk) from Edinburgh to Glasgow
* number is disputable – I’m not counting crown dependencies like the Isle Of Man and Gibraltar, but it does include Kosovo
** I was going to put inhabited, but I’m including islands like Staffa and Lunga, which are not
WORLDWIDE
Hire a VW camperVolunteer somewhere (completed in Thailand, 2015)Sky dive (completed in the UK & New Zealand, 2007 & 2016)
Go parasailingGo paragliding (completed in Canada, 2018)Go ziplining (also completed in Canada, 2018!)Ride in a hot air balloon (completed in Kenya, 2022)
Stay in a Hobbit house
Buy a campervan (or convert one!)
The rest of these were getting out of hand, so I’ve condensed them into their own headings! Click on them to find out what I’ve got.
EUROPE
✈ Destinations 🔻
IrelandRome, Italy- Norway
- Slovenia
Kotor, Montenegro- Santorini, Greece
CroatiaVenice, ItalyReykjavik, Iceland- Moldova, because they’re nuts (and also, Transnistria)
- Chernobyl, Ukraine (well… if it’s still there after this. If not, the rest of Ukraine can have all my money!)
- The Romantic Road, Germany
- Hallstat, Austria
Alsace, FranceWest coast of Scotland, including the Isle Of Skye(yup, let’s start at home!!)
✈ Experiences – in the UK 🔻
Live in Edinburgh- Celebrate Hogmanay in Edinburgh (okay, I’ve technically done this, but would like to do the ultra-touristy street party one year, just because)
- Up Helly Aa, Shetland
Road trip up the west coast of Scotland- Climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon (the highest mountains in Scotland, England & Wales)
Climb Stac Pollaidh- Walk to the Scottish pyramids by Balmoral Castle
- Stay in a train carriage in Glenfinnan
Stay in a castle- Stay in some other interesting accommodation in Scotland (lighthouses, boats, churches… if you have any suggestions, please let me know!)
Have a night in Ballieballerson, London- Visit God’s Own Junkyard, London
Bonfire night, LewesDo the fastest zipline in the world – in Wales!
✈ Experiences – in the rest of Europe 🔻
- Take a cruise through the Norwegian fjords
- Road trip through northern Italy
- Snorkel the Silfra, Iceland
- Go to Elf School, Iceland
- Visit Iceland in the summer
- Geldrop, Netherlands for the Lord Of the Rings inspired street names!
- …and sorry, I’ve just found another one in ESSEX?!?
- Stay in an igloo
- Stay in the jumbo jet in Sweden
- Visit Predjama Castle, Slovenia (it’s built into the side of a cliff! Seriously!)
- Visit Admont Abbey library in Austria
- Visit lots of castles in Germany. Obviously Neuschwanstein.
- Ride the Gelmerbahn in Switzerland
ASIA
✈ Destinations 🔻
Hong KongHalong Bay, VietnamBangkok, ThailandSingapore- Tokyo, Japan
- Kyoto, Japan
✈ Experiences 🔻
Volunteer with elephants at Elephant Nature Park in ThailandSongkran – Thai New YearFull Moon Party at Koh PhanganCabbages & Condoms restaurant in Bangkok- Get a bamboo tattoo
- Hike the Khao Ngon Nak trail at Krabi, Thailand
- Visit the Studio Ghibli museum in Japan
- Visit Disneyland in Japan
- Take the Hai Van pass in Vietnam
- Ride the bamboo train in Battambang, Cambodia
- Visit as many themed restaurants in Taiwan as possible
- (And Japan)
- Stay in Book & Beds hostel in Japan
- Stay at the Jurassic Park themed hotel (okay, maybe not seeing as it’s a “love hotel”!!)
- Ride an abandoned train through the mountains of Japan
AUSTRALASIA
✈ Destinations 🔻
Cairns, AustraliaSydney, Australia- Ayers Rock (Uluru), Australia >
- Coober Pedy, Australia
- Great Ocean Road, Australia
- Western Australia (very generalised, I know!)
- Gwalia, Western Australia (mining gold town)
- Horse Head rock, Australia
- Port Stephens (Fingal Bay), Australia
- Queenstown, New Zealand
✈ Experiences 🔻
Spend NYE in SydneyGo snorkelling in the Great Barrier ReefRoad trip in AustraliaHire a camperSpend Christmas on the beachHold a koala at the zooSee a wild koala(x4!)See a platypus(I was happy enough to see one at Lone Pine, but then I saw one IN THE WILD!)Visit Hobbiton- Canyon Swing in Queenstown, New Zealand
- Hike Roy’s Peak, Wanaka, New Zealand
- Take the Hooker Valley trail to Mount Cook, New Zealand
- Road trip Western Australia
- Drive the Great Ocean Road & visit the Grampians, Australia
- Stay in an underground hotel / hostel in Coober Pedy, Australia
NORTH AMERICA
✈ Destinations 🔻
✈ Experiences 🔻
Road trip in the USAJump off the Stratosphere, Las VegasHike Angel’s Landing in Zion National ParkRoad trip around Banff and Jasper national parks, CanadaVisit some Lost locations in Hawaii- Stay in the Dog Bark Park Inn, Idaho (it had just closed for the season when we were in Idaho!)
Stay in the Wig Wam Motel- Stay in the Madonna Inn (we visited but didn’t stay)
OTHER
✈ Destinations 🔻
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Iguazu Falls, Brazil/Argentina
- Machu Picchu, Peru
- Galapagos Islands
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania- Cape Town, South Africa
- Namibia
- Antarctica (South Orkney Island!)
✈ Experiences 🔻
Safari in Africa – preferably the SerengetiTake the ferry from Europe to Africa- Paraglide from the mountains behind Rio and land on the beach (THIS LOOKS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE)
An Orcadian Abroad 
Only started travelling recently, since getting dementia! Still I have a bucket list of sorts. I love your bucket list but see you don’t have Iceland on there, or Russia?
Gill 🙂
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Your blog is so interesting and inspiring, Gill! Bless you for starting it. ❤ Iceland is on my list but it's actually crossed out because I visited a few years ago! 🙂 It didn't disappoint at all, it's one of my favourite countries!
Russia I actually have a funny relationship with, because I find it fascinating, but I don't want to visit while they are oppressing people's rights (I hate getting political but at the moment it's hard not to!). Unfortunately that seems to apply to so many countries recently, but it's sad that such a powerful first world country seems to be going backwards. I'm sure some people will disagree with my thoughts there!
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You’ve certainly got a long bucket list!
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Haha! It didn’t used to be this long. 😉 But it is definitely more of a “wishlist” now than a bucket list – I gave up on bucket lists a while ago!
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wow! amazing wonder bucket list ever.
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There’s nothing here I wouldn’t like to do! Mine is huge and it feels like it’s ever changing too, but I decided to embrace it. It’s great that after all these years traveling, I still want to go to more and more places 🙂
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Haha, it does seem like the more you travel, the more you add to your list!! I need to update this page actually as I’ve done a few of these this year. 🙂
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Just discovered your blog, so I’m poking around it! 100% recommend an African safari – they’re absolutely amazing. And Slovenia is PHENOMENAL! The Hubs and I actually got married there a few years ago. We were supposed to spend three weeks hiking there in 2020, and then 2021, but alas, Beer Flu canceled both! Happy travels!
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Ah thanks so much for reading! Slovenia looks incredible. Definitely hoping it make it there next year, I was potentially going there last week but – yup, flights cancelled, thanks Covid. I bet that was an amazing place to get married!
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If you ever get to South America come and visit us in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. We are flying the Orcadian flag high up in the Andes.
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