Welcome to my 50 before 50 travel bucket list!
This is a fun post that outlines where I want to focus my travel efforts over the next decade.
It’s a fun and light-hearted post – but I guess it has a serious side.
Time has a way of slipping by faster than we often realise. I’m very early in my 40s right now, and over the past few years I’ve watched friends’ parents pass away far too young and seen people only a few years older than me experience cancer – some have battled through, others not.
Life is short, people, and there’s so much in this incredible world to see and do.
That’s why I’ve created this list of 50 travel goals to achieve before I turn 50. It’s a more focused version of my longer travel bucket list.
Travel is so important to me, and something I think about on a daily basis. I want it to continue to be a huge part of my life.
I want to use the next decade to explore new places, experience different cultures and create unforgettable memories. This list is pretty ambitious and who knows whether I’ll be able to achieve it, but the whole point of this is to push myself to live life fully and intentionally.
But don’t look at this list as a tick-the-box exercise! These are experiences I genuinely want to have and have dreamed about doing ever since I was young. And if I don’t achieve them – I’m sure it’ll be because I’ve been caught up finding other exciting adventures to do.
Here’s to making the most of every moment!
Current tally: 1/50
Deadline: April 2033
- Climb Mt Kilimanjaro
- Visit the pyramids in Egypt
- Sail down the Nile in a felucca
- Get lost in the souks of Marrakesh, and munch on Moroccan food at the Djemaa El-Fna
- Visit Ethiopia
- Road trip through Namibia
- Visit some of the Silk Road countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan are top of the list)
- Ride the rails from Singapore to Bangkok (completed March/April 2025)
- Soak in an onsen in Japan (we’ve been to Japan but never experienced an onsen!)
- Island hop through Indonesia (I’m talking about less touristy islands – we’ve been to Bali)
- Travel India by train
- Laze away a few days in the Kerala backwaters
- Visit the Taj Mahal
- Swim with sharks
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
- Hike the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory
- Hike the Jatbula Trail in the Northern Territory
- Walk the Lurujarri Heritage Trail in Western Australia
- Ride the Ghan from the top to the bottom of Australia
- Take a boat up the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea (I lived in PNG for 4 years but never got around to visiting the Sepik region)
- Experience the Crocodile Festival in Papua New Guinea
- See the Southern Lights
- Drive the length of New Zealand
- Do a multi-day hike solo (this one really scares me!)
- Experience Dia de los Muertos in Mexico (despite many visits to Mexico, we’ve never been there during this celebration)
- Sail from Panama to Colombia
- Sail down the Amazon River (a dream of mine since childhood)
- Experience Carnaval in South America
- Travel the coast of Brazil
- Watch a futbol game in South America
- Visit the Galapagos Islands
- Walk the Lost City Trek in Colombia (La Ciudad Perdida)
- Visit Easter Island
- Visit the Choquequirao ruins in Peru
- Drive the length of Ruta 40 in Argentina
- Walk the Camino de Santiago
- Hike the Camino Portugues (coming up in 2025!)
- Trek the Lycian Way in Turkey
- Road trip through Italy
- See the Northern Lights
- Go beach-hopping across the Greek Isles
- Stand in awe in Moscow’s Red Square (when we can travel to Russia again)
- Take the Trans-Siberian train across Russia
- Visit Petra, Jordan
- Take a road trip through Oman
- Ride the Rocky Mountaineer across Canada
- Road trip through Canada
- Hike from the south to the north rim of the Grand Canyon
- Drive all of Route 66
- Visit Antarctica (my final continent!)
What’s on your bucket list?
(Thanks to Josie for inspiring this post!)
