Bucket My List

Bucket My List: Making Travel Easier for Young at Heart

We often fret about the variables that could go wrong when our parents travel overseas and mostly owing to work/ personal commitments we are unable to travel with them most of the time. But there is nothing to worry about it anymore as there is a reliable travel company cum friend for aspiring young at heart 50+ age group travelers. That company is none other than Gurugram based ‘Bucket My List’. ‘Bucket My List’, being an exclusive boutique travel company, tries to plug that gap by ensuring that your parents or loved ones are in safe hands with someone who knows the terrain well – speak their language – is well aware of their cultural and religious values and is their man Friday for anything and everything that they may need from start till the end. It offers a holiday experience with activities and adventures suitable for mature travelers and senior citizens making these trips personalized, experiential and participative.

Secondly, it endeavors to segment the tours basis the interests of the group which ensures like-minded lot to travel together. This leads to good bonding during the trip and building new friendships. Also these holidays tread the off beaten path and are experiential in nature, with emphasis on extreme localization, which discerning travelers would appreciate. Thirdly and most critical is the fact that the tours designed by it have places which they themselves have experienced and believe those to be truly unique. They ensure that there are no surprises from an expectation standpoint. These are the guiding principles for the venture. They believe in keeping things simple and fairly transparent.

You desire it delivers

From luxury to adventure travel, it offers a mature traveler just about anything suited to his/her style. It can be any item on their ‘bucket list’ such as staying in a water bungalow or skiing in the Swiss Alps – it makes sure every trip is seamless, blissful and memorable. The offerings include Escorted group tours (an easy and ex- citing way for the mature traveler to socialize), the be- spoke tours (it is committed to the cost of creating a surreal travel experience for them, regardless of whether they’re a novice or experienced traveler) and the Bucket List Experiences (unforgettable lifestyle experiences).

It differentiates itself from its peers by practicing the following USP’s

• Personalized Tour packages uniquely designed for travelers that are interested not only in sightseeing, but as well in local culture and people.
• A small group (not bigger than 16 travelers) of like-minded people where every single traveler is treated with personal approach.
• 24/7 support from a professional, knowledgeable, and friendly BucketmyList escort (from India) over-seeing every detail of the BucketmyList vacation, from start to finish.
• It informs on difficulty level, accessibility of different facilities and medical fitness requirements to all interested travelers, so that they can take an informed decision to join our tours.
• It does not travel to destinations or sightseeing places which are too difficult for elders or need hours of walk on uneven surface. Also, they do not stay in places which are too far from medical facilities.
• All the trips include unique activities to enable active and social participation of travelers. Itineraries are easy-going and allows travelers to take halts for photography and get more local experience.

The founder of the company, Shivali Bhargava, follows her gut feeling rather than listening to others, it gives her more learning and confidence on her own decisions. Before sleeping, she unplugs all the devices and takes time to introspect. “The initial moments of the day set the tone for the rest of it. If you want to be productive and effective, choose to make the absolute most of each morning and define a solid routine. A productive morning routine for me consists of inspirational readings, reviewing strategic priorities, and vision casting”, says Shivali.

An example for aspiring women leaders

We asked about the challenges she has been through during her entrepreneurial journey. She says, “The biggest challenge female leader face today is garnering support from other women. My advice to women worldwide is to support and empower each other, starting with our basic principles of who we are — our morals, values, integrity. We must be just. Be humble, show togetherness, passion, excellence and enthusiasm.”

Women are held to higher standards than their male counterparts. They need to do more to demonstrate their abilities than men. “My advice to all female leaders is not to hold back and wait for your achievements to be noticed. Speak up and show what you’re good at. Demonstrate how you meet the standards and indeed exceed them. Until you do, they’ll go unnoticed, but when you reveal them you may find your male counterparts become your biggest allies in your fight”, says Shivali.

She sets an example of being an ideal leader by letting go the control to her people.“While it may sound counterintuitive, the more I let go of control and give it to the people, the better I become as a leader and the more we thrive. I spend a lot of time clearing the runway for them to be successful. I also take responsibility for everything that happens”, she asserts.

In order to strike a chord between work and life, she believes in prioritizing things well in advance. She adds, “Part of maintaining a healthy work life balance is establishing priorities both at home and at work.” There are only so many hours in the day and it is up to you what will get the most of your time, attention, and energy. It is no one else’s job but your own to put yourself first. Work will suffer if you do not have time for yourself outside of it.