Contest: Be a PeterGreenberg.com Travel Contributor

Where are we answering these questions? Facebook? Here in the comments? Via email?

As the horses stand a safe distance away from the elephants, the zebras snort and begin to run away from the watering hole. Our horses begin to spook.  What’s causing the commotion? If I were able to ride horseback on safari in South Africa, I’d experience what it is like to ride amongst the wild animals. Certainly a journey to Africa is on my 2012 travel bucket list.

The Galapagos Islands

I have always wanted to go to the Olympics.  I’d like to take my daughter to England in the summer of 2012 as our last trip before she heads off to college.  I think it would be great to report out on how average folks can travel to major events, and offer creative ways to find accommodations without mortgaging their home to do so.  

Going with friends on RC to Costa Maya in Feb to kick off 2012 and climb some mayan ruins; did that once and have to do it again — feeling the razor sharp rocks under my fingers, the hot sun, the steamy jungle — trying to picture the scene 2,000 years before on those very steps; also planning how to fly to Margarita Island, VZ — do we skip CCS for security reasons, or do other airports that are inconvenient for connections for a  wedding in June 2012  in a 17th century church with a side trip to Los Roques archipelago of islands.  Pre New Year’s resolution — brush up on Spanish pronto!

Panama is tops on my list for 2012 — one or two days in Panama City then a hop, skip and terrifying plane ride over to Bocas del Toro for scuba, surf and a taste of the good life. Rumor has it the island is still in the early stages of development tourist-wise, so it’s easy to get a sense of the local culture. If I’m lucky I’ll also make it to David for hiking and the like. I’ve been in Buenos Aires for the past few months and I can safely say it’s time to hit the beach and feel some sand beneath my toes.

Since I saw your week long travel reviews on the “Today” show 9sometime in in 1994) on volunteer vacations I have wanted to go to either Africa or India.  I did get to do one to Cuzco, Peru thanks to your recommendations on all the volunteer organizations that you can join and travel with and do wonderful things to help children and those in great needs in other parts of the world.

Since I saw your week long review (sometime in 1994) on the “Today Show” on volunteer vacations I have wanted to go to either Africa or India.  I did have the honor and pleasure to go to Cuzco, Peru based on your recommendations on all the wonderful organizations that provide these trips and allows one to travel and volunteer in countries that our help are much needed.

I fell in love with Botswana, while viewing the HBO series “The Ladies’ No. 1 Detective Agency.”  Ideally, I’d do the deluxe safari of all Southern Africa: in the Range Rover, with my upgraded camera and a kick-ass zoom lense.  Finally, all my practice safaris in zoos will have paid off!  I fell in love with New Zealand as well, while watching “Xena: Warrior Princess,”  so that’s a second dream trip.  Somehow I doubt swordplay or a battle cry will be useful for the assignment– you never know, though.  Suppose I could learn to surf…  

Our older daughter will be studying in Seville next spring so my wife and 14 year old daughter will be spending our spring break flying into Paris (at the request of our younger daughter) and traveling to Seville before returning home 10 days later. Two cities steeped in history & culture bookending endless possibilities for exploration and interesting options for transport.
Thinking this would serve as a great example for creating a fun, enriching itinerary when time is limited, family members involved and where the destinations could still not be properly explored with 10 times the available time.

I’m living in India for a couple more months (for a total of 8-9), so I’ll be celebrating New Years Eve somewhere in Tamil Nadu during a two week backpacking excursion. However, the most exciting thing on my travel bucket list for 2012 is the Holi Festival (festival of colors) and the Elephant Festival which both happen in February in Jaipur, India. I’ve seen photos and video footage from these festivals and they look absolutely incredible! 

2012 is going to be a great year. The big 5-0! And life has never been better, so I am really looking forward to it! I plan to travel to France to meet up with my French “sister”, who is also turning 50, and traveling thru the true countryside of France, Germany and surrounding countries. Sophie and I met at age 16, lost contact with each other in our 20′s and then reconnected 20 years later and it was like we had never been apart. Even though I am a single traveling girl, she is the married mother of 3 and we grew up in completely different countries, we are amazed at how much we have in common and how much we enjoy spending time together. And because Sophie is fluent in at least 4 languages, I don’t have to worry about communication problems. I am excited to have the opportunity to explore the backroads of Europe and experience the true culture.

How about doing the opposite?instead of reporting on overseas trips like most are wanting, I would like to report on some of the great places the States has. I am an American who has been living in Europe for the past 23 yrs, (currently in Spain), but, I will be flying over to the U.S. to drive my parents from Michigan down to Florida, and must pass through at least 8 states. I find it’s a great opportunity to turn it into a mini road trip and visit all the wonderful places which might be of turistic value, offering tips and recommendations for first-time travelers–esp.for  Europeans who love ‘Americana’ and think they know Americans from what they see on TV & movies. So, I would love to clear up some the clichés on Americans.

Bonjour, bonhuit, two words in French I can still remember. Having studied and spoken the language many years ago, I would love to go to a place where I would have the opportunity to recall the French language and learn to speak it once more.  What a treat that would be.  Paris? Brussels? Part of the 2012 bucket list. 

Hoping to raise enough money to trek through Southeast Asia and China this summer.

Ahh, 2012…that is truly a quaetion to ponder. In 2011 I accomplished several “Bucket List’ activities…drove a NASCAR at 147 mph, did a Kenya safari and saw the Big 5 several times over and visited remote and unspoiled Aitutaki.

So for 2012, the Ganges? Hammerheads in the Cocos? Easter Island? Barrow Alaska? Decisions, decisions?

I have traveled quite a bit and would like to see more of the good old U.S. Not just the tourist attractions, but the out of the way places that makes us unique. Small town in New England, rural areas of the Appalachians, more of the Amish country, the magnificent Rockies from Montana south, and of course wilderness Alaska. 

I want to experience everything – I’ve slept on the floor in a village hut in Thailand, stayed in small hotels and grand resorts. An ideal trip incorporates many modes of travel.  My 2012 bucket list is narrowed down to an Amazon cruise ending with a visit to Machu Picchu, renting an affordable bure in French Polynesia or seeing the antiquities in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Pyramids, temples, and the Nile. One of my goals is to visit at least one UNESCO World Heritage site every year. I love to experience new foods, local culture, historic sights as a traveler and not as a tourist. No all-inclusives for me!

My travel bucket list for 2012 would take me all across the world. 

In April, I have a travel bloggers’ conference in Umbria, Italy, where I hope to stay in a private villa with a 200 year-old garden. I’ll then travel on with a friend to Rome to see her version of the city — she lived there for seven years. We’ll proceed to Sicily to taste lemons and stare out at the sea, then adventure through France to the Champagne and Burgundy regions. In the latter, we’ve discussed what we like to call “investigations du moutarde”: a tour of a mustard-making facility in Beaune. I’ll wrap up my trip with a visit to my friend in Zurich who gives tours of bakeries, chocolatiers and more; her recent interview with Peter strengthened my resolve to take a tour for myself.

In July I’ll be off with a pal to volunteer at an elephant reserve in northern Thailand, journey south to visit with friends who live in Bangkok, and search for unusual dumplings in the country’s far south, and then explore beleaguered yet gorgeous Myanmar by land and sea.

In late summer it’ll be off to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island for a meandering road trip with a friend from Toronto, seeking out furry horses, purple heather and Anne of Green Gables.

And in Fall it’s my hope to visit South America for the first time with a trip to Argentina to sample wines, ride horses, and explore the art scene in Buenos Aires.

Is it 2012 yet?!

I’d like to spend 2012 exploring the world’s “newest” countries – such as Timor-Leste, Montenegro, Serbia, Palau and South Sudan. As a child who avidly devoured National Geographic, it was always the newness of places previously unknown to me that really fueled my travel fire. Now that I spend so much time in places like the UK and Mexico (which can present less newness and far more cliche) I crave the excitement I once had when discovering a place for the first time. It would be so gratifying to not just do that for myself but to help others do the same, through my reporting.

