Tatum’s Travel Bucket List (Guest Post)

Several weeks ago I shared my 7 steps for creating your Travel Bucket List.

I was so excited when fellow travel blogger, Tatum at wayfaringtatum.com, reached out to tell me she had used my steps to create her own Travel Bucket List!

Tatum enjoyed the process so much that she shared my method on her blog in her February 2019 roundup post on the Best Travel Ideas. I was so honored to be included!

And now I’m excited to share Tatum’s overview of how she used Traveling Tanya’s steps to create her Travel Bucket List. I hope that walking through this process with Tatum will inspire you to get started on your own Travel Bucket List.

** Get Traveling Tanya’s Travel Bucket List Workbook to guide you through these steps! Available on Etsy as a digital download. Use Promo Code TTTribe to get $2 off!**

Guest Post, by Tatum Thompson

The click-clack of my husband creating a logo in Illustrator and tiny snores coming from my snoozing Beagle puppy are familiar background music for my evening work sessions. Last night proved no different, save the fact that I was having a little more fun and doing a little less work!

I’m a self-proclaimed note-taking, list-making machine. When I stumbled upon a post by Traveling Tanya detailing her method for creating a perfect travel bucket list, I knew I had struck gold!

Her method is as follows:

• Select a Travel Journal
• List the Places You’ve Been
• Brainstorm New Destinations
• Identify Desired Experiences
• Prioritize Your List
• Make a Timeline
• Get Going!

I really appreciate the simplicity of this method- it’s far more useful and brilliant than I could have expected!

Where You’ve Been

First, I listed everywhere I have ever enjoyed experiencing. This took a while, but it was a great exercise! There’s a lot of joy in reflecting on all of your happy travel memories.

Some of my favorite destinations were all the way across the continent- Quebéc City, for example. Others, like the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, were just minutes down the road from me.

Nonetheless, Tanya was correct to say that I would find an overarching theme! Nearly all of my travels have been adventure and culture based- no surprise there!

From taking in museums and an Inauguration in D.C. to hiking through the mountains in Colorado, I realized that my passion is seeking out new experiences that widen and enhance my worldview.

I love seeing and experiencing how other people live. No matter how often I reflect on humanity, it confounds me that so many billions of others are out there living and feeling just as vividly as I do. They each have stories and unique viewpoints. It’s too bad I can’t make time to hear them all!

After I nailed down my motivation for traveling, laughed about old memories (like the time my best friend and I got lost on a reservation in Utah), and had a whopper of a list, I was ready to move on.

Where You’ll Go

With where you’ve been in mind, it’s time to dream up where you’ll go next! Sit back and let your pen do the work as pages of dream trips pour out in front of you.

It is one thing to “ooh” and “ahh” over someone else’s vacation pictures on Instagram. To decide to turn your dreams into reality is an entirely different game! It feels great to finally get your hopes written out on paper.

While it is easy to immediately identify your top priorities, at this point you should try to focus on those bucket list experiences you desire most.

Did I want to go back to the Île d’Orléans for more dogsledding? Or would I rather embark on a mini-expedition in Svalbard, Norway?

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Whether you aspire to reach the summit of Everest or want to watch the sun set behind the Eiffel Tower, writing it down moves you one step closer to achieving that goal!

At long last, we can prioritize! Knowing which experiences you value most comes naturally. Just think about where you would be right this moment if you had the choice of any place in the world. Now you have it!

What I Came Up With

Pretty soon, my list looked like this:

• Explore Jerusalem
• Camp with Bedouin in Wadi Rum
• Snorkel the Silfra Fissure
• Dive the Underwater Garden in Bali

Of course, I have a million other dreams. I’d like to go on a backpacking trip in Alaska, attend another Inauguration, and launch a mission trip to an underserved community. I’m sure you have a million ideas for this life, too!

Completing my bucket list reminded me of a quote I read that really resonated with me.

“Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.”

That is one of my biggest fears! We only get so many chances to make something out of this life. I realized I have to go for it!

If you can feel that, it is time to get moving. Commit to save up and make time for that trip you have always wanted to take, and don’t look back. The belief that Tanya and I hold in common is that anyone can travel. That is why we write! Whatever you put your mind to is sure to come true, and we will keep repeating that until you believe it!

If you are still holding off on that dream and telling yourself you can think about it later in life, I hope you will take this opportunity to get moving and do what you have wanted for so long!

Now that you have set your goals, all that is left to do is board your plane- right?

Well, maybe there are a few more steps to take before you hit the runway. Thankfully, you have wonderful resources at your fingertips. Travelingtanya.com and wayfaringtatum.com are both made for people seeking guidance and inspiration regarding their travel plans! Be sure to check them both out before you set out on your next adventure.

Well, where will you go? What will you do? Share below! Hint: sharing your goals can help provide some social pressure to keep you motivated!

Tatum Thompson is a writer, adventurer, and photography nut who spends her free time frolicking in the woods near her house. When she isn’t revising articles for her clients, you can find her among the books at the public library or putting miles on her car in search of the perfect sunset overlook. To find more of her musings, stop by her personal blog at wayfaringtatum.com. Thanks for reading!

Your Travel Bucket List may not look anything like Tatum’s…and that is perfectly OK! Your list should be unique to you and your travel dreams.

Now get dreaming…and start traveling!

** Ready to create your own Travel Bucket List? Get Traveling Tanya’s Travel Bucket List Workbook today, available on Etsy as a digital download. Don’t forget to use Promo Code TTTribe to get $2 off!**

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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