This article presents my 2012 bucket list!
A lot of us have bucket lists. Somewhere on a piece of paper, on an electronic document or maybe in that little corner of our brain we have taken note of those places we want to visit or those things we want to do.
Well, I have to admit that somewhere among my documents I have written the places I would like to visit. Of course, they are mostly international destinations or places on the other side of the country.
For this year, however, I wanted to do something different. You know I am a big advocate of moving, exploring, discovering, and learning. I believe you can have a great adventure anywhere. It doesn’t matter if it is close to your house, in your state or your country. It just requires a little bit of imagination and creativity (and research, research, research).
Well, for this year I have created a bucket list. ‘Cause I want to travel outside of the country but the truth is that I have 4 weeks (or less) to do that. Right now, I don’t have concrete plans of how I am going to use my vacation days ( so many possibilities, ahhh). That doesn’t mean I am going to ground myself for the rest of the year. That is why I decided to share the things I want to do and the places I want to visit this year. Yes, this is what I want to do on weekends, holidays, and the occasional Friday off. Most of the things or places are within 2 hours (about 100 miles) from my house. So, I want to see them as day adventures.
I just included things I haven’t done before. I didn’t include things like returning to San Francisco or returning to the L.A. County Fair. It is all about new experiences (I don’t mind repeating some, though).
So, here it goes!!!
Table of Contents
2012 Bucket List – Around Los Angeles
Go on a sea fishing trip
Visit the Museum of Tolerance
Hike around Malibu
Go to El Matador Beach (in Malibu)
Visit and eat at the Redondo Beach Pier – this is the city where I live and haven’t been to the pier area
Eat in Little Ethiopia
Eat in Little Saigon (Orange County)
Explore Los Angeles’ Chinatown
Try new ethnic Chinese dishes in the San Gabriel Valley – tried two restaurants last year but want to try more
Take a culinary tour of downtown Los Angeles
Take the ferry to Balboa Island (Newport Beach)
Hike a trail that ends in a waterfall
See birds in the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Huntington Beach)
Go on an Architectural Home Tour of the city I live in
Take a better look of Abbot Kinney Blvd and the canals in Venice Beach
2012 Bucket List – Close to Home
Explore different areas of San Diego – just been to Old Town, Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter and the zoo
Go to Santa Barbara – went once for a day, need to explore more, would like to arrive there by train
Go to San Juan Capistrano
Go to Laguna Beach
See wildflowers in Anza-Borrego Desert or on the Flower Fields in Carlsbad
Visit the Safari Park in Escondido
Visit 1 or 2 National Parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon or Channel Islands)
A Little Bit Farther
Go somewhere in California’s Central Coast – went to Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria, San Simeon, Carpinteria
Day trip to Rosarito and Ensenada in Mexico – mainly to eat around
Would like to visit a new state – preferably one close to California, never been to Arizona, New Mexico or Oregon
Go to the TBEX annual meeting in Keystone, Colorado – not sure about this one
Where I Have to Go
Las Vegas – I have already a package for Las Vegas and have to use it before June. Will use my time there to hike around Red Rock Canyon and do the Skywalk.
Napa – I have accommodations for October
2012 Bucket List – International
Not sure yet but at least two international trips
Wow, that is a lot. Plus, I keep coming with ideas. It is a given. The list will change during the year.
I expect to have lots of fun this year. I am sure you can enjoy the year too by discovering new places, activities and cuisines. You know what? Why you don’t create a list like mine? Write everything you have ever wanted to do in your surrounding area. It doesn’t matter if you want to try the ice cream at certain place or if you want to kayak in a lake. I bet you can come up with a fun and interesting list (if you do create a list, let me know, I would like to take a look).
Hope you have a fantastic year. I would let you know how I scratch entries from my list.
What plans do you have for 2012? Can you suggest something for my list? Let me know in the comments section below.
Note: I have included only travel related things. I have more plans in other areas of my life (health, relationships, spiritual, etc.)
Jan Ross says
Great ideas! I guess at this point in my writing career, I have a tentative list of places I would like to visit, but I’m really just open to being sent pretty much anywhere! I also have Vegas on my list, along with a couple of cruises, but after that, it’s all up in the air!!
Ruth says
Well Jan, I can’t disagree with what you wrote. Sometimes, I have plans but different things come up. Like you, I would take any trip any time,
Craig says
Ruth, if you’re looking for a nearby state, I highly recommend going to Oregon, especially Portland. Easy and walkable city, great public transportation, excellent food, and plenty of places to walk around and explore. Also, nearby are the Multnomah Falls – you can actually get to a waterfall in about 2 minutes from the parking lot, but there are also several other trails leading to other waterfalls. Multnomah Falls are only about 30 miles from Portland, and right off the freeway.
And, come October, feel free to check out our website for suggestions on your trip to Napa – http://www.twoguysfromnapa.com.
