Do you have a bucket list? I do! I actually started it many years ago. If you’ve never heard of a bucket list is, it’s a list of accomplishments you’d like to, well, accomplish, before you “kick the bucket.” Like many others, mine includes places where I would like to travel. The funny thing is, I never really took it very seriously – nor would I check it regularly. Rather, I would occasionally and unexpectedly come across the bucket list and read it over. I’d snicker at some of the things on the list. Thinking, “yeah right”; I’m never going to do that!
I came across it again the other day and surprisingly, I have been able to check off a few that were on the list! Instead of a snicker, this time I smiled as I realized that I was chiseling away at the list without even realizing it.
One item on the list was skydiving and it was my hope to achieve this by the time I turned 50. Although not exactly skydiving, I did “sort-of” skydive in the iFly on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas cruise-ship the same year I turned 50! If you’re unfamiliar with the iFly, it’s a tube-like machine with a large fan at the bottom. You jump into the tube and stay afloat from the air being pushed upward by the fan (check it out here: iflyworld.com). It was a blast! Bucket list item checked!
Another bucket list item was to visit various Caribbean islands. To date, I have visited ten places in the Caribbean – all of which have been in the past four years! Bucket list item checked! There are many other places I hope to visit and believe those places will be checked off in the near future.
As I said, I never took my bucket list very seriously and one activity that never officially made its way onto the list but I had wanted to do for years is parasailing. I have a terrible fear of heights and never thought I could muster up the courage to strap myself in and go parasailing. However, on a vacation to the Tampa, Florida area, I confronted my fear and went parasailing over Clearwater Beach with my husband. If you have never been parasailing you HAVE to try it! The experience was incredible! Although it was a little windy on the way up, once we reached our 1,000 foot altitude, it was so calm and serene. Both the view and the pictures we took were amazing. It felt as if we were riding the breeze like a bird. While up in the air, I was so taken by the peace and beautiful vistas that it never occurred to me just how high up we were. Additionally, my fear of heights never even entered my mind (though I did imagine the scene from the Jurassic World movie where the Mosasaurus leapt from the water – Yikes!) It was one of my favorite moments from that vacation and I would definitely go parasailing again.
One activity I hope to check off the bucket list soon is to swim and interact dolphins. These mammals are incredibly smart and so fun to watch. The closest I have come to interacting with a dolphin was at Sea World in Orlando, Florida many years ago. For a small fee, visitors could purchase a handful of fish to feed the dolphins. Needless to say, I loved this and the next step is to actually be in the water with them.
My ultimate bucket list item of places to travel is to Bora Bora and Tahiti (really, anywhere in French Polynesia). I will have to wait and see what happens with this while also keeping in mind that anything is possible!
I’m happy to say that, overall, about half of the items that were added to my bucket list so long ago have been checked off. With this realization, I have been taking my bucket list a little more seriously and have added a few more items. With the world finally beginning to open up again, I am confident I will check those off also!
Enough about me, however! How about you? What experiences or locations are on your bucket list? What bucket list items have you already checked off? Leave a comment below and let us know!