I wrote an article for a writing magazine a long time ago…something like 5 Ways Listicles have destroyed my life…or something like that
Oh, wait. Here it is!
I hate listicles (lists masquerading as articles). They are solidly on the bottom of the creative ladder and epitome of lazy content. That being said, I give you an official Backpacks and a winekey listicle:
In an attempt to remember what we have done and how lucky we are, we decided to keep a list of where we’ve been and what we’ve done. This is in no way exhaustive, but some of it was exhausting. This exercise has helped when things get sad and lonely on the road, conjuring memories, and counting blessings.
So, without any further ado, we bring you our 72 (I think) Most Significant Travel Accomplishments so far…in no particular order:
- Ate, slept, or peed in 48 of the 50, plus Mexico and Canada (does that make 50?)
- Skied and snowboarded the Dolomites (and the Rockies)
- Been to the top of the Space Needle, Empire State Building, Sears Tower, World Trade Towers, The St Louis Arch, Top of the Rock…oh, and been to Bourbon Street, the Hollywood sign, Vegas Strip, Alamo, Graceland, Key West, Lady Liberty, and walked the National Mall at night…and so much more.
- Tasted grand cru in Burgundy
- Sipped Grand Cru Champagne in Champagne
- Saw the changing of the guard in London
- Made Tamales in Mexico
- Drank pints in London pubs
- Toured Tuscan wineries and vineyards
- Gazed up at the Sistine Chappel-twice
- Roamed around Rome in the silence of the early morning
- Ate Gruyere in Gruyere
- Went on a tapa crawl in Spain
- Cheered on Real Madrid live in Madrid
- Ate Swiss chocolate in Broc where Swiss chocolate is made
- Sang with Freddie Mercury in Montreax
- Had iced coffee in Thailand
- Got clogged in Lautenbrunen
- Hiked old Italian ski slopes
- Saw David, The Last Supper, Venus, Mona, DaVinci inventions, and Galileo discoveries
- Gazed at the best art in the world at the Louvre, Orsay, Academia, Uffizzi, Met, Smithsonian, and more, and the not-so-best at other museums
- Rode in a blimp
- Drank Tiger Beer at the Tiger Brewery
- Hung out with the Merlion
- Crossed the Pyranees from Spain to France
- Drank beer and ate giant pretzels at the Oktoberfest bicentennial in Munich
- Enjoyed private tastings at the finest wineries in California, Oregon, and more
- Been to a National Championship Game, U.S. Open, World Series, and Indy 500.
- Ate Mozart balls in Salzburg and drank espresso in Rome
- Walked the Camino Portuguese Coastal
- Had our passports stamped in Iceland
- Summited the Grand Tetons, Longs Peak and more than 20 other mountains
- Took a cruise from Manhattan – past the World Trade Towers – to Bermuda
- Swam with sea turtles in Hawaii and released sea turtles in Baja
- Surfed in Maui
- Ate at cheeseburger in paradise and drank Singha in Thailand
- Ate churros and tapas in Madrid
- Drank chocolate in Spain and Tuscany
- Sipped Bordeaux in Bordeaux
- Ate chili crab in Singapore
- Spent $600 on a vegetarian lunch in Paris and $2 on one in Chaing Mai
- Spent $1200 on a non-vegetarian lunch in Modena, with wine pairing – then got Lambrusco’d
- Learned pastry at Le Cordon Bleu
- Got a Thai massage in a Thai spa in Thailand
- Ate noodles in Singapore
- Ate bbq in Texas, clam chowder in Boston, a lobster roll in Maine, and pizza in Brooklyn
- Flown horizontal in Polaris business class on a Dreamliner and down a ski slope in a rubber raft
- Had fish tacos in Baja
- Biked through rice patties in Thailand and vineyards in France
- Ate paella under pictures of Hemingway on the Mediterranean in Valencia
- Made pad Thai in Thailand
- Saw that there actually was plenty of room at the Hotel California
- Walked through the EU Citizens Only line at Ireland passport control
- Through-Hiked the Alps
- Walked 800km on the Camino de Santiago from France through Spain
- Walked 1000km on the Via Francigena from Switzerland down through Tuscany
- Tasted Parmesan where it is born
- Sipped Irish whiskey in Ireland
- Sipped Cava in Catalonia
- Drank Guinness at the brewery in Dublin
- Sipped Savoie wine in Savoie
- Mixed (and mostly butchered) at least 5 different languages in the span of one short conversation
- Gazed at not the best art at the museum of broken relationships in Zagreb
- Sipped orange wine in Croatia
- Trekked the Portuguese Camino
- Sweated through a run around Marina Bay in Singapore
- Viewed banned art in Barcelona
- Sipped craft beer in Denver and mezcal in Mexico
- Became a local legend in Zadar on Strava
- Changed dollars into pesos, bolivar, bhat, kuna, lira, pound, franc, euro, and other dollars
- Survived the Covid-19 lockdown
- Achieved minimalism – kinda – Sold our house, car, and all our possessions
- Started making lists to remind ourselves how lucky we are
Some of our future goals we hope to add to the list someday…again, in no particular order:
Hike the alps (again) and the Highlands
Walk Italy border to border
See a stage in the Tour de France, a match at the French open and a World Cup game
Enjoy pizza in Naples and eat San Marzanos from the vine
See the northern lights
I wrote an article for a writing magazine a long time ago…something like 5 Ways Listicles have destroyed my life…or something like that
Oh, wait. Here it is!
