I sat looking at the glowing clear ocean in the Bahamas applying sunblock and gearing up to go and experience something that has been at the top of my bucket list. I am given a snorkel and am about ready to go and dive into the ocean, my heart is racing and I am so excited. I cannot wait to check swimming with sharks off my bucket list. My list has several items that have been crossed off, but I do have a few others I plan to complete before I am too old to do these things.
I am very inspired and motivated to complete my list and explore the world. One other item on my list includes going to Tasmania, Australia to view kangaroos and see how they act in their natural environment. I would also like to travel to Venice, Italy to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa and experience riding gondolas through The Grand Canal and many other waterways.
While preparing to travel to Nassau, Bahamas, it is important you select the correct time of year for travel and make sure you have packed all your the necessities, as cost is high on the island. Booking your flight, hotel and rental car in advance is also a way to save on cost. Setting a budget and sticking to it is necessary. My approximate budget for a trip to Nassau such as this is $4,000. This includes a “roundtrip airline ticket cost of $607 with one stop in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas and a total flight time of eight hours and fifty-six minutes” (American Airlines).
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My transportation when I arrive in the Bahamas will be a rental car. I can “rent a Ford Focus for $61 a day” (Expedia.com) and I will be renting it for the duration of my trip which is seven days. The “cost will be $427 for the full seven days”(Expedia.com). I am planning on budgeting for an additional $50 for gas during the week. Assuming I will be tired from a long day of flying, I will check into my hotel upon arrival. The hotel is located on the beach and is “ The British Colonial Hilton in Nassau. It costs a total of $161 a night”(TripAdvisor.com). I am planning for seven days so “it would cost me $1,127 which includes a breakfast”(TripAdvisor.com).
“The Bahamas is an island with often unpredictable weather which can make it hard to determine when a good time of the year to go visit is(TravelChannel.com).” After doing research to find the best dates to go, I decided on March, during spring break as “hurricanes occur the most during July all the way through October” (The Islands of the Bahamas- The Official Travel guide) . “During the regular summer months May through July the temperatures can reach up to 95 degrees and it can even be storming” (The Islands of the Bahamas- The Official Travel Guide). Swimming with the sharks and beautiful beaches are my primary reason for going to the Bahamas, so storms of any type would put a damper and almost ruin the trip itself.
The opportunity to swim with sharks has always been a dream of mine. I chose the Bahamas because of the beaches and for the “harmless” sharks and special tours you can select from to swim safely without getting eaten alive. A popular tour is the “3N’s Vacation Tour Spot.” They have a “variety of tours you can select from such as, swimming with sharks, swimming with pigs and fishing”.“They have a bundle package where you can select all three tours for a reasonable price.” (Staniel Cay, and the 3N’s Vacation tour spot).
I plan to only swim with the sharks as swimming with pigs seems strange to me. “Swimming with the sharks will cost $200 per person and the tour guides will tell you they are the friendliest sharks you’ll ever get in the water with.” (Staniel Cay and the 3N’s Vacation tour spot) “You can feed and play with them”. (“Swim With Sharks” 3N’s Vacation tour spots, Staniel Cay, 2018-19, https://www.stanielcayvacations.com/tours/ ). After completing this item on my bucket list, I plan to look for other things to help keep me occupied and have fun while I am there. The Bahamas also offers an excursion called “The Exuma Cay Land and Sea Park.”
“It is a rare place to go and experience with the water being crystal clear. Many locals and tourists go here to dive or simply to relax and admire the beautiful clear water” (The Official site of the Bahamas). “Another fun activity on the island is renting scooters. These are offered almost everywhere in the Bahamas and cost about $100 for 35-45 miles of riding and pure enjoyment seeing the town and beautiful beaches!” (The Official Site of the Bahamas)
The next adventure on my list is traveling around the world to Tasmania, Australia to see Kangaroos in their natural habitat. “When traveling to Australia you must remember to pack a raincoat because it rains often and the weather can be very unpredictable.” (Ejmont, Jolene. Guide to Tasmania | What to pack for Tasmania) “Long sleeves, pants and a windbreaker are a necessity as the wind can pick up which can chill you to the bone” (Ejmont, Jolene. Guide to Tasmania | What to pack for Tasmania). “Insect repellant to ward off the mosquitos and a dependable waterproof lightweight backpack are also key items to bring along” (Ejmont Jolene. Guide to Tasmania | What to pack for Tasmania) .
Much of Australia can be seen by foot and I plan to be walking about for this Kangaroo – Tassie Tour ! Overall, cost plays a huge factor into any trip but especially one to another continent and currency comes into play. “The currency values of the U.S dollar are higher in Tasmania as one usd equals less one dollar and 44 cents in Tasmania”(EUR per 1 USD – Past 24 Hrs.” Rates, News, and tools). I plan to visit for two weeks in Australia and stay at “ The Tall Timbers “ “hotel which will run approximately 1400.00 with breakfast included”(Expedia.com).
“The Tassie Tour” that I will be reserving “will cost 85.00 for four hours and allows me to be up close and personal with the Kangaroos”(Book Tasmania Tour Packages Today Tasmanian Tour From Hobart). I will be able to “feed and play with them, taking as many pictures as I would like along the way” ( Book Tasmania Tour Packages Today Tasmanian Tour From Hobart). “The fall season offers an opportunity to see the Australian trees transform and enjoying temperatures that range in the mid sixties. Just don’t forget about the unpredictability of the weather down under”(Tasmanian Travelways).
Five thousand nine hundred eighty seven miles away lies Venice, Italy which is the third destination on my bucket list. I must ensure “my passport still has at minimum six months before expiration for this adventure”(Visa For Venice? US department of state). “The most economical flights to Venice are seventeen hours long with one stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania” (American Airlines). I am looking forward to spending the entire day at the ever popular “ Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
I am excited to learn more about the architectural history of this “ bell tower “ and gain an understanding of how the tower began to lean and what has been done to keep this tower standing. As I dream about the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I am in awe as I scroll through the endless pictures of the beautiful buildings that line the banks of “ The Grand Canal. “ By gondola, “The Grand Canal will take forty-five minutes from the main street maneuvering you through the waterways”(Rick Steves Italy 2019 Ebook by Rick Steves). The city of Venice can be seen twenty-four hours a day with no additional cost for this spectacular journey!
In the end, I have many things I would like to experience in this world. The things closest to my heart are swimming with sharks in the Bahamas, visiting Tasmania to visit the kangaroos, and lastly, visiting Venice to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Grand Canal ride.
