The dream bucket-list trips to start planning now
Here’s some inspiration for your next big bucket-list trip.
Dreaming about travel is one of life’s greatest pleasures and Australians are always looking for new destinations to add to their never-ending bucket lists. From exploring the ancient city of Petra, in Jordan, to heading off on safari in Africa, and enjoying a joy ride over Maui, here are some tours to book and experiences that await.
1. Go skiing in a top-ranked resort
You will feel an immediate rush of adrenalin as you point your skis or snowboard down a powder-white slope at Aspen Snowmass in Colorado or the Arlberg region in Austria for the first time. Snow bunnies can also book an exclusive private journey to Niseko or carve off on a solo trip to Whistler Blackcomb, a dream destination for skiing and snowboarding.
Point your skis down a powder-white slope at Aspen Snowmass in Colorado.
2. Explore the ancient city of Petra
The rose-gold-hued façade of the Treasury building in Petra is one of the most instantly recognisable travel images in the world. And a pilgrimage to Petra is an uplifting undertaking. Conscious travellers can learn about Bedouin culture and explore the ancient city carved into the cliffs on tour with Intrepid Travel, which has been carbon-neutral since 2010.
A pilgrimage to Petra is an uplifting undertaking.
3. See the Northern or Southern Lights
You will be uplifted by colour and beauty when you clock eyes on the Northern Lights or Aurora Australis in Tasmania. These vivid light shows, which pulse waves of blue, purple, yellow, green and violet colour across the sky will leave you feeling awestruck by nature’s palette, which is what travel is all about.
You will be uplifted by colour and beauty when you clock eyes on the Northern Lights in Canada.
4. Cruise to Antarctica
Seeing building-sized opalescent icebergs, glaciers calving into the water and shattering like glass and parades of honking penguins are just a few of the highlights you’ll experience on a deeply immersive expedition to Antarctica with trusted cruise operators.
Go on a deeply immersive expedition to Antarctica.
5. Go on a safari in Africa
Seeing Africa’s big five – elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, rhinoceros – is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Witness the great wildebeest migration and stay in a luxury Out of Africa-style camp on tour with companies such as Trafalgar and Bench Africa, which include experiences that have a positive impact on African people, places and wildlife.
Witness the beauty of African wildlife up close.
6. Swim with manta rays and whale sharks in the Maldives
The Maldives is on a lot of radars as a dream destination. Stay at a resort with all the bells and whistles, such as One & Only Resort’s Reethi Rah or Vakkaru Maldives, or in a Liveaboard motor yacht. Plan your trip to coincide with the migratory patterns of whale sharks and manta rays, which gather at Baa Atoll, Hanifaru Bay, between May and December.
Plan your trip to the Maldives to coincide with the migratory patterns of manta rays.
7. Take a helicopter ride over Maui
The most scenic way to see Maui’s Jurassic wilderness is by air. Fly in an ECO-star chopper with Maverick Helicopters above the crumpled folds of the West Maui Mountains, Haleakala Crater, Hana rainforest and the 17 cascading waterfalls known as the Wall of Tears. The tour also takes in the world’s tallest sea cliffs and famous surf break at Pe’ahi, known as Jaws.
The most scenic way to see Maui’s Jurassic wilderness is by air. (Image: Maverick Helicopters)
8. Get off the beaten track in Egypt
Plan an adventure holiday to Egypt with a company such as G Adventures, which specialises in small-group tours. Apart from being transfixed by the size of the Pyramids, you will see another side of the country – one of the so-called cradles of civilisation – when you are led away from the bustle by friendly local guides.
Plan an adventure holiday to Egypt and see another side of the country.
9. Go slow onboard the world’s most famous train
Rail travel has become even more romantic with the reimagining of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to include ultra-luxurious ‘Grand Suites’. Get onboard the luxury train in London and enjoy the grandeur of this transformative transcontinental form of train travel all the way to Venice.
Enjoy the grandeur of this transformative transcontinental form of train travel.
10. Observe wildlife in the Galápagos
Witness the great natural wonders of the Galápagos Islands by visiting its national park, where you may see the archipelago’s most iconic creature at the Giant Tortoise Reserve, snorkel with hammerhead sharks off León Dormido and wander amid ancient lava flows on Volcan Alcedo. Craft a custom itinerary with Chimu Adventures.
See the Galapagos Island’s most iconic creature at the Giant Tortoise Reserve.
11. Visit Cambodia’s Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat in Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia, is believed to be the world’s largest place of worship, unrivalled in its size and grandeur. An Around Cambodia excursion with Wendy Wu Tours is a great way to explore these iconic sites, while also delving into Cambodian culture and cuisine.
Angkor Wat is believed to be the world’s largest place of worship.
12. Swim with extra buoyancy in the Dead Sea
Floating belly up in the Dead Sea, Jordan is one of the ultimate ways to unwind. Join visitors from around the world who wade into the water, crunching their way along sharp salt crystals before taking the plunge into the lowest hypersaline lake in the world.