The top of my bucket list is the first big event of the year (aside from New Year’s Eve): The BCS National Championship game in New Orleans. How could you not want to be a place with the tradition of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the crazy Cajuns from just up the highway in Baton Rouge. Plus, it’s in New Orleans! Continuing on the sports theme, other Bucket List places are the Grove (Ole Miss), Ohio State-Michigan in the Horseshoe USC at Notre Dame (that one will have to wait until 2013) and the Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville. 

As a meeting planner and pop culture maven, 2012 will satisfy a few ‘bucket list’ travel items: in Fefirst ever trip to the Grand Canyon; Miami Beach in March at the Eden Roc; Atlanta in April at the center of all things Turner, the Omni Hotel CNN Center; Philly & NYC in July, and Chicago in October. My main interests on these work missions (besides work), is to find the BEST local food, thrift shops, unique store and of course, art & architecture. It would be a blast to report from all these trips with my unique perspective as a tourist that wants to know all the great places that the locals know about. No chains for this gal!

Sounds like a lot of fun and hard work. 

On my bucket list for 2012 is Thailand and I’m heading there in April!  No I don’t have some kind of ‘Hangover’ fetish, I want to go to Thailand to go somewhere slightly off the beaten path.  Europe, the Caribbean and even parts of South America are so overdone and overrated.  I want to explore the jungle on an elephant, take a traditional Thai cooking class, meet some Thai people and hold a conversation with them even though I have no idea what they’re saying.  I want to see the world through their eyes and step out of the box a little and in 4 months…I will!

I can dream about it, but I am doing what it takes to make my travel bucket list for 2012 a reality. It can summed up in two words: Galapagos Islands. I want to walk in Darwin’s footsteps, be in wonder of giant tortoises and their seniority. Be perplexed about why blue-footed bobbies have toes of a different hue. To be over my nerves about swimming and just submerge myself in the waters that encompass this chain of islands. To leave a note behind in the mailbox on Floreana Island. Need to get started soon!

January: a castle hotel in Kronenburg, Germany for a long weekend cause it’s relatively close and beautiful there in winter.
February: Hawaii and Palm Springs cause it is way warmer there than the Netherlands where we live.
March: Paris with the girlfriends. Why Paris? That’s a stupid question.
May: Zaragoza, Spain with my Spanish BFF cause she’s from there and that is the best way to see a new place.
Summer: Maybe Seattle to see family/friends with a week in E. Washington at the family lake cabin cause it is heaven on earth there.
Fall: We are trying to talk some friends from the States into a rented motor home tour of Ireland. Cause I’ve never been to Ireland and we want to drive all over without having to get a new place to stay each night.

Travel is our hobby.

My 2012 bucket list is Asia-centric, since I have recently relocated to Seoul, South Korea:

Taiwan – Taipei, Taroko Gorge and Green Island
Japan – Tokyo, and some of the southern islands
China – The Great Wall
Laos – one of the few countries in SE Asia I haven’t been to yet
Vietnam – Hanoi & Halong Bay (I’ve already been to the southern half of the country)
Far East Russia – Vladivostok and surrounds
Australia – Sydney and the Whitesunday Islands
New Zealand

…and exploring the countryside of this beautiful country I will be calling ‘home’ for the next couple of years, South Korea.

With God helps I plan to enjoy a Boat Cruise through the Balearic Sea and stop in each harbour as the Balearic Island, Valencia, Barcelona, Marseille, Toulon, Sardinia and Corsica. The second goal is to take the Glacier Express! The third one is to visit Scotland as I dream about it since I was a child admiring my father post card. Good luck everybody and healthy many years.

Dana S.

What happened to my answer to your question that I posted early this morning?

Peter your initial prompts were– tell me: 1. how you like to travel and 2. your favorite local finds to which I say…1. adventurous, efficient, flexible and as unencumbered as possible because you never know what opportunities might come–you have to be ready and willing to move on a moment’s notice and 2. off the beaten path restaurants and hole in the wall places that most tourists never know exist. I can boast about xenophobic people who had never traveled abroad tell me my Asia and Africa photoblogs inspired them to get their first passport and want to see the world!

As for my 2012 travel bucket list, it includes places full of vibrance, color, adventure and in some cases, insights about the intersection of culture and health, particularly at a time when we are desperate for solutions that stick:

1. Cuba- so much to learn and explore particularly in health-related programs and policy
2. India- the birthplace of yoga in its purest form and not the commercialization we see here
3. Cycling in Italy…food, exercise and beauty…what more could you want?
4. Snowboarding in Chamonix…need I say more? 

Bucket list for 2012? Taking 6 months off from my cubicle to get back on the road.  The cornerstone to my plan is spending a few months living in Lebanon since the two weeks I had in 2010 was nowhere near enough. Goals while in Lebanon: resume studying Arabic, soak up all the food, culture and hookah I can get my hands on, find a volunteer project and reunite with friends.  While in the region I will FINALLY get to Turkey and Jordan, then back to Europe for Olympics in London and hiking in the Alps. If there’s any $$ left…Trans Siberian Railway!! It’s not a very linear plan, but with all the great things to experience out there, I can’t limit myself to one region.

After dancing with the pirates and Mickey aboard the Disney Dream and traipsing through the sunny hills of Tuscany in 2011, one may think 2011′s bucket list could be hard to beat.  But fear not, this travel lover longs to see so much more!  If it’s on my dime, the plans are to explore the Caribbean seeing Barbados, St. Lucia, St Johns and more, followed by a trek through magnificent Yellowstone Park where the goal is to come face to face with the bears, bison, moose and more.  But if Peter’s helping me out, my bucket will surely overflow,  I’d love the chance to investigate the nooks and crannies (and food!) of the many small villages of southern France.  Oh and Portugal!  How I long to see the Azure Islands and architecture of Lisbon.  Send me there Peter-I am ready, willing and able.

In all my travels I have found that on foot albeit hiking, walking or running is the best way to really experience and appreciate a destination. Second favorite mode of transportation- if there’s a body of water then there’s a boat to be boarded. It’s amazing the difference in perspective you get when you can tour a city by water. Whether it’s moseying along a canal in Goteborg or aboard a day cruise on Milford Sound, it almost always comes with an interesting, historical narration by the captain or shipmate that you would never have learned otherwise. This in turn also may provide you with first hand tips of where to go for the best catch, tastiest stout or the locals only watering hole. Have you ever gotten great tips from inside your moving car, cab or bus? I haven’t. 

Destination 2012 is surely going to make up for the travel drought of 2011. As a photo producer it’s not that I did not travel at all this year, but it was oddly my home state that I became to know more intimately. Traveling abroad not so much. On several work occasions, I found myself in middle south Georgia, in places that were hot, sticky, sometimes dirty and well just plain fun. Did you know that Georgia is actually divided into 9 regions and there really is some wonderfully old, historical destinations to be had right here in my home state. I bet if you asked a native Atlantan, if you can find one, where Magnolia Midlands was they’d ask if you were talking about some new fancy restaurant. Come discover Georgia it’s more than just grits and humidity.

Sorry for the detour, so back to Destination 2012. First on the agenda is Mexico. Now I know that everyone has put Mexico on the back burner but I always tend to go against the grain and Mexico is a new love for me, I just can’t get enough. I have some unfinished travel to do in Mexico. People to meet, tacos stands to visit and a little piece of paradise called Tulum to see. I take my safety very serious and will heed the travel advisories.

My other destination on the roster, it’s embarrassing to say I have not been, is the UK. How can I tout myself as a world traveler and never have had been to the UK you might wonder? As I mentioned, it’s a little embarrassing, so it had to make it on the list this year (even before I have a chance to get a jump through that Cuban door that is swinging wide open! ) Regardless of it’s 2012 Olympic notoriety, I’m more interested in walking Hadrian’s Wall on a 2 or 3 day jaunt staying in a B&B or a recommended local accommodations. Then I’d venture up to Edinburg sometime between Aug 3rd to the 27th for the Edinburgh International Festival featuring thousands of artists from all over the globe. 

