On: My Bucket List

"I would rather look back at my life and say, 'I can't believe I did that' instead of saying, 'I wish I had done that'".

I continuously find myself saying, "I'll add this trip to my bucket list!"; however, I've never actually had a physical list. Often I research places I'm about to visit, and stumble upon others that I just have to add to my travel list. It's really a vicious cycle - and I think it makes Ryan nervous, ha!

Don't get me wrong, I do have a Pinterest board full of ideas, wants, and wishes! But getting it narrowed down to one list has been a challenge. While I’ve been fortunate to have had my share of trips and travel experiences—16 countries, 191 cities and counting—I've just barely skimmed the surface. TripAdvisor kindly reminded me the other day, that I've only seen 12% of the world. That is humbling. There is still so much more to explore, see, photograph, and, of course, eat! Here I go, in no particular order: 

Caitlin's Bucket List:

UPDATED APRIL 2015:

1. Scuba Dive the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia with my dad.

2. Walk the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

3. See a wild kangaroo in Australia.

4. Scuba dive off of the Galapagos Islands.

5. Take a gondola ride in Venice (Completed 1/14).

6. Tour the Vatican (Completed 1/14).

7. Make a wish in the Trevi Fountain (Completed 1/14).

8. Learn to surf in Hawaii (Completed 6/07).

9. Be a guest at the Golden Globes or the Oscars.

10. Compete as a professional athlete (Completed 7/09).

11. Sleep in an ice hotel.

12. Visit Niagara Falls. (Completed 4/15)

13. See the Northern Lights in Iceland.

14. Visit Anne Frank's secret annex with bookcase (Completed 1/15).

15. Sleep in a house boat on the Amsterdam canals (Completed 1/15).

16. Sleep in a castle.

17. Run a marathon (Completed 11/14).

18. Complete a triathlon. (Coming 9/16)

19. Visit all 50 states (38 down 12 to go! I still need Alaska, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota).

20. See Mount Rushmore.

21. Get paid to travel the world.

22. Visit Greece: specifically Athens, Oia, Mykonos and Santorini. (Completed 9/15) 

23. Become fluent in another language.

24. Stay for a weekend in Nashville.

25. Tour the White House.

26. Climb to the top of the Washington Monument.

27. Go on a shark dive.

28. See wild sea lions, penguins and baboons in South Africa. i.e. Cape of Good Hope.

29. Hike to the Mount Everest Base Camp.

30. Swim with dolphins in the Bahamas (Completed 8/11).

31. Go skydiving with a best friend (Completed 10/12).

32. Visit every Disney park across the world in 10 days.

33. Live in an RV and drive across the country (Completed various times - blogging soon).

34. Be a spectator at the Kentucky Derby.

35. See the Egyptian Pyramids.

36. Sail down the Nile River.

37. Visit Turks and Caicos. (Completed 11/15)

38. Publish a book.

39. Explore Montreal.

40. Attend an Olympic Games.

41. See Church of the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg. (Coming 8/16)

42. Eat tapas in Spain. (Completed 1/15)

43. Sail through the Panama Canal.

44. Visit Poland specifically Krakow.

45. Walk the Berlin Wall line.

46. Travel to St. Petersburg. (Coming 8/16)
47. See a Premier League team play in their home stadium.

48. Travel to Europe on a girls trip with just my mom.

49. Visit the top-10 European Christmas Markets. (two down, eight to go!)

50. Take a tour of Alcatraz in San Francisco. (Coming 6/16)

51. Ice skating at Rockefeller Center (Completed 12/13).

52. Climb up the Statue of Liberty.

53. Volunteer as a secretary to Juliet in Verona.

54. Play laser tag in my wedding dress. (Completed 8/13)

55. Sleep in Cinderella's Castle. 

56. Eat Belgian waffles in Belgium. (Completed 1/15)

57. Drink afternoon tea in England . (Completed 1/14)

58. Visit Norway, Sweden and Denmark. (Coming 8/16)

59. Tour the Taj Mahal. 

60. Visit Thailand and tour an elephant rescue. 

61. Explore Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing or Hong Kong. 

What's on your bucket list? Let me know! 

On: Seeing The World

“I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list.” – Susan Sontag

(Below is my interactive travel map of just about every city and/or landmark I've visited. If you have any questions or are looking for travel advice please let me know! I'm also always looking to plan my next trip and would love destination suggestions!) 

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” ― Pico Iyer

I have been fortunate to explore many countries, cities, cultures and landmarks. I wouldn't be who I am today without these adventurous learning experiences. Travel adventures are the most enriching and rewarding experiences that can teach you more than any college course. 

My goal in life is to see the world. I never want to stop learning about new cultures, being immersed in their history and educating myself via personal experience. I would rather see a city once than read about it a thousand times. 

Every year my goal is to explore one place that I have never been before; because, as Helen Keller worded it, "life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all". If you are in a rut, living the same year 75 times in a row, how do you call that a life? A life without traveling is like reading the same page of a book over and over again without turning the page to discover the next chapter. There is so much to discover in our world it would be a shame to not even skim the surface.

I don't want to ever say, I wish I would have traveled more. "Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer". In addition it provides you with a sense of modesty that can't be taught. Traveling has taught me a sense of humility and patience. I'm far from perfect, but I will say that through my travels I have lost harbored stereotypes, many of my prejudices have been discarded, and I have learned to have patience with people from various backgrounds. I would rather spend my money to have these invaluable life experiences that have allowed me to discover myself verses purchasing a material possession. 

Imagine what the world would be like if everyone traveled out of their comfort zone and and let go of fearing the unknown. I think our world would become a more accepting place. As Shirley Maclaine said, "The more I traveled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends". 

I challenge you to travel the world, to lose yourself, then to find yourself. I challenge you to learn more about the world than the front page of the newspaper will report or than the Skimm will list. Travel to share your knowledge, but also to listen to others - never forget to listen, comprehend, and ask questions. Finally, I challenge you to be forever young - never lose your sense of wonder for the world.