04Nov 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Why I Changed #16 Ride an Elephant

Why I Changed #16 Ride an Elephant

GENERAL
At the time of publishing my bucket list, in 2010, riding an elephant in Thailand was sure to be found in every bucket list article on the internet. This is how I found it. I will admit that I was ignorant. I did not know what was happening behind the scenes at these elephant parks in Thailand. I think that can be said for most of the world as well. In the early 2010’s this topic started popping up more and more. While a handful of travelers had known before this time, it was starting to reach critical mass. People were talking about it, sharing the sad truth on social media and lobbying to have this type of behavior stopped. In 2014, Intrepid Travel announced that they were no longer…
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29Jul 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Harnessing the Power of Time Zones

Harnessing the Power of Time Zones

GENERAL
I have always found travel logistics very fun to figure out. Flights, hotels, tours and transfers are all just pieces of an intricate puzzle that must be constructed in a logical manner. And I love puzzles. I rarely use travel agents, because I enjoy constructing my own trips. Building my trips from the ground up is a way for me to use my creative side. The most creative travel idea that I have ever come up with, came to me just as I was falling asleep one night at the start of 2019. An idea so good, that I leapt out of bed, in a mad panic to locate my phone or a notepad, in the dark. I made the note and went back to bed, excited for morning, when…
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11Mar 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
The Adventure Gene

The Adventure Gene

GENERAL, INFORMATION
Have you heard of DRD4-7R? Probably not. It is better known as the adventure gene or the wanderlust gene. DRD4 is a receptor that controls the dopamine levels in our brain. Dopamine is a chemical that is released when we experience something that we enjoy, which is what gives us the feeling of reward or pleasure. For some people, dopamine can be released from something as easy as enjoying their favourite food or just enjoying a sunny day. However, some people have lower sensitivities to dopamine, which means it takes more for them to feel reward or pleasure. Extreme sports athletes come to mind when I think of lower sensitivity to dopamine levels. These are the athletes who are chasing 100-foot waves, skiing down near-vertical rock faces and flying their…
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01Jan 2020 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Top 3 Unbelievable Adventures

Top 3 Unbelievable Adventures

GENERAL, INFORMATION
Well, it’s New Year’s Day on this side of the world and that means that it is time to think about what you want to do this year, if you haven’t already. I recently read The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris. Tim thinks a bit different from the general population and offers many tips and tricks to be more effective and achieve all your life goals. One chapter that I really liked was called “Doing the Unrealistic Is Easier Than Doing the Realistic”. In this chapter, Tim says, “Having an unusually large goal is an adrenaline infusion that provides the endurance to overcome the inevitable trials and tribulations that go along with any goal.” This inspired me to compile a list of my top 3 unbelievable adventures. These are crazy…
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06Nov 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Bucket List Stats

Bucket List Stats

GENERAL
It has now been two years since I started BucketLaunch and it has been a bit of a journey. At first, when I started the blog, I thought that this might be a way for me to create a passive income and subsidise my bucket list adventures. I really did try to make this happen, but it's tough to gain a following out of thin air. Some people are gifted with social media and can do this, but not me. I stressed about this for the first year or so before I realised that I had lost sight of the reason that I started my bucket list back in 2010... to get the most out of life. I have since changed tack and write the way that I enjoy, but…
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25Sep 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Moving to New Zealand

Moving to New Zealand

GENERAL, TRAVEL
My recent blog, #60 Eat Kangaroo Steak, was the last bucket list item that I completed while I was living in Canada. Later that year I moved to New Zealand to begin some new adventures. Here is how it all happened… In 2011, I was two years away from finishing my degree in mechanical engineering and it was time to start thinking about life after university. The option staring me straight in the face was to move to Western Canada and put my education to work in the oil & gas industry. Most engineers from the East Coast go down this path because of the promise of big money. I didn’t have any issues with the oil & gas industry and the thought of earning big money out of university…
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03Jul 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Why I Travel

Why I Travel

GENERAL, INFORMATION
The key to my happiness is doing things that I love and one thing I truly love is travelling. Travelling brings me so much joy, and every time I go travelling, I am reminded of why I love it so much. I have always had a running list in my head of the reasons why I travel but I never took the time to write it down. This sounds like some peoples’ approach to bucket lists. Realising this, I decided to take my own advice, so I wrote them down. Here is a list of all the reasons why I travel. I travel… Because it makes me happy To learn about myself To experience new things To attend events Because I like airplanes To collect miniature shampoo bottles To visit…
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08May 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
Credit Card Travel Benefits: Credit Cards vs Travel Cards

Credit Card Travel Benefits: Credit Cards vs Travel Cards

GENERAL, INFORMATION, TRAVEL
This blog post is the fourth, and final, instalment of my Credit Card Travel Benefits Series and continues on from Credit Card Travel Benefits: Cash vs Credit Cards. In my last blog post, I compared the use of cash and credit cards during an overseas holiday. The results concluded that, with all things considered, using credit cards for overseas travel was the better option. In recent years, reloadable travel cards have become more popular and banks have encouraged their customers to use them while travelling overseas. Once you obtain a travel card you can load money onto it, from your bank account, in your local currency and have it converted to any of the currencies supported by the card. When you load the travel card directly from your bank account,…
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13Mar 2019 by Dave Macleod No Comments
2011 & 2012 Roundup

2011 & 2012 Roundup

BUCKET LIST, GENERAL, LESSON
Over the past several weeks I have been posting the stories and lessons that I have learned from my bucket list adventures in 2011 & 2012. I managed to complete one item in 2011 and two items in 2012, which brought my total number of completed items up to nine. My bucket list progress from year-to-year can be tracked using the graph I have created. In case you have missed any of the stories or lessons from my bucket list adventures, here is a roundup. #95 Swim with Dolphins Completed on 22nd April 2011 in Varadero, Cuba. [#95 Lesson] Always Assess the Information Source   #38 Eat at a White Castle Restaurant Completed on 26th August in Green Brook Township, New Jersey, USA. [#38 Lesson] Cherish Adventures with Your Close…
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27Feb 2019 by Dave Macleod 1 Comment
Old Ghost Road Mountain Bike Trek

Old Ghost Road Mountain Bike Trek

GENERAL, TRAVEL
The Old Ghost Road is one of New Zealand’s top multi-day mountain bike rides and one of the adventures in New Zealand all together. At 85 km, it is the longest single track mountain bike ride in New Zealand. It goes up over mountains, meanders along rivers and traverses steep cliffs. I have done many adventure activities in New Zealand and a few other multi-day activities but this is one I will remember forever. If this has not been on your radar up until now… it should be. My friends and I began planning for our trek along the OGR nine months in advance to ensure we could get bunks in the cabins before they sold out. We were aiming to start 16th December, which is in the high season.…
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