What qualifies for that category? It’s not the cost, nor is it necessarily how popular an experience is. To be on my bucket list there needs to be an element of exclusivity or specialness combined with some sense that I will be happy and fulfilled by seeing that place or participating in that activity. There is no point in filling my must see concerts or my must visit places list with a bunch of cliches. Some people neeeeed to be photographed holding a pyramid in their hand. Not I. Do I need to see the pyramids? Absolutely! I just don’t need that particular twitter bait pic. I could also opt for the pyramid building cultures of North, South and Central America over Egypt. Chichen Itza, for me was special.
So is it about checking out other lists and cosigning those? Nope. There is little impulse associated with my choices. There is, however, an awful lot of serendipity involved. Oftentimes, the true bucketlisted experience is not what I went expecting to receive. The best ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences are sometimes offshoots of the main event. I love it when that happens.
So we are narrowing down on my bucket list creation process. Essentially, I need to walk away feeling “I’m so glad I did that in my lifetime”
Some of the most highly touted experiences hold no magic or attraction for me. I can’t imagine what is coveted about being at a “must see” sight surrounded by thousands of ogling, sweating tourists all of whom, just like me, have been seduced into misery by the promise of awesomeness. Being knee deep in a throng of people with selfie sticks protruding, holds no charm. (At least not for me)
The issue, however, is that there are some very popular sites or experiences which are in fact magic! They live up to and often exceed the promised hype. So how to deal with the hordes? How do you actually get into the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain when there are a specific limited number of tickets allotted daily? What happens when those tickets are ‘finished’ for months BEFORE you even began looking? Do you go all the way to Spain and not see it or do you stay home and mope? I will give you one alternative in another post. Stay tuned.
In the interim check out one our bucket listed experiences.
