Discover a new kind of travel inspiration with Bucket Lists for Travel: Places to Go Before Your Knees Give Out!, part of the Mindful & Intentional Traveler series. Created by renowned tour leader Ralph Velasco, this book blends purposeful planning with heartfelt reflection.
Whether you’re sipping wine in Portugal or dreaming from your favorite chair, this travel planner journal becomes a trusted companion for recording, organizing, and manifesting your travel dreams.
With structured checklists, curated prompts, and room for your own reflections, Bucket Lists for Travel bridges the gap between a simple travel planner and a soul-filled travel memory book, crafted for people who don’t just want to go everywhere, but who want to feel something along the way.
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Hi, I’m Ralph Velasco, aka The Continental DRIFTER®. I’ve spent the last 17+ years leading more than 130 international small group tours on six continents, teaching travel photography, and helping people explore the world more mindfully and intentionally. My focus has always been on meaningful experiences—connecting with local culture, food, and people along the way.
My new book, Bucket Lists for Travel: Places to Go Before Your Knees Give Out!, was created for travelers of all ages and styles, and it's part of my Mindful & Intentional Traveler series on Amazon. This book features over 80 themed checklists to help you track where you’ve been, plan where you’re going, and stay inspired along the way.
Lists Include:
✅ Countries
✅ UNESCO Sites
✅ Great Hikes and Drives
✅ Gastronomic and Adventure Experiences
✅ 7 Wonders of the World and more
There are also adult coloring pages and mandalas, inspiring travel quotes, intention prompts, journaling space and more.
It’s a fun, practical tool to turn your travel goals into real-life adventures.
Whether you’re a seasoned explorer or just getting started, this book helps you make the most of your time, energy, and curiosity—wherever the journey takes you.
This book makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for any traveler in your life and it's just in time for the upcoming holiday season.
What's on your list?
Available on Amazon: tinyurl.com/bucketlistsfortravel
I hope you enjoy the idea for this book which I created because I hadn't found any other books in which you can actually tick the items off your Bucket Lists and at the same time be inspired by other places to visit and foods and experiences to have.
Be sure to add this book to your holiday gift giving list, it makes a great stocking stuffer for the travelers in your life!
Hi Ralph ... curios, can you choose one destination from each of the 5 categories that you list and share why it is special to you? Thanks and congrats on the book!
Hi Ric, thanks for the comment, and sure, here you go:
✅ Countries
Spain is really special to me because it was the first country I'd traveled to (other than Mexico) when I studied there for a summer at age 15 in high school. Plus, I have Spanish roots and I absolutely love the people, food, wine, culture, variety of weather, everything, and I plan to move there in the next year or so.
✅ UNESCO Sites
Two of my favorite UNESCO sites are Angkor Wat in Cambodia, a country to which I've led many tours over the years, and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is spectacular.
✅ Great Hikes and Drives
My favorite hike I've ever done is the Routeburn Track on the South Island of New Zealand. I did this hike in 1988 on a 5 month, round-the-world trip I did back then.
As for Drives, having lived in Southern California for many years I always loved driving up and down PCH, the Pacific Coast Highway.
✅ Gastronomic and Adventure Experiences
Going to a private Gastronomic Society in Logrono, Spain, has been one of my great food experiences, as is doing foodie tours with my groups around the world, from Istanbul to Porto and Hanoi to Cartagena.
✅ 7 Wonders of the World
The only 7 Wonder of the Ancient World that I've ever seen, because it's the only one that still exists, is the Great Pyramid of Giza. That said, I have dove the Great Barrier Reef, seen the Northern Lights in Lapland and flown by Mount Everest in Nepal on a flightseeing tour, all of which are on other of the 7 Wonder lists.
Soooo many more places to go and things to do in this life!
How about you?
Some great choices!
Countries
Uzbekistan, Algeria. So much to see, unique culture and history, good infrastructure, good cost structure, friendly people
UNESCO
Love Angkor and Taj. So special! I will 2nd your list.
Hike and drive
Not much of a hiker, memorable hike to see the Koma people in Cameroon on the Nigerian border. And I'll say the drive to start the hike was a memorable 10 hrs on some brutal roads.
Gastro
Any meal in Syria/Lebanon/Jordan
7 Wonders
I will go with Petra.
Someone go next? I tag Ian.
Here's a few of mine:
✅ Countries — Thailand (of course!), Laos, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Tasmania 😉
✅ UNESCO Sites — Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang (Plain of Jars) in Laos
✅ Great Hikes and Drives — The 101 Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Cruz to San Diego
✅ Gastronomic and Adventure Experiences — Laos, Hong Kong, Vietnam (a trend here)
✅ 7 Wonders of the World - not a big fan of this concept as it's western biased and I think Machu Picchu is destroyed by overtourism
It's a really good point, Ian. Overtourism is a major issue at these more popular sites. Glad I got to Machu Picchu way back in 1980!
I'd love to have gotten to Syria before all that's happened there in recent years. Such a shame.