Travel seems to hold a special place in the hearts and minds of most of us, whether it is the vacation to get away from work or the lifetime memory created by visiting a special place or having a unique experience. Stephen’s 200 travel bucket list ideas are a result of my own personal memory-makers from a lifetime of travel to 54 countries.
Most of these represent something I very much wanted to do and was able to “cross off the list.” And considering the places I haven’t visited, it is a never-ending list. It is meant to give you some ideas as you dream about journeys you might take. Nearly all of these represent experiences that can still be done in one form or another.
It is a long list with a lot of photos, so I have segmented the article into four parts, each one with links to the other three. It is my hope that something on the list inspires you to make your own travel memory.
Travel bucket list ideas # 1 – 50:
1. Visit the 5000-year-old monument, Stonehenge, on Summer Solstice, in Wiltshire, England
2. Hike through the “Avatar-like” landscape of the mountains of Huangshan, China
3. Discover the magnificent, turquoise tiered waterfalls of Kuang Si, Laos
4. Watch a cheetah stalk and devour its prey, on safari, at Samburu Reserve, Kenya
5. Navigate around the thunderous splash of a Humpback whale off Lahaina, Maui
6. Pay respects at the graves of Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, and Brahms, in Vienna, Austria
7. Hug a furry, 30kg panda on your lap, one of just 2,000 pandas in the world, in Chengdu, China
8. Ride a train to the “top of Europe” at 11,000 feet (3,400m) at Jungfraujoch, Switzerland
9. Enjoy the brilliant autumn foliage colors along the Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire
10. Hike to King Ludwig’s fairy tale Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria, Germany
11. Ride an elephant through jungle and streams and give it a mud bath, Chiang Mai, Thailand
12. Take a cruise ship to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, Bahamian Islands
13. Visit the magnificent, still-unfinished La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
14. Watch the sunset and full moon rise simultaneously above the clouds, Haleakala, Maui
15. Take an overnight cruise on a small junk to a pearl farm in Bai Tu Long Bay, Vietnam
16. Explore the astonishing colorful rock formations at Secret Canyon, near Page, Arizona
17. Gaze down at the picturesque city from the castle in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
18. Explore numerous ancient temples throughout Angkor Wat, Cambodia
19. Encounter hundreds of elephant seals lumbering onto the beach near Cambria, California
20. Hike up and down the largely unrestored section of the Great Wall at Simitai, China
21. Ride in a helicopter over The Twelve Apostles rock formations, Victoria, Australia
22. Watch history come alive aside Vasa, a real 17th century warship, Stockholm, Sweden
23. Step back in time to explore the many mystical temples of Bagan, Myanmar
24. Surf on the sand at the steep Suba Paoay Sand Dunes, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
25. Traverse the lakes of Killarney National Park from Ross Castle, County Kerry, Ireland
26. Explore the small, old villages of Tuscany from the base of Montepulciano, Italy
27. Interact with baby and adult orphaned elephants at Sheldrick Wildlife, Karen, Kenya
You can read my full post: Visit Nairobi before and after a safari
28. Be captivated by the work of Salvador Dali at his hometown museum, Figueres, Spain
29. Rent a long-tail boat to meander through the Thonburi canals, Bangkok, Thailand
30. Hike to the perfect viewing spot for Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, California
31. Tour the 2nd largest art museum in the world, the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg, Russia
32. Visit both the Silver and Golden Pavilions while temple-hopping in Kyoto, Japan
You can read my full post about How to see Kyoto in a weekend
33. Hike to the top of Diamond Head for a sunrise view over Honolulu, Oahu
34. Eat authentic paprika goulash and drink Palinka brandy in Budapest, Hungary
You can read my full post about How to see Budapest in two days
35. Practice the 6th century art of Chinese paper cutting in Chengde, China
You can read my full post: Chengde Mountain Resort is China’s secret
36. Watch ceremonial Aztec dancers perform in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
37. Spend a day in the tiny double landlocked kingdom of Liechtenstein
38. Discover the unearthed Terra Cotta Warriors of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, near Xi’an, China
39. Watch the Arc de Triomphe lighted in red, white and blue for Bastille Day, in Paris, France
40. Walk right next to flowing hot lava from Kilauea Volcano, on the Big Island, Hawaii
41. Attend Opening Ceremony at the Summer Olympic Games, 1984, Los Angeles, California
42. Walk completely around the inside of the 2,000-year-old Coliseum, Rome, Italy
You can read my full post: A Rome visit can be upscale on a budget
43. Walk through huge, intricate ice sculptures at the Winter Carnival, Québec, Canada
44. Experience the skeletal remains of military buildings, Corregidor Island, Philippines
45. Climb the lighthouse at the southernmost point of the archipelago, Landsort, Sweden
46. Pilot a Cirrus SR22 aircraft from Kahului, Maui, past sea cliffs, to the Island of Molokai
You can read my full post: You can pilot a plane on Maui
47. Hike among spectacular poppies and other wildflowers at Diamond View Lake, California
48. Stay as the only guests in the 16th century Chateau de Bourron, near Fontainebleau, France
49. Step back in time to explore the Canada de la Virgen Pyramid, Guanajuato, Mexico
You can read my full post about 5 unusual things to do in San Miguel de Allende
50. Cruise upscale to five Nordic countries in a week with Royal Caribbean, in the Baltic Sea
You can read my full post: 8 reasons to cruise upscale
