Tag: guest

Travel Planning Once Again

Published on by LostViivi18 Comments

Hello everyone!

The year has started so it’s again time to do some planning. I did this same thing last year and it was fun to write but also popular post among you readers. So here is listed some travel destinations I hope to visit this year and other plans I have for the current year! (And like you can see from the last post probably even half of them are not going to happen…)

Travels

First and foremost I still have my free flights problems. I have enough Finnair flight point to fly any European country (or Dubai). Only problem is the timing because I can’t use the points on holidays. I haven’t yet decided the destination either so please feel free to suggest destinations.

I also would like to do a few shorter weekend trips between my school weeks. I was thinking about Umeå in Sweden because it is easy to access from my current city and maybe Stockholm because I get good cruise deals there all the time. But these are still on planning level so let’s see if I ever make them come true.

My summer plans are still in darkness but I should at least do one longer trip before autumn. I am part of scouts here in Finland (you know the children in American movies who sell cookies, go camping to forest and collect cool badges through different activities). And for Finnish scouts of my age we have this activity where we “have to” do trip to foreigner country. The idea is to experience something new, meet scouts from different countries and volunteer.

For autumn I haven’t planned anything yet because I just don’t know what I will do with my school then.

School

Right now school is that one big thing in my life. Just last week I spoke with my student counselor and got some good news. Starting from autumn I can be part of our school’s remote business program. That means only a few days school every month (and of course a lot of internet work). Of course I should find internship place soon but I’m not going to think that now. Just celebrating my coming remote school years!

Blogging

Some biggest news I have right now are concerning my blog. I think you will be as thrilled as I am because the Wanderlust Wednesdays are coming back! Some of you may remember me trying to write travel destination reviews every Wednesday. Now I am starting this series again but with a different idea.

Every Wednesday I am going to share more informative travel piece with you. This means city guides, destination reviews, travel tips and other posts helpful for travellers. I used to write texts like Top10 Tokyo and 13 Free Things In Montpellier. So I have been planning something like this. I can also share lists of destinations to add your bucket list.

However don’t worry! Saturdays are still going to be days for random personal travel posts like this one. Travel diaries, photo diaries, story times and travel rants are going to continue this normal schedule. So now there is going to be two posts every week!

Now when I have two post going out every week I can take more guests posters if anyone wants any more? (Contact me: viivi.severina@gmail.com) I’m kind of dreaming about this series where people would write about their own home countries and cities from the point of view of local. So if you would like to write for my blog and me to write for your blog (post exchange!) just send me a message. Let’s talk!

 

So what travel plans do you have for year 2017? Or do you have some cool blogging project coming soon?
With love,

Viivi Severina

The Fascination with Bucket Lists

Published on by LostViivi30 Comments

Hello everyone! Today I have my first guest blogger here in my GoTravelGlobal blog. I find Ilona’s blog super interesting and totally fell in love with this article she wrote for my blog so be sure to check out her blog. I hope you enjoy her inspiring bucket list themed post.

Ilona is an avid traveller from Northern Germany who explores the world through holidays in far-away countries and weekend trips throughout Europe. You can follow her adventures and see her bucket list on her blog.

The Fascination with Bucket Lists

I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with bucket lists. Especially travel bucket lists. I can spend hours looking at other people’s bucket lists. Some of them are very simple, merely a collection of places whereas others include specific experiences around the world. Many of them, like Viivi Severina’s bucket list are a mixture of both.

But what exactly is a bucket list and why are so fascinating?

A bucket list is a list of all things you’re hoping to accomplish before you die. The Bucket List Guy says that there are several possible origins of the word ‘bucket list’. The one I’ve seen the most often is that it is derived from the term ‘kick the bucket’. You see, in the middle ages, when someone got hanged, they would stand on a bucket with the noose around their necks. The hangman would then kick that bucket and the poor person would die.

Not the nicest explanation, is it?

It still doesn’t keep me from being fascinated with bucket lists. I’ve set my wordpress reader so that whenever I go online, all posts tagged with ‘bucket list’ are shown to me. I’ll browse through them and see if I get inspired to add items to my own travel bucket list. I do have a bucket list for other areas in my life as well, but let’s focus on the travel aspect here.

So why is a bucket list so fascinating and why should everyone have one?

Bucket lists will help you focus on your goals. Everyday life will try to throw as many distractions at you as possible. Do you know that feeling of just making it from day to day, reacting to what is happening to you? A bucket list can help you focus on what you really want in life.

This goes for travel bucket lists, too. Everybody knows a destination that is safe and easy to travel to. And we all know how much easier it is to stay at home. No flights to book, no risks to take.

Deep down, you’ve always wanted to see the gorillas in Uganda. But somehow, you never got around to looking up tours and flights. A bucket list can help you focus on what you want to achieve, so you don’t end up spending your holiday sitting around in your apartment, wondering what to do.

Come on, those gorillas are waiting for you.

A bucket list can also help you focus on areas of the world you’ve previously overlooked. I put down pins on a map for every place and experience that was on my bucket list and quickly saw the ‘white spots’ that I didn’t know much about.

Western Africa, for example. I did a bit of research and quickly stumbled on Voodoo ceremonies – attending one was exactly what had been missing on my list. And on that note, if you need more inspiration for Western Africa, the westernmost point is located next to Dakar and very easy to access. Plus, Senegal is an amazingly easy country to travel through (I highly suggest you go in November so you won’t miss out on the pelican migration).

For me, travel bucket lists are not just about location-specific items. I also enjoy adding experiences that can be done all over the world. Sleeping in an ice hotel, ziplining and hang gliding are just a few examples.

Those items will help you focus on enjoying life. Maybe you can tick off one of them while you’re at home. It’ll shorten those months that are left until your next vacation. Or maybe you’ll realise that your next trip takes you to a spectacular hang gliding location that you shouldn’t miss.

No matter what’s on your bucket list, you will want to work on achieving your goals. I think part of the fascination of bucket lists comes from putting a difficult goal on the list and then not having to think about it anymore. Needless to say that this is not the purpose of a bucket list.

If you end up with all those amazing experiences on a list and then never look at it again, you’ll have the perfect excuse to go on with life as it is. Instead, what you should do, is take out your list over and over again and look at it. Read through the goals and pick one or two to focus on. That is why I highly recommend not only to create a digital bucket list but to also write it down on a piece of paper. That way, you can take it with you wherever you go and it’s always available to look at.

The next step to achieving goals on your travel bucket list is to set a time frame. Those goals you picked, choose a specific date to accomplish them. For example, let’s say you want to visit Easter Island. It’s a remote location and deciding to go there within the next two weeks probably won’t work. But it’s achievable if you set a time frame of two years.

As soon as you start ticking items off your bucket list, or even sooner, you should start adding new ones.

Bucket lists aren’t set in stone. You can add whatever you want. There are no rules for what goes on there and what doesn’t and I think that makes up half of the fascination with them. If you want to learn how to scuba dive, add it. If you want to stay in a tree house, that goes on there, too.

Here’s another suggestion: Volunteer to help nesting sea turtles

Even travelling to remote and inaccessible places like Somalia is a possible goal. There are no limits because no matter how impossible the goal, if you work hard enough, you will get to that place and you will have that experience.

So what are you waiting for? Go and write your own bucket list. Or just browse through existing ones until you’re so fascinated, you’ll automatically reach for pen and paper to make yours.