Have you ever told someone where to go—on vacation that is?
There are countless places in our beautiful world that many consider must-sees in life. Therefore, we’re providing you—our readers—with the chance to suggest a destination your fellow travelers should include on their bucket lists for 2015.
Tell us in a few sentences about one (yes, one) particular place that you’ve been to, and why you would recommend adding it to the “Uncharted 101 – Bucket List of Destinations”. Were you lucky to have stumbled upon a cultural festival in India? Maybe you’ve seen the sun rise over the Grand Canyon on New Year’s Day, or have gone on a bunker tour in Berlin—the possibilities are endless.
Send in your entry via the website’s ‘ Comments‘ form by December 1, and we’ll announce the top “Bucket List of Destinations” in early January. Of course, if you tick an item or two off the list during 2015, we’d love to hear about it.
So, put your thinking caps on and tell everyone where to go!
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the places and moments that take our breath away.”
-Anonymous
It’s such an open and purely subjective field that I am certain there to be a grand variety named. But, if I were to suggest places, my feeling would be those off the beaten track and which make you work for their affections.
Colombia: the UNESCO world heritage site of colonial Mompos
Peru: Chachapoyas and failing that Cajamarca in the highlands or Iquitos in the jungle
Surinam: the dutch colonial capital of Paramaribo
Brazil: colonial Tiradentes
Paraguay: the Jesuit Misiones
Uruguay: the surf town of Punta del Diablo
There are just too many! But since I am here in South America those are my thoughts!
I would place on everyone’s bucket list Monhegan Island, Maine with its 170 feet high sea cliffs, its peaceful spruce forests, its pleasant harbor where you can get a great lobster dinner at the Island Inn. It lies ten miles out to sea, sixteen miles out of Boothbay Harbor, Maine where you can catch an excursion boat out during the summer or a mail boat from Rockport, Maine during the off-season months.
My most memorable experience was when I was in Goa. The sandy beaches of Goa is perfect for reclining by the sea while you sip a nice Kingfisher beer, watching the sun slip lazily below the horizon. In Old Goa, the beautiful Basilica of Bom Jesus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a great place to visit and a fine example of baroque architecture. Christmas time is a great time to come and experience Goa.
I remember those quiet, lonely places: Ben Amera in the Mauritanian desert, Chinguetti, a city lost in the sands. But also Kadmat in the Lakshwadeep islands, and now the magic South Pacific, from where I am writing. Bora-Boar is fantastic, but Rai’ateia, with its ancient history is magic.
Machu Picchu is a place I would still wish to see.
The Azores once more … pristine and beautiful, as well as seeing Coimbra and Granada, which I somehow have missed. And Warsaw again, now that it is ready for visitors. The list could go on and on! Berlin again, too now that the museums are open on Museum Island.
My bucket list in no specific order:
Serengeti
Northern parts of Namibia and Botswana
Boat trip on the Danube
Barge trip through the Netherlands (my home country!)
Norway fjords
All of France
Swiss Alps (going there in December!)
Road trip through the Karoo, South Africa’s huge semi-desert with the largest variety of succulents in the world, before they start fracking. 🙁
I’d have to say Fiji – I was fortunate enough to do a travel story for a Canadian site on a hot air balloon trip. I called it ‘ Uplifted in Paradise ‘ – Which is ironic when I think back, Fiji is like that even when you stand on terra firma ! We rose up above a village in the highlands at dawn, and watched the day unfold, over a beautiful land. In NZ Kayaking through the glow worm canyon , which I’ve written about here would be equal in another sense of uplifting. Glow – worms are a must see -by sea kayak , takes the cake .My own wish list includes – Rarotonga and Aitutaki ( Cook Islands ) Vava’u ,-Tonga – Tahiti – Hawaii, and that’s the beginning 🙂
It is great you felt that way about NZ and you must return. Am often amazed at how the variation in scenery happens in NZ over short distances – It seems there’s a lot packed in to a pretty small country. It was highlighted by a train trip I did through the North Island ( needs to go on your return list ) called the Northern Explorer – from Auckland to Wellington – it’s less than 11 hours – The scenery on that trip is outstanding in it’s variance . it was Winter and we went through the Tongariro National Park – Lord of the Rings scenery. Mountains covered in snow.- Also put Waiheke Island on the list ! 🙂
My favorite places I’ve been:
London – No one should miss any chance to visit here. A sense of history (British Museum, British Library, The Tower, Westminster Abbey), a vibe of excitement, places everyone has read about (i.e. 221B Baker Street, the Exchange, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circle, Covent Gardens, Notting Hill’s Portabello Road Market)! The ‘Mind the Gap’ Tube to anywhere in town; the rail system to anywhere on the island; easily arranged tours to Bath, Stonehenge, Oxford, Windsor, Stratford-on-Avon, etc.
Edinburgh – Really everywhere in Scotland, but Edinburgh is not to be missed. The ancient castle on the hill like a topper on a spiraling wedding cake of the old city. Other Scottish not-to-be-missed places include Stirling, Isle of Skye, Inverness.
Mont Ste. Michel – A medieval town on an isthmus with similar construction as old Edinburgh but the topper is an ancient monastery. Narrow spiraling streets lined with shops and places to eat. In days of yore, the entirety of the place was an island at high tide, only accessible by a land bridge revealed at low tide off the north coast of France. Tour easily arranged from Paris.
So many places to see, one life to do so. Make plans to go to the places that intrigue you! We’ve visited England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland (2014), France, Ukraine. If you don’t plan to go, the opportunities slip away.
Hello and shalom everyone,
I would love to recommend Israel as a worthwhile country to visit in. You can follow the footsteps of the ancestors and see how history is coming alive on the other hand you might want to explore the High-Tech and the modernization of Israel. you might explore the nature, the scenery, the nightlife of Tel Aviv and much more. In winter time on the same day you can ski at the Hermon Mountain and in the afternoon wear your swimming suit and dive in the Red Sea next to Eilat.
My favorite place is Berlin where I grew up in. There are so many places within the city to explore since the wall came down. There are spots that most tourists have never seen, but ask a Berliner and they will happily point them out to you. From quaint neighborhoods to specialty shops, there is no shortage of attractions. You can shop and dine on the Kurfurstendamm or stroll through the Tiergarten district. Don’t like the crowds? Take a dinner cruise on the Spree River and see the city from a different perspective.
I’d like to be the first to the South Pole on a quad bike… I’m working on that one.
I suppose there’s lots of things but as long as you’re doing what you you’d like to do for the vast majority of the time you’re definitely on the right track. A lot of the time it’s who you do the things with and not so much the magnitude of what it is that you’re doing. I do like to do things alone; I enjoy the self-reliance part of it but that doesn’t mean to say that I don’t enjoy company on some of them.
Marc, I’ve been thinking about these wonderful trips. Whatever comes in this winter will be fun, but then you might try some categories over the next several years like:
Trip of a lifetime under $1000 which would be the ferry to AK, for example.
Trip of a lifetime for two for $10,000
Strenuous trips to put on your bucket list
Etc
Australia & New Zealand are on my bucket list. Having just returned from the Marquesas, I am particularly interested in the Maori, their culture, etc. I think visiting these destinations would be fascinating – and rewarding!
Telos also included the lands North of Mount Shasta along the west coast, up to part of British Columbia.
The Fiji islands are situated in the south of the Pacific Ocean with an archipelago of 333 islands.