Bucket list - Wanderlust Ale

When I think about travelling and I say I want to travel, various intentions come to mind. For example, I don’t mean to say that I intend to stay in 5-star hotels or buy any goodies in the souvenir shops (even though I like to go there), because when I say I want to travel, I express a desire to explore unknown places and get completely immersed in them.

I want to discover all the renowned wonders of our world, hence my bucket-list, but also hidden places or unusual local shops. I would like to rave about the beauty of our planet, climb mountains, reconnect with nature, and walk quietly along long deserted beaches so that I can challenge and discover myself as well. More than anything else, I would like to meet people from different cultures, learn from them, share our knowledge, our values and enrich each other, and then perhaps, later on, count them as friends.

Since I’ve been travelling, I’ve kindly started to see things with new eyes. When I look at the big map of the world hanging above my bed, I remember how certain places have transformed me, the people I have met, the people I have shared these moments of life with, and the wonders I have had the chance to observe. Feelings that push me to take on new adventures.

Just this, could be added to a bucket list, this list of concrete goals that some people wish to achieve in their lives. I experience this on every trip, which makes me rather want to list the places in our world that I dream about the most in my bucket list.

But first, here are some of my more personal goals that could be achieved during a trip:

Studying or working abroad (Edinburgh)
Travelling alone (Austria)
Sharing with people from all over the world to discover new cultures
To surpass myself by climbing a mountain of more than 4’000 meters
Take a step back as in Cheryl Strayed’s inspiring book “Wild” by walking a known path.
Learning to surf (Porto)
Parachute jumping
To know the basics of Latin dances (South America)

I am leaving pieces of my heart all over the world, but I also wanted to highlight quotes that speak to me particularly, in which I find myself. They don’t necessarily talk about travel but are part of my philosophies of life, my life’s journey. And life is all about a great adventure, right?

Words are the way I express myself the best. They allow me to recognise my emotions, my feelings at the deepest level. It is often said that putting words on something helps to better conceptualise it. That’s how I behave, whether I’m writing or reading. They have enormous power and many resonances. Words are reminders.

“Be brave. Be wild. And stay forever hungry for art, love knowledge and adventure.”
Erin Van Vuren

“Her heart was a secret garden and the walls were very high.”
William Goldman

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.”
Edward Abbey

“I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.”
Rosalia de Castro

I also leave you the names of 3 Instagram accounts where I always feel their words, their poetry.

More than a virtual list, I first put all these destinations on paper in my travel books. And then, the more I explore the world the more amazing new places are added, so I tried to list in this article the most incredible ones by continent.

This map was made on this website Matador Network

Switzerland

Admire the magnificent library of the Abbey of St. Gallen (done)
Take a road trip along the roads of the Grand Tour of Switzerland (done)
Hiking to admire all the beauties of our country
Hiking on the Grächen-Zermatt Trail to get a fright on the world’s longest suspension bridge
Eat a fondue perched above the slopes with “Fondue in the Sky”
Take the Glacier Express to discover exceptional panoramas

Europe

Visiting all European capitals before I turn 30 (if you want to travel with me, I haven’t discovered yet): Belgrade – Bucharest – Chisinau – Kyiv – Minsk – Nicosia – Oslo – Podgorica – Reykjavík – Sarajevo – Tirana – Vilnius
To immerse me in this continent with such a rich and captivating past.
Living again in Berlin, this city which is so exciting
Exploring the Berchtesgaden National Park in southern Germany
Test countless bars to taste unknown beers in Brussels
Getting to Lapland in winter
Greeting Zeus at the top of Mount Olympus in Greece
Contemplating one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world in Santorini
Visit the historic Guinness brewery in Dublin and drink it to your heart’s content
Contemplate the Cliffs of Moher (done), dance to the song of the eponymous Lake Connemara, and discover Ireland through its myths, its people, and its incredible landscapes.
Climb Etna and explore the Italian Dolomites
Become one of Juliette’s secretaries for a day in Verona
Travel to the Lofoten Islands in Norway and soak up the breathtaking scenery.
Admire the Northern Lights
Browse the shelves of the magnificent Carturesti Carusel bookshop in Bucharest
To soak up Stonehenge’s mysticism (done)
Admire the beautiful scenery of the north of England on The Coast to Coast Walk (309 km)
Hiking in the Julian Alps
Going to Greenland
Discover the beautiful and magical city of Edinburgh

