TURNER Bucket List Inspiration

Most of us have it somewhere, the list of must-dos, must-visits, must-experience – the Bucket List. Named for the (slightly morbid) motivation of checking these experiences off before you “kick the bucket,” this list is inspirational and aspirational item for most, driving us to put those extra pennies away in order to get to another far-flung destination, or eat another never-to-be-missed dish at a revered restaurant.

This week on TURNER’s social channels, we will be looking at the team’s bucket lists: where we want to go, what we want to experience, and of course, what we want to eat! Join us on our journey …

But first – we asked a few of our media friends to share their current travel inspirations and the response was immediate and passionate … see below – and add a few more items to your own bucket list!  There are so many things I want to cross off the list. New Zealand is at the top of my bucket list right now for heli-biking, swimming with fur seals and seeing the glow worms. I would also like to go camping on the Great Wall of China, hang out with the gorillas in Rwanda and go stand-up paddle boarding in Antarctica. –  Sarah Sekula, Freelance Writer for USA Today  

As far as bucket lists go, I have a lot of run of the mill dreams, like bottle-feeding orphaned elephants and tracking snow leopards in Asia. But the strangest one is probably the most likely – cross-country skiing in Manhattan during a blizzard. Every time a big storm passes through New York, I always imagine what it's like to travel silent, empty streets of New York, and look, as the snow falls, at the architecture, the empty alleys, the nooks and crannies that people rarely recognize anymore. I can't think of another time when you would have this opportunity to have the City all to yourself. – Amiee White Beazley, Freelance Travel Writer  There are a few destinations that I've dreamt about for a long time:

• Scotland - I've been to Ireland and England many times, but never Scotland!
• Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket - I spent the first ten years of life in Rhode Island, and now live in NYC, but I have never been to these classic, iconic American places.
• Kenya and Tanzania - My Africa experience is limited and I've never felt the way I did when I was there - an intense desire, bordering on desperate need, to return.
• Denmark, Sweden, and Norway - I spend a lot of time in Europe but still haven't made it to these gorgeous destinations. Life just seems to be better there - simple, efficient, and beautifully designed.

There will never be enough time! And I fully believe that the more you travel, the bigger the world gets. –  Annie Fitzsimmons, Digital editor at Virtuoso,  Editor-at-large at National Geographic Traveler  

That's such a hard question! My bucket list is pretty long, but I'm hoping to plan trips to Rajasthan and Japan in the near future – I would be thrilled if I could make both happen! – Nikki Ekstein, Travel Editor at Bloomberg Pursuits  

A far-flung dream destination of mine is Laucala Island in Fiji. Snorkeling in a submarine and trotting along white-sand, private isle beaches on a Fijian horse? Yes, please! Closer by—and much more realistically—I'd like to take a road trip through Oregon, sipping pinots in the Willamette Valley, razor clamming along wide Pacific Coast beaches, and hiking in the foothills of Mt. Hood. –  Stirling Kelso, Freelance Travel Writer at Condé Nast Traveler I'm the type of traveler who likes to pack a lot in an itinerary. I'd love to visit Ireland to do the popular things, like castle touring and Guinness drinking. But I'd also like to experience more adventurous activities like mountaineering, sea kayaking and kissing the Blarney Stone. –  Wendy Altschuler, Travel and Lifestyle Writer Lately, I've been enjoying staying in one place for an extended amount of time. My recent three months in Argentina allowed me to become intimately acquainted with the country, and I would love to have the opportunity to do this in other destinations, including Papua New Guinea, Norway, Mongolia, Japan, Uruguay, and Salvador, Brazil. – Michaela Trimble, Travel Writer and Photographer