Anyone who has been infected by the travel bug knows that there is always somewhere new over the horizon waiting to be discovered. Even if you have never left your own town or city, you may have dreamed about visiting countries that you only know from watching movies or seeing Instagram photos online. The concept of a travel bucket list is a list of places that you want to visit before you die. Here we are going to find out just how to create your own bucket list and – most importantly – turn those dreams into reality.
The first step on the way to the destinations of your dreams is simple. Give yourself some quiet space and think about those places that you would really love to visit. Is your idea of a dream vacation trekking in the Amazonian jungle? Would you prefer to chill out on a beach in the Caribbean? Or how about soaking up the atmosphere of bustling New York streets? Write out a draft list of places that you really want to see and experiences that you would love to have. Once you have your list in front of you, it is time to arrange them in order according to your preference. This may require some agonizing, but if you are truly honest with yourself you will find that you will be able to rate your dream destinations from your most desired to least.
Now you have started the process, but it is time to start looking at how to make those dreams become a reality. If you are a university student and your first choice is to spend a year sailing around the Mediterranean on a yacht, you need to ask yourself how you are going to achieve this. Winning the lottery would certainly come in handy but failing that you may need to look at alternative ways to make your dreams into reality. Many wealthy boat-owners look for crew-members to staff their vessels, and while not exactly the relaxing cruise of your dreams maybe this would be a more realistic to make your dream come true. Look at the skills such a job may require: speaking (at least a little) English/Italian/French, knowing how to cook, painting or cleaning skills or maybe being a child-minder. How many useful skills like these can you add to your CV?
Decide what you can do to maximize your chances of success and give yourself a time limit as to when these goals will be achieved by. Perhaps you are in a situation where the obstacles to taking your dream vacation are time and money? Think about how much you can put aside each week, are there extra jobs you can take on – perhaps online? – and again work out how much you would need to save and how long it will take you to raise the money. Think about how long you will need to spend in your dream destination and try to arrange for holidays to match. Think about involving friends and family in your bucket list project. Letting other people know about your plans makes those plans become real and not just something you are half-considering. It also adds a layer of pressure, as well as support, which can become a motivator as you try to make those dreams come true.
The time for dreaming is now over: it’s time to take positive action to make your bucket list come true. Start saving, or studying, or working or whatever it will take to get to where you want to go. The bucket list journey is about making the most out of life and not letting anything get in the way of your dreams.
