Short answer: the best travel bucket list is a mix of trips that need years of planning (Antarctica, Everest Base Camp) and ones you can book this weekend (an overnight train, a stargazing tour). Add both. Below are 25 travel bucket list ideas that made ours — with the specifics most listicles skip.
The list
- See the Northern Lights in Iceland or Norway. September to March. Rent a car, chase the sky, thank yourself later.
- Watch sunrise at Uluru. It changes colour in real time. Then quietly ruins every other sunrise.
- Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway. A week on a train through eight time zones. Slow travel at its purest.
- Hike a section of the Camino de Santiago. You don't need weeks — five days is transformative.
- See the cherry blossoms in Japan. Late March to early April. Kyoto for the postcards, Hirosaki for the crowds you'll avoid.
- Swim with whale sharks. Ningaloo Reef (WA), Cebu (Philippines) or the Maldives — March to July.
- Take an overnight train through the Alps. Nightjet from Vienna to somewhere with a lake. Fall asleep in one country, wake up in another.
- See the Great Migration in the Serengeti or Masai Mara. July–October. Book a year ahead.
- Visit Petra at first light. Get in before the tour buses. Walk the Siq alone.
- Cruise the Norwegian fjords. Hurtigruten coastal ferry — locals-and-luggage vibe, world-class scenery.
- Watch a total solar eclipse. Look up the next one on the path. Book flights early.
- Trek to Everest Base Camp. You don't need to summit. The trek itself is the trip.
- Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef — while you still can. Cairns or Port Douglas. Pick an eco-certified operator.
- Ride a hot-air balloon over Cappadocia. Sunrise, always. Book two mornings in case of weather.
- Walk on the Salar de Uyuni salt flats. December to April for the mirror effect. Book from La Paz or Uyuni.
- See the Milky Way from the Atacama Desert. One of the darkest skies on Earth. Do a stargazing tour.
- Take a fjordland boat trip in New Zealand. Milford Sound at dawn. Doubtful Sound if you have an extra day.
- See Machu Picchu — via the Inca Trail. Book six months ahead. Go for the four-day hike, not the train.
- Visit every continent. Antarctica is the hardest — go via Ushuaia in the Southern summer.
- Sail the Greek islands for a week. Milos, Folegandros, Kimolos — skip Santorini. Charter or catamaran.
- Eat your way through a country you've never been to. Vietnam, Peru, Georgia (the country), Portugal. Book food tours in each city.
- Hike Patagonia's W Trek. Four to five days in Torres del Paine. Book refugios early.
- Watch penguins in Antarctica. November to March. Fly-cruise from Punta Arenas to skip the Drake.
- Do a road trip through Iceland's Ring Road. Seven to ten days. Camper van in summer, 4WD in winter.
- See gorillas in Rwanda or Uganda. Book permits a year out. One hour with a family is enough.
Track your progress
Every trip you tick off in Dream Bucket List shades its country on your interactive travel map. Over years, that map becomes your favourite thing to look at.
See also: ideas for couples · all ideas