I’m a freelance producer that has flexible time and speaks enough French and Spanish to gather some local smiles. Plus my passport is always up to date. Let’s go!

2012:  Where and why?…The clamoring sounds of early morning in Cairo! Call to pray, car horns blaring in what I know must be a code I need to decifer, children hurrying to school, people flowing hear and there, in and out of traffic, cats yowling, and somewhere a rooster crows! Fresh fruit and baked goods await in the street vendors stalls for me to purchase and carry to a cafe where I can sit and order ahwa (Turkish coffee, extra sugar for me)!  Time to savor the morning in anticpation of the delights that await. Strolling the streets of Minya in search of the perfect grilled chicken among the kindest people. Playing backgammon in a cafe on the corniche in Alexandria with a breeze blowing through the open shutters.  Smoking shisha around the fire at a Bedoin camp before an early morning hike to see the sunrise from the summit of Mount Sinai.  Then off to Dahab for some Eyptian beer, backgammon, more shisha and plenty of relaxing. Snorkling and horseback riding into the desert are a must and of course Bedoin tea!  I’m just getting started!  The streets of Cairo are calling!  Walk the alleys, look into the tradesmens shops, see the real Egypt!  In Egypt the people welcome you with a blessing, treat you like family, and bless your departure.You can wash her dust from your body, it remains forever in your soul.

 Uyuni Salar plunked into my bucket hard and heavy.  I didn’t know where it was, but when I researched the high-altitude salt flats of Bolivia, I was captivated by the stark, desolate, nothingness combined with the unique geographical features of the most simple mineral known to man:  salt. 

Compressed into a 12 km flat, surrounded by the Andes Mountains, in the wet season, 1-2 inches of rain collects on the salt flats creating a magnificent mirror of magnanimous proportions.  My imagination is inspired to comprehend the spectacle.

Uyuni has become a destination for photographers and adventure travelers seeking remote, breath-taking (literally at 3653m/12054ft your breath will be taken from you) destinations.  Local tour operators provide guided excursions in 4 x 4 vehicles skipping you across the flats like a stone on a pond.  Allow a minimum of 3-4 days, staying in small hotels, including the “Salt Hotel” where everything is made from huge blocks of salt including the beds & furniture.  The wet season rolls in from December and out again by late March.  Driving on the salar during this time is subject to the amount of rainfall and may be restricted in order to protect the sight from damage.  The best time to travel is April through June and into the summer months in the northern hemisphere.Access by air is through the international airport in La Paz or overland from Peru.  Fly from La Paz to Uyuni or the capital Sucre, also worthy of a stop if time allows.  Can be combined with a trip to Machu Picchu, the ancient ruins of the Incas located outside Cusco.Whether you seek soulful solace or an outrageous, mind-blowing, can-this-be-real travel destination, I hope Uyuni Salar plops into your bucket too.

The plans sound like a great adventure  Love the UK and Scotland always an adventure especially the Highlands and always the castles But do not forget Wales this is a unique country filled with music from fantastic voices and happy people. Then while in Edinburgh take in a kali and have some fun Preston Hall is always a smile  then travel out ot the main city and take in some great spots like Isle of Sky and much more.  Have a great adventure for 2012

That can be a great adventure.  I have toured the states some and have been in many of them.  One thing I love to do is go to Presidential Libraries and Places of Birth. It is really interesting what you can learn from these stops. Also take paths that just look interesting and travel and have so much fun in whatour country has to offer. There are so many unique places here in this country to travel and learn.

On the distand horizon  the Pyramids  is a goal but probably 2013.. This year the middle of the USA.

Fire Island is on my travel bucket for 2012 because Peter Greenberg is a volunteer firefighter there and I want to see him in action! Debbie
Menin

I had a spinal fusion and one disc removed 6 days ago. I haven’t been able to go anywhere or talk to any locals, except here in my little hometown of Balsam Lake, WI. Population is around 1000 this time of the year, at least until the ice is in, then, it will be very busy on the weekends, if we have snow. In the summertime, this lake of 2000 acres can swell to 3 or 4 times as many water-enthusiasts.  My boyfriend of 16 years and me, went to a local lake hangout called “The Thirsty Otter” {no, I’m not kidding} to meet our neighbors and friends, for a bite to eat. Afterwards, I commented on their Facebook page that while the food was quite good, as was the service, they needed to really look at cleaning the place up  with some good,  old fashioned,  elbow grease. The owner or manager commented back to my Facebook page and apologized, and asked what day we were there. Did she think Tuesdays grease was there on Wednesday, or even worse, perhaps until Friday?
Oh yeah baby, 6 weeks from now, with my doctors okay,  I’ll be on a plane, going somewhere warm, to finish my recouperation in the southern sun. I don’t know where yet, I don’t even care…

On my bucket list for 2012 is Alaska. Having studied foreign language (German) in college and grad school, I’ve been all over Europe, even to Greece. Thanks to my wife’s postdoc in math (She’s a professor now), we also lived for two years in Israel. I’ve been to Hawaii when my wife had a conference there, but never to Alaska. I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise and would love to combine a 1 week cruise with a tour of Alaska’s inner passage and hopefully Denali National Park. We have traveled a lot for work and to visit our elderly grandparents, but have yet to take a real vacation since our son (now 20 months) was born in Israel in April 2010. I love nature and wildlife and spectacular scenery, and think that an Alaskan cruise would give my wife and I a chance to relax while seeing some amazing natural wonders.

My 2012 Travel Bucket List:

~Chernobyl – I want to experience the deafening silence of a village with no people.  Where birds no longer sing and paintings of dancing alligators in a children’s’ shop are surrounded by rubble, broken glass and the beep of a Geiger counter.

~Tapis de Fleurs de Bruxelles – I’ve already had the pleasure of standing in Brussels’ central square, my neck craned and my eyes as wide as saucers in an attempt to take in the imposing architecture and magnificent guildhalls.  Now I want to see with those same eyes the 2000-square meter flower carpet made of colourful begonias and dahlias.

~India – India has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time but more specifically I want to visit India during the Diwali festival.  I want to help prepare a house to welcome the goddess Lakshmi, watch vendors push their make-shift trolleys brimming with red, yellow, green, pink and silver garlands through the street and feel the touch of a fingertip as red vermilion powder is applied between my eyebrows for the perfect round bindi.

~Rome – From the first moment I heard the melodic piano melody of Ludovico Einaudi’s I Giorni whilst riding down a busy motorway, I have wanted to explore the city and complete the visit by attending one of the Italian composer/musician’s concerts in one of the most famous cities in Italy.

~Switzerland – I am dying to find out, just how clean are their streets?!?

Triple “S”: Seduced by the call to visit Sicily, Sardinia, Spain. A world traveller with a passion, and a former editor in chief who is addicted to using a keypad to unleash creative juices in my writing.

The Netherlands to catch a KNPV competition with my Malinois and then on to Germany to review the Shutzhund with trainers. Stuttgart is the next stop so we can find a nice retreat and get some R & R.  The car museums may nudge my interest but we usually go where the locals point us.  This means I have to leave a spa…  We will then return to the U.S.  aboard Cunard on their only pet friendly ship.  I’ll venture back across the pond a little later.  

Next up, I trot off to  Dongtan, China.  I am sure the Mayor and the locals have some items of interest to tell us about the cities condition! If I am so lucky, I can fit in a visit to meet a pure bred Thai Ridgeback. My next stop will most likely be in Africa at a yet to be announced AGCI (ECI) choice before finding a way to Paragominas Brazil where I can learn with the locals as they teach the world.  It may be fun to experience entering a bank in Manaus while I am so close, like just across the river.  

