You don’t need to wait for a milestone to start making bucket list travel plans: there’s no better time than the present to start living your travel dreams.
Perhaps you’ve been waiting for a notable birthday, a honeymoon, an anniversary or your retirement to start visiting all those places you’ve been dreaming of. But, as Victoria Douglas, Scott Dunn’s Director of Global Operations and UK Loyalty explains, “time is precious and there’s no time to waste when it comes to exploring the world.”
Including swimming with manta rays in the Maldives, marvelling at the Northern Lights in Iceland, and tracking snow leopards in India – these are just some of the once-in-a-lifetime adventures to plan this year. Why hold back when the world is waiting to be explored?
In partnership with Scott Dunn.
Take A Polar Expedition In Antarctica
If there’s one destination that screams bucket list travel, it’s Antarctica. The world’s least populated and least visited continent ranks high on the must-see list of many an intrepid (and not-so-intrepid) traveller, though not many make the journey. Today, The White Continent is more accessible than ever – but few cross the Antarctic Circle. This is your opportunity. Sail or fly across the Drake Passage to reach the untouched wilderness of the seventh continent – a place where you’ll be the very first to make tracks in the snow – before cruising further south still, to cross the polar circle. Observe landscapes seen by few; glimpse the breach of a humpback whale; spot the waddle of a gentoo penguin; hear the call of the Weddell seal; and celebrate your daring polar circle crossing. This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience and achievement for those who dare. Find out more.
Track Snow Leopards In India
Snow leopards are almost impossible to spot in the wild: there’s not many of them (population estimates vary from between 4,000 to 10,000, globally); they’re shy and have a tendency to hide; and their cream-coloured fur blends in seamlessly with their natural habitat – the mountain snow. Your chances increase with a stay at Snow Leopard Lodge in Ladakh, India. Its location, Ulley Village, is at the centre of three quiet valleys (also known as a snow leopards’ playground), and you’ll join some of the best guides in the region to form a dedicated tracking team. The beautiful – if elusive – big cat might be your reason to visit, but the warmth and hospitality of this family-run homestay will stay with you long after you leave too. With just six bedrooms plus a shared kitchen and bathroom, this is an intimate experience but one that offers a unique opportunity to get to the heart and soul of Ladakhi culture – namely via homemade momos served with lashings of butter chai, both delicious and warming staples of Ladakhi cuisine. Find out more.
See The Northern Lights
Mesmerising, captivating and other-worldly: these are just a few of the words we’d use to describe the Northern Lights, but none of them do the colourful phenomena justice. This is a real bucket list travel, see-it-to-believe-it kind of experience. Thanks to their stretching, waving expanse across the North Pole – which encompasses Alaska through Canada, Europe, and Russia – you have a choice of location to spot them. Some of the best places to do so include Iceland, Finland and Norway, and it’s best to make plans to visit between October and March to see them at their most dazzling. You might choose to stay in Iceland’s The Retreat at Blue Lagoon and soak up some thermal healing during the daytime, Finland’s Golden Crown Glass Igloos where you may spot the light show from your bed, or Sweden’s Treehotel for a truly back-to-nature stay amongst the forest canopy. Find out more.
Swim With Manta Rays In The Maldives
Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives is special for a few reasons: clear, sparkling waters; palm-tree sprinkled islands; and an (always impressive in the Maldives) choice of nearby accommodation. But as picture-perfect as all of this is, it’s the underwater activity that really stands out. Each year, between May and November, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve welcomes hundreds of majestic manta rays, as its waters fill with nutrient-rich plankton for them to feed on. One of the most dense populations of mantas in the world, there’s no need to be a certified diver to spot or swim with the diamond-shaped ray, in fact snorkelling on the surface offers the best experience – for you and the rays. Once the adventures are over and you’re back on dry land, it’s time to indulge in the finer side of Maldives life. We recommend staying at Soneva Fushi for laid-back-luxe. Think champagne at sunset, beachside massages and decadent dining. Find out more.
Hike To Machu Picchu
The ancient site of Machu Picchu is cited on many a bucket list and, for many, hiking the Inca Trail to get there is one of the reasons why. You’ll be following in the footsteps of the Incas, who hiked this very same route thousands of years ago to reach the (now famous) citadel. It’s a moderate hike (with some sections more demanding than others) and generally takes around four days, with three overnight stays – taking in ancient archaeological sites as you traverse the landscapes. This alone is bucket-list worthy, but it’s Machu Picchu itself that makes it all worthwhile. There’s a spirituality to this much-lauded site; a place where the mysteries of the Inca Empire begin to come to life, yet still feel – somehow – just out of reach. Whether you opt to take the full, four-day hike, or to join it on its last leg, you’ll be thinking about this celebrated site for months (and probably years) to follow. Find out more.
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