Global travel, bucket lists, "once in a lifetime" trips and all that
#1
Original Poster

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,837
Likes: 79
Global travel, bucket lists, "once in a lifetime" trips and all that
I've posted here and there on Fodor's regarding things like "round the world" travel and subjects that don't have a "natural" home in any one of the geographic forums, or on one of the "travel topics" boards like cruises or road trips or air travel. Many trips could (and do) involve a combination of more than one of those things, or consist of travel to more than one geographic region.
So I'm going to open a thread for all these nonconforming topics. Weird travel plans, "bucket lists" and their maintenance, hybrid travel modes... all of that.
For example, a couple of decades ago, my late wife and I took sabbaticals from our jobs (that's a nice term for just telling them to stuff it) and spent a few months visiting bucket list destinations and using unusual travel methods in the course of things. We road tripped around western Europe, visited family in Israel, involving more road trips, then spent some time on one of the outer islands in Fiji, followed by road tripping around New Zealand's North Island, and finished by riding on a container ship as the only passengers from Auckland to San Francisco. How the devil was I supposed to file a trip report with all that in one subject area?
Hence the idea for this thread. Got a weird idea or aspirational plans? Want to plop your bucket list into a calendar? Here's the place.
So I'm going to open a thread for all these nonconforming topics. Weird travel plans, "bucket lists" and their maintenance, hybrid travel modes... all of that.
For example, a couple of decades ago, my late wife and I took sabbaticals from our jobs (that's a nice term for just telling them to stuff it) and spent a few months visiting bucket list destinations and using unusual travel methods in the course of things. We road tripped around western Europe, visited family in Israel, involving more road trips, then spent some time on one of the outer islands in Fiji, followed by road tripping around New Zealand's North Island, and finished by riding on a container ship as the only passengers from Auckland to San Francisco. How the devil was I supposed to file a trip report with all that in one subject area?
Hence the idea for this thread. Got a weird idea or aspirational plans? Want to plop your bucket list into a calendar? Here's the place.
#2
Joined: Oct 2025
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Palampur
What an awesome thread- A future travel plan that too a weird one. I Think there are many one who has weird thoughts of traveling on their own way and do such things that any one has not done yet.
For me, it will be a safari in African deserts that too alone that will probably eat all my fear of facing wild animals. Sounding amazing?
Hope to finding more thoughts on this and get a kick of adventure.
For me, it will be a safari in African deserts that too alone that will probably eat all my fear of facing wild animals. Sounding amazing?
Hope to finding more thoughts on this and get a kick of adventure.
#3
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
Great post!
Like you gardyloo, my wife and I took 'sabbaticals" from our jobs to work on long term volunteer projects our intention was to return but it just never happened. That was nearly 20 years ago and we just carried on travelling until the pandemic prevented us from carrying on. We covered a lot of ground with several RTW trips lasting a year, several continent wide trips of 6 months or so always travelling very slowly. I think we have covered most of the items on our "bucket list" - walking, safaris in Africa, overland road trips in South America and Asia, diving with sharks, turtles etc. Now we travel for much shorter periods but with a higher degree of luxury. I suppose a few unfulfilled ambitions are mostly around roadtrips and include;
Like you gardyloo, my wife and I took 'sabbaticals" from our jobs to work on long term volunteer projects our intention was to return but it just never happened. That was nearly 20 years ago and we just carried on travelling until the pandemic prevented us from carrying on. We covered a lot of ground with several RTW trips lasting a year, several continent wide trips of 6 months or so always travelling very slowly. I think we have covered most of the items on our "bucket list" - walking, safaris in Africa, overland road trips in South America and Asia, diving with sharks, turtles etc. Now we travel for much shorter periods but with a higher degree of luxury. I suppose a few unfulfilled ambitions are mostly around roadtrips and include;
- Completing the Ruta 40/Panamerican Highway roadtrip from Colombia to Ushuaia at the tip of Argentia. We have done a fair amount but a huge section in Patagonia remains
- As an ardent blues fan, I like the idea of driving the Blues trail from the Mississippi to Chicago, likewise Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica
#4

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,215
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This was mine: Bucket List Trip
I read it from time to time to remind myself that I really took it. Glad I did while I could.
I read it from time to time to remind myself that I really took it. Glad I did while I could.
#5

Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 10,994
Likes: 3
Thanks for starting this thread. It, together with your recent post on tdiddy's account of his travels in the northwest, made me think I ought to consider a RTW ticket to finally get somewhere I've wanted to see for ages, Tahiti and the South Pacific. There's a half-freighter, half-passenger vessel called the Aranui that cruises to the Marquesas from Tahiti, and maybe then continue on to New Zealand and/or Australia. I will have to decide soon, as the Aranui is already booked for the dates I'd want in 2026, and some cabins are gone for 2027! I'm not used to planning that far ahead.
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