Have List, Will Travel

I love lists.

Checklists. To-do lists. Grocery lists.

There’s something oddly satisfying about crossing items off of them. Especially if it’s a particularly annoying or difficult task.

But when I’m putting together social events, fun activities or recipes, my favorite part is making the list of stuff I need to have prepared.

I know. I’m like that kid who had way more fun with the box the super-expensive toy came in than the actual toy. Whatever. I’m okay with that. Really, it’s like I recieved two presents. Double the awesome. So there.

I think it’s the anticipation. It’s like this giddy feeling that bubbles up when the creative juices are flowing and I’m super excited for new experiences.

Ok, I know my love for lists is borderline wrong and about five kinds of awkward.

So…

I’m Anita George and I’m a planner. And I’m not sorry.

Because lists are awesome. Especially when you publish them for the world to see. Why?

1.) Things are more likely to get done if you tell everyone on Facebook you’re going to accomplish them. People WILL ask follow up questions. And depending on the goal you mentioned, they might even get inspired enough to want join you in your endeavor. This is super useful for personal goals you’ve had trouble starting. When I wanted to stop consuming caffeine for a few weeks, I announced it on Facebook. And now my friends make sure I remember to abstain.

2.)  Making your list public will help you develop your goals and add to them. I created a bucket list of hobbies a while ago. It’s basically a collection of ideas for new activities to try from my friends and things I’ve personally always wanted to do. One day, I posted a note explaining my dire need of new hobbies and my friends commented on it with their suggestions. And the list keeps growing because whenever I meet someone new and amazing I just tag them in the note and they talk about their favorite hobbies or personal goals.

So in honor of my love for lists, I’m posting a new one right here. It’s my Travel Bucket List.

Now, if you were to look at my life (or my passport), at first glance you’d think this woman does not like to travel. Maybe planes freak her out or maybe she just has no interest in other places outside of her country.

None of that is true. Ok, so maybe the last time I’ve been out of the country was when I was ten for a family trip to India. And it’s possible that the last time I’ve left the state was during my junior year of college for a journalism conference.

But I do love flying. Loved it when I was kid, and I want to do it again. I was probably the only kid who flew coach who had a fabulous time on the plane without needing to be bribed with those kiddie pilot wings and a visit to the cockpit.

(Do they even still do that anymore? I don’t even know. It’s been that long. And so most of my notions about planes are colored by my experiences as a 10-year-old and sitcoms.)

I also have a desire to see the world. I’ve got a pretty long list of places I want to visit as you’ll see soon.

I just haven’t been able to make it a financial priority. Growing up in my family, it just wasn’t always financially feasible. So as a kid, I always thought I’d travel while in college, preferably on some study abroad program. But reality set in and most of my money went towards living and educational expenses.

But now I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to plan out a travel budget and really do things right.

I want to make traveling a priority in my life. I don’t want it be something I just say I’ll do and never follow up on.

Also, I’d love to hear your travel stories and tips on some of the places I want to go. Or suggestions on new places for me to visit. You can be as specific as you want or as broad as you want: It’s totally up to you.

So without further delay, here’s my Travel Bucket List:

1. Valencia/Barcelona/Madrid, Spain
2. Rome/Florence/Venice/Milan, Italy
3. Sicily
4. Greece
5. Portugal
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. Ireland
8. Moscow, Russia
9. London, England
10. Germany
11. Budapest
12. New York City
13. Boston, Mass.
14. Las Vegas, NV
15. Brazil
16. Hartford, CT
17. Argentina
18. Panama
19. Puerto Rico
20. Thailand
21. India (again)
22. Australia
23. Charleston, South Carolina
24. San Diego, CA
25. Los Angeles, CA
26. Florida
27. France

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to let me know what you thought of this post. I hope you have a lovely day!