Happy travels!
Ruth says
Craig,
I have had Portland in my mind for a long time. I have also heard about Multnomah Falls, they look so tall!!! Thanks for the recommendations. And definetly, I will check your website for suggestions on my October trip.
Scott - Quirky Travel Guy says
Awesome list Ruth! I don’t usually make these sorts of lists, because it feels more like a to-do list with pressure and stress to get everything done. But your list gives me a lot of good ideas, so I’m going to write a bunch of them down 🙂
Arizona and New Mexico are gorgeous… definitely go to one or both! A lot of people seem to be on the fence about TBEX this year. I’ll be there, so if you make it we’ll have to say hi.
Ruth says
Scott,
Like you, I don’t usually do this type of lists. This are just ideas I want to remember. If it is not this year, then it will have to wait. However, I feel a lot of them are kind of simple. It is just a matter of attitude. Plus, I want to show the people who read this blog that there a lot of interesting things to do even if it is close to your house.
I am still not sure about TBEX. Will think about it. I think I am mostly interested in meeting other bloggers.
Cathy Sweeney says
Great list, Ruth. It’s amazing all of the things we can find to see and do that are close to home. I love exploring areas close to my home in the San Francisco area. Glad to see you’ve got Napa on your list If you’ve got time, check out Sonoma wine country, too). Hope to see you at TBEX in Keystone!
Ruth says
Cathy,
Last week, I visited San Francisco for the first time. I just loved it. However, I just feel like I scratched the surface. Need to do more trips to discover more of the region.
santafetraveler says
Close to home- have you been to Anza Borrego? If you haven’t, it’s a great place to go. There’s a post about the truck tour there on Santa Fe Travelers.
Ruth says
Thanks you very much for the info. I took a look at your article. I have heard a lot of the park but never have been there. Going to plan a trip for this spring.
Annette | Bucket List Journey says
Great List! You’re going to love Napa (that’s my neck of the woods). I adore spending the day at Oxbow Market eating food from some of the best pruveyors and drinking wine before noon :). It’s my favorite close-to-home getaway.
At this point my bucket list is a bit out of control, but there are just so many cool things to accomplish! I just wrote this list of 543 goals to add to your bucket list. Hope it gives you a few ideas 🙂
http://mslistologist.com/2012/01/543-goals-for-your-bucket-list-no-more-excuses/
Ruth says
Thanks for the tip on the Oxbow Market. I love this kind of markets. I recenrly visited San Francisco’s Ferry Building. What a place!
Wow, your 543 list looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing.
Stephanie - The Travel Chica says
Lots of plans for the year. When you do not have a lot of time, planning ahead can really help you achieve a lot of your travel goals. Enjoy!
Ruth says
Stephanie,
Thanks. I saw that you are also in the move. Hope you discover amazing places this year.
David @ Malaysia Asia says
Hey Ruth, Happy New Year 2012 and glad yo know you have your bucket list out. For me, I have no clue on where I should go this year. I know there’s Japan and Borneo.. again. All the best!
Ruth says
David,
Happy new year to you too. Thanks for all your good wishes. Japan and Borneo? That sounds great. Let me tell you that Malaysia and Singapore are on my tentative travel list. Have a wonderful year.
Jeremy Branham says
Great list! This sounds like a pre “Best of Travel 2012” – local destinations, domestic destinations, international destinations! 🙂
I really like the idea of exploring places close to home. Years ago, I may not have considered that traveling. Now I love the idea of finding places close to home. Like you, I want to go to far away places as well. However, my time off this year will be spent traveling in the US for the College Football Travel Tour.
I like how you really planned this out. This way, you have goals and plans you can work towards and something to keep you accountable to doing the things you set out to do. Good luck in these travels! It will be interesting to see how much of these you get done! 🙂
Ruth says
Jeremy,
Thanks for stopping by. There are so many places out there. It is difficult to decide where to go. I just wanted to write down what I have been wanting to do for a long time. Last year, the list was longer but I was able to visit a lot of new places. So this year, I hope I can continue discovering my “local” area.
Emme Rogers @ Roamancing says
This is awesome! We often forget about all the great adventures on our doorstep.
~ Emme
Dallas says
2012 is going to be a busy and exciting year for you! I’m also going to be traveling more domestically, mostly in western states. I have 1 international trip to Ireland in the works, and another international trip to study. I’d love to get to the TBEX meet-up too, but am still trying to figure out if the timing will work. Good luck to you in 2012!
Anji says
I never quite believed in bucket lists until I somehow was persuaded to do one this year and actually, I did something pretty similar to you! There are soo many places around me that I have no idea about or take them for granted. So I have decided to visit all those villages around Barcelona and even in Spain!
Ryan @ PauseTheMoment.com says
Great bucket list! I wish you the best of luck in completing it! 😉
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures says
What a fabulous BL. Good luck crossing stuff off!!!