Have List, Will Travel: 10 Places I Want To See Before I Die



The Great Wall of China
Was on my List - Visited it in 2010

 

When I graduated from high school back in 1965, I was asked where I wanted to be in 10 years. Everyone in the class was asked, and they published our answers. My answer was to “be as far from my hometown of White Salmon as possible.” That may have seemed a little harsh, especially since I really had a very good childhood, a great family and White Salmon wasn't that bad a place to live. However, from the time I was very little I remember wanting to see new places. I felt “stuck” in a small town, with not much going on. The old song “Faraway Places” was the first song I learned to play on the piano on my own. The song says, “those faraway places are calling, calling, me.” And it is true. I have a desire to see the world. There are few places in the world I wouldn't go, given the chance. Of course, some places are higher on my list then others.

 

My working career started off in banking, but I never had a passion for it. So, when at the age of 50 I was laid off, I thought I should do something I did have a passion for. I switched careers, a little late in life. I went to school to learn to be a travel agent. And I worked for AAA as a travel agent for 14 years. Last year I decided to retire. Not that I didn't like my job, I actually loved it – most days. Even  the best job has off days, but on the whole I did like it. Especially helping my clients plan their trips. But at the age of 64 I felt it was my time to maybe travel more, without worrying about how much vacation time I had.
 

As a travel agent I did get to do some traveling, on the company. But it's not like it was years ago when travel agents got lots of FAM trips.  FAM's are trips provided by travel companies to travel agents to get them familiar with the company and the destinations. They are becoming scarce, and certainly the travel agent discounts are disappearing.

  

So now I'm retired. We have been taking trips, but of course, we can't travel all the time, we don't have unlimited funds. So what to do with my spare time. I keep busy, taking the dogs to the dog park or on walks, having lunch with friends, reading, swimming, etc. But there are lots of open times. I find myself watching television too much. So my daughter suggested that I write a travel blog. My thought is, who would read it? Probably no one. But what the heck, it might be fun, and it might give me an outlet.

  

I have traveled to the far corners of the world. For one thing, my husband was in the military, so we moved around a bit, and even spent 2 years in the Philippines. From there we got to see a bit of Asia. So that was the start of my foreign travel.

So if I write about my experiences, and if no one but my family reads them, well, it might keep me busy for awhile. So I am going to post my thoughts probably once or twice a week, until I run out of thoughts.
 

I would go pretty much anywhere, given the chance, but some places are higher on my list then others. I do have a list of places I want to see and things I want to do. I think that anyone who wants to travel should make a list. One of the things that used to just blow my mind, is when a client would come to me and say “I want to get away and go somewhere, so where should I go”. I couldn't understand how someone would not know where they wanted to go, and that they would want me to tell them. Where I would want to go, might not be a place they'd be at all interested in. So I would
end up asking them what kind of things they enjoyed doing, what their budget was, etc., until I had some ideas about what kind of places they would enjoy. Myself, I know exactly where I want to go.

For the last 20 years or so I have kept a list which I have titled "My list of 10 places to see or things to do before I die." Some would call it a “bucket list”. Same thing really. Only on my list I keep only 10, but as soon as I do something on the list I take it off, and add something new. That way I will always have 10 places to see. As an example, the number one item on my list until recently was a trip to Croatia. It came off, since we did that in 2011. That was my retirement present to myself. This is my current list:

My List of 10 Places to See or Things to do Before I Die

1.   Tanzania/Zanzibar - balloon trip over the Serengeti
2.   Victoria Falls in Africa
3.   Night skiing on a ski bicycle in the Alps
4.   Australia/New Zealand - snorkeling the great barrier reef
5.   Halong Bay, Viet Nam
6.   Take the Moonlight walk at Iguassu Falls, Argentina
7.   Quebec City
8.   Take the Maid of the Mist boat trip at Niagara Falls
9.   Canal barge trip in France with a visit to Monet's home
10.  Stay at Sanctuary Lodge at Machu Picchu 

Recent things that have come off the list are: Walking on the Great Wall in China, seeing the Greek Islands and a trip to Istanbul. My list has always had a variety of things on it. Future additions will probably include a cruise to the Antarctic and zip-lining in Costa Rica. Two of the things on the list I plan to do and take off in 2012. I don't necessarily follow the list in order.

So, if anyone is reading this, what is on your list?