What’s Really on Your Bucket List? Maybe That’s the Wrong Question.
Why the best bucket-list trips aren’t about checking off famous landmarks — they’re about discovering what makes a journey meaningful to you.
A recent invitation to contribute to Compass magazine got me thinking about why we travel, what makes a journey extraordinary, and why the best bucket lists aren’t necessarily lists at all.
Travel journalist Nicole Edenedo contacted me while researching a feature about landmark bucket-list trips.
The idea behind the article was intriguing: encouraging travellers to discover remarkable landmarks around the world, keep track of where they’ve been and dream about where they might go next.
Nicole sent me 11 questions about extraordinary journeys I’ve planned for clients, landmarks I’ve visited myself, the challenges of arranging these experiences and what advice I’d offer other travel advisors.
I had plenty of stories to share!
I’ve been fortunate to travel to Antarctica, the Galápagos Islands, the Arctic, Iceland, Newfoundland, Colombia and many of Europe’s great rivers.
And I’ve helped clients pursue dreams ranging from seeing emperor penguins in Antarctica to exploring the Mekong, sailing the Nile, photographing Alaska’s glaciers and discovering extraordinary places closer to home.
But as I considered Nicole’s questions, I kept returning to one thought.
Perhaps the most important question isn’t “What’s on your bucket list?”
It’s “Why does that experience matter to you?”
Why Should Your Bucket List Be Different From Everyone Else’s?
When someone tells me they want to visit Antarctica, my first question isn’t which ship they’d like to sail on.
It’s why Antarctica?
Is it the penguins? The icebergs? Photography? The history of polar exploration? The adventure of setting foot on the seventh continent?
Two people can dream about the same destination for completely different reasons.
One might want to climb into a Zodiac, go ashore, hike and spend as much time as possible exploring the wilderness.
Another might prefer to experience Antarctica from the comfort of a beautiful ship, watching the landscapes unfold and learning from the expedition team.
Neither dream is more legitimate.
The same applies to someone dreaming about Egypt.
Is it standing before the pyramids? Sailing the Nile? Exploring ancient temples? Understanding the history with an Egyptologist?
Or perhaps it’s Vietnam, where a Mekong river cruise offers an entirely different way to discover the country and its people.
The destination is only the beginning of the conversation.
The real question is what you hope to experience when you get there.
What Happens When a Bucket-List Dream Becomes Very Specific?
The Traveller Who Loves Penguins
I work with a client who absolutely loves penguins.
She’s already seen Adélie, gentoo, macaroni and chinstrap penguins, along with little penguins in Australia.
For her, simply visiting Antarctica isn’t enough to describe the dream anymore.
Her wish list has become wonderfully specific.
She wants to see emperor penguins near Snow Hill Island and king penguins in South Georgia.
Those are two very different expedition experiences, requiring careful consideration of operators, routes, seasons and logistics.
And because we’re dealing with wildlife and polar conditions, sightings and landings can never be guaranteed.
My role is to understand what she’s hoping to see and help identify the journeys that offer the appropriate opportunities.
The Traveller Who Wants to Experience Antarctica Differently
Another client dreams of Antarctica but has mobility and health considerations that influence how she wants to travel.
She’s fascinated by penguins, seals, albatrosses and the entire Antarctic environment.
But she doesn’t need to participate in every landing or Zodiac outing to enjoy the experience.
She’s happy to watch the naturalists’ photographs, attend lectures about krill and ice formation, and simply be surrounded by that extraordinary landscape.
Her dream is about proximity, learning and wonder.
And it’s every bit as meaningful.
The Traveller Looking for Another Remarkable Bird
Then there’s a client who’s already seen blue-footed boobies in the Galápagos and wants to see red-footed boobies in the Seychelles.
She has also seen red-footed boobies in the Galápagos, but the opportunity to encounter them in another remarkable environment is part of the attraction.
That’s what makes bucket-list planning so interesting.
Sometimes the dream isn’t a country or a landmark.
It’s a particular animal, a moment in nature or the opportunity to deepen an existing passion.
Why Can the Experience Matter More Than the Destination?
I once helped a couple who didn’t particularly think of themselves as cruisers.
But they loved nature, wildlife, ice, photography and learning.
An expedition with Lindblad in Alaska offered exactly the kind of experience they were looking for.
Before their trip, I connected one of them with an expedition photographer who helped her think through a camera purchase.
Once aboard, she could continue learning from the photography team.
She returned with thousands of photographs of ice!
What made that trip extraordinary wasn’t simply that they’d been to Alaska.
It was the opportunity to immerse themselves in something they loved and learn from people who could deepen their experience.
I have another client whose dream is to reach the Geographic North Pole.
We’re exploring the possibilities aboard PONANT’s Le Commandant Charcot, a luxury icebreaker capable of operating in extraordinary polar environments.
In both cases, the ship isn’t the dream.
The ship is the vehicle that helps make the dream possible.
That’s an important distinction when choosing an expedition cruise.
Are Some of the World’s Greatest Bucket-List Destinations Right Here in Canada?