I hate listicles (lists masquerading as articles). They are solidly on the bottom of the creative ladder and epitome of lazy content. That being said, I give you an official Backpacks and a winekey listicle:
In an attempt to remember what we have done and how lucky we are, we decided to keep a list of where we’ve been and what we’ve done. This is in no way exhaustive, but some of it was exhausting. This exercise has helped when things get sad and lonely on the road, conjuring memories, and counting blessings.
So, without any further ado, we bring you our 71 (I think) Most Significant Travel Accomplishments so far…in no particular order:
- Ate, slept, or peed in 48 of the 50, plus Mexico and Canada (does that make 50?)
- Skied and snowboarded the Dolomites (and the Rockies)
- Been to the top of the Space Needle, Empire State Building, Sears Tower, World Trade Towers, The St Louis Arch, Top of the Rock…oh, and been to Bourbon Street, the Hollywood sign, Vegas Strip, Alamo, Graceland, Key West, Lady Liberty, and walked the National Mall at night…and so much more.
- Tasted grand cru in Burgundy
- Sipped Grand Cru Champagne in Champagne
- Saw the changing of the guard in London
- Made Tamales in Mexico
- Drank pints in London pubs
- Toured Tuscan wineries and vineyards
- Gazed up at the Sistine Chappel-twice
- Roamed around Rome in the silence of the early morning
- Ate Gruyere in Gruyere
- Went on a tapa crawl in Spain
- Ate Swiss chocolate in Broc where Swiss chocolate is made
- Sang with Freddie Mercury in Montreax
- Had iced coffee in Thailand
- Got clogged in Lautenbrunen
- Hiked old Italian ski slopes
- Saw David, The Last Supper, Venus, Mona, DaVinci inventions, and Galileo discoveries
- Gazed at the best art in the world at the Louvre, Orsay, Academia, Uffizzi, Met, Smithsonian, and more, and the not-so-best at the Museum of Broken Relationships
- Rode in a blimp
- Drank Tiger Beer at the Tiger Brewery
- Hung out with the Merlion
- Crossed the Pyranees from Spain to France
- Drank beer and ate giant pretzels at the Oktoberfest bicentennial in Munich
- Enjoyed private tastings at the finest wineries in California, Oregon, and more
- Been to a National Championship Game, U.S. Open, World Series, and Indy 500.
- Ate Mozart balls in Salzburg and drank espresso in Rome
- Walked the Camino Portuguese Coastal
- Had our passports stamped in Iceland
- Summited the Grand Teton, Longs Peak and about 20 other mountains
- Took a cruise from Manhattan – past the World Trade Towers – to Bermuda
- Swam with sea turtles in Hawaii and released sea turtles in Baja
- Surfed in Maui
- Ate at cheeseburger in paradise and drank Singha in Thailand
- Ate churros and tapas in Madrid
- Drank chocolate in Spain and Tuscany
- Sipped Bordeaux in Bordeaux
- Ate chili crab in Singapore
- Spent $600 on a vegetarian lunch in Paris and $2 on one in Chaing Mai
- Spent $1200 on a non-vegetarian lunch in Modena, with wine pairing – then got Lambrusco’d
- Learned pastry at Le Cordon Bleu
- Got a Thai massage in a Thai spa in Thailand
- Ate noodles in Singapore
- Ate bbq in Texas, clam chowder in Boston, a lobster roll in Maine, and pizza in Brooklyn
- Flown horizontal in Polaris business class on a Dreamliner and down a ski slope in a rubber raft
- Had fish tacos in Baja
- Biked through rice patties in Thailand and vineyards in France
- Ate paella under pictures of Hemingway on the Mediterranean in Valencia
- Made pad Thai in Thailand
- Walked through the EU Citizens Only line at Ireland passport control
- Through-Hiked the Alps
- Walked 800km on the Camino de Santiago from France through Spain
- Walked 800km on the Via Francigena from Switzerland down through Tuscany
- Tasted Parmesan where it is born
- Sipped Irish whiskey in Ireland
- Sipped Cava in Catalonia
- Drank Guinness at the brewery in Dublin
- Sipped Savoie wine in Savoie
- Mixed (and mostly butchered) at least 5 different languages in the span of one short conversation
- Gazed at not the best art at the museum of broken relationships in Zagreb
- Sipped orange wine in Croatia
- Trekked the Portuguese Camino
- Sweated through a run around Marina Bay in Singapore
- Viewed banned art in Barcelona
- Sipped craft beer in Denver and mezcal in Mexico
- Became a local legend in Zadar on Strava
- Changed dollars into pesos, bolivar, bhat, kuna, lira, pound, franc, euro, and other dollars
- Survived the Covid-19 lockdown
- Achieved minimalism – kinda – Sold our house, car, and all our possessions
- Started making lists to remind ourselves how lucky we are
Some of our future goals we hope to add to the list someday…again, in no particular order:
Hike the alps (again) and the Highlands
Walk Italy border to border
See a stage in the Tour de France, a match at the French open and a World Cup game
Enjoy pizza in Naples and eat San Marzanos from the vine
See the northern lights
