A Gift for the List-Loving Traveler

I may claim to need travel in my life, but an even greater need is lists, without which I couldn’t function. At work, at home, on busy days, on relaxed days . . . lists keep me organized and help offset my sketchy memory and distractible nature. But I don’t just require lists, I delight in them. Not long ago, Betsy from Parenting is Funny and I were laughing about our indexing inclinations. When she finds out an event is in the offing, she adds it to her list just so she can later cross it off. Me? I complete a task, realize it wasn’t on my list, add it to the list, then immediately cross it off. (For all you Type-Bs out there, both are perfectly normal list-utilization behaviors.)

So imagine my thrill when I found this under the Christmas tree:

To be honest, I actually arranged to be given this gift, but that didn’t detract from the excitement. Back in the fall while shopping for stocking stuffers and Secret Santa gifts, I came across this book—more of a journal, actually—and was instantly intrigued. Alas, in a regretful moment of misguided prudence, I didn’t buy it. But you know how sometimes you pass something up and then you can’t stop thinking about it?

That happened.

Luckily, I knew that if I told the husband about my error in judgment, he would make it right by Christmas morning.

Full of (nearly) every kind of travel list imaginable, it’s a globetrotter’s dream. Most headings have room to record both what you’ve already done and seen as well as what you hope to do and see.

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It does have a few lists I don’t want or need:

There’s a page on my blog for this

Heck, I have a whole series of posts on mishaps, and rest assured, none of them involve pooping in an alley.

Staycation? What’s a staycation?

It’s also missing a few lists. I’ve already crossed out Places to Spend the Night and replaced it with Best Hotels/Accommodations, but with only one measly blank page at the back . . .

. . . where am I supposed to record:

• Colorado 14ers I’ve Climbed/Hope to Climb
• Castles & Palaces I’ve Seen/Hope to See
• Hot Springs/Spas/Bathhouses I’ve Visited/Hope to Visit
• TV & Film-Related Travel I’ve Done/Hope to Do
• All the other lists I haven’t thought of yet

Clearly some alterations were in order, so this morning—Boxing Day—I made sure to be at my local print shop the second it opened. Now here I am, a mere three hours later, experiencing the joy of receiving once again with my now spiral-bound journal containing a dozen extra pages for lists of my own making.

Before I go and start filling in my lists, allow me to wish you a happy Boxing Day, a belated Merry Christmas, and a prosperous, travel-filled New Year. And may the joy of making lists and crossing off their items be strong and never-ending!