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Are Bucket Lists Making Us Sick?
In our social media age of travel bucket lists, are we missing the point? Has travel become a point scoring
exercise to impress others?
Flying out of Auckland to Fiji I sat next to a young lady traveler who told us about her journey around the
Polynesian islands.
Coral Beach, Fiji
From Fiji she’ll make her way across the islands through Tonga to the Cook Islands and then on to the Marquesas.
The latter being little known islands out on the eastern arm of the Pacific.
In all, she’ll make 12 stops in 20 days. She said she didn’t have enough time off work and would have to complete
the other islands next year.
“Sounds like quite a hard schedule,” I said a little surprised.

2. “I want to do them all by the time I’m 35,” she said.
“Why?”
The young lady thought for a moment, having not really considered the answer to this question, then replied,
“Because it’s my bucket list”
In this world of social media, bucket lists are everywhere. There are websites and apps devoted to the subject.
But just because it’s common does it make it the right thing to do?
Bucket lists are powerful ideas. We set ourselves a goal then go full tilt to complete that goal.
My life, I guess, was once a bucket-list.
“I’ll be a millionaire by 30!” I told myself (and others).
I didn’t happen.
“I’ll own my own company. I’ll be successful etc”
I had my own bucket list of things I’d do from skydiving here to climbing up there.
After some time, I found the appeal of the bucket list wear thin. I completed the items I set out to achieve and then
thought “what next?” I realized that the list wasn’t lived for our own happiness but because of our fear of what
others think of us.
Those who live for the approval of others will also die by their rejection.
Bucket lists compel us to live other people’s agendas. We build our lives in the image of what we think other
people will think of us. We think other people will respect us more if we travel 30 countries by aged 30.
This social pressure forces us to value quantity over quality. What happens is we become obsessed by
completing the list rather than enjoying the completion. We achieve the things we wanted to achieve but we deny
our happiness in achieving them.
It is difficult to be so robust to the social pressures around us. We are social animals. In our social media age we
surround ourselves with the lives of others. We are under constant pressure to impress.
Bucket Lists are a great idea. They motivate. They help us find the energy and enthusiasm but Bucket List culture
is also making us, as a society, sick.
We have to be brave enough to take time out to value quality over quantity.
The young lady on the plane is like many of us – compelled to complete a bucket list for the sake of others.
She knows, deep down, she would have much more fun, have much more of a rewarding travel experience by
visiting just one or two of those islands. She could stay for a while. Rather than rush madly around she could
integrate and learn something about the culture by being part of it.
When you focus on quality not quantity each experience becomes special. You discover things that aren’t
supposed to happen.
But then what could she share on Facebook? What would she blog about?
When it comes to travel, quality time is happy time. Don’t be afraid to take it slow, to do less. Don’t feel compelled
to travel everywhere, see everything because it’s “on your list”. You will blaze through your destinations and think
“so what was that all about?”
Rather, understand that less is more.

3. Take time out to allow the unexpected to happen. Magic happens in the gaps, especially in travel.
In life, like travel, there are no prizes for doing the most or finishing first. All that matters is you did it on your own
terms.
Fire Your Boss, Sell Your Car, Travel The World
Remember your dreams and fight for them
If only closed minds came with closed mouths
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels
It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything
When exactly were you brainwashed into believing that the best way to earn a living is to have a job?
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