Four Incredible Bucket List Vacations Found in the USA

I'm Kevin Lowe, and this is the Lowdown on Life and Travel.

In today's episode, episode number four, we are talking bucket lists, baby.

That's right.

We are talking that infamous list that all of us have, whether we actually have it written down or just in our minds.

Come to think of it, I don't know of anybody who actually has a bucket list written down sitting in their nightstand.

But if you do, you're gonna have to let me know because I actually think that's pretty awesome.

We are talking bucket list vacations.

I think vacations are one of those things that occupy most people's bucket lists at the very top.

I know that's for me, that's definitely the case.

I mean, yeah, it would be pretty cool to meet some different athletes or superstars or even the president.

I think it's the vacations that mean the most.

I mean, that's what we enjoy, that's what most of us look forward to.

So it makes sense that we would put it towards the top of that bucket list of hours.

I know for most people, I know it's the same for myself, it seems like most of the trips on our bucket lists always seem to be as far away as we can get.

Never do we have a bucket list item right here, maybe in the state where we live or in our own country.

It's always a different corner of the earth.

That's wonderful.

I mean, who doesn't want to go snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or go on safari in Africa?

But when we have a worldwide pandemic and travel has come to a halt, well, it kind of makes things a little bit difficult.

But that doesn't mean that our bucket list vacations need to stop.

We can go ahead and start planning for them, and even if you want to plan for those all over the globe, go ahead and plan for it.

Just plan for them for next year.

In today's episode, I want to focus back on the good old US of A.

You know, in every situation, I truly believe that there's both good and bad that can come out of it.

I think more times than not, there's more good than you may realize.

Just like in this situation, I mean, I'm not going to glorify what has happened in any way, shape, or form.

It's absolutely horrible, the amount of people whose lives have been lost as a result of the coronavirus.

So please do not get me wrong.

What I'm saying is we have to look at the good in a situation.

It's the way we can move past it and it's the way we can learn from it and expand on it and make it more meaningful in our life.

And so for myself, it's really made me start looking at what type of vacations are available right here in America.

And so that's when I thought, you know what?

Let's take that bucket list and let's look at the most awesome, amazing, inspiring vacations that we can have right here in the United States of America.

If you're ready, let's go.

First on my list is river cruising.

Now, when you hear river cruising, I'm sure you're immediately thinking of river cruising in Europe, because that's what we see on TV most of the time.

But in fact, river cruising is really awesome right here in the United States.

And there are a couple of different cruise lines who sail the rivers of America.

But my choice is the American Queen's Steamboat Company.

They definitely don't look like the other river cruise ships over in Europe that are much flatter, more low profile.

These are more, I would almost like to explain it as like Victorian.

I almost think of it as like the dollhouse my sister had when she was a kid.

And it was that kind of Victorian look.

That's how I would explain these river cruise ships on the American Queen Steamboat Company.

Their most identifying characteristic is their big red paddle wheels.

Yes, but don't worry, it still has modern technology of motors, so you're not really relying on the paddle wheel.

That's just for looks.

But the American Queen is really amazing.

It gives you an opportunity to see America from a perspective you've probably never seen it before.

When we travel throughout the United States, we're always driving on the highways, all by car, or we get in a plane and we fly to our destination.

On a cruise, you're gonna get it to see the inside of America, the flyover states.

It's really amazing.

Whether you're cruising the upper or lower Mississippi River, the Ohio or Tennessee rivers, or head out west and do the Colorado and Snake Rivers, where you're winding your way through the canyons.

It's amazing.

And it's all right here in America.

And even right now, when things are a little iffy about traveling, the American Queen Steamboat Company, they've taken the initiative to ensure their passenger safety is of utmost importance.

So don't discount a river cruise for your next vacation.

Next week, in fact, I will actually be bringing you a full episode devoted to the American Queen Steamboat Company.

I have a member of their team who I will be doing an interview with so you can learn all about this amazing river cruise company.

Next on my list is a luxury dude ranch.

Yes, we are talking about the ultimate in social distancing.

As I like to say, when six feet just ain't enough.

Just head on out west to one of these dude ranches, where open spaces is all that's around you.

Yes, this is on my personal bucket list, and I really hope that I get to make it come true sooner than later.

