Back when I was on my way to my first travel conference in 2012, my friend and I created our Bucket Lists on our blogs, so that in the event any of the sponsors took a look at our sites, they'd know what kind of travel we were planning to do through our blogs.
I came up with 32 places I wanted to go, rather, 32 things I wanted to do in certain places. I was just linking to that page on my blog for something else and realized, I am really making my way through this list without even trying! Some people refer to their bucket list before planning every trip, but I seem to just naturally gravitate to the places I have always wanted to see, and it usually corresponds with something on the list!
For instance, I have dreamt of seeing the Colosseum in Rome since I was a teenager...and I found myself booking a shore excursion with Carnival Cruise Line while on the Carnival Sunshine in 2013...and it didn't disappoint!
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy. I visited in 7/30/2013...and again in 2016!
I want to eat real pizza in Naples, Italy. Being part Italian, I think there's something in my DNA that requires pizza on a regular basis. When I took Italian classes in high school (two years!), I was offered an opportunity to visit Italy one summer with the Italian Club, but my parents didn't allow me to go. The thing that disappointed me the most? No Italian pizza. I did this in May 2016, while sailing the Carnival Vista.
I want to see firsthand the greatness that is Mount Vesuvius - coincidentally, also in Naples, Italy. I will get to Italy one day! Visited on 7/29/2013 with Angeline while sailing the Carnival Sunshine.
I want to stroll the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. I fell in love with the city while reading Anne Rice in High School...yet I somehow have yet to make it there! 5/6/2014
I want to eat tapas in the Canary Islands. Or on the Spanish mainland. Either way, I want tapas. Good tapas. 5/2016
I want to walk through the streets of Havana. Yes, I want to go to Cuba. Surprised that this little white girl wants to visit Cuba? Well, guess what? I'm part Cuban. Ever since my Cuban grandmother died, I have day dreamed about the idea of seeing where she came from. 12/2016
I want to do an all-inclusive spa resort just once. Anywhere. I want to be pampered and made to feel like a princess...with no pets to feed, no laundry to fold, no floors to vacuum...hey, a girl can dream, right? This is a dream list! 11/6/2013
I want to drink a beer in the United Kingdom, anywhere really. My ancestry is Dutch Irish, English, Italian, German and Cherokee Indian. Of all of that mixture running through my blood, the one I identify with the least is the English. I like to think that if I went to England, saw the grassy meadows Jane Austen wrote about so favorably, ate the local food and saw the sites, I might remedy that. 6/2017
I want to spend the night at a haunted inn in Savannah, Georgia. Another fascination with a city based on a novel...after reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil several times, I've decided that Savannah must be the most beautiful place on earth. I really should visit Savannah to find out, don't you think? 10/4/2012
I want to visit Bran or Poenari Caste in Romania. That's right - Dracula's Castle. I don't want to spend the night, mind you...a daytime tour would suit me just fine. 5/2017
I want to spend more time on the Gulf Coast, whether it be Sanibel and Captiva, Pensacola Beach, or somewhere in Alabama or Mississippi. I adore the beaches of the Gulf Coast. Also? Crawfish are some of the only shellfish that don't make me sick. 2/2016
I want to visit Alaska, whether it be on a cruise or just a tour. I want to see icebergs, Puffins and heck, maybe even a moose. 8/19/2014 I took an Alaskan Cruise with Carnival Cruise Line!
I want to see Stonehenge. Really bad. Really, really bad. 6/2017
I have always wanted to take an African safari. Lions, Elephants and Hyenias, oh my! 3/2015
Boston. I want to visit Boston. Also? I want to take a little detour and visit Salem as well. Two historical birds, one stone. 5/1/2014
I have always wanted to go explore the Mayan ruins in Mexico. 5/2013
I would love to tour Napa Valley! Why? Because I love wine! 6/20/2014
I've done SO MUCH over the last few years, some of it through blogger press trips, but as I sat down to begin this list, I realized that most of it was through my own personal travel. Blogging has afforded me so much income and free time, my travel schedule has become so wide open...I am truly blessed!
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