Yes, Bucket Lists were virtually invented for once-in-a-lifetime experiences like travelling to the Arctic, glacier walking on the only Ice Sheet outside of Antarctica, and sailing under the midnight sun. So it sounds odd to say I don’t want Greenland included in that.
And, given that I dedicate my professional and personal life to showing anyone who will listen that Greenland is simply the best land in the world, it sounds VERY odd that I don’t want it on your list.
But here’s why.
Greenland deserves so much more than a line on a Bucket List and a little square waiting to be filled in with a red check mark and then left in the dust.
Because that very check mark indicates completion and finality. It means you have been there, done that, and are ready to move on to the next item.
If Greenland has half the effect on you as it did on me the first time, then you don’t simply just move on after experiencing Greenland. You don’t just go back to ‘life as normal’ and forget all about the peace you had every morning waking to such beautiful views like the picture above, or the human compassion you felt when you asked a local for directions to your AirBnB flat and she ended up walking you the whole way there. For many of you, Greenland will be your transformational destination.
Therefore, I ask you to let Greenland transcend the bucket list. Don’t go because it’s on the list. Just go.
Take your time to plan the trip; live in the moment every day you have your feet on the ground up here; go home and continue to let Greenland have a place in your thoughts; go forth and be changed by your experience.
Turns out others have this exact same thought – rightfully so! Read an interview Shannon Stowell, CEO at ATTA (Adventure Travel Trade Association) gave to Forbes about creating a Life List instead of a Bucket List.
Adventures of a Polarphile 
Excellent post! Greenland is so much more than an item on a list. If I have the time, I would love to spend an extended time living there as you do.
Thank you! I hope one day you achieve that goal!
I feel this way about most things that are often found on “bucket lists”. Basically, the only things that I consider as “check off the list” type of thing would be roadside attractions or something like that. Just simple quick stops along the way, you know? I’ve been hearing more and more about Greenland, and I cannot wait to get there!
Paige,
Thank you for the comment and the readership! I’m glad to hear Greenland is getting stronger and stronger on your radar, and I wish you the best with fulfilling the wish to see Greenland 🙂
Best regards,
Sarah
Great point about bucket lists.
Thanks for the comment and the readership!
Having been there (last year) I can wholeheartedly agree. Greenland is not in the bucket list category. That woud make it an ordinary destination. It’s at a completely different level, one of those places that deserves one’s full attention in order to understand the planet.
Robin,
Thanks! Glad to hear it was an incomparable experience for you 😀
Best,
Sarah
Bit embarrassed to comment on this post given the name of our blog but felt compelled to comment :-). I do 100% agree with what you are saying in many respects. I guess, for me, it depends why you have a ‘bucket list’ in the first place. I personally don’t see a bucket list as just a check box. It’s more a commitment to achieving the things we dream of doing, the experiences which are most important to us. It’s a way to not get distracted by the thousands of other things competing for our attention (and money) nowadays. I think if you write something down and commit to doing it you’re way more likely to follow through. We would love more than anything to visit Greenland and plan to do so this year. Not just to say we’ve been, but because from what I have seen and read it seems like nowhere else on earth. I would love to experience that. I have no doubt we will fall in love and be back many more times. Enjoying your blog!
Hey there,
Hehe, and I hope you don’t feel offended by it. Sometimes I play with surprising, eye-catching conversation-starting headlines. This one did the trick for many 🙂
Thanks for the insights and your compliments! I would love to see you in Greenland one day.
Best regards,
Sarah
Agreed! Bucket lists should be used for easy-to-reach affordable and popular destinations.
Sven, thanks for the readership and the comment! I hope you make all the travels your heart desires – both to bucket list places and to the truly one-of-a-kind, indescribable, life-changing, off-the-bucket-list-charts places, too. Take care!
– Sarah
Love this post Sarah. Was in Ittoqotoormiit in March this year and it really was a transformational destination like you said! I cannot wait to go back to Greenland and explore more and more and more!
Syazwani, thanks for the readership and the comment! Lucky you to be in Ittoqqortoormiit – it’s one of the few places I still need to get to one day 😀 I’m so happy you had a fantastic experience; best of luck with planning your upcoming trips!
Best regards,
Sarah
@polarphile