When we first began traveling, we kept an unofficial list of places and things we wanted to experience.  We never thought of it as a travel bucket list (good thing since there seems to be some hate for the term) but more as a reference when deciding where to travel next.

We recently ran across this list after a few years of neglect.  Like any good listmaker, we promptly crossed off completed items and proceeded to add some new ones.

Below is said updated list:

View the Northern Lights
Visit all 7 continents
Step foot on Antarctica
Spot polar bears in the Arctic
African safari
Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti
Stay at Giraffe Manor in Kenya
Trek gorillas in Rwanda
Victoria Falls
Swim in the Devil’s Pool at Victoria Falls
Iguazu Falls
Taj Mahal
Ganges boat ride
Pushkar Camel Fair
Sandboarding in Namibia
Cuba
North Korea
Bhutan
Great Wall of China
Hug a panda in China
See the “snow monkeys” in Japan
Ride in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia
Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia
Machu Picchu
Explore Gálapagos Islands
Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef
Spend a night in a desert camp
Antelope Canyon
Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Witness land diving in Vanuatu
Swim with jellyfish in Palau

We are happy to say all crossed-off items were definitely worth it.  But you know what? So were the many more amazing travel experiences that never made this list.