A travel bucket list you'll actually finish is short, specific and mixed: a few dozen lines, each one clear about what "done" looks like, with big trips alongside things you could do this month. Give every line a season and a first step, and look at the list twice a year. Lists stall when every line is far away and vague, like "see Asia"; they get done when half the lines are close to home and each one says exactly what you'll do.
Write lines you can tick
A good line passes one test: a year from now, could you say for certain if you did it? Some rewrites:
| Vague | Specific |
|---|---|
| See the Northern Lights | Go north of the Arctic Circle in winter: Tromsø, in Norway, is at 69.6° N |
| See an eclipse | Watch a total eclipse: 2 August 2027 from southern Spain |
| Travel more slowly | Take a night train |
| Explore closer to home | Take a day trip to a city nearby |
| See more history | Stand at a World Heritage Site you've never been to |
Specific lines also tell you what to search for and when to book. "Northern Lights" is a wish; "Tromsø in February" is a plan.
Mix far and near
A list made only of long-haul trips gets one tick a year at best, and you lose interest. Mix the scale on purpose. One way is to sort lines into chapters, the way the Globestamp bucket list does:
- Far from home: distance, time away and firsts, such as being in both hemispheres or seeing in a new year abroad.
- Wild: parks, peaks and animals.
- Culture: sites, festivals and an evening out.
- Taste: eating and drinking where it comes from.
- Together: things that are better with someone.
- Close to home: a weekend doesn't need a flight.
A rough balance that works: a third of your lines doable within a few hours of home. Close to home is full of them, from a science museum to a bike ride on a scenic route. Those early ticks keep the list alive while you save for the big ones.
Give each line a when and a first step
A line without a date is easy to put off forever, and a line without a first step is easy to put off until next year. Add two columns:
| Line | When | First step |
|---|---|---|
| North of the Arctic Circle | Winter for dark skies; summer for the midnight sun | Choose between Tromsø and Lapland, check flights |
| Total eclipse, 2 August 2027 | Fixed date | Book a room in the path, early |
| Night train | Any season | Pick one route and check how far ahead it opens for booking |
| Day trip to a nearby city | Any free Saturday | Choose the city tonight |
Fixed-date lines need the most planning. The total solar eclipse after that one, on 22 July 2028, crosses Australia from the Kimberley to Sydney, and New Zealand's South Island. Lines like these go to the top of the list a year ahead.
Keep it to a few dozen lines
A list of 300 lines is a catalog, not a plan. Thirty to fifty is enough to have choices without losing track. When you add a line, ask whether it beats one that's already there, and cut the weakest.
The same goes for countries. If a country count is one of your goals, choose a target that pulls you somewhere specific: "every country in Central America" or "the least-visited countries in the Pacific" says more than "100 countries". How to visit the world's least-visited countries helps with the second.
Review it twice a year
Pick two dates, say New Year and midsummer:
- Tick what you did, with a photo of each.
- Move one line to "this year," with dates.
- Cut what no longer excites you. Your list should change as you do.
- Add one line from someone else, a partner, a child or a friend. A shared line comes with someone to plan it with, and the Together chapter is a good place to look.
Put the list where you'll see it. A widget with your goal on the Home Screen helps; see travel widgets for your iPhone. And when you tick a line, count it in your year in travel recap.
Let your photos keep score
Many bucket-list lines leave proof in your camera roll: a photo taken in the right place on the right day. Globestamp's bucket list has 48 lines in six chapters, and about half of them tick themselves from your photos; finishing a chapter presses its plate in foil. Adding your own lines is a Pro feature.