Where will you go in 2014?

How much have you travelled in the past year? Have you achieved your travel dreams or do you feel like you have failed spectacularly? Don’t forget we choose to travel. If you prioritise travel over other spending it is surprising how far you can get. One method I use to work towards achieving my travel goals is to keep a bucketlist. There is some snootiness amongst travellers about keeping bucketlists but I don’t feel that way. Sure, some people mindlessly tick items off a list rather than being open to the interesting experiences that travel provides (often weird and wonderful in my experience), but that doesn’t mean having a reminder of your goals is a bad thing. As the end of the year approaches I thought I’d review and update my most recent bucketlist, created on the eve of my 30th birthday in 2011 (eek!) which you can view here.

Where I have been

I’m pleased to say that the two things I felt were most important to me to do in Australia I have done. I swam with whale sharks at Ningaloo Reef, note the plural – there were five sharks!! I have also visited Uluru, and it even rained on the rock, which you can read about here. Both experiences were incredible, even if my experience at Uluru was a bit cold and wet.

South East Asia no longer feels so far away either. I have now spent time in the three places that were top of my list, diving and mermaid swimming in the Philippines, exploring Bali and temple-hopping in Thailand. However, somewhat predictably I guess, visiting these places has only made me want to explore them further and see the other countries in South East Asia too!

I also started to explore the Pacific Island nations by making a trip to Norfolk Island, which I hadn’t even heard of until invited to join friends there this year.

The new travel bucketlist

Pacific Islands

I really want to visit Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands. I am interested in the different cultures of the islands and, of course, the diving.

South East Asia

The more I see of South East Asia the more I want to see. Specifically I’d like to visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia. I want to see the magnificent temples, Buddha statues and artwork, take in the different landscapes and feast on mangos and noodles! There are also lots of amazing dive spots like Sabah, Sulawesi, and Raja Ampat that I want to explore.

Maldives

I don’t know how I forgot to include the Maldives on the first list because I have always wanted to go there. Again, this wish is diving-inspired!

Galapagos and Africa

I still want to visit the Galapagos and the African countries I mentioned on my previous list but while I am based in Australia it makes more sense to focus on the locations at this end of the world. Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize fall into this category too at the moment.

As you can see my bucketlist is fairly broad, listing countries and areas, rather than specific locations. I like it this way because as time passes your priorities change. For example, when I came to Australia Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road was on my list. However, after a few years living in Australia, by some incredible coastal scenery, seeing the Great Ocean Road has become less important to me. I will be happy to see it if I can, but if I never do it won’t worry me in the same way that failing to visit Uluru would have done.

Where do you want to go in 2014?

Photo credit: Alberto Garazo