Yesterday, January 1st 2022, I have started the next iteration of my life-long World Heritage Journey. I have quit my IT job and handed in my company lease car. I will do nothing else for a while other than travelling to WHS, writing about WHS, learning about WHS, engaging in the discourse on WHS, maybe even building a career out of it. It’s a dream that I always have hoped to fulfill, and all signs are positive now to take the jump. My " Missing Map " shows the To-do List:

Why 1100 WHS in 2030?

My original goal was “to see all WHS before I die”. But you never know when you are going to die, it may come earlier than statistics predict. And we also do not know whether the WH List will ever be finite. At this moment in time, I think I will be quite satisfied at reaching 1100. I do not long for those remote diving locations (eg. Cocos Island , Revillagigedo ) and there’s the issue that a longer list will not make the content better. With an average of 20 new additions per year, I expect that the List will be 1314 sites long in 2030. If I reach my goal, my coverage will improve from 66% (2021) to 84%.

What’s the plan?

I plan to be on the road for 6 months a year and do 5 to 6 trips to countries or regions with significant clusters of WHS. I have identified some 40 of them. The trips will be mostly between 4 and 6 weeks long, as for me this is an ideal period. I travel more slowly than the average WH spotter and I like to use public transport. And I enjoy coming home for a few weeks to reflect on the trip and finish all the reports! My experience with a half-year-long trip in 2011 was that in the end, I had forgotten what I did in the first months; so I keep my future trips shorter than that. Focus on one coherent cultural region (a large country or a few neighbouring ones) also helps.

How feasible is it?

The mathematics behind it are:

• I am on 764 visited WHS now, so I have 336 to go to reach my goal.
• Divided over 8 years (2022-2029), this means an average of 42 a year.
• Of these 42, I count on the yearly WHC meeting to contribute 10 (sites I have previously visited, are easy add-ons to other trips, or close to my home in Europe).
• The remaining 32 will be picked from my Trip List, which includes trips where at least 3 WHS can be seen and the average all-inclusive cost of a WHS visit is 768 EUR.

Of course, life (such as personal health issues) can get in the way. But having a clear plan and focus always helps.

What does the Trip List look like?

The Trip List ( here is the full version ) contains 40 itineraries with rough cost and time estimates. The cost estimates aren’t rock bottom, there’s some 10% risk margin included. Most trips now are 3-4 weeks long, I could combine a few (such as #29 and #33: Zimbabwe + NW South Africa) in order to save money on long flights. I did this already with the first one I am embarking on (#10).

This list is quite personal, as other people need to cover different WHS than I do. The A-List is where I focus on now, but there’s enough flexibility to add Libya, Yemen, or Venezuela from the B-List if they open up properly during this period. Or add a tantalizing trip to Gabon or others from the C-List if I have enough money to spare.

The itineraries are designed around the WHS. TWHS will only be added if they appeal much to me or are up for nomination in the coming 2 years. Non-WHS side trips will be limited to a few easy picks on subjects that I like (capitals, national museums, mammals).

I'd like to offer up my Approach and Trip List for review by you, knowledgable WH Travellers! Are there ways I could improve on the efficiency, without breaking the bank?