Travel Bucket List
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Everyone has a “bucket list” of things to do or places to visit. People travel to see the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramid of Giza, or the Colosseum. Others enjoy exploring within their own countries.
Below, I’ve shared a list of ideal travel destinations. This list might be broad, but I had a difficult time “limiting” selections! There is much to explore. Every country has an interesting footprint – unique offerings, history or culture.
World Travel
- Travel more within Europe/UK – Vienna, Prague, Athens (Parthenon) & Santorini, Scandinavian countries (Norwegian Fjords), Ireland. See Versailles, return to Paris.
- Bike from North to South in The Netherlands. Holland is known for its extensive bike paths, and it is simply a way of life to bike from one destination to another.
- Return to Morskie Oko/Zakopane in Poland. Zakopane has sentimental value to me as I often visited there with my grandparents and parents as a child.
- Revisit Iceland and explore the landscape. Mom and I once had a layover there, and walked around for hours, but it wasn’t enough time.
- Though I get cold easily cruising through Antarctica would be incredible.
- Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef and travel through Australia.
- Hike throughout New Zealand.
- Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated with sharks. Seeing great whites in Cape Town, South Africa would be a dream.
- Visit India, Japan, and Thailand.
- See the Great Wall of China.
- Go on safari in Kenya.
- Visit the Serengeti, Tanzania.
- Zip line/Hike in the Amazon.
- Relax in Hawaii/Maui or Costa Rica.
- Explore ancient ruins at Machu Picchu.
- Visit the Galapagos Islands.
- Travel through South/Central America.
North America
For an overview of cities/states, this website provides interesting information of “must-sees” and trip ideas.
- Take a road trip throughout the U.S.
- See the Grand Canyon.
- Cities to see: New Orleans (Mardi Gras), Chicago, Minneapolis, etc.
- Explore the Western US more – Oregon, return to Montana, Arizona, Utah, Alaska, etc.
- Travel in the Midwest.
- Hike the Appalachian trail.
- Revisit San Francisco/Napa/Sonoma.
- Ride with a storm chaser.
OPINION
Do you have a bucket list? Where would you go?
Hi! I'm the founder of Culture With Travel and #CultureTrav. Please chat with us on social media and contribute in the comments! Follow @Nicolette_O
Comments (8)
zoetic * epics
27 Jul 2012You have the same list as me! Except #9 – I have been to Japan & Thailand but not India yet. And #14-17 I have already been fortunate to visit or going this year! I love bucket lists! They allow us to dream and plan and set goals to make them happen! =D
Nicolette
27 Jul 2012That’s great! I love them, too, and other people’s lists are really inspiring! I had a difficult time narrowing it down! There is so much to see.
travellingbag
26 Jul 2012My bucket list keeps getting longer and I am so aware of how finite our time is. Which is why I’m ticking one of those things of my list next year. Trekking in the Himalayas – just another few dozen places to see after that 🙂
Nicolette
26 Jul 2012Exactly! Time is finite and we have to grab opportunities as they come. I had difficulty narrowing down the list! I can see that as you travel more, it would keep expanding! Good luck once again for the big hike!
Nicolette
25 Jul 2012Hi Globetrotter! Thank you for sharing where your dream destinations are! Skydiving and snorkeling seem great adventures. I especially loved your point on the personal “terroir.”
Globetrotter2012
25 Jul 2012Wow, quite a travel bucket list! But if we dream, we can or probably should dream big. Thank you for allowing me to escape the daily routine and to “get going places” again, this time from my couch…
Surprisingly, many of your dream destinations are on my list too. Especially Japan and China (but outside the big cities), New Zealand and Australia.
The places where we would never meet are Antarctica (it might be too vast and depressing for me), and a ride with a storm chaser. After some thrilling sport experiences such as skydiving in Europe and snorkeling too close to coral reef in Grand Cayman, I think that I got to know how adrenaline feels and that I could handle it.
I am now more interested in other people, their lives and their personal “terroir”. No terror, but paraphrasing a term from the world of wine, their “soil”/ever changing environment of their geographic and cultural background that makes each person, each nation, each member of a given group rooted in the same, but so different.
susanwbailey
25 Jul 2012I vote for the road trip through the US. I’ve always dreamed of renting one those RVs and traveling across the country for a summer. When I was 9, we drove to Florida from MA down the old Rt.1 as I-95 didn’t exist yet. VERY cool watching the landscape change, listening to radio stations from other states (APE, the big Ape!), finding the South of the Border pink dump of a motel (at least back then) after 200 miles of billboards, seeing the cotton fields, moss on the trees in GA and the first palm tree in Jacksonsville. Really gave me the bug!
The bike riding through Holland sounds very cool.
My mother nagged my dad for 5 years to go to Europe. They finally went. After that, you couldn’t stop them! Europe, Norway, and China as well as the Canadian Rockies.
My dream? Lose 10 lbs and then go to Italy, rent a villa for a month and just EAT!
Nicolette
25 Jul 2012Wow! Your own road trip sounds really fun! This country has a lot to offer that I think some Americans can occasionally overlook. Such a vast landscape with mountains, lakes, beaches, cities and small towns with great histories! I’m glad your parents traveled extensively – it would be lovely to see the world when you have more time to explore!