Photography (& Life) Bucket List

You may view this travel must see places post as a gallery of images to scroll and browse, or read short descriptions on what I find appealing in each place. In either case, view it as my personal list. I am sure you have their own, like this “10 places to photograph” by Jeff Revell, which inspired this post. If you have yours, please share the link or list the places in the comment section below!

I was accused recently of not having dreams. And while I choose to live my life from day to day, taking any opportunity arriving at my door but not really being pro-active, there is a number of things I want to do before I die. And as personal as it might sound, it really is a list of what I find to be interesting and worth visiting or photograph. Since I live in US right now, I divided the list into Northern America and the rest of the world, which is, in a sense, division how easily those places are accessible to me. It is all to hide the fact how many places I really list ;).

A. Must-see USA

• Mackinac Island

The small and unique island on Lake Michigan, which you can visit by bike, horse or on foot only, no cars allowed. It is not wilderness, it is a bed & breakfast kind of place, when after leisure stroll on you just sit in the cafe, enjoy the breeze from the water and look at passers by.

• Yellowstone

The first American National Park, I am sure many people have on their bucket list. And I would love to visit it in winter. When all the tourists are gone, and the snow simplifies the landscape and adds serenity. After a day of tracking abundant wildlife on snowmobile, spend an evening warming at the fireplace in a lodge. Is it cold? I am sure it is. Little price to pay for having less crowds.

• Inside passage

I am a bit too much of a city girl to go out exploring Alaska wilderness by land. But I would still like to get a taste for it, and Iside Passage cruise seems to offer the best of both worlds. Luxurious accommodations, and still the experience of landscape and wildlife. Who knows, maybe I will dare to go closer to action afterwards?

• Coast of Maine

Another place I would love to visit off season. Small fishing villages, lighthouses – it is like a trip back in time, before Internet and Social Media, just a hard work and raw forces of nature. Large waves, wind, I would not like to experience it from the ocean, but on land, I dare.

• Bellagio Fountains

Many things can be said about Las Vegas strip and all the casinos. I still find the display of music, light and moving water at Bellagio hotel an amazing experience, which I would like to see with my own eyes, at least once in the evening, and once during daytime.

B. World-wide must-see

• African safari

Will it be Masai Mara or another part of Serengeti, I would love to see those wild animals at least once in their natural habitat rather than in zoo. Bugs and vaccines scare me off some, so I make my research the best venue to make the trip, but it is rather high on my list.



• Greek Islands

Coming from Europe, Greece is the to go place on vacation to enjoy Mediterranean weather, food, water and discover the roots of the culture. I want to walk the historical sites and just enjoy colorful, narrow streets…



• Coral reef

Deep water diving is not all that much appealing to me, but snorkeling in the delicate and diminishing coral reef to admire diversity and colors I can do. Hopefully, I will do it in time before they are all gone…



• Sushi in Japan

Each time I eat sushi (and this is my favorite way to consume fish), I wonder how does this tastes and looks and is prepared at its source- in Japan. I think this probably the most fascinating to me non-Western culture I would love to explore and get to know better. As well as unique wildlife, like snow monkeys or cranes.

• Northern Lights

I am sure I can occasionally see Northern Lights even here, in Iowa (there was one this year), or go further North, even in USA, if not Canada. People who have seen it describe it as amazing or scary, usually both- sure, I want to see how it effects me. I also want to experience it in a place where they are common, where the weather is cooler and the landscape rugged and barren.

• Iceland

This almost feels like a cliche, after Eliot Porter everybody and their mother seems to be travelling there for those images. I might as well just go there for a simple pleasure of visiting this small island country and exploring its unique volcanic landscape and waterfalls and sheep. Even without trying to take a ton of photographs like so many photographers before me. Or, maybe there will be something left to tell a story.

A disclaimer:
Since it is a “Bucket List”, I have not been in those places and not taken the photographs myself. All the images in this post are NOT MINE, and are Creative Commons licensed images I found on Flickr and other sources. I did my best to properly attribute the author of each image.