A couple of days ago I gave myself permission to be curious. I’m now going to extend that curiosity to the physical, by giving myself permission to explore the word and open myself to new experiences.
One of my passions is travel. I am grateful to my parents for instilling in me a sense of adventure and for exposing me to other countries during my childhood years. I have tried to do the same for my children and we have a few more family trips left in us. Time is precious and each trip now together as a family takes on another dimension and a sense that this is something special.
When I first had children, I remember receiving a pamphlet from the pharmacist which said something along the lines of:
Your children won’t remember their ironed clothes, but they will remember your shared experiences
The notion has stuck with me ever since. I’ve been busy creating shared experiences for the family (Oh, no not again!!!), but also now at middle age, solo experiences for my own memories. The realty is that my health can only decline from this point and there is a whole lot of living left to be done.
So here are the highlights of my exploration and experience bucket list. I’m getting itchy feet just thinking about these!
A
B
C
D
E
F
A = Egypt, which has long been a fascination
B = Marrakesh, Morocco
C = Istanbul a city spanning two continents. Take me to the Grand Bazaar…
D = The Greek Islands, especially Santorini
E = Tomatina festival in Spain. Get down and salsa!
F = Sunset camel ride in Broome, Western Australia
There’s a whole lot more as well. The world is now truly a playground.
Right now all of my work colleagues are planning overseas trips within the next 12 months. There’s a lot of planning and travel talk, glossy brochures and yearning on my part and I’m living my vicarious travel dreams through them.
In the meantime I content myself with road trips within a two to three hour vicinity and create my own local experiences. After all everything can be an experience, depending on what you make of it.
It’s time to get busy making memories!
Do you yearn for farawy places and experiences? What places are on your exploration bucket list?
Raising the Curtain 
I absolutely love that quote! Tuscany is my dream trip. The scenes of Italy in Under the Tuscan Sun and Eat, Pray, Love blew me away. It gives me the a case of the ahhhhh’s!
I hope you get to Tuscany one day, it certainly looks stunning. I totally loved Florence and Pisa when we were there. Those midlife movies certainly have a lot to answer for 🙂
Australia, Egypt, England, France, Ireland, Italy, and Scotland are all on my must-visit-in-this-lifetime list. I also want to get back to Prince Edward Island, and would like to visit every state in the U.S. Need more time. 😉
I do hope you come here (Australia) one day. It is a wonderful country, with pockets of the exotic, natural beauty and friendly natives. I also want to hit every US State, I think the count is about 15 so far 🙂
I especially like your final thought: there are local experiences that can be memorable and well worth our time. We simply need to keep our eyes and ears open!
You’re right. There are so many great things right under our nose. I love playing tourist in my home city.
Judy, great post. I love the quote. G’Day, BTG
Thanks. I remember getting that pamphlet and having that quote resonate because I was feeling so overwhelmed at the time with my first child.
I have been fortunate to see Ireland, Scotland,Wales, most of the UK, France, Prague, Spain, Bali, Thailand, New Caledonia. I so dream of the Greek Islands and Tuscany Morocco and South America… I shall dream them along with you for the moment with magazines and the beautiful pictures you posted. Or do as you do and have little weekend joints a few hours from home, to take in the sights and be grateful. Think you can keep Tomatina though 😉 xxx Another good post lovely.
I think Tomatina would be so much fun as long as they remembered to take the tomato out of the tins first ;). You would have some great places a few hours away from you to jaunt to. I love just getting in the car and going.
Anzac Day weekend.. we are going somewhere but Mr. S has planned and will not spill the beans … mystery couple of days..so looking forward to it. You made me laugh, imagine having the cans thrown at you..duck and weave – duck and weave 😉
I enjoyed this so much when I finished reading I had to start over and take it in a second time. I love the idea being given permission to explore, to make memories… I just hope we can all make the time x
Thanks Bec for leaving such a lovely comment xx. Indeed, time is a factor and hence the notion of giving of permission. I’m determined to make exploration a priority. It feeds my soul for all of those obligations.
For me the next exploration will be Japan… 😉 Love your posts!
Japan is. I have been many decades ago and would enjoy seeing how it changed. Japanese culture is so interesting. I love its delicacy and deliberateness.
