Yesterday, I posted my current Travel Bucket List. However, while I’m looking forward to hopefully accomplishing all those things in the future, I think it’s important to also look back on previous accomplishments. While I don’t plan every single trip around my goals, once I have a trip planned, I try to take advantage of any opportunities available to apply that trip to working towards a goal. I often accomplish several goals in one trip, which is why you’ll see that I have often done several goals at the same time. Here are some things that are no longer on my bucket list, because I actually did them!
1. Go to Chicago. (September 2014)
2. Eat pizza in Chicago. (September 2014)
3. Go up the Willis Tower and stand on the Skydeck. (September 2014- Okay, I’m done with the Chicago goals!)
4. Live away from the Pacific states. (August 2011)
5. Visit Amish Country. (October 2013 in Holmes County, plus two other trips within the following year)
6. Go to the Creation Museum. (March 2014)
7. Vacation in Hawaii. (April 2001, Oahu)
8. Go to Walt Disney World. (May 1999, plus three more times, all in May during my birthday!)
9. Bike around a major city. (May 2014, Columbus)
10. Be in two places at once a la A Walk to Remember. (March 2013, Nebraska/Iowa, also internationally in July 2014 at New York/Ontario)
11. Visit a different country. (December 2005, Mexico; July 2007 in Peru was the first time I stayed the night inside the country)
12. Visit a different continent. (July 2007 and August 2009, Peru, South America)
13. Visit Canada. (July 2014, Niagara Falls)
14. Go on a mission trip. (July 2007, Posada de Amor in Peru, plus several other trips after)
15. Go to Seattle. (March 2004 was my first trip)
16. Go to Nashville. (September/October 2012)
17. Go to Niagara Falls. (July 2014)
18. Take an overnight train trip. (December 2011, from Nebraska to Oregon)
19. Go on a cruise. (December 2005, California and Baja)
20. Support overseas orphans. (Not including Latin American mission trips, I’ve sponsored Nelly in Zambia since 2013.)
21. Fly first class. (January 2013, from Denver to Omaha)
22. See Mount Rushmore. (August 2011)
23. Be in the nation’s Capitol. (June 2007 in Washington DC, also in Peru’s capitol of Lima in July 2007 and August 2009)
24. Go to New York, New York. (June 2007)
25. See historic Philadelphia. (June 2007)
26. Travel out-of-state without my parents. (March 2003 to Washington, and many, many, many trips since!)
27. Travel by myself. (This one’s ambiguous: in 2001 I flew by myself but was picked up by family at my destination, in August 2011 I moved to Nebraska for an internship, in September 2012 I went to Tennessee for two weeks but one week was spent with a friend, in August 2013 I took a solo road trip to get to Ohio for my new job… if none of the previous count to you has having traveled by myself, then I definitely took several trips over the past year that would certainly count!)
28. Drive more than an hour. (First time was February 2013 from Twin City area in Minnesota to somewhere in Iowa)
29. Drive the entire way on a road trip. (First time was August 2013 from Fremont, NE to Marengo, OH)
30. See a Great Lake. (First saw Lake Erie November 2013, within the next several months also saw Ontario and Michigan)
31. See the Atlantic Ocean. (June 2007)
32. Go to Colorado, but not just inside an airport. (October 2011, Estes Park, visited twice later on)
33. Buy a car (August 2012, bought a y2k red Ford Explorer, sadly sold August 2014)
34. Go to Yellowstone National Park to watch Old Faithful, see large wild animals, and stand on the Continental Divide. (July-ish 2002?)
35. Take a tethered balloon ride. (July 2010)
36. Sleep (inside a car) in a Walmart parking lot. (September 2013)
37. See Multnomah Falls. (September 2014)
38. Go on an extended whitewater rafting trip. (May 2011, Rogue River)
39. Take a trip with only carry-on luggage. (September/October 2011, Tennessee, and nearly every trip ever since!)
40. Ride the Greyhound. (July 2014, and again in August/September 2014)
41. Go waterskiing/wakeboarding. (July 2004 was my first waterski attempt, July 2006 proved more successful and was also my wakeboard introduction)
42. Sleep all night in a hammock. (July 2012, at the top of a 60-foot tower overlooking the Platte River)
43. Stay in a hostel. (September 2012, Music City Hostel in Nashville; hostels are now my favorite accommodation!)
44. Attend a Christian music festival. (September 2011, Lifelight South Dakota)
45. See The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. (June 2007)
46. Visit the three main countries that make up North America. (Started at birth in the U.S., ended in Canada July 2014)
47. Hike from base to summit of a mountain. (The tallest so far was Harney Peak in South Dakota August 2011, but was preceded by Mount Humbug and both Table Rocks in Oregon)
48. Ride a roller coaster that goes upside-down. (May 2003, Disney’s Rock n Roller Coaster, and of course with visits to more “adventurous” theme parks like Six Flags Marine World, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Adventureland, I’ve been on dozens more)
49. Be invited to a movie screening before it comes to theaters. (July 2011 for Courageous; I’ve also gone to Grace Unplugged, Moms’ Night Out, and When the Game Stands Tall)
50. Become a travel writer (started professionally writing November 2008!)
So there you have it: my top 50 travel accomplishments! I’m looking forward to adding more to this list!
Jessica Lippe 