I’ve had a bucket list for a long time; long before the movie of the same name came out and before it became a faddish thing to do. A bucket list, or life list, or whatever you want to call it, is important. It gives you something to strive for and things to accomplish. For me, it was simply a list of dreams that I wanted to make real. I’ve done pretty well at accomplishing many of the things I’ve had on my list over the years.  Here is the latest and greatest, in no particular order.

Major Goals

  1. Visit every country in the world.
  2. Visit all UNESCO World Heritage sites.
  3. Live a long, heathy and invigorating life.

Places to See

  • Socotra, Yemen
  • Easter Island
  • Galapagos
  • Antarctica
  • Machu Picchu
  • Nazca
  • Pyramids and Valley of Kings, Egypt
  • Petra
  • Angkor (I’ve been five times now)
  • Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet
  • Taj Mahal
  • Teotihuacan, Mexico
  • Tulum, Mexico
  • Tikal, Guatemala
  • Borobudur
  • Russia
  • All US National Parks
  • Carnaval in Rio
  • New Year’s in Rio
  • Abbey of Mont-St-Michel in France
  • Sail the islands of Greece
  • Spring Equinox at Chichen Itza
  • Cuba, while it is still illegal to do so
  • Mardi Gras in Sydney
  • Madagascar

Adventures

  • Learn to fly
  • Dive the Great Barrier Reef
  • Drive the US in an old Cadillac convertible
  • RV around the US, Mexico and Canada
  • Learn to SUBA dive (I need to start doing this again)
  • Fire a gun
  • Buy a same day ticket to somewhere crazy on a whim
  • Ride in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
  • Go skydiving
  • Learn to sail
  • Learn to rock climb
  • Go into space
  • Go to the bottom of the ocean in a deep sea submersible
  • Take a boat ride across the Atlantic on Cunard
  • Take the Orient Express
  • Take the Trans Siberian railroad all the way
  • Take the train from Beijing to Lhasa
  • Witness a solar eclipse (I did when I was younger, but as an adult)
  • Travel somewhere with all my friends together (do this regularly)
  • Snorkel with whale sharks
  • Walk on the seaweed of the Sargasso Sea
  • Discover a new star
  • Go zip lining
  • Trek through the Amazon
  • Go on a safari (did one in Sri Lanka, still want to do one in Africa)
  • Dive a cenote
  • Stay at a ridiculously expensive resort and be treated like a king

Goals

  • Live abroad for at least 3 months (I lived abroad for 16 months)
  • Write a New York Times bestseller
  • Write an eBook (I wrote five of them and continue to write)
  • Create a successful blog (based on subscribers)
  • Build my own house
  • Be an awesome photographer
  • Have a photograph win an award
  • Speak Spanish fluently
  • Become a sommelier
  • Own a small bar in Latin America or SE Asia (or anywhere)
  • Work with a marine biology team (like Jacques Cousteau)
  • Be able to meditate for at least one full hour
  • Have a successful business (I’ve had three)
  • Learn a martial art
  • Have a travel article published in a major magazine
  • Be completely financially independent
  • Assist on an archeology dig
  • Have a species of plant or animal named after me
  • Advise a head of state
  • Learn to dance
  • Give a speech to a distinguished group of scientists (and maybe getting a standing ovation afterward)
  • Start a business in a foreign country
  • Have a foreign bank account
  • Be the first to do something that no one else has done
  • Write my memoirs
  • Have someone write a biography of me
  • Be comfortable in my own skin
  • Lower my blood pressure to the point I no longer need medication
  • Have a toned body
  • Simplify
  • Develop more, deeper friendships
  • Be a politician
  • Make a difference

This isn’t everything and it is always changing, but if I managed half of this list I would be very happy. I have managed to experience and accomplish so much all ready that I could die tomorrow and feel like I have led a full and happy life. Everything else is sauce for the goose.