Travel is my absolute favourite thing in the world and whilst I am constantly ticking things off my bucket list, I feel like it grows longer even quicker as I am constantly adding new things to it! In the last few years I have ticked off things I never dreamed I would. I’ve hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, paid my respects to the ANZACs at Gallipoli, wandered the ancient streets of Rome, ridden a camel through the Sahara Desert, hang-glided over Rio de Janeiro, took a helicopter over the Grand Canyon, swam in Loch Ness in the middle of winter, lived abroad and island hopped the Greek Islands just to name a few! Today I am sharing my top 10 bucket list experiences and would love to hear if any of these are on your bucket list
1. Chase the Northern Lights in Scandinavia
I don’t think there would be anything more magnificent and life changing than experiencing the Northern Lights in person. This has always been at the very top of my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I get goosebumps every time I see a video of the Aurora and I think I would actually cry tears of happiness seeing it in real life. We are currently planning a trip to spend Christmas next year in the UK with Dan’s family and afterwards we plan to visit Scotland, Iceland and Scandinavia where we hope to see the Northern lights at some point (or if we are lucky numerous times)!
2. Finish my South East Asia Trip
If you’ve been following the blog for a while then you’ll know I wrote about my experiences breaking my ankle in Thailand in 2010. I was travelling with three of my best friends from University and we’d filled our University holidays with an epic six week backpacking trip through South East Asia. I’d planned our whole trip and we were going to travel through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia before spending a final week relaxing on the Thai islands to end an incredible trip. Unfortunately for me I broke my ankle on New Years Eve at a Full Moon Party on Ko Pha Ngan and that put an end to my trip (we were only a few days in too)! I would absolutely love to go back one day and visit these countries as I’d planned to then. This time I would also add on Myanmar which has been on my radar the past few years.
3. Have a white Christmas
Being Australian I find snow quite the novelty, no matter how many times I see it! Growing up we had ski holidays in Australia and New Zealand which were always fun and New Zealand is a truly breathtaking country. However, nothing quite compares to seeing Europe in winter and Dan and I truly fell in love with all things snow when we spent our anniversary in Grindelwald when we were lucky enough to have the first snow of the season! I always thought that my happy place was the beach but since then I think it is actually being among snow covered mountains in a gorgeous little snow-covered village. Unfortunately spending two Christmases in the UK didn’t result in a white Christmas and so it is still at the absolute top of my bucket list and I think would be one of the most magical experiences ever.
4. Soak up the Luxury of the Maldives
The Maldives are the epitome of paradise with their postcard perfect snapshots, turquoise waters, exquisite white sandy beaches, endless islands and stunning bungalows over the crystal clear waters. The Maldives truly embody romance and luxury and are hard to beat when it comes to finding an island paradise! They are also very pricey meaning we’d basically have to win the lotto to be able to experience the Maldives the way I want to, in my own private bungalow over the water. You never know… maybe one day!
5. Spend a full year in Canada
Canada has always been near the top of my bucket list but is a country I have held off visiting because I want to go for an extended visit rather than just a short holiday. I would find it near impossible to choose which season to visit Canada in because I want to experience it in the middle of their snowy winters and I also want to hike through their stunning National Parks in summer and swim in their crystal clear blue lakes. My solution is I want to spend an entire year in Canada and see the full changing of the seasons and experience each magnificent season to the fullest!
6. Sleep in an Ice Hotel or Igloo
If you can’t already tell.. I like all things snow! I think if it is going to be cold then there may as well be snow! Sleeping in a ice hotel or igloo is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do and I am hoping we will tick it off our bucket list next winter when we visit Scandinavia!
7. Spot the Big 5 on Safari in Africa
Going on an African Safari is at the top of many a traveller’s bucket list. Dan and I would love to visit Africa one day and hopefully spot the highly coveted big five, which includes the African elephant, leopard, lion, Cape buffalo and the rhino. Seeing all these incredible animals in their natural habitats is an experience one would never forget.
8. Marvel at the Pyramids and Petra
I am a total history geek and could wander ancient sites for weeks at a time. I’ve marvelled at the ancient sites of Greece and Italy and we were lucky enough to visit Turkey last year where due to current circumstances we had most of the 3,000+ year old sites completely to ourselves. It was truly an experience I will never forget. Dan and I would also love to visit the Egyptian Pyramids and Petra, Amman, Wadi Rum and Amman in Jordan one day.
9. Travel through Central America & Mexico
Central America’s turquoise seas and lush forests, magnificent Mayan ruins, charming colonial towns, stunning beaches, world class diving and surfing, volcanoes, the Panama canal, wildlife and incredible history have drawn my attention for longer than I can remember.
I backpacked through South America with my best friend when I finished University (and this was the trip that I met Dan on)! Ever since that incredible trip in South America, I have been dreaming of exploring Mexico and Central America.
In Mexico the places that are on the top of my bucket list are Tulum, Cancun, the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Isla Mujeres, Mexico City and Isla Holbox. I’m also keen to visit as as many beautiful cenotes as possible and eating as MUCH delicious Mexican food as I can. We’d love to book a car rental Cancun to explore the region and would do so with Cancun Car Rental. If you’re not a keen on booking a hire car, then you could book Cancun Airport Transfers to make your Mexican travels as smooth as possible.
In Central America, my list is even longer! At the top of my list is: exploring Guatemalan jungles, Belize’s Blue Hole and Caye Caulker, the San Blas Islands in Panama, Lake Atitlan and Tikal in Guatemala, Costs Rica, the Panama Canal and so much more.
10. Learn to Sail and spend a Summer sailing the Mediterranean
I’ve always been drawn to the Mediterranean countries. I am in love with their sunshine, islands, cuisine, wine, history, culture and way of life and every time I visit Europe I find myself spending more time in these countries than any other. Dan and I were lucky enough to spend a week sailing in both Croatia and Turkey last year, as well as island hopping around the Greek Islands. I’d love to properly learn how to sail one day and spend a summer on a yacht sailing around the Mediterranean… of course we would literally need to win the lotto to tick this one of the bucket list but hey a girl can dream can’t she?!
