Working through the bucket list

Last August I wrote a bucket list of 'Things to do before I'm 30' - read my list here. I made sure to include some small, achievable goals (after all I only had 3 years), but I also included some more exciting adventures! My first tick off the list was number 13; a colour run with my Mum in Birmingham.

The run was fun, but more fun than run, if you know what I mean! It was a lovely day for a 5K, and we leisurely jogged our way round the course enjoying the atmosphere and making sure we got covered in a rainbow of paint. I chose this as a goal because I love running and thought the idea of a color run was really cool, but the best part of the day was actually spending quality time with my Mum.

Now onto a more exciting goal, number 2;  a road trip through America's deep South. Anyone who knows me will guess that this goal was the one I wanted to do the most. I really love America and fell truly, madly, deeply during my adolescence when I spent 7 summers working in Girl Scout camps. Those summers enabled me to travel all over the states (I'd made it to 18), but I hadn't properly ventured into The South. I would take any excuse to travel back to the States, in fact I'd kill to emigrate, but why did I want to visit The South? Well Y'all, it's the one part of America that I think has a culture, identity and way of life that is unique from the rest of the country. From the history, music and food to the southern hospitality I loved the whole idea of The South and was desperate to visit.

.....And, when I'm desperate to do something, I usually do it! So I'm currently enjoying this goal in Savannah GA! I have taken 4.5 weeks off work, hired a car and enlisted my best friend to share in the adventure with me. We started in Atlanta, traveled to Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis, Clarksdale, Jackson, New Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery and have made it to Savannah. There are still 2 weeks left of the trip, but I wanted to start sharing the adventure with you now, while it's still fresh. So hang in there as the next few posts will be all about our journey through the deep South.

Do I stay or do I go?

One of the hardest things about travel is actually biting the bullet and deciding to go, especially if you are planning to do it alone. It takes bravery to leave behind everything and everyone you know to head into the unknown, and for some that obstacle is too hard to overcome.

When I decided to backpack through South East Asia I initially wanted to travel with friends, but the time I wanted to go didn’t suit anyone else, they had either just been travelling or had jobs they couldn’t leave and so I was left with the choice of either not going or going alone. It wasn’t much of a decision really, I wanted to go and nothing was going to stop me, but that didn’t make it feel less scary. As my departure date got closer I was terrified and couldn’t think about my trip without a huge sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I was really sad to leave behind my family and friends and really worried about what was waiting for me on the other end. It helped to do lots of research and planning but I still had an awful fear of the trip going wrong. The fear didn’t subside until I left the airport in my first destination, Singapore, when I realised that I had arrived in an exciting city that was similar to other big cities and not the scary place I had worried about. With every day of my trip the fear ebbed away, it came back briefly each time I moved to a new destination but after a few weeks my confidence grew and I realised that fear is just a natural reaction to change and in fact I was really pleased that I was undertaking this adventure alone.

‘The fear’ never really goes away, I’ve traveled many times on my own and know from my experience that the initial upheaval of leaving home is worth it but that doesn’t stop the feeling creeping back every time I decide to undertake a new adventure. I’m struggling a little with this at the moment as I am currently planning a couple of solo adventures and it’s making me feel scared and teary about packing up and leaving behind a life that makes me happy, but the feeling of wanderlust is stronger so I’m doing it and I know that the second I arrive in my first destination it will be totally worth it. I’m determined to live the life that I’ve dreamed of, and I won’t let fear stand in my way.

The best advice I can give to anyone letting ‘The fear’ stand in their way is to remember that you can always come home. If your trip really is awful or you are missing home too much there is nothing stopping you from coming back, but go in the first place and see! It’s so easy to talk yourself out of travel, ‘it’s the wrong time in my life’, ‘I can’t leave my job’, ‘I will go next year’  ‘I will miss out on things at home’, ‘I can’t afford it’, ‘travel is dangerous’, but none of these things are genuine obstacles it’s ‘The fear’ talking. So focus on talking yourself into things, don’t miss out on fantastic opportunities because it’s scary... nothing worth doing is easy. And believe me, it’s worth doing.

Things to do before I'm 30

This is more of a lifestyle post than a travel post, but since so many of my goals are travel related it felt appropriate to post my bucket list here.

I have always wanted to write a 'things to do before I'm 30' list but 30 has felt fairly far off.. until this year! This year I turned 27, and with people around me getting married, having babies and getting mortgages it feels like time to write my list, before adult life happens to me too. Below is my (fairly ambitious) goals for the next 3 years, and hopefully I can take you on the journey with me by blogging my progress.

Wish me luck!

1. Skinny dipping (everything off this time!)

2. Take a roadtrip through the American south

3. Fly in a helicopter



4. Float in the Dead Sea



5.Go to a big international festival e.g. Burning Man, Carnival, Mardi Gras, La Tomatina...



6. Ride a tandem bicycle



7. Give blood

8. Travel through the Channel Tunnel



9. See the Northern Lights



10. Backpack around South America

11. Eat in a trendy London restaurant e.g Dans Le Noir, Supperclub, Circus, La Bodega Negra etc..



12. Climb a mountain



13. Participate in a mud or colour run

What do you think? What's on your bucket list?



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