Absolutely.
I’m originally from Newfoundland, so I have a particular affection for the extraordinary places we have here in Canada.
I’ve personally circumnavigated Newfoundland with Lindblad Expeditions, and that experience reinforced how much there is to discover in our own country.
Newfoundland and Labrador has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
- L’Anse aux Meadows, where Norse explorers established a settlement roughly 1,000 years ago.
- Gros Morne National Park, where you can walk across exposed rock from the Earth’s mantle.
- Red Bay, which preserves the history of 16th-century Basque whaling.
- Mistaken Point, home to exceptionally preserved ancient fossils.
There’s also the Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark on the Bonavista Peninsula.
And then there’s Fogo Island Inn.
Its remarkable architecture attracts attention, but what makes the experience meaningful goes much deeper: the community, its fishing heritage and efforts to support a sustainable future for the island.
For other travellers, a Canadian bucket-list journey might mean taking the Rocky Mountaineer through the Rockies.
Or visiting Sable Island to see its famous wild horses.
Or sailing from Montréal towards Newfoundland and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon aboard a small luxury ship.
Sometimes the greatest gift a travel advisor can offer is introducing someone to a remarkable place they hadn’t even considered.
How Did the Galápagos Change My Own Bucket List?
My first expedition cruise was to the Galápagos Islands in 2012.
I didn’t go there expecting the experience to change the direction of my career.
But it did.
The wildlife, natural environment, opportunities for learning and experience of exploring with an expedition team opened up a completely different world of travel.
That journey helped inspire my passion for expedition cruising, which has since become one of my professional specialties.
And it taught me something important.
Sometimes you don’t know what belongs on your bucket list until you’ve experienced it.
One journey introduces you to a new passion.
One destination makes you curious about another.
One extraordinary encounter changes how you think about the world.
Instead of getting shorter, your bucket list grows.
And I think that’s a wonderful thing.
How Do You Turn a Bucket-List Dream Into the Right Trip?
When I work with clients, I like to start with the experience they’re hoping for rather than immediately recommending a ship or itinerary.
There are several questions worth exploring.
What excites you most? Is it wildlife, history, culture, photography, adventure or time with people you love?
How do you want to experience it? Do you want to be physically active, enjoy guided learning or appreciate the destination at a more relaxed pace?
Who do you want to share it with? Some dreams are deeply personal. Others are about creating memories with a partner, family or friends.
Are there particular conditions or timing requirements? Wildlife seasons, accessibility, weather, travel duration and expedition logistics can all influence what’s possible.
What would you most regret missing? Sometimes that question helps clarify which dream deserves priority.
The answers guide the planning.
Because the right trip isn’t necessarily the most expensive, the longest or the most adventurous.
It’s the one that fits what matters to you.
What Does Return on Life Have to Do With Bucket-List Travel?
Before becoming a travel advisor, I spent more than 20 years working as an actuary.
So I understand Return on Investment.
But these days, I think about another kind of return.
Return on Life™.
Our most precious resources aren’t necessarily financial.
They’re our time, our health and the opportunities we have to share experiences with people we love.
One of my clients had planned years of travel after losing her husband.
Then the pandemic arrived, and several of those precious travel years disappeared.
You don’t get those years back.
That experience reinforces a question I sometimes ask:
If you could take only one of the trips you’ve been dreaming about, which would you most regret not having taken?
Maybe it’s Antarctica.
Maybe it’s the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids of Egypt or the historic monuments of Greece.
Perhaps it’s snorkelling in Tahiti, returning to a beloved destination or taking your grandchildren somewhere special.
There’s no universal bucket list.
There’s only yours.
Maybe We Should Stop Trying to Finish Our Bucket Lists
I love the idea of discovering the world’s great landmarks.
But I don’t particularly want my clients to finish their bucket lists.
I want them to keep discovering what excites them.
I want one journey to inspire another.
I want them to come home curious, energized and already wondering where they might go next.
Because the best journeys don’t simply give us another destination to check off.
They expand our world.
And that, to me, is the greatest Return on Life.
❤️ What’s on Your Bucket List — and Why?
I’d love to hear about the place you’ve always dreamed of visiting, the experience you’ve been putting off or the destination you never imagined you’d love until you got there.
And if you’re ready to turn that dream into a journey, I’d be delighted to help.
🔗 Tell Me About Your Travel Dreams — Pre-Consultation Survey
About Sheila Gallant-Halloran
I’m the founder of Lush Life Travel, an Ottawa-based independent travel advisory business affiliated with Direct Travel Canada and Virtuoso.
A three-time Virtuoso Cruise Icon (2024–2026), recognized among the top 1% of Virtuoso cruise advisors worldwide, I specialize in river cruising, expedition cruising, small-ship ocean voyages and meaningful bucket-list journeys.
My advice is grounded in extensive firsthand travel experience, including 16 river cruises and expeditions to Antarctica, the Galápagos, Iceland, Newfoundland and beyond.
Live Life. Love Travel. Return on Life.™