Awesome Maps team bucketlist stories

Why we travel differs from person to person, but one undeniable commonality is that travel takes us out of our daily routines and sparks connection- connection to the world we live in, the others we coexist beside and to ourselves.

We each experience this in a unique way and here at Awesome Maps, the magic of travel is the inspiration behind our lifestyles and our products. Today we want to share a little dose of our own travel magic through some stories. Here you can read about our own favorite bucket list adventures, among the many that you can find on the Bucket List Map!

Simon - Founder

Growing up in Germany, Simon never travelled much because of his dad’s fear of flying, yet it was always something he yearned to do.

During travels through South America spent brainstorming and finding places to sell maps, he ended up in Easter Island, which turned into one of his most significant trips to date.

He describes it best himself- “The place is magical, and it was unreal to have made it there from the dream of travelling to actually standing next to the iconic statues on Easter Island. It was a moment that made me think that anything is possible and it’s been with me ever since.”

Katharina - CEO

Track wild leopards in Kruger National Park

For Katharina, getting up close and personal with wild animals was a long time dream of hers. She jumped at the chance to visit Kruger National Park in South Africa and see what’s known in the world of game animals as the Big 5.

Her pro tip to actually seeing all of the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, black rhinoceros, and African buffalo) on the safari: “Be the first car to leave the camp at 4.30 am!”

The only thing better than the park itself was the tree house she stayed in on a nearby nature reserve where she would wake up to giraffes poking their heads into the windows. It was quite an adventure - one night there was a storm so violent that it felt like the tree house would collapse at any moment, but they were unable to leave due to a the group of water buffalo who'd found shelter from the storm below their hut!

Timo - Web Developer

Go kayaking in Torres del Paine, Patagonia

Timo’s most memorable bucket list destination was in 2013 when he made his first trip outside of Europe to visit Simon for one month in Chile. Hiking in Patagonia was spectacular to say the least! They spent their days submerged in the nature witnessing jaw dropping sites for days on end. While hiking they stumbled across a special surprise when they realized you could go kayaking in front of the massive glacier they were passing...

“You can actually paddle pretty close to this huge glacier. The view was breathtaking and while Simon was busy taking photos and videos, I tried to paddle against the increasing winds”

Sophie - Content

Road trip through Tasmania, Australia

Sophie had always wanted to do an epic road trip, so when the opportunity to explore Tasmania came along, she was all in.

“From the moment I boarded the plane to Hobart, I knew it would be a magical trip. It turned out that the German girl sitting to my left wanted to buy a car, build a bed in the back and travel for a month- my exact idea! Within the first week we teamed up, bought our Subaru Outback and built our new home. Living for one month on the road was pure bliss- seeing only dense, green forests intermingled with glimpses of blue seas for hours on end, simple meals by the campfire, and sleeping between mountains, beside breathtaking lakes. Tasmania was a dream come true.”

Jakob - Reporting/ Operational

For his dad’s 50th birthday, Jakob and two friends got to tag along for an epic celebration to Iceland with a group of his dad’s closest friends.

“It really is an amazing country with awesome landscapes. We swam in the blue lagoon, visited the geysers, rented snowmobiles, hit golf balls off of a glacier, ate lamb brain and fermented shark...all of the bucket list items!”

He recalled there being a joyful energy in the air as there was a the heat record which happily forced everyone outside, neighbors and tourists interacting and enjoying the day.

Sara - Customer Service

Since she was a child, Sara was always fascinated by Egypt and its history. So when the time came to finally make it to the amazing country, she could hardly believe that one of her dreams was coming true!

“I went to Egypt for the first time in 2012. I say the first time because I went back again 3 times! It’s hard to describe how breathtaking it is to visit places like the Pyramid of Giza, to imagine how great the Egyptian Empire was and how different life was compared to the 21st century. I was shocked when I realized that all the pyramids were built without using any type of structure, taking 20 years to finish it. 20 YEARS! I can’t wait to come back again, and have more time to visit the wonders of this amazing country.”

The more we travel, the bigger our bucket lists grow! Our Bucketlist map is filled with our favourite ideas, with places to visit all over the globe. We’d love to hear your own favorite bucket list story in the comments or on social media- share your stories using the hashtag #awesomemaps!

Cover photo by Peter Conlan