My travel bucket list, as a travel writer

31 places I'd like to visit in my next 31 years

I’m writing to you from the airport bar on my way to perhaps my favorite European city in celebration of two things: my 31st birthday on Monday and the 10th anniversary of my semester abroad in Spain.

In honor of these milestones, I’m returning to Seville, the first place I ever lived outside of the US and the city that originally inspired me to become a travel writer. I can’t wait to be back on the banks of the Guadalquivir, sipping tinto de verano in the sunshine and breathing in the ever-present scent of azaharia from all of the orange trees throughout the city. The list of tapas I plan to eat during our visit is almost irresponsibly long, and I’m not sorry about it.

Perhaps it’s ironic, then, that I decided to write a list of travel experiences that are still on my bucket list while literally en route to a city that I’ve already spent a full six months experiencing.

Without further ado, here are 31 places I’d like to visit in my next 31 years and what I’d like to do in each one. Let’s all set a reminder to check back in with me when I’m 62 to see how many I managed to check off the list, k?

31 once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences I want to have in the next 31 years

1. Float in the Dead Sea in Amman, Jordan

2. See penguins in their natural habitat in Betty’s Bay, South Africa

3. Eat fresh sushi from the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo, Japan

4. Swim in the Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia

5. Have afternoon tea at the Ritz in London, England, UK

6. See the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo, Egypt

7. Ride on a gondola through the canals of Venice, Italy

8. Skydive over Mount Everest from Kathmandu, Nepal

9. Visit the Banaue rice terraces in Ifugao, Philippines

10. Spend St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland

11. See a sky full of hot air balloons at the Cappadocia Festival from Göreme, Turkey

12. Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bali, Indonesia

13. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia

14. Experience Día de los Muertos in Oaxaca City, Mexico

15. Ride the Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps from Preda to Bergün, Switzerland

16. See Dean’s Blue Hole in Clarence Town, the Bahamas

17. Kayak through Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile

18. Watch the sunrise over the Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

19. Celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

20. Visit the Grand Canyon in Tusayan, Arizona, USA

21. Board a cruise from Vancouver through Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka, Alaska

22. Spend an evening at the opera in Vienna, Austria

23. Embrace the kitsch on the Maid of the Mist from Niagara Falls, New York

24. See the Southern Lights in Dunedin, New Zealand

25. Interact with elephants (ethically) at the Elephant Nature Park in Kuet Chang, Thailand

26. Eat Belgian waffles in Brussels, Belgium

27. Drink Porto in Porto, Portugal

28. Scarf down a Berliner doughnut in Berlin, Germany

29. Throw back a Singapore Sling in Raffles, Singapore

30. Savor Maine lobster in Portland, Maine

31. Sip champagne in Champagne, France

What’s on your travel bucket list?

Not that I’m currently in the market to add anything to mine at the moment, clearly, but I’d love to hear what’s on yours anyway! Now, back to my birthday celebrations in sunny Sevilla. Raising a glass of Rioja to you from Andalucía—thanks for being here.