I like to say to my friends and family that I think I was born into this world far too late. I have a burning desire inside of me to explore and there are very few places in this world that haven’t already been explored. Having read books about Livingstone’s exploration of Africa and Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the American Northwest, I think it would have been so amazing to venture out into the unknown, not knowing what you would see or what experiences you would have. However, while I may not be the first to explore the amazing landscapes on this planet, that doesn’t mean that experiencing and exploring them won’t help me expand my horizons and grow as a person. That’s why I like to keep a travel bucket list of the travel adventures I want to have before I die. By sharing this list with you, I hope to ignite in you some of the passion for travel and exploration that I have burning inside of me.

Bucket Lists From Past Years

I am not sure if it is the same for everyone, but my travel bucket list is an ever-evolving list of the places I want to see and the adventures I want to have. As I am able to travel to and explore a destination on my list, it drops off and is replaced by a new adventure that interests me. Sometimes places move off my immediate list because they are replaced by a new destination that I would like to see more and sometimes they move back on the list as I continue to grow and evolve as a traveler. Just like many people do a financial analysis at the beginning of the year as a checkpoint to evaluate their position and goals, I use my travel bucket list as a yearly exercise to evaluate and adjust my goals as a traveler. So, before you review the destinations and adventures on my current travel bucket list, I have included links to the previous renditions of the travel bucket list for you to review below.

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We all have a bucket list of things that we would like to do or see before we die. Getting around to actually doing these things or seeing these places is another matter, but we all have a list. We thought it would be fun to share with you our list (at least as it stands right now), and hear from you on what locations you are anxious to see. The following list includes the places that we would really love to visit and why. Let us know which places have you excited!

My Travel Bucket List – 2018 Edition

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There are few things in this world that are as inspiring and motivating as travel.  Getting outside of your comfort zone and exploring different landscapes and cultures can be a truly amazing growth experience.  Having gotten to personally experience different parts of this world, I feel like I have a far deeper appreciation for this planet and the different cultures and customs of the people who inhabit it.  I have been bitten by the travel bug, and now all I want to do is explore the rest of the world.  Here are some of the places I am most anxious to see.

My Travel Bucket List – 2019 Edition

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When I was a kid, my parents bought be a National Geographic subscription and I used to page through those magazines and imagine visiting the far-away places that I read about on those pages.  I would pin the pull-out maps on my wall and circle the places that I really wanted to see.  My imagination would run wild as I thought about what it would be like to visit some of the amazing destinations and experience some of the wonderful cultural festivals I read about.  I guess you could say that is when I first started to put together a travel bucket list, which is something I still keep track of to this day.

My Travel Bucket List – 2020 Edition

Explore Torres del Paine National Park

Torres del Paine has been on my travel bucket list of places to visit for years now, and will likely remain on my list until the day I get to visit.  Next to Antarctica, it is one of the places I most want to visit in this world.  Ever since I was a child, I have longed to visit Patagonia.  In my opinion, it is one of the most stunningly beautiful places in this world.  Beautiful, jagged mountains, crystal blue lakes, and enormous glaciers are just some of the many amazing things to see in this park.  Besides, it is a great place for outdoor adventure.  If you follow my blog closely, you know how much I love epic hikes and the infamous “W”, “O”, and “Q” treks in Torres del Paine are some of the best in the world.  It may be a while before I get to visit as I want to parlay this trip into a visit to Antarctica, but when I finally do get to visit it will be a dream come true.

Take an Antarctica Cruise

Speaking of Antarctica, it is and always has been the number one destination on my ultimate travel bucket list.  Between the icebergs as big as buildings and amazing abundance of marine wildlife, Antarctica is one of this world’s most beautiful travel destinations.  However, what makes Antarctica an especially exciting destination is how difficult it is to get there.  Many would say that Antarctica is the last remaining frontier for travel adventurers to explore.  After all, it’s not like you can just book a plane ticket and land in Antarctica tomorrow.  Travel to Antarctica is something that needs to be carefully planned and visiting the world’s seventh continent is something that has to be earned.  It’s an expensive trip, so it is going to require quite a bit of saving, but one day I hope to visit Patagonia and then take a cruise to Antarctica to photograph and explore this beautiful place.

Hike Across the Grand Canyon

This is a new item on my travel bucket list.  In the past few years, I have been trying to ramp my travel adventures up to the next level.  This past year, I climbed my first fourteen-thousand foot mountain in Colorado and I did a few big hikes in Southern Utah.  Now, I would like to take things up another notch.  One of the ways that I would like to do that is to cross the Grand Canyon on foot.  I have been to the Grand Canyon to hike and photograph it many times, but all of my hikes there so far have been day hikes.  In the near future, I would like to hike across the canyon from rim-to-rim.  This will be an epic adventure that will really push my hiking ability to the limits.  You need to plan this trip far in advance because you need a back-country permit to camp out in the canyon, so it likely won’t happen this year with everything else I have planned.  However, my hope is that I will be able to complete this hike in the next few years.