Going “home” again this September for two wonderful weeks…Norfolk/Norwich UK. Exploring the Downs and Coastal paths with wonderful friends! Another dream holiday, enriched with the “magic” of friendship….
A holiday filled with the magic of friends is truly balm for the soul, especially if the place has the feeling of home. May you have a wonderful time and may the exploration and experience energize and renew you for that which follows.
Thought provoking posts, thanks for sharing
Thanks!
Love the quote and your pictoral bucket list. I have traveled a lot….but I am always eager for more. Going to Israel was a life goal, and I made that trip last December. Loved it.
Thanks Janice. I’m keen to hear of your experiences in Isreal. It’s a place that also holds fascination for me. I see a trip there in the next 5 years on my horizon.
All of my travel wants these days are withing 6 hours driving from home it. Lots of family history trips in mind. And, of course, the beach. You are looking forward to much more exciting trips!
Each trip is what you make it and it sounds like you have more than a few planned with the family. I’m a summer girl and prefer the heat over the cold, so any trip to the beach is a good one for me 🙂
One day my wanderlust is going to yank me out the door and drag me down the block.
I want see (almost) all of it!
I hope you let it/her yank you out the door in the not too distant future. It’s always a balance of finances, time and physical ability.
Excellent post! I would love to see Autralia, Austria and the British Isles. I would also love to go back to Prince Edward Island. But, for now, i just love going to D.C. to see my grandson! Exciting possibilities for you to explore… exceptional post today!
I am energised by your comment and have noted that you listed Australia first ;). I hope we can welcome you one day. Trips to vist DC to play grandma sounds so special. I bet you’re a very good grandma!
I hope you make it to all your destinations. But don’t you want to add running with the bulls in Spain to your list? 😉
Ummm, no. I don’t have a death wish at least not at the moment. Some of those running with the bulls visuals are gruesome and that’s just from the bulls’ perspective!
What children will remember is so true. Great bucket list. I’m glad I traveled when I was young.
I think travelling while young gives you a definite taste of lifelong wanderlust. yes, I’m hoping my children will remember how funny I was.
I’ve lost the wander lust but I DO enjoy others’ stories of their travels.
I enjoy hearning about others’ travels too. Everyone brings a unique perspective to a country.
Delightful take on your emeritus years and all that you’ve been blessed with so far. I was especially taken by your desire to travel more and how you’ve consciously involved your family over the years, whether they appreciated it or not, all with an eye on the accumulation of family experiences that stay with you forever. Lovely post. You were gracious enough to leave a comment on my A to Z blog and I am so happy to discover your writing in my reciprocation. I am new to blogging and only started a week ago. So I’ve much to learn. But yours is a blog I’ll return to.
Thank you Michael, I will be back to your blog as well. For a week out you’re doing well. The A to Z Challenge is a great place to start and will give you a solid body of content. I started my blog about two weeks before last year’s Challenge and I have been grateful for the experience every since.
So many places left to see. Part of me regrets not travelling more when I was younger instead of concentrating on work and career. I feel like I missed out on so much of the world.
I’m sorry you’re feeling regret. It’s all ahead of us, Bron. We need to make sure that we spend more of the things that feed our soul during the second act so as not to repeat what we may feel are mistakes of the first act. Hope your future is filled with lots of travel 🙂
Thx Judy… you’re right , it’s about learning from mistakes and moving ever forward.
Currently I am still indulging in not travelling too far – I am still recovering from too much business-related travelling. Airports make me feel uncomfortable.
Years ago I discovered that travelling my own (small) country can offer some unique perspective, too: We had decided to spend a summer vacation travelling through Austria – we visited only cities or villages whose names started with Z (long story, but there was not a rationale anyway). We explored places a tourist would never see – one of my best vacations ever!
I love it, an alphabetical tour of Austria! Just out of curiosity, how many places in Austria start with Z? I can’t think of any Z places in Australia off the top of my head.
There were about 250 in the official directory. But very many were really small villages – hard to find ;-).
Very true about sharing experiences with children…so much more fun than ironing 🙂 We share a couple of bucket list items though not others. I’ve been to Broome but still have Marrakech on my list. It’s a ever expanding wish-list.
You’ll have to wait and see what I come up with for Z in the north of Oz.
Pauleen at Tropical Territory
A to Z 2013