My travel style is to learn as much in a “snapshot” as I can about what interests me. I am curious and thirsty.  ”How do we the people (animals) and the earth tick, what winds us up and down”?  I usually avoid the tourist areas but every now and again there is something that must not be passed up, usually it’s the airport. One thing I have learned is that sometimes the quietest person in the room has the most interesting stories to tell and almost every person likes K-9s either as a companion or as dinner.

I already have a trip booked to Easter Island and Santiago, so I won’t count that for now as it is booked.  My bucket list trip for the year would be to go to Europe for the Christmas markets – go to as many as I could for a few weeks!

My travel bucket list grows every day. The more I read and write about people, cultures, food, wine and travel, the more places I wish to explore. 

At the top of my list for 2012 is Belize. I’ve been there two times already and I still have not experienced all that this beautiful country has to offer. On my last visit, my two teenagers and I stayed for a month. The people are very poor, yet warm, welcoming and generous. We were able to mingle with some of the locals, which, in my opinion, is really the best way to experience another country. My kids learned how to fish with a soda bottle and a fishing line. They learned how to gut and fillet a fish and grill it for dinner. They built kites out of grbage bags, palm tree limbs and fishing line. They even learned how to climb a coconut tree and knock down the green fruits to pry open and enjoy. During our snorkling trips, we were able to “pet” a nursing shark, touch a stingray and observe two manatee getting cozy. We dodged fire coral, eels and rocks as we slithered through the water.

The food? Amazing. The produce is grown right in Belize. I had forgotten what a naturally ripened tomato tasted like. The potatoes, onions, carrots…everything was local. Fast food? Of course, but not the kind that we’re acustomed to in the US. Belizean fast food is a local taco stand, or a neighborhood burger place. Some of these little food stands looked like one big health violation. But after the first bite, you knew your meal is just another slice of paradise. 

We stayed on Ambergris Caye, the largest of the Belizean islands. The Caribbean lifestyle took about a week to get used to. Coming from Houston, Texas, a city of 4 million people and dropping into a country of only 300,000, was a welcome culture shock. One local, Rasta Harry, complete with dreds down to his knees, kept reminding us, “…it’s the islands, mon. No worries. No problem.” A Bob Marley fan, my 16-year-old daughter took to Rasta Harry immediately. Hugs were freely given and received without a second thought. These people looked beyond the color of our skin. They welcomed us as one of their own.

I returned to Houston with tears in my eyes. We live in such a materialistic world and don’t even have a fraction of the peace and tranquility that these island folks experience every day. So I want to go back. For the food. For the lifestyle. And for a hug from Rasta Harry.

Linda C Hadfield
8313 Rio Grande Street
Houston, Texas 77040
Linda at Hadfield dot net
@LCHadfield

Hi Peter, 
I love a good contest. And coincidentally, just put together my 2012 travel list today! For winter: Mexico City is on my list. Never been. Chaos, markets and authentic Mexican food? Yes please! Mexico has had a rough year and I’d like to see what’s beyond the all inclusive resorts (plus, I was really inspired by a sneak peek at your Royal Tour with the President of Mexico).In Spring, Switzerland is on the European list. There’s the perception that it’s expensive. I believe it but let’s find the deals (and I’m sure with some lagging tourism there, there’s bound to be a good deal in Switzerland). Yodel Lay Hee Hoo! In Summer, I’m exploring my home and native land of Canada – specifically, the Atlantic Coast. PEI just opened up its first boutique hotel in 25 years and Newfoundland could probably be our next frontier. 2012 is exciting for Newfoundland as well because of the Titantic’s 100th anniversary. Plus, I’m always up for a good hike on Gros Morne. Canadians choose not to see their own country due to expense and value for other destinations. Guilty as charged. Let’s change it. 

Winter brings me to my ultimate bucket list destination of Argentina. Wine, steak and tango? It doesn’t get any better than that! I’m curious about the different neighbourhoods and can’t wait to explore. If I can get to Bolivia and Brazil along the way, bring it! 

I posted this 3 days ago and it never appeared. Then I posted a query–which appeared but with no explanation of what happened to my first post??

Well, my bucket list is long and things pop in and out with
the whim of the moment and the price of airfare. 2012 starts with a January
return trip to Costa Rica. It began with a phone call from a friend, “I have a
Delta credit I have to use by January 24—let’s go somewhere warm.” “Go” is my
favorite word.

Why Costa Rica? Well, it’s warm. Mostly. It’s cheap. If you
live like a Tico. Plus, I admire their emphasis on sustainable tourism, and I want
to learn more about the developing wildlife corridor. There is also the fact
that I am writing about the history of sea turtle research in Costa Rica. Sort
of.

Then there are the jungle lodges of Tortuguero and
countless other funky little places to stay. Or you can rent a vacation house
and settle in for a few days or weeks. If basking on the beach in the lap of
luxury appeals to you, there are plenty of fine resorts and highrise condos on the Pacific Coast and inland around Arenal Volcano and San Jose. Or so I hear, it isn’t my
thing.

Costa Rica is a land of adventure. Just driving a rental car
on the less than perfect road system with no street addresses is an adventure.
Be sure and get a GPS with Cost Rican maps. On my last trip, ours could put a
little flag where we were and another little flag where we wanted to go—but it
often had no idea how to get from one to the other. If that is not enough
adventure, there is kayaking, white-water rafting, rainforest hiking,
zip-lining, fishing, and of course, surfing.

After January? Maybe Germany. I lived in Berlin in the 70s
and haven’t been back since. If airfare is still running $1700 for coach—maybe
not. We are also considering Uruguay or maybe Ecuador. Or maybe another
volunteer week with Pueblo Ingles in Spain. My bucket overfloweth.

Now my post is spread all over the page. What am I doing wrong? It didn’t look like that on my computer before I hit post!!

Dear Peter,

After years of slow and methodical secularization, Turkey is finally getting its day in the sun.

Turkey literally bridges the gap between (predominantly Christian) Europe and (largely Islamic) Asia, in the biggest city and cultural hub of Istanbul. Two bridges cross the Bosphorus (a third is currently being built), connecting the more secular, Westernized Istanbul with the Kurds and Arabs in the south, as well as the Laz of the west and the
Georgians in the north. Today, an influx of Armenians, Greeks, gypsies, Albanians
and Chechans have rounded out the demography, infusing the country (and
especially urban areas) with their food, their language, their art, and their
culture.

Curiously, though, this multi-religion, multilingual country of many ethnicities doesn’t categorize its population by ethnicity:  in a sign that the country has fully embraced
national pride, most citizens of Turkey, regardless of ethnicity, regard themselves as Turkish. Is there any other place on Earth right now where so many different groups of people co-exist in relative peace, embracing each others’ culture and way of life, and finding common ground as fellow countrymen—as Turks—than the democratic nation of Turkey?

For that primary reason (plus so many others) Turkey in on this writer’s and world traveler’s bucket list for 2012.

Warm Regards,
Katie McVay

Dear Peter,

After years of slow and methodical secularization, Turkey is
finally getting its day in the sun.

Turkey literally
bridges the gap between (predominantly Christian) Europe and (largely Islamic) Asia,
in the biggest city and cultural hub of Istanbul.
Two bridges cross the Bosphorus (a third is currently being built), connecting the
more secular, Westernized Istanbul
with the Kurds and Arabs in the south, as well as the Laz of the west and the
Georgians in the north. Today, an influx of Armenians, Greeks, gypsies, Albanians
and Chechans have rounded out the demography, infusing the country (and
especially urban areas) with their food, their language, their art, and their
culture.

Curiously, though, this multi-religion, multilingual country
of many ethnicities doesn’t categorize its population by ethnicity:  in a sign that the country has fully embraced
national pride, most citizens of Turkey, regardless of ethnicity,
regard themselves as Turkish. Is there any other place on Earth right now where
so many different groups of people co-exist in relative peace, embracing each
others’ culture and way of life, and finding common ground as fellow countrymen—as
Turks—than the democratic nation of Turkey?

