Chasing Amy-Lou

A few years later, as I grew as a person, as time passed by and life continued to throw obstacles at me, I decided to scrap the bucket list. Not because I didn’t think I’d be able to visit all the places I wanted, but as I kept adding destinations to the list I knew that if I didn’t manage to explore all the countries or cities I’d jotted down, I’d be annoyed with myself. Being somewhat of a perfectionist I knew I’d berate myself; I’d feel as if I’d failed in my travel goals and that’s not something I wanted hanging over my head. I wouldn’t be able to handle the overwhelming sense of defeat and deflation if I wasn’t able to tick Bolivia, the Galapagos or the length and breadth of Italy off my ‘must visit’ itinerary. I wanted to enjoy my travels, not wallow in frustration having not been able to visit Sweden by the age of 30.

I have a friend who, for the last two decades has made a list of things she’s wanted to achieve by certain points in her life; there were things she wanted to do before she hit twenty, things she wanted to accomplish by the time she turned thirty and now, she’s building an impressive series of walls to smash down before her life truly begins at the ripe old age of fourty. Has she achieved everything she’d written down so far? I don’t know, but I do know she’s achieved a hell of lot of what she set out to do and she’s showing no signs of stopping.

Lists are great, and they can act as a motivator to get things done. I make lists all the time; mainly lists of things to do on a daily basis to stop me from procrastinating, or lists of how many coffees I’ve consumed in a week and how much cash I could’ve saved if I’d not given in to the drug that is caffeine. I’ve also made shopping lists, and lists of bills I need to pay and tax returns I need to file when I’m trying to juggle my finances. But to make a list of where I want to travel to, and by what age? At this stage in my life, I can’t commit to that. I can’t allow myself to feel the inevitable disappointment should I not be able to make some of the trips.

And that’s ok. I don’t really need a list. In my head, I have a very good idea of which countries I want to have adventures in but I’m not writing them down. I’m not cementing them as must dos, etching them into my life plan; they’re there in essence and I know that even though it may take time, I’ll visit them all when I have the opportunity.

Not making a bucket list of travel destinations will also leave me open to change and allow me to be more spontaneous – it will allow me to change direction should something alternate, more exciting or more enjoyable come my way. It will allow me to venture out of my comfort zone and embrace the impossible. It will allow me to let other people into my life and hopefully will allow me to join others on their journeys too.

A bucket list of travel destinations doesn’t make you any more or less rounded as a backpacker. It doesn’t give you one-upmanship or the right to boast about how many items you’ve ticked off and where you’re jetting off to next . The same goes for not having a bucket list; just because you choose your destinations on a whim doesn’t give you an air of superiority over anyone who travels more conventionally than you.

A travel bucket list is a precious thing, but don’t let it limit you; after all, the world is your oyster, I’m just choosing not to pin it down.