Eiffel Tower. Check. Stone Henge. Check. Angkor Wat. Check. Easter Island. Check. Bucket lists vary from person to person, but the idea of a bucket list is universal. Individuals compile a list of their favorite destinations, checking each place off the list when they visit the destination in person. Driven by limited travel budgets and the desire to visit as many places as quickly as possible, this trend appears to be declining.

The new trend is consumers who seek unique travel experiences over big name brand, cookie-cutter tours.   A couple of weeks ago I was checking out a new hotel in the Sacred Valley.  I met a woman from the US, in the lounge area.  During our chat, she shared that she had just arrived in Cusco that day for a 4-day whirlwind Groupon tour to Machu Picchu.  With 75 people!

Her friend saw a groupon for a 4-Day trip to Machu Picchu for a $1000 per person. Including international and domestic airfare. She couldn't resist.  The lounge soon filled up with other groupon travelers, followed by the tour leaders who called out the names of the travelers in their groups and boarded the buses waiting outside to drive to the nearest town to go to dinner.  

The 75 tourists who bought the groupon will get to check Machu Picchu off their list.  And for some people, that's the goal. Check. While those buses carrying 75 people rumbled through the Sacred Valley, Adios Adventure Travel had several small groups in Peru and Ecuador at the same time. Each group had a separate itinerary, with a private guide and driver.  

One group was interested in culinary activities and would visit a potato farm where the Qechua farmers built an earthen oven and filled it with potatoes, vegetables and meat for a "Pachamanca" lunch.  Another group had brought a suitcase full of school supplies for the village of Callipata, to support the children of our Inca Trail porters.  And another group stopped in a home in Moray to share food with a local family and learn about the musical insturments used for family entertainment.  

All these groups would visit Machu Picchu, but the trip was more than just taking photos and checking the famous citadel off their list. The groups would go home with memories of amazing travel experiences that have nothing to do with Machu Picchu.  

The new trend is good and benefits everyone. This is how we used to travel in the old days when mostly young people would take off to Europe with nothing more than a backpack and a Eurail pass. Middle-aged parents would drive their young adults to the airport to send them off on amazing adventures, then return to their jobs. Fortunately, the newest trend seems to be for all ages. 

Don't be afraid to stay a little bit wild and a lot spontaneous no matter how old you are.