wanderlust list 2026
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About those future adventures you hold…
What's on your must-experience list?
Where is your dream destination?
Where would you like to live someday?
📸 Matthew Huang @matthewtwhuang
As for me, that list looks a bit like..
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere
Ok, ok, I know. The quote “I haven’t been there yet but it’s on the list” seems to be my motto. This year I wish for more international travel and more extensive travels. I don’t currently hold the financials for that or the plans but here’s to hoping I can make magic happen.
In the meantime, let’s explore some of Sprite’s Dreams Adventures 2026 (and beyond?). Locally, regionally, nationally, globally. With so much adventure to seek and oh so little time in which to experience it, I want desperately to squeeze in all the traveling I can. Since my friend’s passing last fall, I’ve sensed time draining out of my life similar to placing my hand in a creek and the water swiftly passing it by.
I fear losing opportunities to explore if I don’t plan immediately. It’s an odd sensation. Not just of aging but of living on precious borrowed time, which is why I’m deeply determined to spend each moment wisely and with intention. Even though my current bucket list feels overstuffed with hopes for exploring New Zealand, thru-hiking the Alps, wine tasting in Mendoza then hiking in Chile + Patagonia, reading books on Mediterranean coastlines (French, Spanish, Moroccan, Grecian, all of them!), gawking at history in Turkey and Egypt, pretending to be ok with the freezing rain in Ireland and Scotland, admiring the Northern Lights in Iceland, and and and, I’ll settle for some long weekends visiting friends elsewhere in the United States + one long overseas excursion. That seems fair. Right?
Local Adventure List
I wrote the list down so fast so furious that I broke my pencil! I hope you feel just as inspired with your version.
Ok, truthfully, I think it would bore you to tears to read a list of my selfish desires in a location completely unfamiliar to you. My intention in sharing my desires and wish list with you is actually to inspire you to begin tracking your own travel hopes, dreams, goals down on paper. Why? Because anything you write down, you are more likely to achieve. I believe the current phrase consists of the words, “it’s science.”
By breaking down where we want to visit around our own town, state, or countryside, we begin to realize how much more there is to explore than we realized. Or surprisingly how little we’ve seen, felt, experienced so close to home. Now, grab your journal or some sticky notes or whatever notes app you want and jot some ideas down. I’ll wait while you gather supplies and think it through.
regional adventure list
State parks offer lesser known adventures that may seem more attainable than national parks and include all the same resources. For example, perusing the https://fwp.mt.gov/stateparks website can help you obtain any licenses needed, reserve campsites, and map out routes for various activities.
What National Parks, State Parks, and hidden gems in between are you interested in touring within your region? I am determined to get over to Theodore Roosevelt NP this year. It’s gonna happen! Other regional inspiration can include cities, food you want to experience, museums, historical markers, or random roadside curiosities. The endless options seem staggeringly overwhelming so if you need to reel in the inspo then let someone else help you narrow down the list.
national adventure list
Creator: amenic181 | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
You’re getting the idea now. I hope you’re still writing with ferocity on all that you want to experience out there in this big world. Where in the United States have you never been? Do you wish to give it a try? A few odd selections on my own list include the Ozarks and Hot Springs, Arkansas; Voyageurs NP and Isle Royale in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Acadia NP in Maine, and some visits to friends and family on the East Coast.
global adventure list
Vancouver, BC when Sprite visited circa Summer 2014
Reykjavik, Iceland when Sprite visited circa March 2015
This is your all out, wildest dreams time! What destination popped into your head first? What spot on the globe burns a spot in your soul? How many locations? I already shared mine at the beginning so this one’s all you. Have fun listing these out and maybe even add some tidbit on why each is important now for further motivation to get you there.
Is it all in your head or in your journal or have you created a storyboard for it yet?
Traveling with friends adds more meaning to the experience. Sometimes I will create a list with links in my phone notes app and share it with my friends that I’m planning a trip with. This feature enables them to edit as they please or add more of what they want to see and do while we travel together. What ways do you and your besties plan trips together?
Inspired yet? I hope so. I certainly am! If you go the extra organizational skills mile and journal your list, let me know. I could use some intel these days. I would love to know about your list and compare notes. Until then, safe travels friends!