This is our ever growing bucket list.  It is in no way complete, nor is it organized by priority.  Hopefully it will continue to grow in both the number of new items and the number of completed items.  Please leave a comment, or otherwise contact us if:

  • You have a suggestion for us to add or cross off of our list
  • You have done one or more of these things yourself, and want to share the experience (good or bad)
  • You have a similar item on your bucket list and want to try hooking up with us
  • You just want to leave a comment about how ridiculous/cool our list is.

Sights:

The 7 wonders of the modern world – We’ve seen: Chichen Itza on July 16, 2011
Patagonia Region of South America
The Grand Canyon
Aurora Borealis from the Arctic Circle or nearby
Black sand beaches
Massive salt flats
Sun rises on 6 different continents
Icebergs
Cherry blossoms in full bloom
Volcanic lava flows that we can (and will) roast marshmallows on
The inside of a building that’s over 1000 years old
Ancient Ruins (Borobudur, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, etc.)
A concert in a Roman amphitheatre
The great migration (Africa)
Cappadocia (Turkey)
Mud buildings in Mali
A bear in the wild – Yellowstone National Park, USA, August 2009
Old Faithful – Yellowstone National Park, USA, July 2009

Location-Specific Experiences:

Walk the Via Francigena from Canterbury, England to Rome, Italy
Conquer the Pinnacles in New Zealand
Complete all the great walks in New Zealand
Do a family heritage tour through Europe (St. Mang’s Abbey and Lenzen Castle in Germany, Chateau Cormier in France)
Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
Trek the Ciudad Perdida in Columbia
Long distance equestrian travel (yurt to yurt across Mongolia)
Trek in the Himalayas (perhaps Everest Base Camp)
Trek in Peru (Inca trail?)
Party on Party Island (Madagascar)
Trek in Bhutan
Hike in Yosemite
Swim in a Cenote – Cenote Zaci, Valladolid, July 2011
Smoke cigars in Cuba – Varadero, Cuba, February 2005
Drink margaritas in Mexico – Los Algodones, Mexico, December 2009
Canoe the Yukon River (2 weeks)Whitehorse to Dawson City, Yukon, July 2010

General Experiences:

Spend time in a monastery
Sky dive
Try surfing
Volunteer for no other reason than to improve the lives of others
Ride a camel on a multi-day caravan through a desert
A multi-day bicycle trip
Spend a night or two in a jungle (Amazon?)
Get on a boat/plane/bus/train to somewhere without a plan
Become a park ranger (Mike wants a ranger hat)
Home stay with a local family
Make new friends abroad then visit them in their home country
Explore a cave – Waitomo, New Zealand, December 2007
Bungee jump – Kawarau Bridge, Queenstown, New Zealand, December 2007
Zorb balling – Rotorua, New Zealand, Decemeber 2007
White-water rafting – Queenstown, New Zealand, December 2007
Do a multi-day hike – Kepler Trail, New Zealand, December 2007
Eat at a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars – Joel Rubuchon, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, December 2009

Education:

Learn to be self sufficient (grow our own vegetables, raise livestock for meat and milk, harvest eggs, etc.)
Learn to speak Spanish fluently
Take yoga lessons
Take cooking classes and/or learn how to cook local cuisine from the locals
Martial arts training (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, India, London, Japan)
Improve our photography and writing skills while documenting our journey
Learn religious teachings from Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism…

Festivals to Attend:

El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) in Mexico
Paint the town red at the Tomatina Festival in Valencia, Spain
Octoberfest
Carnival
Dawson City Music Festival – Dawson City, Yukon, July 2010

22 Responses to “Bucket List”

  1. June Cubbon says:

    Your list is ridiculously cool! Your BLOG is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to following your journey. Looking at all your planning, it is evident that this is not a holiday; it will be a life-altering adventure. Good for you!
    We’ll be keeping tabs on you all the way. Cheers! Here’s to a safe and enlightening experience.
    Love from
    June, Wayne, Braden and Brynn

  2. Pam says:

    Ashley you need to put under General Experiences your live tarantula in your mouth!

  3. Jen and Curtis says:

    If you want to cross off two things at one place you should go to El Tunco in El Salvador. They have gorgeous black sand beaches, and you can try surfing!

  4. Franziska says:

    If you are going to the Oktoberfest, let me know – my aunt lives in Munich and I’m very sure you can stay at her place. Also, that would be a good opportunity for me to go there, too.

