1000 Places to See Before You Die

Once upon a time I was excited by the concept of “1,000 places to see before I die.” As a lifelong traveler, the idea of visiting a thousand of the world’s most exotic, far-flung and inspiring destinations before—what’s the right word here, perishing? kicking the bucket? fading to black?—felt like something I had to do. Success was not to be judged on actually accomplishing this goal, but in the effort spent trying.

And the effort would be daunting. Assuming you can tackle one “must-see” destination per week, you’ll need to set aside nearly twenty years to visit all 1,000 locations. On a budget of $25 per day, those twenty years will cost $182,500. If I adjust for inflation, well, we’re talking some serious cash.

But that’s part and parcel of the concept’s power. To actually visit all 1,000 places requires Commitment (note the capital C). It requires sacrifice. It is not something for weekend warriors or mere armchair travelers.

And then a few years ago I discovered a book called 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. My first reaction was annoyance. I was annoyed that somebody had actually written a book about the concept, thereby sucking the authenticity out of it by transforming the noble idea into a crass commercial project with a bottom line and a marketing plan.

I was equally annoyed that it wasn’t me who had the foresight to suck the authenticity out of the concept, by transforming it into a book with a bottom line and a marketing plan …

Clearly I had been scooped. But who was the author? Was she in the model of Tony Wheeler, the legendary founder of Lonely Planet and a man who knows travel? (Pardon this brief detour: Check out Tony’s new book, Bad Lands, an account of his travels in George W. Bush’s so-called “axis of evil,” Iraq, North Korea, and Iran. Now that’s a travel book!)

The author is Patricia Schultz. I’ve never met Patricia. But I’m certain she is a lovely person. She is a freelance travel and fashion writer based in New York City. And as a one-time freelancer based in New York myself, I can recognize Patricia’s project for what it is—a great idea written by somebody who was at the right place, at the right time.