While my ultimate travel bucket list is a great starting point, after 5 years of travel I’ve managed to tick a lot off, hone my preferences, and discover some lesser known sites and experiences to add to my own personal bucket list. Some people view a bucket list as absolute must-dos before you die in order to have no regrets, while others view it as a wish list full of things that would be a dream come true, but also things that may never come true. Mine is a bit of both! I’m proud that I’ve turned many of my dreams into reality, and I plan to live the rest of my life continuing to do so. But I also realise that some things truly are just pure luck – particularly occurrences in nature which cannot be planned or requested, but are some of the most awe-inspiring sights to witness. Here are my (current) 15 bucket list experiences (in no particular order). I aim to keep updating this list as I go, because I am committed to ticking things off!
Take a hot air balloon ride over Bagan
I’ve yet to take a hot air balloon ride, and I want to do it somewhere with an incredible view, not just do it for the balloon ride itself. I actually have a whole list of places I think it’d be epic to take a hot air balloon ride, but Bagan in Myanmar tops the list for me. I’m hoping this one gets ticked off one day soon!
Dive with oceanic manta rays in Komodo
One trip I’ve been eyeing up for a while is a visit to Komodo National Park in Indonesia. While I’d love to see the incredible Komodo dragons in their natural habitat, one of the biggest draws for me is the underwater adventures there. I ticked off diving with manta rays when I visited Indonesia in 2022, but once was not enough! I had an incredible experience with reef manta rays, but oceanic manta rays are even bigger and even more amazing, which is why this is still on the bucket list.
Watch the Northern Lights from a glass igloo in Lapland
I’ve seen the Northern Lights in Iceland, but when I discovered these incredible glass igloo accommodations which take the experience to the next level, I knew it had to go back on my bucket list. I’d love to combine this with some snowmobiling and other arctic adventures, so I know this is going to be a pricey trip when it happens, and I don’t yet have enough money to make it as perfect as I’m imagining, so it’ll have to wait!
Ride the Trans Mongolian Railway
When I was planning out my round the world travels while working in London and dreaming of the day I could leave, my plan was to make my way through Europe to Russia, take the Trans Siberian Railway from Moscow into Mongolia, and then the Trans Mongolian on to Beijing. It seems like the most epic rail adventure, and I’m still yearning to do it one day. Unfortunately by the time I was setting off on my travels the Ukraine war and Covid 19 had made this trip impossible. While China is becoming more accessible and the option to do just the Beijing to Mongolia section is a possible trip for this year, I’m still hoping that I can get to do it all one day.
Snorkel Silfra Fissure
Silfra Fissure in Iceland is a crack between the two tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia, which is kind of mind blowing. It’s filled with clear spring water, making it an ideal place for snorkeling or diving. Going for a swim between two continents is a pretty insane achievement in my mind, so this is well deserving of a spot on my bucket list – I just have to prepare myself for the freezing water temperatures!
Hike to Trolltunga
This spot has a name you might not know, but I’m sure you’ll recognise the picture! Trolltunga is a large rock jutting out into the air around 700m above a stunning alpine lake in Norway. It can only be hiked in the summer season, and the photo spot at the top will get your heart pumping just as much as the hike up did!
See the Southern Lights
This is a tricky one: there’s much less land far enough south to see the Aurora Australis than there is far enough north to see the Aurora Borealis. Antarctica is mostly inaccessible, and only during summer when the midnight sun means it’s never dark enough to see the Aurora. Stewart Island in the very south of New Zealand is one of the best bets, but it’s still very rare – and in 3 separate trips to NZ I’ve never made it there!
See polar stratospheric clouds
Another tricky one. This phenomenon occurs when it’s cold enough for clouds to form in the stratosphere (the second layer of the atmosphere) (I’m trying to act like I understand the science, is it working?). It makes the sky look like candy floss! It’s most common in the northern regions at twilight during the winter months, but it’s still a rare sight – you just have to get lucky!
Skydive over the Dubai Palm
I recently visited Dubai for the first time, and I’d always said I wanted to skydive over the palm. I went skydiving in the US years ago and loved the experience, and decided to do it again over more scenic locations – coastlines, mountains, iconic sights. Dubai was on my list. But then I discovered it’s $600, and I just couldn’t justify it! It’s still on the list just in case I win the lottery one day and have more money than I know what to do with, but for now I’d much rather spend that on two month’s worth of accommodation in Asia (yes, that’s a realistic accommodation budget in places like India, Thailand and Vietnam!).
Sail through Indonesia
I’ve had a few sailing trips and while they’ve all been fantastic in their own ways, they’ve also had some downsides that mean I’m still hunting for that perfect experience. Hearing stories from other sailors I’ve met along the way I think the Indonesian archipelago would be my dream destination to explore by yacht – at a slow pace, finding stunning tropical islands, getting truly off the beaten path, in a place with some of the most friendly locals and most delicious food! One day it’ll happen.
See a blue whale
I saw the dorsal fin of a few different types of whale on one of my sailing adventures, and spent hours poring over a whale comparison chart to try to figure out what I’d seen. One of them MAY have been a blue whale. But since I’m not 100% sure, I can’t count it. Plus I’d like to get more of a sighting! The best place for this is Sri Lanka, but unfortunately on my trip there in 2023 it wasn’t the right season. I’m sure I’ll be back one day and whale watching will be my priority!
Visit Borbadur
There are many, many, many cultural sites that call themselves the 8th wonder of the world. I’ve made a list of some of the best of them, and it’s actually a great source of inspiration for creating your own bucket list! For me the next one I’m hoping to visit is Borbadur in Indonesia.
Witness Darvaza Gas Crater
This enormous hole in Turkmenistan has been dubbed the ‘Gates of Hell’ – it’s a massive pit of fire that has been burning for more than 50 years! I’ve just discovered that the President of Turkmenistan wants to extinguish it in order to preserve the gas resources, so I’m hoping I get to witness it before he succeeds in this goal. There are quite a few disappearing wonders across the world that I guess I should prioritise!
Timbuktu
This is the location that has become synonymous with being somewhere completely random and unknown in the middle of nowhere. Timbuktu is actually in Mali, Africa, and it looks super cool. It’s an ancient city with a lot of fascinating history, and the most incredible architecture made entirely out of mud! One day I’d love to go, and when people ask me ‘where on Earth are you now, Timbuktu?’ it’ll actually be true!
See a pangolin
These endangered creatures look like little old men with anxiety, and I’d absolutely adore seeing one in the wild. There are a few species found in Asia, but the best chance of spotting one is on safari in Africa – but you have to be astonishingly lucky. I won’t get my hopes up too much about crossing this one off the list, but it’s on here as an absolute dream.
I hadn’t noticed until I made this list that a few of my current dream experiences are in Indonesia – it looks like I need to prioritise heading there sometime soon to tick some things off! As always, whenever I do tick something off the list it immediately gets replaced with something else I’ve learned about through meeting people on the road and hearing about their incredible experiences and dream trips. If any of you have any ideas you think I should add to my list please do let me know! My bucket list will never be completed, but for me that’s the whole point. I don’t ever want to feel like I’ve completed all my goals, because then what would I do? Our amazing planet has so much to see, do, eat, experience, and marvel at – more than an entire lifetime’s worth. And I’m incredibly glad of that, because if there wasn’t I wouldn’t be so inspired to keep travelling.