01Aug 2018 by Monika Giacca Millar No Comments
How to See Iceland for FREE: Planning a Stopover

How to See Iceland for FREE: Planning a Stopover

GENERAL, INFORMATION, TRAVEL
Iceland is known as The Land of Fire and Ice … and the best place to relive your Game of Thrones fantasies as a lot of their “North of the Wall” scenes were shot there! The appeal of Iceland is its vast untamed beauty, and arctic delights like the Northern Lights, glaciers, and hot springs. It straddles the Atlantic tectonic plates of North America and Europe, meaning it also has active volcanoes and hundreds of hot springs to explore. When flying between North America and Europe, adding in a stopover in Iceland is an absolute must for those who love adventure, culture, and food. The national airline, Iceland Air, and their local budget airline, WOW Air (both based in the capital city Reykjavik), operate multiple daily flights to the East…
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18Jul 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#95 Lesson] Always Assess the Information Source

[#95 Lesson] Always Assess the Information Source

BUCKET LIST, LESSON, TRAVEL
This life lesson relates to my previous blog #95 Swim with Dolphins. Before booking our trip to Cuba, my dad did his homework. There are thousands of resort destinations scattered throughout the Caribbean but the main countries most people consider are Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Jamaica. We had been to Mexico and Jamaica as a family before and my parents had also been to Dominican Republic. However, none of us had been to Cuba so it seemed like it would be an interesting adventure. Leading up to the trip I told many people about our plans because I was very excited to go to Cuba. However, the responses I received were very mixed. Some people mentioned that they had been to Cuba before and it was great but others…
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04Jul 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#95 Swim with Dolphins

#95 Swim with Dolphins

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
This bucket list item was completed on 22nd April 2011 in Varadero, Cuba. Going to the Caribbean in the spring of the year is a very popular thing for North Americans to do. The Caribbean is our little place of sunshine and warm water that we yearn for after enduring a cold, dark winter. In 2011 my parents decided that we should go to the Caribbean as a family because we had not had a family vacation since my brother and I started our university studies. My dad had done his research and determined that Varadero, Cuba looked like a great spot for us to explore. When going to the Caribbean, it is common to book a travel package and stay at an all-inclusive resort. We booked our package through…
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20Jun 2018 by Dave Macleod 1 Comment
BucketLaunch is Growing!

BucketLaunch is Growing!

GENERAL, INFORMATION, TRAVEL
For the last eight months, I have been slaving away behind my computer to deliver my bucket list stories and life lessons to you. I have received some great feedback from my readers and this has helped me to refine some of the content that I will be posting. I have travelled many places and have a lot of experience to share with the world. However, I am only one man and my knowledge is finite. That is why BucketLaunch will be taking on a guest writer. Allow me to introduce Monika Giacca Millar! Monika comes to BucketLaunch with a unique perspective from inside the travel industry. Monika has been working in the travel industry for the last 10 years. Her career began with running student tours across Canada and…
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06Jun 2018 by Dave Macleod 1 Comment
Winter Bucket List 2018

Winter Bucket List 2018

BUCKET LIST, TRAVEL
In The Value of Seasonal Bucket Lists I shared my summer bucket list. I was successful at crossing off four out of the five items on my list. Riding the Bridge to Nowhere Mountain Bike Trail will have to wait until next summer. I also promised that I would make a winter bucket list when the temperatures began dropping in New Zealand. Well, it’s officially winter in New Zealand, so I figured it would be a good time to share my list. Check out the five items I have planned for this winter. Get back into skiing Get at least 6 days on my ski pass at Mt. Ruapehu Go shark cage diving ✔ Get back into skydiving Compete in the Peak 2 Powderkeg Race I first learned how to…
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23May 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#50 Lesson] Don’t Show All Your Cards When Bargaining

[#50 Lesson] Don’t Show All Your Cards When Bargaining

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #50 Take a Punch by a UFC Fighter. Looking back on how I accomplished this goal, it is clear that easing into it was the best way to approach it. I wanted TJ to do something out of the ordinary for me and sending an email from someone he had never met, requesting to be punched in the face would have most likely gone unanswered. The initial email was used to get my foot in the door and helped to arrange a time and date for the real conversation to take place. During the days leading up to 23rd July I found myself trying to figure out how to actually bring up the topic. Although I had the meeting arranged, I…
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09May 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#50 Take a Punch by a UFC Fighter

#50 Take a Punch by a UFC Fighter

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was complete on 23rd July 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. This may seem like a strange one to a lot of people but the inspiration (or what I thought was the inspiration) came from the movie The Hangover. In one of the scenes Mike Tyson, played by himself, punched out the character Alan, played by Zach Galifianakis. Following the release of the movie, rumours began to spread about the scene. The rumour was that instead of a classic movie punch where no contact is made, Zach Galifianakis requested Mike Tyson to actually make contact because it would be an honour to be punched by one of boxing’s greats. I had heard multiple people tell me this same story and it seemed plausible enough so I…
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25Apr 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Credit Card Travel Benefits: The Basics

Credit Card Travel Benefits: The Basics

GENERAL, INFORMATION, TRAVEL
The age of majority in Nova Scotia is 19, which is the age you can obtain a credit card without a co-sign from your parents. I received my first credit card when I was 16 years old. My parents had opened an additional card on their account in my name and I was instructed to use it for emergencies only. For three years, I only used the card a few times for emergency car repairs or when my parents wanted me to purchase something on their behalf. During that time, I never saw the credit card bills and was unaware of exactly how credit cards worked. Leading up to my 19th birthday I was excited to be able to get my own credit card and begin building my credit. However,…
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11Apr 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
[#74 Lesson] Professionals Make It Look Easy, Be Prepared to be Humble

[#74 Lesson] Professionals Make It Look Easy, Be Prepared to be Humble

BUCKET LIST, LESSON
This life lesson relates to my previous blog post #74 Fly in a Wind Tunnel. The title says it all and I’m sure this is a lesson everyone is aware of. It is one of those cliché saying that we have all heard since we were kids. It bears some similarities to my previous blog post [#97 Lesson] It is easy to Underestimate New Challenges. Keep both of these lessons in mind when starting any new endeavour. Whether it is a guitarist, a freestyle motocross rider, or an Olympic gymnast, when we watch these professionals perform their art, they make it look easy. A lot of times, witnessing a professional do an activity is what inspires us to try it for ourselves. Unfortunately, the realisation of how hard the activity…
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28Mar 2018 by Dave Macleod No Comments
#74 Fly in a Wind Tunnel

#74 Fly in a Wind Tunnel

BUCKET LIST
This bucket list item was completed on 24th February 2010 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. One of my closest friends throughout high school was Michele. Michele is a year younger than me and we were introduced to each other through mutual friends. The more we socialised, the more we began to build a strong friendship. No one can escape the trials and tribulations of high school but luckily Michele and I had each other to talk to about things. We helped each other through the rough times and shared things that we didn’t share with anyone else. In 2008, I threw my mortarboard in the air and graduated high school. I moved on to university in autumn and while I was completing my first year, Michele was finishing her last year…
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