The Ultimate
Travel Bucket List.
From the Northern Lights to the Great Wall. The experiences that genuinely change how you see the world.
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Natural Wonders That'll Ruin Every Other View
The kind of places where your phone camera genuinely can't do it justice.
Northern Lights, Iceland
Standing under a sky that's actively moving is something you don't forget. Ever.
Tour from ~£65 / $80 / €75 per person Read Our Iceland Bucket List
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world's biggest living structure. Snorkel it before it's not the same.
Reef tour from ~£55 / $70 / €65 per person Explore Australia
Grand Canyon, USA
Photos don't work. Your brain needs to see the actual scale in person.
Park entry ~£12 / $15 / €14 per vehicle Explore the USA
Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe
They call it 'The Smoke That Thunders.' That's not an exaggeration.
Entry from ~£25 / $30 / €28 per person Explore Africa
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Emerald water, 1,600 limestone islands, and a junk boat with your name on it.
Day cruise from ~£25 / $30 / €28 per person Explore Asia
Plitvice Lakes, Croatia
Sixteen lakes connected by waterfalls. Looks AI-generated. It's not.
Entry ~£8 / $10 / €9 (winter) to ~£30 / $35 / €33 (summer) Read our Plitvice guideCities That Will Completely Rewire Your Brain
Not just 'visit.' These are the cities where something shifts. Planning a city break with your partner? Check out our Couples Travel guides.
Tokyo, Japan
The only city where a 7-Eleven sandwich is a genuine culinary experience.
Budget from ~£45 / $55 / €50 per day Explore Japan
New York City, USA
Overrated? Walk through Central Park at 6am in October and get back to me.
Budget from ~£80 / $100 / €90 per day Explore New York
Marrakech, Morocco
The sensory overload you didn't know you needed. Every alley is a discovery.
Budget from ~£25 / $30 / €28 per day Explore Morocco
Istanbul, Turkey
Two continents, one city, and kebabs that make you question every meal you've had before.
Budget from ~£30 / $37 / €35 per day Explore Turkey
Havana, Cuba
Classic cars, crumbling grandeur, and rum that costs less than water back home.
Budget from ~£35 / $45 / €40 per day Explore Cuba
Cape Town, South Africa
Table Mountain, penguins, world-class wine. All within 40 minutes of each other.
Budget from ~£30 / $37 / €35 per day Explore AfricaAdventures That'll Make You Feel Stupidly Alive
The ones where your heart rate goes up and you wonder why you don't do this more often.
Trek to Everest Base Camp, Nepal
You don't need to summit. Base camp is plenty. Trust me.
Guided trek from ~£800 / $1,000 / €925 (2 weeks all-in) Find a Trek
Scuba Dive the Great Blue Hole, Belize
A 400-foot-deep sinkhole in the middle of the ocean. Jacques Cousteau's favourite dive.
Day trip from ~£200 / $250 / €230 Book a Dive
Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru
Four days of hiking, one moment of walking through the Sun Gate and seeing it all below you.
Guided trek from ~£400 / $500 / €460 (4 days) Explore Peru
Safari in the Serengeti, Tanzania
Watching a million wildebeest migrate across the plains puts everything into perspective.
3-day safari from ~£800 / $1,000 / €925 Explore Africa
Bungee Jump at Victoria Falls Bridge
111 metres. The Zambezi River below. Your stomach somewhere above your head.
From ~£115 / $140 / €130 Book the Jump
Ice Cave Exploration, Iceland
Walking inside a glacier is one of those 'is this real life?' moments.
Tour from ~£120 / $150 / €140 Explore IcelandCultural Experiences That Stay With You
The moments where you stop being a tourist and start actually understanding a place.
Attend a Traditional Tea Ceremony, Kyoto
Forty-five minutes of deliberate silence and matcha. Surprisingly life-changing.
From ~£20 / $25 / €23 Explore Japan
Watch Sunrise at Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Set the alarm for 4:30am. You won't regret it. The temple glows.
3-day temple pass ~£45 / $55 / €50 Explore Cambodia
Explore the Medina in Fez, Morocco
The world's largest car-free urban area. You will get lost. That's the point.
Free to wander. Guided tour from ~£15 / $18 / €17 Explore Morocco
Visit the Colosseum, Rome
Two thousand years old and still the most impressive stadium on Earth.
Entry from ~£14 / $17 / €16 Read Our Colosseum Guide
Float in the Dead Sea, Jordan
You literally can't sink. It's weird. It's wonderful. Bring lip balm.
