When I was 25 I made a 30 by 30 list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30. Not surprisingly, many of these were directly or indirectly related to travel.
So far I’ve completed 24 items from the list, including:
1. Take a cooking class. ✓
Thailand cooking class, 2014
2. Visit Governor’s Island. ✓
It’s a New York City place. Rather, it’s an island in New York City that doesn’t allow vehicles. It’s good for a slow day of walking, enjoying views, and exploring. I visited with my friend Jenn in 2015.
3. Visit Jennifer in another country. ✓
My friend Jennifer lived in Honduras when I made this list. I visited her for spring break in 2015.
4. See a ballet. ✓
I’ve seen 2 ballets by now, but my first was in 2016 at the Lincoln Center in NYC.
5. Go on a mission trip. ✓
My trip to Asia in 2014 was not just a mission trip, but we did some mission things, like taking Bibles to churches, chaperoning students, teaching English, and encouraging missionaries, so I’m counting it.
6. Rent a car. ✓
I’ve done this so many times by now, but my favorite was probably renting a car in Ireland because I got to drive on the left side of the road.
7. Travel with Esther. ✓
We went with two PA friends to spend Easter weekend, 2017, in Quebec, Canada.
8. Visit 5 new countries. ✓
I visited 14.
9. Try Lobster. ✓
I just had my first (and probably last) full lobster meal this summer in Maine. It was just okay.
10. Cross the equator. ✓
I got very close in the Philippines, but finally made it happen in 2016 when I went to Chile.
11. Travel with my sisters. ✓
This also happened on my Chile trip. Us ‘single cousin girls’ went to visit our cousin Carissa who was living in southern Chile. Just so happens, at the time, my sisters and I made up half of the ‘single cousin girls’ clan.
The only travel related item I didn’t get to was snorkeling and that’s because the tour I booked in Honduras was canceled due to not enough people booking the tour.
But now it can’t be helped because the 30 by 30 list is coming to an end. Today I turn 30! (Wowza) It’s turning out to be a little surreal in this I can’t believe I’m aging kind of way but also really good because I love proper celebrations, and this birthday has been full of them!
So, I guess what’s left of my 30 by 30 list will turn into some little ‘in my 30s’ goals, which seems bearable.
Why you should make a 30 by 30 list (or just any goals in general):
- It gives you an excuse to do what you really want to do. Aka, it helps you prioritize.
- It turns into a list of rainy day activities when you’re looking for something new to do. And, if your friends know about it, gift ideas for them for you.
- The little sense of accomplishment you can feel when you get to make that ✓.
- It’s fun. Unless you don’t like planning and dreaming. Then it’s probably not as fun for you. Really, to each their own here. 🙂
I have two more things to say yet.
- I will be taking a blogging break for the holidays. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in the new year. I still have lots to say about travel and I haven’t even really touched my Asia trip, so that’s coming too.
- I was born on my mom’s birthday. She used to joke to her friends that she wouldn’t age because she never got a birthday anymore (because I always took it). Well, I’ve been thinking.. and I think this is a good year to give her her birthday back. Hopefully it works the same the other way.
Happy birthday to the very best mom. She is funny and brave and grounded and I’ll still just growing up and trying to be like her.
A Pañuelo World 
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