It seems that many countries around the globe are emerging from the COVID-19 travel restrictions and inviting travelers to return to some of the most amazing places on Earth.
As I reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our ability to travel, I wonder how many people had planned a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list trip only to have to cancel it. Now that things are opening up for travel again, I expect that many people will revisit their bucket list travel items and start to get back out there living the adventures that are their dreams!!!
When I was growing up in the mid-1970s, I didn’t know anything about a bucket list; I had dreams as a young boy of seeing the world. I focused on learning about what was out there to see and experience, that I often spent more time reading travel brochures than I did my homework.
I had a red Schwinn bicycle with a book basket on the front of it, and on Saturdays, I would ask my mom if I could ride it to the shopping center about a mile from our house. She mostly said yes, and I was thrilled to visit my favorite place in the center-the travel agency.
On Saturday mornings, the lady in the travel agency was very kind to me and gave me the outdated travel brochures. I was so happy as I loaded up my basket with pamphlets from Europe, Asia, and South America. I ended up with so many that I took my clothes out of my dresser drawers and filled them with the brochures.
Over time, I memorized the facts and details about traveling to many places around the world. I had my heart set on going to some exotic locations, and every time I read through a pamphlet, I became more excited about the prospect of one day visiting the places I was dreaming about as a young boy.
By the time I was an adult, I had a good idea of what my bucket list had looked like, and it was heavily biased towards travel. I had set my intentions on seeing the world, and it felt like nothing was going to keep me from marking off my bucket list items.
There are three bucket list travel items that I want to highlight.
1. Australia 1992/2002-I visited the Great Barrier Reef not once but twice in less than ten years. I dreamed of snorkeling there as a kid while snorkeling off the Florida coast close to our house. I remember the sheer joy I felt in seeing the underwater world of the most fantastic reef on Earth.
2. China 2003-I had the opportunity to travel to the Great Wall of China while on a Leadership Program with my business coaches, and it was overwhelming to walk on the stones and stop and be present in the guard stations. As a kid, China was a closed country which meant my hope of visiting it seems impossible.
3. India 2009-I was in India for an extended business trip and planned a weekend trip to Dehli to travel to Agra. I had imagined seeing the Taj Mahal in person since I was a kid and it was so moving to walk up to it and see it with the sun and blue skies over it.
Some things never made it to my bucket list as a kid, yet I was no less excited when I realized that there were so many things that I never thought I would do and, I did them, in many cases, more than once in a lifetime.
My version of Eat, Pray, and Love took me to Spain, Kenya, and India.
I visited Spain once and returned many times; I felt welcomed like a long-lost son. Every time I visit Spain, I indulge in the fantastic culinary creations that bring people together.
I visited Kenya for the sole purpose of doing service work in the AIDS orphanages. I ended up having a spiritual experience on Lamu Island while walking the beach one morning at sunrise.
I went to India for a business trip my first time and mistakenly thought it was a trip of a lifetime. I did not know that I would return, so I made the most of it and traveled to the Taj Mahal and found the message that I am the love of my life.
Today I get to share my perspectives on this diverse place we call Earth with its 7.6 billion residents-many of whom are my friends due to meeting them during my adventures.
The impact of my travels is most evident in my worldview and my relationships.
With much gratitude.
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This post is republished on Medium.
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featured photo courtesy of author
