How to Build a Lifelong Travel Bucket List You’ll Actually Use!

Do you have dream destinations that have been on a travel bucket list forever? Do you even remember WHY this place sparked excitement in the first place, or wonder if you’ll ever really make it there?

Endless ‘top 10 to top 100’ lists fill our screens daily, showing picture perfect destinations. It can be fun to scroll through, but most are nothing more than endless lists of someone else’s ‘top destinations’.

Our guide helps you create an exciting, personal dream travel list that you’ll actually use. One that fits in with your phase of life, interests, available time and budget.

A Bucket List You’ll Actually Use

Our process is simple to follow and if you like summaries, here’s what our 5 steps cover:

Our PDF, printable worksheet has helpful prompts to guide you in creating an inspirational plan focused towards action.

Step 1 – Look Back: Remembering Your Best Ever Travels

Maybe it was a family road trip or a multi-generational family adventure? Perhaps a holiday where you learned something new, took a first solo trip, went on safari or hiked a challenging peak.

Don’t discount amazing experiences nearer home! Here’s our example: watching Edinburgh Castle New Year’s Fireworks. So spectacular, and on our bucket list for every couple of years!

Then, for each, ask yourself what made each experience or trip special. Are there any patterns?

• New Adventures
• Rest and Relaxation
• Seeing Historic Sights
• Enjoying nature and more remote places
• Attending a Festival, Concert of Major Event
• Cultural or History Immersion
• Connection (family, heritage, relationships)
• Personal growth (education, solo, work)
• New Foods and Drink
• Linked to a favourite hobby/interest
• Celebration (milestone birthday, anniversary)

So now you have a picture of what made previous trips so amazing. But life evolves and changes, so let’s look at how your reasons for travel these days matches up with the past.

Step 2 – Check In: Is Your Current Bucket List Real?

Whether it’s scribbled in a favourite notebook, lives in your phone’s notes, or is circulating inside your head, take a few minutes to gather your current dreams.

Have a quick read through, and ask yourself, how many of these dreams are vague eg. just a country or a city without any more detail. Now highlight any which are an experience.

For example, if I have ‘Visit Iceland’ on my bucket list, that’s pretty vague. But if my bucket list dream experience is actually to see the Northern Lights in Winter, it might be a very different trip.

Iceland, we all know, is very expensive. So, if I’m on a budget, being flexible on ‘where’ I go to chase the auroras could make a trip much more achievable.

By being open to different places like Lapland (Finland), Norway, Alaska, Canada as well as Iceland, I have more options. Throw in last minute ‘anywhere’ deals, and this dream can quickly be a reality.

This step helps declutter. Instead of a random list of places without clear personal motivation (the why), you’ll now start to see an exciting list of lifetime experiences close to your heart!

Look back at what you noted in Step 1. Are there similar patterns or have your reasons for travel really shifted over the years? Identify the 2-3 top motivations that you have for the next few years,

For example, if connecting with family has started to mean more to you, these are the trips you’re more likely to invest in making happen.

Step 3 – Gather Travel Inspirations With Intent

So, now you’ve maybe got 6-8 exciting experiences on your worksheet or notebook. It’s time now to add more inspiration to enrich your pot of ideas. Aim to have 20-25 ideas: you can prioritise these later.

Sometimes it’s an image in a magazine or an Instagram scroll that strikes a cord. Or it’s a blog post or story from a friend!

Try not to be over influenced by social media fads, or endless headline lists of ‘must see before you get old’ articles.

Instead, use these sources of inspiration :

• Books, films, and articles about experiences and journeys.
• Conversations with friends and family.
• Your past trips and childhood dreams.
• Experiences near where you live that resonate with you.
• Experiences from our travels – check out our Destinations.

Also, if things are uncertain in the bigger world, or your funds are tight, it doesn’t mean you have to remove a dream off your list. Maybe your longing to experience Rio’s Carnival or stay in an over the water bungalow in Bora Bora isn’t possible at the moment, but don’t write it off.

For example, I watched a report on life in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) on the UK Blue Peter TV Show at age 9. The dream to visit never left me, but 40 years passed before I toured the island with my kids. It was every bit as special as I first imagined!

Jude has had Iran on her list for years, but realistically it isn’t going to happen any time soon, so she took if off for now. If things change it will be added back in.

Inspirational Bucket Lists Should Include ‘local’ Places

In our humble opinion, the best Bucket Lists contain local dreams too! There might be an amazing cookery school in a town near to where you live that you’ve always fancied going to for a weekend course. 

You might be able to see unique wildlife or birds near your doorstep or with an overnight stay. It doesn’t have to be a Galapagos Cruise!

Step 4 – Structure Your Brainstormed Ideas

Grab all your ideas and start to analyze them using a table like this. (It’s embedded into our Worksheet too!).

Great Experiences Can Sometimes Be Unplanned

Bear in mind opportunities might also appear out of the blue. In fact, some of our best trips were unplanned, a bit last minute or the result of an invite. Here’s a couple of ours:

Anchorage to Australia

Jude jumped at the chance of a trip from Anchorage to Australia, a place where many relatives had emigrated to. She only had a 1 week window. Ridiculous to go that far for 7 nights, you might well say!

But, it was such an opportunity just to taste the culture she’d heard so much about. A week later, she’d explored Sydney, driven through the Blue Mountains, to Melbourne. Then along Apostles Road to marveled at the fairy penguins at night on the southern coast. 

Discovering New York

When I was a travel agent in London, educational trips were a big thing. My first trip was to New York and it wasn’t somewhere that initially appealed.  

But in four days, we walked miles;  picnicked in Central Park and had my first bagel with cream cheese in Times Square. We jumped on the ferry to Staten Island, then watched a show on Broadway.

The Empire State building, World Trade Centre Towers were ticked off and we took a helicopter over the city.  On reflection, I loved the gritty feel and bright lights of New York City.

So, if something super exciting pops up, add it to your Top 5 and make it happen!

Step 5 – Make It Happen: Map Out An Action Plan

The final step: Get into action for your Top 5 travel dreams, like the example below or in our worksheet.

This is not a detailed travel plan. It’s more milestones like deciding trip timing, your budget, selecting resources like tour operators, searching for best flight routes.

My 2026 Bucket List Action Plan (Illustration)

My Next 5 Travel Trips	When Can I Do This? (Assign rough timing)	Research/Next Steps
1. Trip with Sisters to a wine region in Europe.	May or June 2026	Agree budget, destination & dates by February. Then book flights & hotel. Book any tours by end March.
2. Hike with Mountain Gorillas in Uganda. (Couples trip)	2028	Research types of hikes and tours. Get 3 quotes from companies & select one. Start saving.
3. A cookery trip to Tuscany Italy.	Late 2026/Early 2027	Decide what type of class and locations. What else do I want to experience here? Which month is cheaper?

Don’t discard your longer list! We suggest you review it once a year to keep it fresh!

When you’ve done 1 of your top 5 next trips, add the next one from your list of 25. This way your lists stays relevant and you won’t feel overwhelmed.

FAQ

Think About How You’ll Feel At Age 90

The last thing we suggest is to imagine being 85 or 90 years old. If you were to achieve just your top 5 experiences, how would you feel about the life you’ve had. Pretty good, we would hope 🙂