Central & South America

Travelling this continent back and forth for more than 6 months
Strolling among the statues of Easter Island
Discover the unspoiled nature of Costa Rica and practice yoga on its beautiful beaches.
Travelling in Honduras, Belize, Panama, and other Central American countries
Discovering the multicoloured Valparaiso (done, it was incredible)
Dancing the tango in Buenos Aires, the samba in Brazil, and the rumba in Cuba (I still have the rumba)
To marvel at the Iguaçu falls (actually, my most beautiful travel souvenir)
Cross Patagonia by taking a longer trip and ending with a hike in the Torres del Paine National Park.
Observe the Perito Morino (done)
Hug an alpaca in Machu Picchu after a trek to get there and then admire this mythical place.
Linger in Peru and Bolivia, two fascinating countries full of wonders (trekking in the Salar d’Uyuni, sailing on Lake Titicaca, getting lost in Cuzco, etc.).
Stroll in the Andes and see Aconcagua (done)
Discover the Galápagos Islands, its nature, and its magnificent turtles.
Exploring pre-Columbian sites (Aztec, Mayan, Inca, or Toltec) whose civilizations fascinate me.
Bathing in the Mexican cenotes and attending the Day of the Dead in Mexico City
Travel through Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela
Feel the atmosphere of Havana while drinking mojitos
Exploring the Netherlands Antilles and French overseas islands
Walking in the Atacama Desert in Chile
Go to Ushuaïa and embark for Antarctica (half done, Antarctica is waiting for me but with a bigger bank account)

North America

Travel across Canada by van
Discover the beauties of Western Canada
Drive through Quebec on a road trip and return during the Indian summer (half done)
Driving along the Cabot Trail in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia
Experience the legendary cold of Canadian winters in Ottawa and skate on its frozen canal.
Take the train between Toronto and Vancouver for a 5-day trip to discover a variety of landscapes.
Discover New York, “Concrete jungle where dreams are made of” (done)
Surfing in Hawaii and hiking in the green nature of its islands
Going to New Orleans to attend Mardi Gras
Stroll down the aisle of museums in Washington and visit them all (half done)
Travelling in the Western United States (done)
Explore and hike in the wilderness of Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming

Asia

Find out all about Russia, this fascinating country, by visiting the Hermitage Palace, the Kremlin, and Moscow’s Red Beach. Skating on the frozen Neva or wandering through Siberia and the hinterland are also on the programme (half done)
Take the Trans-Siberian Railway and cross the entire Russian Federation.
Admire the hot-air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey
Stroll in the fiery Istanbul (to be done again!)
To take a deeper interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and get lost in the Holy City of Jerusalem, the original land of religions.
Play Indiana Jones in Jordan and discover all the wonders of this country (Petra, the Dead Sea, or the Wadi Rum desert).
Travel to the mythical places of South Asia, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Ha Long Bay in Vietnam (done for Vietnam).
Discovering Laos and going to Bhutan, the land of happiness
Watching the sunrise over the temples of Bagan in Myanmar
Walk a tiny piece of the Great Wall of China and see the Forbidden City.
Ride or walk on the world’s most dangerous via Ferrata and go to the Zhāngjiājiè national park in China.
Feel the romance while admiring the Taj Mahal and participating in the Holi festival in India
Visit the splendours of Rajasthan and make a stopover in Pondicherry.
Try a trek in the Himalayas and set foot on Mount Everest.
Getting lost in Kathmandu
Visiting the pearl of India and climbing Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka (done)
Rent an authentic old car and set off on the Silk Road trail.
Hiking in the wilderness of the steppes and mountains of Kazakhstan and its neighbours, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
Walking through the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis in Iran
Explore the Indonesian islands and Borneo before palm oil plantations destroy all the wildlife
Spend a night in a capsule hotel in Japan and discover this country with its amazingly advanced technology.

Africa

Climb Kilimanjaro and also discover Tanzania and Kenya.
Getting lost in the colourful souks of Morocco
Following in the footsteps of ancient Egypt and its timeless guardians, through a descent of the Nile (done).
Explore the beauties of South Africa, with a focus on the Cape of Good Hope and the adorable penguins on the beaches of Cape Town.
Sit back and contemplate the infinity of an African desert, either the Sahara or the Namib Desert in Namibia.
Explore the radiant savannah of this continent.
Admire the power of the Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe
Admire the lemurs in Madagascar
Getting lost in the labyrinth of alleys in Timbuktu in Mali
Discover the wild and unspoilt nature of the Cirques de la Réunion (done)

Oceania

Rent a van and travel around Australia, with the main stops being Tasmania, Sydney, and the famous Australian bush.
Admire Uluru at sunrise and sunset and interact with the Aborigines
Marvel at the splendours of New Zealand
Lounging in the Pacific Islands

What about you? Where do you dream of travelling?