We're talking horseback riding, whitewater rafting, fly fishing, spas like you've never seen before, campfire cooking, luxurious log homes, those amazing glamping sites right on riverbanks.

It's incredible.

The dude ranches located throughout America are some of the most luxurious places you'll ever visit.

We're talking destinations like Wyoming, Montana, Colorado.

They're endless opportunities for you to get outside of the city limit signs and experience America like it used to be.

And some may say the way it's a better way of experiencing America because you don't have all the hustle and bustle of all the city life.

That's definitely what I want to do as soon as I can, is experience one of these luxury dude ranches.

The third bucket list of vacation on my list, I have to preface with a little note.

So I've been hearing a lot about how much RVing has gained in popularity.

Families are renting or buying RVs left and right.

I grew up with camping as something I loved.

I did it with my dad when we would go to a dirt bike camp where we really roughed it in nothing but a tent, to going with my mom and stepdad and stepbrother and sister down to the Florida Keys where we had our RV, where we would camp for a week down next to the ocean.

But you know what?

You get older and you learn a lot, and you learn there's a lot more things, a lot better than camping, even in an RV.

So, as much as they want to keep glorifying and telling everybody, oh, you should go RVing right now, just remember, you've been in quarantine where you've cooked at home more than you probably have since you started your family.

And if you're going RVing, you're gonna be cooking again.

You're gonna be cleaning up the whole RV because trust me, the kids are gonna make it a total disaster when they come in from swimming in the lake or at the ocean or out in the woods.

So I want you to maybe think differently about the idea of RVing and think of something else for a try.

So, third on my list is Yellowstone National Park.

But again, we're not RVing.

No, we're going to book this trip with one of my preferred tour operators who sets up an amazing guided vacation full of all the amazing activities that Yellowstone has.

They're gonna get you up close to all the sites that other people are waiting in lines for, like Old Fateful, the massive geyser in Yellowstone.

They're gonna have you staying at way better accommodations than you're going to get in the campground.

And so I think when you're thinking about what could really be something that would be monumental for you and your family to do, definitely look at the national parks.

We have some really awesome opportunities all across the United States to take advantage of the wild side of America.

You know, we are blessed to live in a country where there are parts of it that are not developed yet.

And so take advantage of that.

Go get into the woods, see the animals.

What better place to do it than Yellowstone National Park?

Again, it's a place top of my bucket list.

So maybe I'll see you there.

Last on my list, but certainly not least, is the luxury train journey.

Now, I think when most of us think of trains, we either think of the cargo trains that we sit in line for waiting for the arms to pop up and it's just become a big hassle in our day.

Or we picture some of the old style Amtrak passenger trains that we haven't really heard the best things about.

But I'm here to tell you, train travel has come a long way and it's really spectacular.

There's some different companies that can take you from out west to experience the Grand Canyon to up north, even into Canada, into the Canadian Rockies.

These train journeys are fabulous.

I'm talking luxury all the way.

Imagine having your own train car that's your entire, I started to say hotel room, but I guess your sleeping quarters.

You have a whole car to yourself.

The domed ceilings are glass, so you can sit in the luxurious liners looking out at the stars above as you cruise your way through the heart of America.

It's the most amazing opportunity ever to really see our country from a way it was seen years and years ago.

I mean, train travel has been around forever, and what an awesome opportunity for you in this modern age to take a step back in time and forget about the planes and automobiles and just get on the rails and see what there is to see.

And of course, you're gonna have opportunities to get off the train at multiple stops, see the different destinations, experience things that you may have never even thought possible.

It's really amazing and can make for the most amazing bucketless vacation ever.

So I know I kind of sped through these four top picks of mine, but that's because today's episode was more or less a preview of what is to come.

As I said, next week we're going to be diving in deeper into my first recommendation, a cruise with American Queen Steamboat Company, as I do an interview with one of their representatives.

After that, we may look at diving in deeper into one of the luxurious dude ranches, and we'll see where it goes from there.

But I just want this to be something that gets you excited for what is to come, gets your mind thinking that you know what?

We can still take that amazing bucket list vacation right here in the good old US of A.

If you enjoyed today's podcast, I hope you will tune in again next week as I bring you the special interview with the rep from American Queen's Deep Book.

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