Welcome to 2026, friends! Has it been everything you hoped it would be so far? 2026 resolutions in hand? Us, too. Or…well…kind of.
Why We Travel
As you know from following our blog, we’re big fans of traveling. For the most part, other than the handful of trips to Iowa we take, most of our traveling is international, and we love it. The thrill of exploring a new place, new people, new food, new transportation systems…all of it. We’ve said it before and will say it again: in an increasingly disconnected world, traveling is one of the major ways we meet new people, learn and experience new things, and generally get a chance to connect and grow. It’s fantastic, and we highly recommend it.
International Travel Headaches
Still, international travel isn’t without its hurdles. Trans-Atlantic (or…gasp…even Trans-Pacific?!) flights aren’t for the faint of heart. It’s true that long-haul planes (the Boeing 777, 787, or the Airbus A380, for example, though there are lots of others) have made considerable strides in fuel efficiency, noise levels, and the like. However, while they’ve also made strides in steerage class (alternatively known as economy) seats, it remains a stretch to call them comfortable. They’re also getting more expensive each time we fly, and free upgrades to premium cabins are increasingly rare (though you can read about one of our upgrade tricks here).
Of course, then there’s always the decision about whether to check your luggage or only travel with carry-on bags, as we do. Additionally, depending on the state of global economics and the US dollar’s performance against other currencies, food, souvenirs, car rentals, and tours may also become more expensive. These aren’t reasons that’ll keep us from traveling, but they do have the nasty habit of limiting how much we can travel, as do our jobs. Lame.
Travel Closer to Home!
So, what’s a person to do who wants to travel but has limited means to go abroad? This may seem obvious, but it’s something we frequently overlook: there are lots of neat things to do here. Trouble is, there are so many things to do that it can quickly get overwhelming trying to decide what to do. Fortunately, a recent Christmas present from Jason’s parents has helped make this easier.
Have you discovered the Adventure Bucket List yet? We had seen this occasionally on social media, but knew nothing about it otherwise. It turns out, the good folks at Research International Outfitters have done much of the heavy lifting for us. We’ve only just started exploring ours, but the company has a Bucket List for 48 of the 50 states (nothing for Alaska or Hawaii, at least as of now). Jason’s parents got us the Bucket List for Missouri, and our Bucket List has 50 different adventures.
Each is a scratch-off card, which adds to the adventure/surprise feel of this. To help with your selection, the bottom of each card has hints: indoor/outdoor, Spring/Summer/Winter/Fall, price, time of day, duration, active/relaxed, and meals. The general area or town is also listed at the top of each card, so you’ll know where you’re heading, just not what you’ll be doing.
Oh, the Possibilities!
We’re excited to get started with this! Despite having lived in Missouri for almost a dozen years, we’ve done very little exploring here, which is why it’s at the top of our list of 2026 resolutions. We’re also close enough to Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Iowa that we might add a few more Bucket Lists to our collection.
As of now, our goal is to do at least one adventure each month. So, a single Bucket List box – which has 50 adventures – could easily last us a few years. Each Bucket List sells for $64.99, which, if the List lasts us 4+ years, is about $16.25 per year. Not too bad, and WAY less expensive than planning our trips to Europe (which are still happening, just to clarify).
Is this something you’ve seen or, even better, used? If so, let us know your thoughts.
Whatever your 2026 resolutions, and however much progress you make at achieving them, we wish you luck. Our best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous, and adventurous 2026!
