Managing the Bucket List: Vol I follows your post-retirement “Travel Big Year” across glaciers, cathedrals, rainforests, pilgrimage routes, and historic cities as you discover that bucket-list travel is about letting the world revise how we understand it. Why was this an important book for you to write?

When I first started traveling, I didn’t envision a book but by the third trip, Italy, I realized that the trips are very informative and I wanted to capture the information and experience, so I started a journal. I left space to write about the previous two trips from memory. Within one or two of the next trips, I decided that an overview of the trip and my perspective may be something that book readers would be interested in. So, I really started thinking about how to structure the book to be most readable and effective. Although at first, it was about a book for the first year, I quickly realized that I would pursue multiple travel years and therefore multiple books. Specifically, why is it important for me to write? Because I feel that my background adds a certain comprehensive lens to my knowledge gained and experience encountered that can help others to understand the world better, people and environment.

Of all the places you visited in this volume, which destination changed your perspective the most, and why?

That is a tough question because I learned many new things with every trip and location. But if I have to pick one, I think that the trips to Patagonia and Alaska to see the glaciers really conveyed the effects of climate change. Seeing firsthand how far Mendenhall Galcier had receded in Alaska. Most of the glaciers in Patagonia had also significantly receded except for Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina which is growing. Everyone hears about the impact of climate change on the environment. However, when one sees the impacts in nature’s setting, there is an emotional connection that is difficult to encounter when reading about or viewing on television. Documentaries do a great job of providing the information, but the emotional connection requires seeing first-hand.

How has visiting UNESCO sites, religious landmarks, and natural wonders affected the way you think about preservation and global responsibility?

I have become much more appreciative of the efforts that have been made to preserve history whether man-made or nature-made through UNESCO recognition, cultural or religious landmarks, and natural wonders. In some cases, these sites are hidden pieces to understanding a historical evolution that can shed light on potential future challenges. In other words, understanding our past can help us to be better prepared for our future. Once these treasures are gone, they are gone forever. Bamiyan comes to mind and the Buddhist statues destroyed by the Taliban during their first reign in Afghanistan. Having spent time in Iraq too, war-torn countries have lost many of these historic sites over centuries, but hopefully there are means to protect what is left. Iraq has so much history with the iconic city of Babylon in its borders. It would be a travesty for any ruins left to be destroyed by twenty-first century war.

What advice would you give to retirees or lifelong learners who want to create a meaningful bucket list but feel overwhelmed by the planning?

First, put a little effort into thinking about where one would like to go and what one would like to do. For some people that might be easy because they have acquired insight for some period of time on preparing a bucket list. They may have been building that list since their early twenties of the places and activities they want to do when they finally have the time. For others, do a little research. Quite a bit of my list has been from friends that have described places and activities that they have done. One friend’s parents traveled the continental United States visiting national parks largely staying in a tent after they retired. Through their experience, she built her own list, accomplishing some with her children while they were growing up. I feel like I missed the boat not doing that more with my children. Now, I am trying to catch up with family trips to these places for my granddaughter to experience the value of nature at a very early age. I have a family trip planned to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee for a few days and then Asheville, North Carolina to visit Biltmore Estates. I’ve been to both places with a friend, but the family engagement makes the trip a special memory. My two sons are doing falconry at Biltmore, an activity one son has dreamed about since he was a child.

Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads