Up and Down: Travel Bucket List

I am linking up with LatinAbroad’s travel bucket list, a great place to get you thinking about all the amazing places out there. Today I am going to focus on three things I have done and three things I would like to do.

Travel bucket half full: Places I’ve loved

1. Climb down to cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde, Colorado

The stunning views of the ancient cliff dwellings fascinated me as I tried to picture children who lived there climbing up or down the sides of the cliffs. We had planned on spending only one day there, but there was so much to see and do we ended up adding a second day.

I especially loved the ranger-guided adventure tours that let us climb ladders ourselves to go to the dwellings.

2. Climb up a waterfall, Jamaica

Honeymooning in Jamaica, my husband and I held hands in a chain of people and climbed up Dunn’s River Falls in Ochos Rios. After the stress of the wedding, I so loved relaxing in beautiful Jamaica on our first trip together.

3. Fill up and put down a pint of Guinness, Ireland

When a bartender now sloshes an entire pint of Guinness into a glass and hands it over, my husband jokes about jumping behind the bar and showing him how it’s done. We are certified in pulling the perfect pint, after all.

At the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, I learned how to pull the perfect pint: fill the glass only about two-thirds of the way, let it settle, and go “back for black” to top it off. Then, get a Guinness ‘stash from the first drink.

Visiting the pubs–beautiful and friendly with great food and music–was one of my favorite parts of visiting Ireland.

Travel bucket half empty: Things to do

1. Hike the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, Maine

Photo by ems18

This summer, we are considering hiking the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, the remote final stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. My husband and I used to backpack a lot before we had kids, and we always dreamed about hiking there. This would mean carrying all of our supplies for ten or so days of hiking and doing without all the luxuries of home. I think it would be an incredible experience for us and our teenage boys, but would it be incredibly miserable or incredibly fantastic?

2. Go on an African safari

Photo by William Warby

3. Ride in a submarine

Six places to ride in a submarine

What’s on your travel bucket list?

• Travel story: Barracuda on the Beach. Or check out my new “Scene from a Memoir.”
• Related: Morocco video with a link to a guest post on traveling with children
• See my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days