Bali in winter, Paris in April. How “bucket lists” for travel assist cancer patients in dealing with life and death

Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman portray two prominent characters in the 2007 movie The Bucket List who refuse experimental therapy after learning they have terminal cancer. Rather, they go on a series of adventurous, high-energy trips abroad. The phrase “bucket list,” which refers to a list of goals or experiences you want to accomplish before you “kick the bucket” or pass away, has since gained popularity. You might read about the 100 Australian travel experiences on a bucket list or the seven cities you should see before you die.

However, there is a more sombre aspect to the concept of bucket lists. Remorse for things said or done wrong is one of the main causes of misery at the end of life. Therefore, making a bucket list might act as insurance against this regret.

When a life-limiting illness is diagnosed, the bucket list quest for experiences, memories, and significance takes on a life of its own.

In a research that was released last week, we conducted interviews with 54 cancer patients as well as 28 members of their social networks. Travel was a major item on the bucket lists of many.

Why is travel such a big deal?

There are several reasons why our conceptions of a “life well-lived” revolve so heavily around travel. Travel is frequently associated with significant life turning points, such as the young gap year, the Eat Pray Love (2010) film’s journey to self-discovery, or the archetypal “grey nomad” persona.

Travel is important for reasons beyond the final destination or even the route taken. For several individuals, organising the trip is as crucial. A cancer diagnosis challenges a person’s feeling of agency over their life, making it difficult for them to design the trip of a lifetime or craft their own narrative.

The newly retired spouse of a cancer patient, Mark, informed us of their postponed holiday itinerary:

We’re just at that stage of life when we were planning to hop in the caravan, go on the big trip, and do all this kind of stuff, but right now, those plans are simply sitting on the shed’s blocks.

Others felt compelled to “tick things off” their bucket list as soon as they received a cancer diagnosis. Asha, a breast cancer patient, told us that although she had always been motivated to “get things done,” receiving the diagnosis made this worse:

As a result, I had to travel extensively and cross everything off my bucket list, which has somewhat turned my girlfriend off.

Dreams of travel included driving a caravan across the Nullarbor Plain, going whale watching in Queensland, seeing polar bears in the Arctic, and skiing in Switzerland.

Nadia, who was 38 years old when we met with her, stated that despite her health issues, travelling with her family had allowed her to create priceless memories and given her a sense of energy. Rather than waiting for retirement, she told us that receiving a cancer diagnosis had allowed her to live life to the fullest:

I believe that over the past three years, I have lived longer than many eighty-year-olds.

However, travel is costly.

Naturally, travel is costly. The billionaire status of Nicholson’s character in The Bucket List is not accidental.

Some of the folks we met with had completely depleted their funds because they thought they wouldn’t need to pay for retirement or elderly care. Others have fulfilled their lifelong ambitions through insurance settlements or charitable donations.

However, not everyone is capable of doing this. Jim, a sixty-year-old man whose spouse was given a cancer diagnosis, informed us:

In fact, we recently purchased a new vehicle and have been discussing purchasing a new caravan. I must go to work, though. Though never mind, it would be lovely if there was a small money tree out back.

Not every person had pricey items on their bucket list. Some made the decision to buy a pet, start a new pastime, or spend more time with loved ones.

According to our research, creating plans to cross things off a list might help people feel hopeful about the future and in control of their lives. It was a means of regaining control over a condition that might make individuals feel helpless. Asha stated:

I refuse to let this illness rule me. I’m not going to do nothing except sit motionless. I’d want to take a trip.

Something we’should have’ done?

Additionally, bucket lists are a sign of a larger society that prioritises production and ostentatious spending, even in the latter stages of life.

People have in fact informed us that flying may be costly, unpleasant, and exhausting—especially if they are simultaneously dealing with treatment-related symptoms and side effects. Travelling, though, seemed like something they “ought” to do.

Our findings revealed that travel can have profound significance. But living a life well doesn’t have to be ostentatious or daring. Discovering purpose in life is an incredibly personal process.

General News Platform – https://ihtlive.com/
Entertainment News Platforms – anyflix.in 
Construction Infrastructure and Mining News Platform – https://cimreviews.com/
Podcast Platforms – https://anyfm.in/