Have you ever noticed that when people come into money, one of the first things they say they plan to do is travel? You hear it all the time on those TV interviews of lottery winners. The same holds true for when folks anticipate coming into a pile of that other most precious of assets, time-in other words, the golden years of retirement.

Enter the proverbial "bucket list," that elusive and oh-so-sought-after dream of life's ultimate fulfillments. It's become such a popular concept that they made a movie about it in 2007, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I think it's safe to say that most people's bucket lists involve travel in some way, whether it's travel for travel's sake or as a means to an end-as with Nicholson's character in the movie.

I've given a lot of thought to this topic lately, perhaps because I'm at the leading edge of the Boomer generation and the question naturally arises, "What more do I want to do, see, or accomplish in life?" When it comes to travel "wish lists," however, I am hardly typical, as I've been fortunate to spend most of my life wandering the world. So, to get a better perspective on the importance of travel to other folks, we've conducted some informal focus groups and spoken with a lot of people.

May/June 2013