A bucket list of adventures with my son

My son, Thomas, turned one in April and with that brought the unfortunate end to my maternity/shared parental leave. Whilst I don't exactly relish the thought of leaving Thomas to go to work, I have been consoling myself with the view that it is at the very least beginning to top up our travel fund once again. With that, my thoughts have been turning to the travel goals I want to achieve with Thomas.

Of course, those of you who know me will be well aware that my "list" includes pretty much everywhere and I rarely travel back to the same place twice, preferring to venture out in search of new experiences. However, travelling with Thomas is a new adventure and allows me to see places with fresh eyes. I therefore do have a top 5 bucket list of adventures I want to have with him before he grows up and wants to explore the world on his own.

1. Christmas in Austria

I spent a winter living in Zell am See when I was 19, working in a chalet for a ski company. It was my first Christmas away from home and although I missed my family I was in awe of the magic of Christmas in the snow. Spending Christmas Eve in a beautiful old cobbled square outside with Father Christmas popping by on his sleigh, a choir singing "Stille Nacht" whilst we stood with a mug of hot gluhwein in our hands. Christmas day spent on the slopes then back to a chalet full of families with small children. I recall that, at 19, my room mate Clare and I had fully intended to go out for the evening bar hopping but the magic of Christmas caught us all and we ended up playing twister by the Christmas tree with the children of the guests staying with us. Magical.

I want to take Thomas for a magical traditional Christmas in the snow once he is old enough to remember but young enough to believe. In my opinion, much less commercial than Lapland and more about us simply enjoying tradition in the snow as a family.

2. Horse riding in Montana

A good friend of ours moved a few years ago to Montana to live on a ranch with her cowboy husband. We went to visit and had a wonderful trip riding their horses, watching the rodeo and experiencing something new. Their children are a similar age to Thomas and I would love to take him there when he is old enough so that he can run around free on their ranch and experience a different way of living. I think its important for him to understand that not everyone lives in the same way, on a suburban street with a shop around the corner. I have happy memories of visiting my friend's farm as I grew up and being free to explore the big outdoors. Something I would love for him to experience too.

3. Safari in Namibia

Ian and I went to Namibia in 2009, self driving a Toyota hilux with a tent on the roof, cooking on a campfire and sleeping in the wilderness. Namibia is a great family destination as it is safe and easy to drive there yet it feels really adventurous and wild. I can just picture Thomas now building a campfire with his Dad and spotting lions on safari. What a thrill it would be for him.

I also want to take him to some of the poorer areas of southern Africa to help him to understand how lucky he is and to be grateful for what he has. More importantly I'd like to teach him compassion and respect for other cultures and people. There are some wonderful projects out there for him to learn about.

4. The Somme and D-Day beaches in France

I hope this one speaks for itself. Its important to remember how lucky we are and to remember the sacrifice paid by our ancestors so that we might live in the freedom we do now. Its up to us to pass on the memories.

5. Eurocamping in Italy or Corsica

In the summer of 1999 I worked as a children's rep for Eurocamp in Corsica and had an amazing summer. Prior to that I had grown up visiting Eurocamp campsites via Eurocamp Independent with my parents and our caravan. I have many happy memories of bike rides and barbeques with my parents drinking beer or wine sat outside in the hot summer evenings. The freedom we had to ride around the campsites on our bike and visit the childrens' activities making pen friends. I'd love to do this one year once Thomas is at school, perhaps with friends. Recreate the memories with my own child.

I can't wait! What's on your list?