One of my favourite movies in the last year or so was 'The Bucket List', starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman; a tale of two terminally ill men who strike up an unlikely friendship in hospital and proceed to tick things off their list of things to do before they kick the proverbial bucket.

It's a lovely movie, and well worth seeing. And, after watching it on the plane back from Australia the other day, it got me thinking… what's on my bucket list? Of course there's more to life than just travel (although sometime I do wonder), but invariably most of it revolves around places to go and things to see.

My 'bucket list' is constantly evolving as new destinations appear on the scene, but I think it's safe to say that my top five, in no particular order, are:

  • See Antarctica; preferably from the deck of an obscurely-named ex-Russian scientific vessel. Step ashore, crunch some ice, sit next to some penguins and see nothing but white. On the way home stop off in South Georgia to pay respects to Ernest Shackleton, perhaps the greatest explorer that ever lived.
  • Trek the Himalayas; feel out of breath with the altitude and the sight of Chomolungma, as the Tibetans call Mount Everest.
  • Make a great journey by rail; the jury's still out on the where and what, but it'll either be across the United States from New York to San Francisco, or from Singapore all the way to London (yes, you can do all of it by train, except for a small chunk in Cambodia).
  • The Northern Lights; it's a long way to go for a light show, but the Aurora Borealis simply has to be seen, and what better way to experience it than from the deck of the Hurtigruten cruise/ferry as it hops in and out of the fjords. Magic.
  • Dive with whale sharks; whether I head down under to Ningaloo Reef or closer to home at Mozambique's Tofo beach, blowing bubbles with these gentle giants has long been on my bucket list.

As Jack Nicholson says: "We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." The question is; are you making the most of the journey?

What's on your bucket list, and what are you doing to tick them off? I'd love to hear yours… post them in the comments below.


RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook
Blue Flag beauties! 29 SA beaches have bagged Blue Flag status this year... is your favourite on the list?
Have you booked? Time's running out to book a summer escape... we've got 7000 options ready and waiting!
Free travel guides Are you ready for landing? Get set for the city with our free travel guides...