Posts Tagged ‘Venice’

30 by 30

January 18th, 2013 | Rachel

Morocco

#11: Morocco

One of the travelers I met in India recently posted something about achieving 30 by 30, that is 30 countries by the time she turned 30. What a great goal to have! I hadn’t tallied my own travel checklist in a while, so I made a list to see if I met that challenge. My thirtieth birthday is fast approaching at the end of this month.

I’ll preface this exercise by acknowledging that lists such as this aren’t always the best measure of travel experience because they don’t distinguish a single short weekend trip from repeat visits from actually living somewhere. Some people include layovers, but unless you exit the airport and tread on actual soil, I say it doesn’t count. It also gets fuzzy when you are dealing with socially distinct regions that are technically a part of another country. The United Kingdom is one example, which comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Taiwan and Tibet are other examples, as they are technically a part of China. Despite my personal opinions regarding Tibet’s independence, I have listed them together. On the other hand, some tiny places like Vatican City are a country all of their own.

Mt. Everest

#29: China, Tibet, Taiwan

Gozo, Malta

#20: Malta

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

#4: Canada

Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia

#25: Cambodia

Anyway, here is my list in chronological order, with repeat trips in parentheses. Now you know where I’ve been, so if you are traveling somewhere else, please invite me to join you! Below this list, I’ve also included my short list of places I’d like to go in the next five to ten years. Perhaps 40 by 40?

  1. Mexico
  2. Canada (4)
  3. Germany (3)
  4. Austria (2)
  5. Switzerland (3)
  6. Australia
  7. New Zealand
  8. United Kingdom (England, Wales and Scotland) (3)
  9. Ireland
  10. France (4)
  11. Morocco
  12. Costa Rica
  13. The Netherlands (2)
  14. Luxembourg (2)
  15. Belgium (2)
  16. Hungary
  17. Sweden
  18. Denmark
  19. Italy (2)
  20. Malta
  21. St. Maarten
  22. Dominican Republic
  23. Thailand
  24. Vietnam
  25. Cambodia
  26. Vatican City
  27. Chile
  28. Greece
  29. China, Tibet, Taiwan
  30. Nepal
  31. India

Venice, Italy

#19: Italy

The Hague, The Netherlands

#13: The Netherlands

Folegandros, Greece

#28: Greece

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

#12: Costa Rica

Taj Mahal, Agra, India

#31: India

Where to next?

  1. Turkey
  2. Argentina, Peru
  3. Tanzania, Kenya
  4. Czech Republic
  5. Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia
  6. Antarctica
  7. United States National Parks!

 

Places where I would love to return include Australia, New Zealand, Greece and, of course, France.

What about you? Where have you been? Where do you want to go?