Ratgeber
Creating a bucket list and setting priorities
A bucket list becomes plannable when you sort destinations by time window, fitness and lead time. Trips with short seasons or physical demands come first. Once in a Lifetime is a Swiss travel agency with video consultations and helps you put your wishes in order.
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Schritt für Schritt
- Write down all your wishes
- Note the time window and season for each destination
- Assess the physical demands
- Roughly sort by lead time and cost
- Choose two or three priorities
- Start with one trip in concrete terms
Checkliste
- Wish list written
- Seasons noted
- Demands assessed
- Lead time checked
- Order fixed
- Time window reserved in your calendar
- Travel companions consulted
- First trip discussed
Many people carry a list in their heads of places they would like to see one day. Without order, though, it remains a dream. A bucket list becomes useful when it knows its priorities and time windows.
Collecting wishes without judging them
Begin with a free-form list. Write down what appeals to you, without thinking about duration, cost or feasibility. This shows what really matters to you. A small sketch with places and months makes the list tangible. Next to each destination, note one sentence on why it appeals to you, because the reason helps later when you prioritise.
Patterns often emerge: nature, culture, wildlife, stillness. These patterns help later with the selection. Cross out what you only noted out of a sense of duty. Also take into account the seasons that shape your life, such as work, family or school holidays.
Let your travel companions write down their wishes too. Shared destinations are anchors for planning. Some trips gain with age while others become more strenuous, and this distinction is valuable.
Recognising time windows
Some destinations are tied to seasons, such as cherry blossom, migration or the Antarctic season. Others are possible at other times too. Note a suitable time window for each destination. Knowing the best travel times also helps avoid disappointment later. Start with a destination that truly moves you, rather than the one that makes the biggest impression.
Also consider stages of life. Demanding trips with altitude or long hikes are easier while fitness and health allow it.
What needs time and fitness comes first. Discuss your list with people who know you, because outsiders spot patterns that escape you.
Assessing lead time and effort
Some trips require a lot of lead time, for example because of limited places, permits or expedition ships. They should be planned early. A calendar with time windows over several years shows where windows overlap. Set yourself a date by which the first trip should be booked, and write it down.
Others can be organised more spontaneously. Sort the list by effort so that you know when you need to start. Also plan smaller trips in between, so that the big ones are not the only appeal of the list.
A realistic order takes pressure out of the planning. That is reassuring and removes the pressure of having to do everything at once.
Setting priorities and getting started
Choose two or three destinations for the next few years. Fewer destinations mean more attention for each trip. Being honest with yourself saves time. Update the list once a year, because wishes and possibilities change.
Fix a concrete time window and reserve it in your calendar. A date makes the dream binding. Let yourself be inspired by other people's accounts, but check whether the destination really suits you.
Begin with the trip that needs the most lead time or calls to you most strongly. Take into account the FDFA (EDA) travel advice, which can affect individual destinations.
Agreeing with your travel companions
Many trips come about as a couple or as a family. Sit down together and lay your lists side by side. The overlaps show where a shared start lies. If you love wildlife or nature, you will often find the strongest experiences in limited seasons.
Differences are not a problem but material for several trips. Agree whose wish comes first, and swap the order fairly.
The time and health of your companions also play a part. Talk about it openly so that the planning suits everyone. A list is not an obligation but an invitation to decide consciously.
Advice and support
Check the current position with the FDFA and the FOPH (BAG) on the travel advice for your chosen destinations. If there are health requirements, ask your doctor. Start small, but start soon. Allow enough time for preparation, because good trips begin long before departure.
In the [planning call](/m/once-in-a-lifetime/planen) by video call, we put your wishes in order together. We show the time windows and lead time for each destination. Talk about fears and doubts, because they too are part of the decision for a big trip.
This turns the list into a plan that fits your life. Write down your first three destinations today and set the date by which you would like to book the first. A clear start is half the journey.