For that primary reason (plus so many others) Turkey in on
this writer’s and world traveler’s bucket list for 2012.

Warm Regards,
Katie McVay

My 2012 travel bucket list starts with a trip to Melbourne, Australia, and then the South Island of New Zealand. I’m ready to see some glaciers and volcanoes! If I could stop in Fiji before returning, I’d be a happy camper. Post-Oceania, my biggest dream is to go further south to Antarctica, where, of course, “meeting the locals” means talking with research scientists and hanging out with penguins. The final item on my 2012 list is to go hang gliding in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. I can’t imagine a better place to accomplish this lifelong dream than the site of the Wright Brothers’ famous flight.

Bucket list, schmucket list…who’s got the time for that ‘thousand places to see before you die’ stuff? I’m having too much fun revisiting memorable places from my 12 years of post college wanderings. Next on that list – Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Even though it was just me, a banjo and a backpack, I was treated like a celebrity in those countries, passed around from household to household because – at least in their eyes – I was an authentic American cowboy – wearing cowboy boots & Levis and playing bluegrass style banjo made it so! To have someone like that as a house guest was a huge status symbol for an Algerian family of 1970. The other extreme was also extant – I almost had my throat cut one point – before they discovered I was not French, but American. To be determined – what kind of a reception will I receive this year…returning as an over-the-hill travel blogger wearing clogs and plus-size Chinos?

I recently finished a book entitled Between Shades of Gray By
Ruta Septys.

The novel is set in Lithuania during World War II.  The narrator is a fifteen-year-old named
Lina who is deported with her Mother and brother to Siberia.

The story intrigues me so much that I have begun research on
the Baltic Region.

Throughout the narrative of the story Lina shares the love
for her country and wished to be home again enjoying life as she remembers
it.  The tragedy is that Lithuania,
as the country it was in 1941 will not return until 1990 because of political
turmoil.   

I have found that the Baltic Region offers great
opportunities to experience the richness of ecotourism as well as opportunities
to walk through historical towns and village that provide tragic yet triumphant
sense of a region prime for exploration. 

Heather- you should check into whether the Government is issuing permits or not before you go to Chernobyl. To date they are not issuing any permits to go inside the exclusion zone. This has happened very recently, in the last few weeks and seems to change depending on who you contact.

While I appreciate (and even envy) those lucky souls who have posted their amazing “bucket list” travel destinations, I wonder how many will actually get to those places. Who has the time? Who has the money? Who has that many credit card miles? (And, tell me what your job is so I can work there and get all those vacation days!)
 
What about real places people go? With that said, get ready to hear about the hot locales I’d love to visit in 2012 (or any other year for that matter). {Insert dramatic drum roll here}.
 
Providence, Rhode Island.
 
Exotic, huh?
 
Ok, point taken. Maybe I can do better. Let’s try something else.
 
How about an idea from my old friends Wayne and Garth, “imagine being magically whisked away to … Delaware. Hi, I’m in Delaware.”
 
The idea is that there are incredible places close to home that offer cool experiences, relaxing getaways, historical charm and friendly people to meet along the way. My “bucket list” is to start local. Take a long weekend away from the office and experience another place that may appear not-so-exotic, but offers the same mystery and excitement that so many crave when traveling to far-off places half a world away.

On my 2012 bucket list is a visit to Svalbard to see the polar bears in their playground. With few roads and the main transportation being snowmobile, the Svalbard islands are to me the ultimate winter adventure travel destination.

Svalbard is quite popular in the short summer from June – August, but as polar night gives way to the sun’s return, Late February to early March seems like the perfect time for a visit.

Hi Callie,

I wrote a response to this one but the post doesn’t seem to have been approved yet.  I totally agree it is a complicated situation.  We cancelled our planning for a January trip because our contact mentioned about the rule change yet we also know of people who have gone recently.
Supposedly the area is open again since December to tourists but with stricter regulations.

First of all:
 Barcelona/Elciego, Spain – Barcelona and I did not part on good terms.
 My first (and only) visit there was on a business trip in October of this
year.  Due to constraints beyond my control I had less than 24 hours in
the city.  Not much, but some time is better than NO time, right?  At
the conclusion of the event I was attending I found that my smartphone was
missing from my front pocket.  Stolen!  Instead of enjoying my
precious little time in Barcelona, I spent the next few hours in the hotel on
the phone and computer changing my passwords and scrambling to protect my
identity.  I was able to see a bit of Las Ramblas but none of what I
really wanted to see.  (Lesson learned:  download a security app -
well worth the $30)

Luckily the next day I
was on my way to Elciego, in the heart of Spanish wine country.  Again for
business and again for just a few hours.  However, time spent at the
Marques de Riscal hotel designed by Frank Ghery was a dream.  The food was delicious, the hotel was
spectacular and the view of the small pueblo of Elciego is what is calling me
back.  It is just the kind of small
Spanish town I would love to explore for hours. I would start with a visit to
the massive church there that looks completely out of scale with the rest of
the town.  I would hope to find a priest
there that would have the spare time to give me a personal tour and the history
of the building and the area.  I would
then venture to one of the neighborhood bread shops for some pastries and local
folklore.  A visit to a park is sure to
bring some encounters with some seasoned men in their boinas (Basque berets)
just itching to share stories of the Spain of the past. 

Second:  Portland, Oregon – I’ve lived in Seattle for
almost 5 years now.  In those 5 years I’ve
visited such locales as Rome, Madrid, NYC, Boston, Vancouver, BC, Nova Scotia,
Las Vegas, LA, etc.  But I’ve still not
ventured the 3 hours down the I-5 to visit this notoriously quirky city.  Powell’s City of Books and Voodoo Doughnuts
await!

Third:  Disneyland at Christmas time and the elusive
candy cane.  Disneyland‘s candy makers famous
candy canes are only available on specific dates at one of the bakeries on Main
Street, USA.  To be one of the recipients
of these delicious handmade treats you need to arrive at Disneyland early on a
day they are made, queue up with your fingers crossed, and hopefully receive a
ticket that will allow you to purchase the confection that is rumored to have
the ability to instantly take you back to your childhood.  In all of my visits to The Happiest Place on
Earth, they have never coincided with this magical event.

Fourth:  Piaţa Unirii (Union Square), in Timişoara,
Romania.  I have an app on my phone that,
every hour, shows me a live web cam photo from one of dozens of locations
throughout the world.  The location that
intrigues me the most is this square in western Romania.  It seems there is always something going on
there.  Whether it is locals gathered in
groups sharing the gossip of the day or a festival of some sort.  I am anxious to be part of the hustle and
bustle of this square.

My goal for the Spring of 2012 is to ride an ancient Harley-Davidson motorbike (1967 vintage) from Houston, Texas to Big Bend National Park (about 700 miles) and investigate the Mystery Tablet that was discovered in 1962 along Tornillo Creek. With many attributing the clay tabloid as being more than 2,000 years old (well before Chris and his 1492 band), some believe it may have been possibly scribed by the Zoraastrians (an almost unknown tribe from the Mediterranean). The best part – it was originally stored in the Big Bend Nat’l Park maintenance shed and then “mysteriously” lost. I don’t think so. I personally know the Maintenance Foreman, he is a good friend. Camping, riding thru inhospitable climes and dancing with the natives along the Mexican border—Texas does not get much bettter.

In addition to the aforementioned plans for Margarita Island, VZ, a good old road trip down snowbird highway I-95 to beautiful, Vero Beach, the Gateway to the Tropics, a laid back week of enjoying the beaches, Riverside Park, the Indian River …looking for gold doubloons and butterflys and escaping the frigid north for a few balmy days.

Probably a good idea to not go at the current time. My friend just got back and they never did a permit to go in. He was even with a native Russian and it seemed the story changed from one person to the next. Ill have a chance to meet up with him to hear all about the trip in the next few weeks. I know he will still have some wonderful images to share. You can email me at callie@calliehouseholder.com and I’ll see if I can give you some further insight.