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      Thank you very much Franziska. We were actually just talking about moving across the Atlantic, it’s just a question of when. When we do make it to Oktoberfest we will be sure to take you up on your offer.

  5. payal says:

    hi…m totally completely taken aback by what u both are doing ……its so exciting !!!! n thrilling…….ROUND THE WORLD TRIP —-no return date….this acertainity is the fun of it… i sm so so jealous now..morever i want to know how are u both managing finances, rather how young ppl -who have jus started earning can fford such trips? i wana know and learn n manage. i am an indian, working for past 5years as an architect yet i hardly have saved and such a trip is like GOING TO MOON for me… though i am so so so interested its next to impossible… guide please….n offcourse many many wishes for further journey.. hope u enjoy, explore much more… ur journey gives me feel of myself going around the world, so wot that me in person isnt doing it, reading ur journey is an experience itself…….simply awesome :))) thank u so much making me happy

  6. Terry Klumpp says:

    When you both get to the Dia de Muertos portion in Mexico – send an email. My wife and I will be happy to supply great places to go, and good people to meet along the way and during your travels. We’ve temporarily disrupted lives there to be in the USA for a little while, but will be going back to live in Mexico within the next year and some change.

  7. Alan says:

    Hey guys,

    I came across your website when browsing for travel advise. I think what you are both doing is really amazing so I have given a donation, hope it helps.

    I noticed that you havent been to England, if you do decide to come over and need any tips, I will be happy to help.

    Enjoy your travels 🙂

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      Wow, thank you so much. Your donation is huge for us. It’ll give us a chance to buy something frivolous, like a meal in a restaurant, or a bottle of wine. And yes, after 16 months without an income, that’s become a splurge for us. So, thank you.

      We’d love to go to England, we’re just not sure when. Our current plans take us into the Far East (SE Asia) and from there, back to Canada for an epic cross-country cycling trip. How’s the winter in England? It must be better than Canada.

      Anyways, thanks so much, and if you ever have any specific questions about anything, feel free to contact us and we’ll get back to you with whatever information we can offer.

      • Alan says:

        That’s really good to hear, enjoy whichever option you choose.

        Winter in England is very wet right now, the whole of the UK has been hit with severe weather warnings due to lots of rain which has caused flooding.

        I’m going traveling next year for 4 weeks to the New York, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. I noticed that you have both done Central America, any tips or recommendations?

        • Mike Lenzen says:

          I can give you a link to our Central American FAQ post, it may give you a place to start:

          http://traveledearth.com/2012/04/24/central-america-travel-faq/

          Other than that, I can just namedrop some of our favourite spots where you are headed. We enjoyed the beaches in Cay Caulker, and Placencia in Belize. Our top 3 Mayan Ruins were Chichen Itza (early in the morning before the tour buses got there), Palanque, and Tikal. Also, don’t miss Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.

  8. Emily says:

    Hi!! I stumbled across your blog and love it! Kudos for you to having the nerve to do such a trip. I just returned from Turkey, so I just loved your photos there. Brought back recent memories. I was going to add a country to your list that you two will just fall in love with….and in turn, you will scratch a few items off your bucket list: ICELAND. Here, you can see the black sand beaches of Reyneshverfi and Vik, see Jokulsarlon Iceberg Lagoon (WOW) and also see the aurora (I just saw it in Sept of this year, in fact!) Anyways, I left my soul in Iceland and my heart in Turkey for sure! Thanks for sharing your adventures!

  9. Emily says:

    PS – I’ve also hiked Machu Picchu in case you need any tips for that!

  10. Ryan says:

    Just stumbles across your blog while planning where I will be going the next few years. Just thought I would recommend the Lantern Festival in China! Would be something worth looking into to add to your “festivals to attend” list!

    • Ashley Lenzen says:

      Thanks for the suggestion. Our list needs some serious revamping (oodles of stuff to add and few to cross off) and that just may have to make the cut!

  11. Last summer I have been in capital of Poland for 2 weeks and I must say this beautiful place made
    a huge impression on me. You have to visit it 😉

  12. Harvey says:

    wow! that is an amazing bucket list. You can say you are not wasting your time! This will give you unforgetable memories.
    hmm…how about adding diving the great barrier reef in your list ? or traveling in one of the beautiful national parks there are in Australia ?

    • Mike Lenzen says:

      I think it’s time to do a major overhaul of this list. We became divemasters, so diving in Australia would make a great addition. Thanks for the suggestions.

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