What's on your "wanderlist" ?
March 17, 2010 6:11 PM Subscribe
Wanderlust-filter: Did you run with the bulls in Pamplona? Meet the POTUS on a guided tour of the White House? Make it to the summit of Everest? Party in the Playboy Mansion? What would you list as your completed or to-be-completed "once in a lifetime" adventures?
I understand that there is a certain amount of subjectivity in composing a list of once-in-a-lifetime adventures, but it seems like there are a few that are mainstays of bucket lists everywhere: seeing the Aurora Borealis from Norway, climbing one of the Seven Summits of the World, experiencing Burning Man, snorkeling around the Barrier Reef, walking across the Great Wall of China, et cetera. What would you list alongside adventures like these?
I've seen a lot of bucket lists, but those run into personal territory: people seem to list things like "Become a licensed physician" or "Finally overcome my fear of heights." I'm more interested in the adventures in the paragraph above, though I don't deny that accomplishing a goal such as overcoming acrophobia would be equally if not more fulfilling.
I understand that there is a certain amount of subjectivity in composing a list of once-in-a-lifetime adventures, but it seems like there are a few that are mainstays of bucket lists everywhere: seeing the Aurora Borealis from Norway, climbing one of the Seven Summits of the World, experiencing Burning Man, snorkeling around the Barrier Reef, walking across the Great Wall of China, et cetera. What would you list alongside adventures like these?
I've seen a lot of bucket lists, but those run into personal territory: people seem to list things like "Become a licensed physician" or "Finally overcome my fear of heights." I'm more interested in the adventures in the paragraph above, though I don't deny that accomplishing a goal such as overcoming acrophobia would be equally if not more fulfilling.
This post was deleted for the following reason: This is pretty much chatfilter. -- cortex
I spent 10 weeks driving around the country in a convertible BMW and camping in a tent at almost all of the national parks. 16,000 miles in total. Best experience of my life.
posted by sickinthehead at 6:24 PM on March 17, 2010
posted by sickinthehead at 6:24 PM on March 17, 2010
I got paid to go to Bangalore, India, for 2 months and work on a really shitty movie in the mid-90's.
I'd always wanted to go to India but that one kind of fell into my lap instead of being something I actively pursued. Stupid movie, awesome experience.
posted by chococat at 6:42 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'd always wanted to go to India but that one kind of fell into my lap instead of being something I actively pursued. Stupid movie, awesome experience.
posted by chococat at 6:42 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've been to the 48 contiguous US states. My longer-term goal is now to re-visit them (and the other two, of course) with my SO.
I've also found that visiting other countries gives me amazing perspective about my own home, so there's lots of places I want to visit, particularly ancient ruins and cities. I've been to Pompeii and the cave dwellings in the southwest US (I think it's Frijoles Canyon, but I'm not sure off the top of my head), and several henge monuments and ruins in England...I'd love to see the Mexican pyramids, the tombs in Egypt, and Maccu Piccu, among many others.
posted by lhall at 6:44 PM on March 17, 2010
I've also found that visiting other countries gives me amazing perspective about my own home, so there's lots of places I want to visit, particularly ancient ruins and cities. I've been to Pompeii and the cave dwellings in the southwest US (I think it's Frijoles Canyon, but I'm not sure off the top of my head), and several henge monuments and ruins in England...I'd love to see the Mexican pyramids, the tombs in Egypt, and Maccu Piccu, among many others.
posted by lhall at 6:44 PM on March 17, 2010
I want to circumnavigate the globe aboard the Picton Castle.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:46 PM on March 17, 2010
posted by BitterOldPunk at 6:46 PM on March 17, 2010
My adventure of a lifetime was going on the first TIGHAR expedition to Nikumaroro to look for Amelia Earhart's plane. Obviously this is not something that you can just book on Orbitz, but maybe it would be useful to explain what made it such an awesome experience.
1. The sense of going into the unknown. The island is uninhabited, not much information was available about it at the time (1989 - before the Age of Google), nobody really knew for sure what awaited us.
2. A goal. Find pieces of aircraft, solve a mystery. Didn't happen, but it was hella fun trying.
3. A group of smart, funny, cantankerous shipmates. Very much like MeFites, in fact.
4. Being cut off from the outer world and forced to provide our own entertainment. No TV, no movies, just some video from the divers and land camera team. Plus lots of smart, funny, cantankerous conversation.
5. The right level of discomfort. It was really hot, the underbrush was really thick, machetes just bounced off the wretched stuff. It was miserable enough to inspire epic grousing and profanity, but not so miserable that we just gave up.
Taken together, all this forged friendships and memories that I still cherish. You probably won't ever go to Nikumaroro, but if you can find a research expedition to go on you'll probably have an amazing experience of your own. Or at least learn some awesome new profanity.
posted by Quietgal at 6:54 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
1. The sense of going into the unknown. The island is uninhabited, not much information was available about it at the time (1989 - before the Age of Google), nobody really knew for sure what awaited us.
2. A goal. Find pieces of aircraft, solve a mystery. Didn't happen, but it was hella fun trying.
3. A group of smart, funny, cantankerous shipmates. Very much like MeFites, in fact.
4. Being cut off from the outer world and forced to provide our own entertainment. No TV, no movies, just some video from the divers and land camera team. Plus lots of smart, funny, cantankerous conversation.
5. The right level of discomfort. It was really hot, the underbrush was really thick, machetes just bounced off the wretched stuff. It was miserable enough to inspire epic grousing and profanity, but not so miserable that we just gave up.
Taken together, all this forged friendships and memories that I still cherish. You probably won't ever go to Nikumaroro, but if you can find a research expedition to go on you'll probably have an amazing experience of your own. Or at least learn some awesome new profanity.
posted by Quietgal at 6:54 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I just spent the winter in the middle of the Bering Sea, which was sort of an adventure, but also cold and miserable.
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:58 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by QuarterlyProphet at 6:58 PM on March 17, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've kayaked the length of the Grand Canyon, which was amazing. I hope, however, that it won't be quite a once in a lifetime experience.
posted by JiBB at 7:05 PM on March 17, 2010
posted by JiBB at 7:05 PM on March 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'd also like to visit the South Pole
posted by Diplodocus at 6:23 PM on March 17, 2010