Hi Melanie! I’m also going to the TBU conference in Umbria. I live in northern Italy, but when you are in Roma you must visit the Borghese Gallery and Gardens. It is my favorite area in all of Roma!

I recommend Morges, Switzerland in May for the Tulip Festival! You’ll find over 100,000 tulips carefully arranged in the seaside park. Sample the local fare in the festivals tents while taking in the intoxicating scent of the most beautiful varieties of tulips from around the world.

You should visit Ferrara, Italy to cycle around the medieval city’s walls. You can actually cycle on top of them and there are over 50km of paths to cycle along. 

When I get my heart set on going to a place, I make there no matter what. You only live once, right?

It was just the anniversary of the discovery of the South Pole earlier this week. You can take a skiing expedition and reach the South Pole research center.

The European Christmas Market season kicks off the last weekend of November. It is hard not to be in a Christmas spirit as the cities sparkle and carolers sing your favorite Christmas songs. Keep warm with vin brule (hot mulled wine).

My 2012 bucket list would be to set out and find five to six of the world’s greatest Cathedrals. Then spend time talking with the local’s and determine why they think their respective Cathedral should be considered one of the world’s finest. After that exhaustive trip(s) a little R & R would be in order and perhaps a trip to the W Retreat & Spa in the Maldives would be in order.

While my comment was accepted and “awaiting moderation” – it never appeared!  I’m trying to repost to Week One to continue the travel contest challenges …

In 2012, I plan to stick close to home to explore Canada’s shorelines.  Our coasts rival the best in the world and, for the most part, remain blissfully unexplored.  From down-home music, meals and harbor-hopping around Halifax to Tofino’s trails, sun, surf and spas … there’s an adventure to suit every taste and budget.  Zip-lining or limpets, anyone?

My travel bucket list has only one item in it – a little piece of paper saying “Travel meaningfully!”

That means -

1) Regarding travel not as a “product” but as an opportunity to connect; and
2) Using travel to learn and become a little more humble rather than a means to boast about where I’ve been.

Having said that, I really like the lists of Heather Tucker and Missfitz!

Estonia

I was told by my Mother that if I went to Estonia, I would not want to
leave.  The cities are full of young,
energetic and educated Estonians. This thriving society combined with the
opportunity to experience the Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn makes Estonia an irresistible travel
destination for me.

Umbria, Italy

I discovered the Italian region of Umbria
while watching the movie My House in Umbria
(2003). The picturesque countryside portrayed in the movie has me imagining a day
of walking and a leisurely picnic, then returning to town and settling in for
an evening meal featuring the local wine and foods. Bliss!

Thanks Jennifer, for the recommendation!

Thanks Callie!

I going there in February to investigate the tablet.

Anywhere with my three boys ages 4, 5 and 8! Actually this summer it is(hopefully) looking like it will be somewhere in Europe…. we have done Budapest, Vienna and Finland in the past. Hopefully this summer it will be Spain, or Berlin or France, the youngest one has a very cute merci beaucoup. 

Why – hmmmmm…. that is a good question, I will admit with three boys in tow it would probably be easier to stay home and let them play with friends and go to the pool, but then we would all miss out on opportunities like gnome hunting in Quebec, or simply watching the wonder in their eyes as the airplane descends on a new city and they know that before them is a magical new place waiting to be explored. Truly traveling with children gives adults an entirely new perspective on travel and the world around us. 

My travel bucket list is huge.  I’ve already been able to take a few bucket list items off of my list, like Machu Picchu.  Angkor Wat is now on my bucket list.  I love those really old temple type places.  

We have booked a trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, because I haven’t been since Katrina, Mardi Gras is definitely a bucket list must-go, and my husband and son (aged 10) are avid photographers. My son got a new, great quality camera for Christmas and this is a fantastic opportunity to use it!

For starters, in February, Disney World, for my husband’s sake. (Our youngest, of four, is 11 years old so it’s the last chance to bring a fairly little kid to Disney.) Next up, in March, Costa Rica, followed by Seattle in May. In June, I’m off to Hawaii to surf. I first tried surfing in Venice Beach, two summers ago, but got reasonably proficient last summer, when I spent the month of July in Edinburgh. (Scotland and great surfing — who knew?)  

Nothing planned yet for the second half of the year but I am off to a good start, wouldn’t you say? 

You know that saying, “When you’re not looking life will pass you by”.
As my oldest child just turned seventeen it seems I wasn’t looking as hard as I would have liked to. The everday busyness of life can distract us and just like that our kids are grown and heading off to college.
When my children were born I knew I wanted to show them the world. But then it happened to us. Time flew by. Money was needed for college not Eurpean vacations. We managed to squeeze in two family vacations. A Colorado ski trip and a Disney cruise. Most have been road trips…fun but didn’t scratch the surface of the travel ideas I really had. My 2012 bucket list would be to take a family vacation one last time before my oldest child turns 18. This around the world vacation would include working on a farm in Italy making everything from scratch. Painting a family portrait in Paris. Seeing the The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, Bethlham at Christmas, watch the annual migration of a million wildebeast in masai mara, Kenya, surf the beaches of Tahiti, eat in Singapore, and buy textiles and spices in India. A vacation like that just might tip the bucket, but oh the joy of seeing my kids faces evertime they saw with wonder just how spectacular our world really is would be unmeasurable!

This year I have plans to travel to Costa Rica and combine a week long travel adventure near a volcano with a couple of days on the beach before heading back to LAX.

Next, a long weekend in London, with a tour of some of the lovely country estates that have been converted into museums, and perhaps a train ride through the countryside.  Of course, a trip to London wouln’t be complete without a night at the theatre. I saw War Horse there last summer. I sat in the front row-a must for this production, so you can see the horses  being manipulated by their puppeteers.

My third trip will be to Israel, where I will stay in my British cousin’s flat on the beach near Tel Aviv and also drive to a kibbutz near the Jordanian border to visit my other cousins. I haven’t been to Israel in many years and anticipate lots of new, modern buildings but I have a feeling that the ancient sites won’t be changed a bit.

I also plan on a safari in South Africa but that will have to wait until next year. I’ve been on safaris through Kenya and climbed up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but haven’t made it to the Southern part of the continent yet. So that will be an exciting change. It’s interesting to see all those magnificent animals in their own neck of the woods, or should I say jungle? Quite a difference from the Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, a very strange and interesting novel about an Indian boy that imparts a lot of information about zoos but very little about animals in the wild.

This is the year of “The Far East” for me (actually the far west for us west coasters). It’s all about China. The Middle Kingdom. The Land of the Sleeping Dragon. The Great Exporter. This year I’ll be teaching in Shenyang, but visiting all the landmarks. The Harbin Ice Festival is tops on my list, it’s practically a city made of ice and color. Heavens gate near 
Zhangjiajie also draws me in, it’s a massive hole in the side of a mountain, and until you see pictures you won’t really know how awesome this place is. It’ll be incredible to see places like Beijing but it’s really all about the countryside for me. The rice fields,the pandas, the mountains! Oh my. I can hardly wait. 

I am returning to France to walk the section of the Chemin de St Jacques from Conques to wherever because that’s where I left off last time and I loved it even more that the Camino across Spain.

Travel
writing is a way to explore the world for the collective good, to
venture into places relatively unknown and bring back stories of
cultures, visions of lands far-away, and the pervasive spirit of
people we’ve yet to know.  I strongly feel that learning of
different pockets of the world has the ability to connect us all
together, to foster a notion of understanding, and slowly build a
bridge to peace.  Encouraging such explorations in others is the
ultimate goal of a travel writer, whether our readers have the
ability to reach these physical destinations themselves, or can be
transported there through our words and images. 

