White - Bucket list adventures: 10 incredible journeys to experience before you die

Copyright 2017 by Annette White

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Rain Saukas

Cover photo credit: iStock photo and authors collection

Interior photos courtesy Annette White

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-1004-7

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-1006-1

Printed in China

To my best friend and husband, Peter, who believed in me even in the moments that I did not. To my mother, who instilled in me her undying Italian work ethic. To my little Lupita, who happily worked harder so I could escape to live my dream. Most of all, to the dreamers whose aspirations see no boundariesyou inspire me.

Peter and me touring a pineapple farm in Maui

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

What is keeping you from experiencing something truly incredibleturning a wondrous travel dream into reality? For some it is the obstacle of time, while for others its the dilemma of limited funds or simply the fear of stepping out of their comfort zone. But, there is a place beyond those hurdles, a place where each morning you wake with inspiration in your heart and a fire in your belly, ready to tackle a goal with passion. Only a small fraction of people will ever live like this, but I have learned that most people can. You can find that place where your wanderlust runs wild and your diligence puts you on a journey that quenches your desire Bucket List Adventures can show you how.

I am fortunate to be one of the few, a person who is living my ideal life. For more than eight years as a travel writer, blogger, and new experience collector I have been following my passion of checking the world off my bucket list, one incredible adventure at a time. It is a life where one day may be spent eating fresh Ladure macarons in Paris, while the next will have me playing a game of hide-and-seek with the Sri Lankan children on the streets of Colombo or floating in the salty Dead Sea in Jordan. This lifestyle was not borne out of privilege: my family is not rich, and in fact are Italian immigrants who came to the United States with very little money. Rather, it is what can happen when you are determined to design a life that you are thrilled to be living, thus saying no to fear, and turning your I cants into I cans.

It hasnt always been this way for me. Before following my calling for exploration, I instead followed in the family footsteps. My husband and I borrowed every dime to open a little Italian restaurant in my hometown. We settled into a beyond-full-time work routine that ate up over seventy hours a week of our lives. It left little time for anything else. Though the restaurant was rewarding and the food business is in my blood, there was also something else tugging at my heart. It was an urge to explore and try something for the first timea lot of somethings. But, I too had countless anxieties and obstacles that prevented me from taking strides toward living an intrepid life, one that would take me away from the daily grind to travel the globe. I was uninspired, controlled by fear, and just going through the motions hoping that something would change, but nothing ever did. Einstein put it best when he said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Doing nothing changed nothing. If going truffle hunting in Italy or diving the Great Barrier Reef was my deepest wish, then there were steps that had to be taken in order to make that happen. Nobody was going to wave a magic wand to cure my anxieties, free up time in my over-scheduled day, or put thousands of dollars into a travel fund for me. I needed to do those things myself. In other words, instead of just dreaming about my bucket list, I needed to actually live it. And thats exactly what I did, one tiny step at a time.

The result of these steps, which are revealed inside the pages of this book, has been a myriad of incredible experiences that span the globe. With over forty countries under my belt, this is a collection of my ten most extraordinary journeysfrom walking amongst the wildebeest on an African safari; to the Galpagos Islands to see the Blue Footed Booby mating dance; to swimming in a lake surrounded by thousands of jellyfish in Palau and so much more.

This is more than just a book of inspirational stories to whet your appetite; it is also a practical guide brimming with resources for active dreamers who are craving to create memorable adventures in their own lives. Each travelogue includes an informational guide that covers the how-to of checking the experience off your own bucket list: the best hotels, restaurants, tour companies, time of year to visit, etc. Beyond this, there are tips on how to find the precious free time that always seems to be lacking, how to create a money management system to fund your travels, and proven techniques on working through the fear that afflicts us all on some level. Most importantly, my book will give you the tools to create a life-changing bucket list of your own, plus essential travel tips for planning an unbelievable journey, and ultimately crossing your items off your list.

Imagine living a life filled with adventure, to be inspired to dream bigger and to have the means to turn fantasies into reality. Whether your goal is to go wine tasting through Tuscany, climb Mount Kilimanjaro, or simply have a family weekend getaway in the mountains, this book will inspire your imagination to have no limits and give you the know-how to design the type of life that you are truly inspired to live.