Both adults and children who are old enough to swim love the feeling of buoyancy while admiring the desert landscape and backing board of blue sky. Note: this is not a splash pool; if you get the salty water in your eyes it burns.
The Dead Sea has a salinity of 34 per cent.
13. Walk along the Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a marvel of military engineering that was built by successive dynasties from around 220 BC to 1644 AD as defensive cordons to protect China‘s kingdoms from marauding tribes.
You’ll be captivated by the wall, which is made up of multiple structures of stone, brick, tamped earth and wood and runs along mountain passes and ridges like the spine of a slumbering giant. Walking a section of the wall – which snakes more than 6352 kilometres from Shanhai Pass in the east to Lop Nur in the west – is a great way to bring ancient history lessons to life.
Imagine traversing the legendary Great Wall of China.
14. Spend a night in a castle in Great Britain
It’s not every night you get to tuck into a four-poster bed in a medieval castle behind six-foot thick sandstone walls in England.
Take an after-hours tour of Warwick Castle, which brings to life the stories of medieval knights, Norman motte and more, before climbing the 55-step spiral staircase to your room, which overlooks wooden grounds designed by Capability Brown. BYO tiara.
Immerse yourself in the centuries-old Warwick Castle.
15. Take a family cruise around the South Pacific
Travelling on the high seas at around 21 knots a day is truly a different pace of travel for most families. Parents onboard the cruise vessels can awaken the gypsy gene in their children by easing them into a foreign culture while they are still in their comfort zone.
In addition to all the action onboard – from strobe-lit dance classes to waterslides – the family-oriented ships offer shore excursions designed to teach children about different cultures.
Cruise around the pristine blues in Bora Bora.
16. Visit Gaudi’s enchanting Park Güell, Barcelona
Park Güell is one of artist Gaudi’s major works. Located in Barcelona, the fantastical sprawling garden – much of which is free to the public – is a garish collision of art and architecture with flowing lines, eclectic art and lurid mosaics.
Gaudi’s enchanting Barcelona masterpiece was created in 1900 and bought for use as a public park in 1922. Children marvel at the monumental precinct comprising an iconic blue-and-white spire, Hansel-and-Gretel gatehouses and a forest of columns, which appear as if they have been vomited from the pages of a twisted fairy tale.
Be in awe at the mosaic-covered walls in Park Güell.
17. Meet Mickey Mouse in Disneyland California
Walt Disney wanted everyone who stepped through the gates of Disneyland to feel like a child. Almost 70 years since the magical park opened in Anaheim, California, Disney’s dream has come true, with the theme park considered to be of the world’s most successful tourist attractions.
From the smell of fairy floss, which permeates the air, to the soundtrack of children squealing as they run from ride to ride, Disneyland delivers thrills for everyone, not just diehard Disney fanatics.
Step into the magical world of Disneyland California.
18. Have a White Christmas
Christmas in Australia is always sans snowflakes. But if all you want for Christmas is sleighbells and snow, why not whisk them away to Whistler for its annual Santa Day?
There’s no hidden Claus: the first 100 skiers or boarders to hit the slopes dressed like Santa will receive a free lift ticket to use for the day at the Whistler Blackcomb Resort, located in the mountains of British Columbia.
Dress like Santa to win a free lift pass.
19. Visit LegoLand in Denmark
Make it hot chocolates all round at Legoland Billund Resort in Denmark, where the tiny building blocks are so much more than just constructive toys for children.
Whether you’re a master model builder or you prefer to freeform with the colourful itty-bitty bricks, LegoLand is about inspiring both children and adults to cut loose with their imagination and construct the Lego creations of their dreams. Lego House is the newest attraction at the company’s flagship theme park.
Build the Lego creations of your dreams at LegoLand in Denmark.
20. Go rafting in the Grand Canyon
Rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is at the top of travellers’ bucket lists around the globe. In fact, the experience is so popular that wait lists for the hotspot extend at least 12 months in advance.
Outdoorsy families with children over the age of eight will love the experience of rafting down the Colorado River, which carved its course through the contours of the canyon about six million years ago. The best time to go is in summer when the swirling currents are not too strong.
Raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
21. Enjoy a self-drive RV trip around Yellowstone National Park
Introduce your children to the great outdoors with a self-drive camping trip through Yellowstone National Park in an RV (recreational vehicle). This is truly Yogi Bear territory. Break up the trip through America’s first National Park with a spot of wildlife watching, some white water rafting and a hike to a waterfall. You’ll be spellbound by the dramatic landscapes, bubbling geysers and hot pools.
The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park is the largest hot spring in the United States.
22. Experience Iguazú Falls
Argentina is full of breathtaking landscapes that will impress nature-loving travellers. Iguazú Falls is one of them. Located on the border of the Argentine province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Parana, the jaw-dropping natural wonder includes hundreds of cascading waterfalls that stretch for nearly three kilometres.
Don’t bother posting an #IguacúFalls Instagram story; it won’t do justice to the falls, which are surrounded by northern subtropical forest.
Iguazú Falls is a breathtaking wonder in Argentina.
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