My
travel bucket list for 2012 is made up of places that I feel my
readers, and our world at large, would benefit from knowing more
intimately. In February I will be off to Guatemala, a country
in the process of rebuilding after decades of civil war, which has
left thousands of native people struggling to carve out their place
in the modern Guatemala. Millions of people visit the country each
year, and tourism supports much of the economy.  I hope to
explore not just the tourist meccas but the smaller parts of the
country as well. I will visit communities working to build
eco-tourism initiatives and service travel programs for
those looking to travel with a purpose.  I want to explore the
destinations being built up with respect to native cultures in an
effort to both build an economy and preserve tradition. The Mayan
culture offers ancient and rich tradition that I feel would be
interesting to share more of, especially with all the Western hooplah
over 2012. Let’s explore what traditional Mayan people really believe
and what they feel is important for the global community moving
forward. I hope to include parts of Belize in this exploration as
well.

The
other places on my bucket list for 2012 are Burma and the Bhutan.
Home to breathtaking landscapes and rich culture, they are countries
that haven’t yet been heavily explored through traditional travel
and tourism. Also rebuilding from ethnic conflict, Burma stands at a
precarious place in history. Attempting now to open to Western
interest and diplomacy, Burma remains a country run by the same
military that oversaw years of ethnic genocide against minority
groups. It will be interesting to explore how Western interests
evolve in this country, as well as in the Bhutan, and I think
exploring it now would be a vivid look at state of the country and
the possibilities evolving there. Travel and tourism investment would
likely go a long way to provide a hopefully sustainable future for
the people there. I believe my writing there would focus on culture,
adventure tourism and the development as well of sustainable tourism
initiatives that would welcome Westerners to explore a rich culture
and landscape. 

Travel
writing is a way to explore the world for the collective good, to
venture into places relatively unknown and bring back stories of
cultures, visions of lands far-away, and the pervasive spirit of
people we’ve yet to know.  I strongly feel that learning of
different pockets of the world has the ability to connect us all
together, to foster a notion of understanding, and slowly build a
bridge to peace.  Encouraging such explorations in others is the
ultimate goal of a travel writer, whether our readers have the
ability to reach these physical destinations themselves, or can be
transported there through our words and images. 

My
travel bucket list for 2012 is made up of places that I feel my
readers, and our world at large, would benefit from knowing more
intimately. In February I will be off to Guatemala, a country
in the process of rebuilding after decades of civil war, which has
left thousands of native people struggling to carve out their place
in the modern Guatemala. Millions of people visit the country each
year, and tourism supports much of the economy.  I hope to
explore not just the tourist meccas but the smaller parts of the
country as well. I will visit communities working to build
eco-tourism initiatives and service travel programs for
those looking to travel with a purpose.  I want to explore the
destinations being built up with respect to native cultures in an
effort to both build an economy and preserve tradition. The Mayan
culture offers ancient and rich tradition that I feel would be
interesting to share more of, especially with all the Western hooplah
over 2012. Let’s explore what traditional Mayan people really believe
and what they feel is important for the global community moving
forward. I hope to include parts of Belize in this exploration as
well.

The
other places on my bucket list for 2012 are Burma and the Bhutan.
Home to breathtaking landscapes and rich culture, they are countries
that haven’t yet been heavily explored through traditional travel
and tourism. Also rebuilding from ethnic conflict, Burma stands at a
precarious place in history. Attempting now to open to Western
interest and diplomacy, Burma remains a country run by the same
military that oversaw years of ethnic genocide against minority
groups. It will be interesting to explore how Western interests
evolve in this country, as well as in the Bhutan, and I think
exploring it now would be a vivid look at state of the country and
the possibilities evolving there. Travel and tourism investment would
likely go a long way to provide a hopefully sustainable future for
the people there. I believe my writing there would focus on culture,
adventure tourism and the development as well of sustainable tourism
initiatives that would welcome Westerners to explore a rich culture
and landscape.

Travel
writing is a way to explore the world for the collective good, to
venture into places relatively unknown and bring back stories of
cultures, visions of lands far-away, and the pervasive spirit of
people we’ve yet to know.  I strongly feel that learning of
different pockets of the world has the ability to connect us all
together, to foster a notion of understanding, and slowly build a
bridge to peace.  Encouraging such explorations in others is the
ultimate goal of a travel writer, whether our readers have the
ability to reach these physical destinations themselves, or can be
transported there through our words and images. 

My
travel bucket list for 2012 is made up of places that I feel my
readers, and our world at large, would benefit from knowing more
intimately. In February I will be off to Guatemala, a country
in the process of rebuilding after decades of civil war, which has
left thousands of native people struggling to carve out their place
in the modern Guatemala. Millions of people visit the country each
year, and tourism supports much of the economy.  I hope to
explore not just the tourist meccas but the smaller parts of the
country as well.   I want to explore the
destinations being built up with respect to native cultures in an
effort to both build an economy and preserve tradition. The Mayan
culture offers ancient and rich tradition that I feel would be
interesting to share more of, especially with all the Western hooplah
over 2012. Let’s explore what traditional Mayan people really believe
and what they feel is important for the global community moving
forward. I hope to include parts of Belize in this exploration as
well.

The
other places on my bucket list for 2012 are Burma and the Bhutan.
Home to breathtaking landscapes and rich culture, they are countries
that haven’t yet been heavily explored through traditional travel
and tourism. Also rebuilding from ethnic conflict, Burma stands at a
precarious place in history. Attempting now to open to Western
interest and diplomacy, Burma remains a country run by the same
military that oversaw years of ethnic genocide against minority
groups. It will be interesting to explore how Western interests
evolve in this country, as well as in the Bhutan, and I think
exploring it now would be a vivid look at state of the country and
the possibilities evolving there. Travel and tourism investment would
likely go a long way to provide a hopefully sustainable future for
the people there. I believe my writing there would focus on culture,
adventure tourism and the development as well of sustainable tourism
initiatives that would welcome Westerners to explore a rich culture
and landscape.

South Africa and Zimbabwe have been on my bucket list for a few years.  Luckily, lots of United Miles are taking our family to Cape Town, Zimbabwe and Botswana this summer.  Obviously, the thought of a first safari for our family is quite exciting, but I am looking forward to showing our children not only amazing natural beauty with Victoria Falls, but having them engage with children in the townships near Cape Town and Rose Charity orphanage in Zimbabwe. 2012 will get our children engaged in collecting soccer uniforms for us to deliver to the local children we meet on our adventure.  So this trip has more than one goal….checking off destinations on my bucket list and inspiring my children to see the world through other children’s lives.     

My bucket list for traveling includes one clearly defined location, one seemingly difficult to find location, and one sight that is in more places than one, yet that also reminds me to find a personalized google map (or baidu map) for it:

1) There’s a MiG fighter jet in Hargeisa, Somaliland (Somalia) to commemorate those lives lost in war with the Somalian General Barre in the 1980s.  I’ve been wanting to go for a while, combined with a journey to Ethiopia, and think my taste buds have been waiting too long for this itinerary as well.  Djibouti, eh, sure, but only to try their salt.Actually, I better tack on Meroë in Sudan, but I reckon Sudan deserves its own trek.  A discussion with Sudanese engineers in Guangzhou confirms this.

2) One of my favorite movies is Tampopo, a Japanese movie from the 1980s (don’t worry; a theme isn’t forming) about food, and a woman trying to create the perfect noodle soup.  I’ve always wanted to track down where in Japan the movie was filmed, but the interweb has yet to assist my esoteric yearnings. Well, at LEAST I can plan how to get to Hargeisa.

3) Wandering around mangroves in Taiwan, gee, somewhere near Danshui, I stumbled upon a beat-up jet, just hanging around.  Didn’t expect that one.  Similar trips to Zhuhai, China and somewhere(s) by a South Korean highway also inspire me to seek out more of these planes, not like the one in Stockholm, but modest ones, ones that unabashedly oxidize.