Climb Mount Rainier

Hiking across the Grand Canyon isn’t the only adventure that I have on my travel bucket list.  Climbing my first fourteen-thousand foot peak this past summer wetted my appetite to do some more alpine hikes and climbs in the future.  One such adventure that I am really anxious to pursue is climbing Mount Rainier in Washington State.  Mount Rainier is renown as being one of the best ascents for preparing climbers for more challenging alpine climbs elsewhere in the world because of its technical difficulty and because it is the most glaciated peak in the continental United States.  Again, the challenge is part of the allure for me.  I want to start exploring other mountain ranges around the world and I want to continue to challenge myself as an adventurer.  I can think of no better way to prepare myself and test myself than to climb this epic peak in the next several years.

Visit Petra

Like many other travelers, I am drawn to the most beautiful and amazing things in this world.  That is why I really want to see all of the wonders of this world and why they are so often included on my travel bucket list.  It may sound cliché to have the wonders of the world on your travel bucket list, but there is a reason they are called wonders.  I have already seen Machu Picchu in Peru and came away from that experience absolutely amazed by its grandeur and beauty.  Now, I have my sights set on a few other wonders.  One of the top wonders on my list of things to see is Petra in the country of Jordan.  If all goes according to plan this year, I will get to visit this amazing wonder and fulfill a dream of photographing it.  My hope is to visit Jordan along with Egypt and Israel this fall, if these countries are opened back up by then.  If not, then I will certainly be visiting Jordan sometime next year as I really want to check this destination off my list.

See the Great Pyramids of Giza

Another one of the wonders of the world that I am fascinated by and would like to see is the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.  They are one of the original Wonders of the World that are still around for explorers to visit today, which makes them an extra special destination for travelers like myself who collect experiences at the world’s most amazing places.  If I am lucky and the world starts to open up this summer, I will get to see the Great Pyramids this autumn when I visit Egypt, Jordan, and Israel and cross this amazing place off my travel bucket list.  If not, I will most likely wait and visit next year.  I have my fingers crossed that things open up because I am really itching to travel and I cannot wait to explore and photograph the Great Pyramids.

Hike to Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan

If you follow my blog closely, then you are no stranger to the out-of-this-world beautiful monetary in Bhutan known as Tiger’s Nest.  Perched on the side of a mountain, this monetary may be one of the most breathtaking buildings in the world.  Not only is the monetary itself stunning, but visiting it is a challenge.  It requires a long hike with a lot of elevation gain, which really appeals to the travel adventurer in me.  Visiting Nepal and Bhutan has been on my travel bucket list for a while, but I still haven’t had a chance to visit yet.  It isn’t on the agenda for this year, so that trip will need to wait until the future.  Hopefully not the distant future though because I am very excited to explore and photograph this amazing place.

Visit the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand

If you read my list of the Top 30 Destinations to Visit in 2021, you are quite familiar with the Phi Phi Islands and how beautiful they are.  Ever since I watched the movie “The Beach”, I have longed to explore these islands and their stunning beaches.  Instagram is full of breathtaking pictures of the Phi Phi Islands and I would like a chance to capture this place myself.  Not only is the landscape a photographer’s dream, but there is some outstanding snorkeling and scuba diving in the area as well.  After scuba diving and snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef, I am hooked.  I am not sure when I will have the chance to visit Krabi and the Phi Phi Islands, but that day cannot come soon enough.

Hike to the Mount Everest Base Camp

When it comes to travel adventures, I can think of few that would be more exciting than to hike to the base camp used to summit the tallest mountain in the world.  I am no where near ready to start climbing mountains the caliber of Mount Everest, but I do believe I am very well prepared to tackle the hike to base camp.  Before I die, I really want to see and explore the Himalayas and Mount Everest is the crown jewel of the mountain range.  I am not sure I will have a chance to visit Nepal in the next few years because of other travel plans I am working on, but sometime in the near future I definitely want to get to Nepal and Bhutan to photograph and explore these beautiful countries.  And when I do, hiking to the Everest base camp will definitely be on my itinerary.

Drive the Ring Road in Iceland

If you are into travel photography like I am, then you are probably aware of how epic of a travel photography destination Iceland is.  With a seemingly countless number of amazing waterfalls, glaciers, and breathtaking mountains to photograph, you could spend months in Iceland and not get to see and photograph everything that you want to. When in Iceland, one of the best ways to see the amazing landscapes is to drive the infamous Ring Road. Considered one of this world’s most breathtaking road trips, driving the Ring Road in Iceland has long been a dream of mine. While I may not get to visit Iceland in the next few years because of other plans, it is definitely a destination that I hope to visit as soon as possible and will remain on my travel bucket list until I do so.

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