Last week, a close friend and fellow La Jollan boarded a flight to New York en route to a meeting in Milan. Shortly into the flight, this very fit guy with no major health issues passed out and collapsed in the aisle. Because American Airlines’ planes are equipped with a remarkable amount of emergency medical equipment and a Marine MD was sitting a few rows away, this story has a happy ending. Our friend spent a few days in an Albuquerque hospital being checked six ways from Sunday, was deemed healthy, and returned home to his grateful family.
Milan can wait, but some things can’t. Our friend’s experience reminded my husband and me of The Bucket List, the movie in which Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman — both terminally ill — make a list of things they’ve always wanted to do. Unlike Nicholson’s character, we don’t have a desire to sky dive — but we both have numerous travel experiences on our to-do lists.
Apparently we aren’t unique in this respect. In 2003, Patricia Schultz had a hard time finding a publisher for 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. All of them — except one — said the book wouldn’t make any money. Before long it was a bestseller, and it has since spawned spin-off books, calendars, puzzles, games, a TV series, and a Web site — all aimed at providing fodder for “travel life lists.” (www.1000beforeyoudie.com)
So what’s on your bucket list? And how much longer are you going to wait before you turn those dreams into realities?
Most of us plan trips with certain fellow travelers in mind — and the hard truth is that your parents, your spouse, or whomever you most want to see the world with won’t be around forever. Did you watch Ken Burn’s National Park series on PBS last month? And did you notice that those happy families cavorting through Yellowstone and Yosemite didn’t include many teenagers? Most parents I know recommend traveling with children while they are still young enough to be willing to be seen in public with you.
Since this is the month for giving thanks, in addition to looking at my yet-to-do list, I’ve been thinking a lot about the trips I’ve already taken. I’m really glad that I didn’t postpone my “roots trip” to Italy (see our April issue). The relatives that provided the most helpful clues about my great-grandmother’s birthplace have all gone to their great reward. Also, shortly after I was there, a devastating earthquake wrecked havoc on this little village, probably destroying the records I’d found. (Special thanks go to whoever invented copy machines.) If your bucket list includes filling in the empty branches on your family tree, Ancestry.com and Genealogy.com are very helpful.
I also have outstanding memories of a heli-hiking trip to Canada’s Bugaboo Mountains. Every morning the big birds carried us to a different terrain: an Alpine meadow where we walked through wildflowers; snow-white glaciers where we glissaded down slippery slopes; and peaks where we savored magnificent mountain vistas. I’m glad I had this experience in the days before my knees starting getting wonky. If this kind of adventure travel is on your list, contact Canadian Mountain Holidays. (www.canadianmountainholidays.com)
Sometimes — but not often — opportunity knocks twice. Such is the case with the Passion Play held every ten years in Oberammergau, Germany. I had the chance to attend when I was living in Munich, just a short distance away, and for the life of me I don’t know why I didn’t do it. However, I plan to carpe diem in 2010 when the production runs from May to October. (www.passionplay-oberammergau.com)
Unfortunately, our environment is not likely to give us do-overs, and the effects of global warming are going to impact our options. If outdoorsy dreams are your priority — move them to the top of your list. In the years when I was writing Frommers Australia, I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef whenever I had a chance, and it saddens me to know that now the reef is in decline.
So give thanks this month for the wonderful trips you’ve already enjoyed — and then start planning some more. ELIZABETH HANSEN