Having been to 155 countries already, there are really only a few places that I have a burning desire to go to and I haven’t decided where I will go this year. Some of the possibilities are The Seychelles, Cabo Verde Islands, Samoa, Cuba or Male. I have wanted to go to Cuba for years but never wanted to risk being caught as a friend of mine was.He was fined $100,000 which is a lot of money even for a M.D. I would like to take one of the cultural exchange visits if I can fit it in to my schedule. 

My travel bucket list includes EVERY country in the world, but for 2012, I’m looking at El Salvador and Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.  I have been focused on the United Kingdom for the past few years, and now I am branching out!

My personal Life (Bucket) List currently has 103 goals, one-third of which are travel-related.  The list is designed so that it will never be totally completed.  It contains several goals that must be repeated annually (e.g., explore a new city), monthly (e.g., take a new road trip), weekly (go on an artist date) or even daily (write a letter, story or blogpost).  Some goals are intended to be met incrementally–spend a weeknd in each of the top 20 US metropolitan areas or spend at least an overnight in each of the 50 states.  Every few years, I review the list to cross off the completed goals and to add new ones. 
Some travel bucket list goals I would add for 2012:
Turks & Caicos – for the 500 anniversary of their discovery by Ponce de Leon Guadeloupe – for researching ancestors who owned sugar plantations hereEcuador – for the cultural and georgraphic diversityGerman Weinstrasse - for visiting an ancestral home, ideally when the almond trees bloomDomrémy-la-Pucelle, France – for the 600 anniversary of Joan of Arc’s birthMauritius – for the beach life and the blend of culturesSuzhou, China – for the beauty of its canals and gardensKakadu NP, Australia –  for the otherworldly scenery and the aboriginal cultureAntartica – for the centennial of reaching the South Pole and the wildlife
  

My personal Life (Bucket) List currently has 103 goals, one-third of which are travel-related.  The list is designed so that it will never be totally completed.  It contains several goals that must be repeated annually (e.g., explore a new city), monthly (e.g., take a new road trip), weekly (go on an artist date) or even daily (write a letter, story or blogpost).  Some goals are intended to be met incrementally–spend a weeknd in each of the top 20 US metropolitan areas or spend at least an overnight in each of the 50 states.  Every few years, I review the list to cross off the completed goals and to add new ones. 
Some travel bucket list goals I would add for 2012:
Turks & Caicos – for the 500 anniversary of their discovery by Ponce de Leon Guadeloupe – for researching ancestors who owned sugar plantations hereEcuador – for the cultural and georgraphic diversityGerman Weinstrasse - for visiting an ancestral home, ideally when the almond trees bloomDomrémy-la-Pucelle, France – for the 600 anniversary of Joan of Arc’s birthMauritius – for the beach life and the blend of culturesSuzhou, China – for the beauty of its canals and gardensKakadu NP, Australia –  for the otherworldly scenery and the aboriginal cultureAntartica – for the centennial of reaching the South Pole and the wildlife
  

My personal Life (Bucket) List currently has 103 goals, one-third of which are travel-related.  The list is designed so that it will never be totally completed.  It contains several goals that must be repeated annually (e.g., explore a new city), monthly (e.g., take a new road trip), weekly (go on an artist date) or even daily (write a letter, story or blogpost).  Some goals are intended to be met incrementally–spend a weeknd in each of the top 20 US metropolitan areas or spend at least an overnight in each of the 50 states.  Every few years, I review the list to cross off the completed goals and to add new ones. 
Some travel bucket list goals I would add for 2012:
Turks & Caicos – for the 500 anniversary of their discovery by Ponce de Leon Guadeloupe – for researching ancestors who owned sugar plantations hereEcuador – for the cultural and georgraphic diversityGerman Weinstrasse - for visiting an ancestral home, ideally when the almond trees bloomDomrémy-la-Pucelle, France – for the 600 anniversary of Joan of Arc’s birthMauritius – for the beach life and the blend of culturesSuzhou, China – for the beauty of its canals and gardensKakadu NP, Australia –  for the otherworldly scenery and the aboriginal cultureAntartica – for the centennial of reaching the South Pole and the wildlife

My personal Life (Bucket) List currently has 103 goals, one-third of which are travel-related.  The list is designed so that it will never be totally completed.  It contains several goals that must be repeated annually (e.g., explore a new city), monthly (e.g., take a new road trip), weekly (go on an artist date) or even daily (write a letter, story or blogpost).  Some goals are intended to be met incrementally–spend a weeknd in each of the top 20 US metropolitan areas or spend at least an overnight in each of the 50 states.  Every few years, I review the list to cross off the completed goals and to add new ones. 
Some travel bucket list goals I would add for 2012:
Turks & Caicos – for the 500 anniversary of their discovery by Ponce de Leon Guadeloupe – for researching ancestors who owned sugar plantations hereEcuador – for the cultural and georgraphic diversityGerman Weinstrasse - for visiting an ancestral home, ideally when the almond trees bloomDomrémy-la-Pucelle, France – for the 600 anniversary of Joan of Arc’s birthMauritius – for the beach life and the blend of culturesSuzhou, China – for the beauty of its canals and gardensKakadu NP, Australia –  for the otherworldly scenery and the aboriginal cultureAntartica – for the centennial of reaching the South Pole and the wildlife

My personal Life (Bucket) List currently has 103 goals, one-third of which are travel-related.  The list is designed so that it will never be totally completed.  It contains several goals that must be repeated annually (e.g., explore a new city), monthly (e.g., take a new road trip), weekly (go on an artist date) or even daily (write a letter, story or blogpost).  Some goals are intended to be met incrementally–spend a weeknd in each of the top 20 US metropolitan areas or spend at least an overnight in each of the 50 states.  Every few years, I review the list to cross off the completed goals and to add new ones. 
Some travel bucket list goals I would add for 2012:
Turks & Caicos – for the 500 anniversary of their discovery by Ponce de Leon Guadeloupe – for researching ancestors who owned sugar plantations hereEcuador – for the cultural and georgraphic diversityGerman Weinstrasse - for visiting an ancestral home, ideally when the almond trees bloomDomrémy-la-Pucelle, France – for the 600 anniversary of Joan of Arc’s birthMauritius – for the beach life and the blend of culturesSuzhou, China – for the beauty of its canals and gardensKakadu NP, Australia –  for the otherworldly scenery and the aboriginal cultureAntartica – for the centennial of reaching the South Pole and the wildlife

For me, travel is about people not places. Being in poor health, I am not able to travel far in terms of distance. So I am hosting people from all over the world at my home. It gives me a window on their world. And it is motivating me to explore my home city more thorough, so I can point my guests in the right direction.

I love to explore off the beaten path and really get a feel for the country and the people.  As a photographer I love the opportunity to photograph the unique aspects of each new country and people.  Whether I am wandering the streets of Istanbul, Rome, Prague, Tokyo, Auckland or Hong Kong for us the joy is truly in the journey.  Each place brings a delightful experience and wonderful opportunity to get to know the people and culture.  This year my husband and I are planning on exploring the mountain region of Chiang Mia,Thailand.  I would love to see the great diversity of Australia and the Pacific Islands.   Our bucket list is long, there is a great and wonderful world out there waiting for us to discover and we look forward to the journey and the many memories we bring back.

Morocco,…the land of mystery and the ancient Spice Route…history and so much is still there to see in life.  I would love to explore the markets in Marrakesh, go to the leather factories where they are still dying leather just like they did centuries ago.   To go exploring thru the spice markets and breathing in the spices of life….the mystery, scents, daily activities all part of the vivid colors and vibrant life of Morocco.

Unable to remove these duplicates as I was not logged into Facebook when posted.

Unable to remove these duplicates as I was not logged into Facebook when posted.

I’d say my place I’d like to go to is fairly simple… the Emerald coast of Florida.  Destin, in particular.  I’ve been to beaches far and near and this one is gorgeous with it’s powdery white sand and beautiful blue green water.  Plus so many childhood memories, even though it has changed a LOT since the early 70′s.