How to Make a Travel Bucket List You Can Actually Stick To

Living with no boundaries, isn’t that the dream? Reaching beyond the comfort zone, where life supposedly starts? To leave everything behind and collect moments instead of things? It’s a manifesto for wanderlust, and a recipe for fulfillment. Some would even say that it’s the purpose of life! Finally, it’s insanely intimidating and takes a whole lot of courage, which is why our bucket lists mostly remain as futile as empty maps on the wall.

Life has a nasty habit of getting in the way, but there’s something you can do to prevent that. In return, your actions will make you brave, playful, and ecstatic. Leave your fear of regrets for later, and simply book the first ticket. Here’s how.

1. Dream Big

It’s easier to let your thoughts do all the roaming than to actually pack your bags and go, especially if your great beyond is hundreds of miles away. Whichever part of the world you call your own, some locations are always so distant and expensive that they seem utterly unreachable. Creating a bucket list is all about breaching those boundaries and realizing that the world is your neighborhood.

So, think big! Enlist everything you want to do, however silly and unrealizable it may sound. You’ll have a lifetime to cross it off, after all! Set all limits aside and allow yourself to get excited, since that’s really the whole point. And, of course, search for inspiration online – there might be a good chance that your dreamland exists somewhere beyond your knowledge, so make sure to discover it as soon as possible.

2. Make a Commitment

Most certainly, you’ll end up with a long, long list. Don’t let it overwhelm you. You might feel compelled to postpone the action, but start planning right away instead. Even if there’s a South African safari and the Great Wall of China included, silence your flight instinct and make a timesheet. When broken down to smaller sections, your list won’t seem as challenging any more.

Organize entries into categories first, and then start prioritizing them. Depending on how truly busy you are, you can make monthly or yearly commitments, but feel free to think in decades as well. Move your European destinations to a “to do soon” bracket, since they are nearest and cheapest, and leave Asia and Africa “for later”. Decide which places you’ll visit in your thirties, forties and fifties, set aside ten locations to check off in the next five years, and finally, choose where you’ll go next summer.

3. Plan Ahead

Living a regret-free life is a glorious idea, but we can’t delude ourselves into thinking that roaming about isn’t expensive. Sure, there are ways to travel far without spending much, but such an approach demands careful planning. It’s all good, after all, since organizing ahead compels you to stick to your commitments. So, before you prioritize, start researching.

The idea is, as always when traveling is in question, to book early. If reserving your tickets a year or two ahead is possible, do it! Making arrangements has actually never been easier, thanks to numerous travel booking platforms that allow you to compare prices and find the most suitable solution to your needs. Try BookMundi, visit some forums, contact travel bloggers for advice – with today’s network, the world really is your plate.

4. Find a Companion

Are you a lone ranger or a social addict? Experiences like this give you an opportunity to discover that as well. If your next trip is your first one (family vacations and school trips aside), then it’s probably for the best to have a companion.

Meeting new, interesting people is yet another of the promises we make to ourselves but rarely fulfil. It goes hand in hand with becoming a citizen of the world, so make your first contacts before you take off. Join online travel communities like TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet to find like-minded souls, share your bucket list with other vagabonds, and who knows – you might meet with some of them in the future, somewhere you’ve never even dreamed of ending up.

5. Rejoice and Celebrate

While the very trip will be rewarding beyond your wildest imagination, treat yourself with a little something for completing a to-do anyway. Make it a memory and celebrate! Take as many photos as you wish, top your bags with keepsakes, and once you return home, build them a shrine. They will remind you of how valiant you’ve been and forbid you from backing out on your dreams in the future.

But also, relax and savor those moments. Never let your food go cold while you’re trying to snap it, catch the Wi-Fi and post it online. Instead of staying in fancy hotels, lodge with locals. See touristy sites and hidden marvels alike, and allow yourself to experience it all. Most importantly, never hesitate to keep going.