My nine-year-old daughter has a bucket list. Some of the items on it are probably on many folks’ lists, including seeing the Eiffel Tower, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and walking along the Great Wall of China. Other items on the list are a bit less exotic, such as riding every ride at Disneyland. I told her that, given her age, she had better make a very long list to accommodate all the experiences she has to look forward to.
While the thought of a nine-year-old with a bucket list might be a bit surprising, the idea that we all have places we want to see and moments that we want to enjoy during our time on earth is universal. In many cases, we are really expressing the desire to have a potentially transformative experience that captures the essence of a destination. In other words, these lists are often less about “going” than “being.” One may dream of visiting Vienna one day, but the Mozart concert they attended there might be the particular memory that stays with them for years to come.
With this in mind, in this issue we feature the first-ever TravelAge West bucket list (see “50 Bucket List Experiences,” page 16). In most cases, our bucket list — compiled with suggestions from editors, contributors and suppliers — focuses on memorable experiences rather than on destinations.
This story is mainly a list of our favorite travel moments. These are experiences we think about again and again long after a trip is over. We’re pretty sure that there will be items that you agree with and probably a few you think are crazy. Feel free to visit our website, TravelAgeWest.com, and our Facebook page, Facebook.com/TravelAgeWest, to share your thoughts and comments as well as your own bucket list experiences. Among all of our ideas, there will certainly be plenty that agents can use to inspire a client to finally take that dream trip.