Free. Resort access from ~£10 / $12 / €11 Explore Asia
Witness Día de los Muertos, Mexico
Not morbid. Beautiful. One of the most colourful celebrations of life you'll ever see.
Free (festivals are public). Return flights from ~£350 / $430 / €400 Explore MexicoMeals Worth Flying Across the World For
Because sometimes the best reason to visit a country is what's on the plate.
Street Food Tour in Bangkok, Thailand
Pad thai for 50p on the side of a road that somehow beats every Thai restaurant back home.
Guided tour from ~£25 / $30 / €28. Solo budget ~£5 / $6 / €5 per day Explore Thailand
Wine Tasting in Tuscany, Italy
Rolling hills, a glass of Chianti, and no emails. This is what all the fuss is about.
Half-day tour from ~£55 / $70 / €65 Explore ItalySushi Breakfast in Tokyo, Japan
Toyosu at 7am, eaten standing up, better than anything you'll pay four times for at dinner.
Counter breakfast from ~£15 / $19 / €18 Explore JapanPintxos Crawl in San Sebastián, Spain
One bar, one bite, one small glass, then move on. Repeat until you can't.
Budget ~£25 / $32 / €29 for an evening Explore EuropePho for Breakfast in Hanoi, Vietnam
Plastic stool, pavement table, broth someone has been simmering since 4am.
About £2 / $2.50 / €2.30 a bowl Explore AsiaCoffee Ceremony in Ethiopia
Green beans roasted in front of you, three rounds, and nobody is in a hurry. Where coffee started.
Often free as a guest. Tours from ~£20 / $25 / €23 Explore AfricaThe Drives Worth Planning an Entire Trip Around
Some trips are about the destination. These ones are about everything in between.
Ring Road, Iceland
7 days, 1,322 km, and more dramatic scenery per kilometre than anywhere else on Earth.
Route 66, USA
The original American road trip. Still delivers, even knowing how legendary it is.
Amalfi Coast Drive, Italy
Terrifying hairpin bends. Breathtaking views. Worth every white-knuckle second.
Great Ocean Road, Australia
12 Apostles, koalas, and a coastal road that goes on just long enough.
Scottish Highlands Road Trip
Castles, lochs, single-track roads and absolutely nobody else around.
Garden Route, South Africa
Whales, ostrich farms, ancient forests. A week isn't enough.
Your bucket list, so far
Hit "add to my list" on anything above and it turns up here. It stays in this browser, so you can come back to it later. Nothing is sent anywhere and there's no signup.
0 of 36 picked
Nothing on the list yet. Scroll back up and start ticking, or be honest with yourself and add the Northern Lights like everyone else does first.
What's worth doing, month by month
Half of these experiences only work in a specific window. Pick a month and see what's actually at its best, rather than booking the aurora for June and wondering why nobody warned you.
January
How to actually afford it
Most bucket list trips fail at the saving stage, not the planning stage. Pick a target and a timeframe and see what it costs you per month. Usually less than people assume.
Around €194 or $209
That's about £38 a week
Standing order on payday, separate account, forget it exists. Work the trip cost out properly with the budget calculator first.
The ones you can't book last minute
Some of these sell out on a schedule that has nothing to do with flight prices. These are the ones where leaving it until two months out means not going at all.
← Swipe to scroll on mobile
| Experience | Why it goes early | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|
| Inca Trail, Peru | Permit numbers are capped per day and include guides and porters. The trail also closes every February for maintenance | Around 5 to 6 months, longer for peak season |
| Serengeti river crossings | A short window and a small number of camps in the right place at the right time | Up to a year for the good camps |
| Everest Base Camp trek | Two short seasons, and everyone books both of them. Flights to Lukla are the pinch point | 4 to 6 months |
| Northern Lights, peak weeks | The darkest weeks around Christmas and New Year fill first, and prices follow | 4 to 8 months |
| Angkor Wat sunrise | Not a booking problem, a timing one. Buy your pass the afternoon before and set the alarm | The day before, then 4:30am |
When the Trip Doesn't Go to Plan
Even the best bucket list trips can hit a bump. Here's what to do when they do.
Bucket List Questions Answered
Everything people ask before they start planning the big trips.
What should be on a travel bucket list?
How do I start ticking off my travel bucket list?
How much does a typical bucket list trip cost?
Which countries have the most bucket list experiences?
Can I do bucket list travel on a budget?
What is the difference between a bucket list and a travel wishlist?
How do I find unique bucket list experiences?
Do I need to travel far for bucket list experiences?
When should I book a bucket list trip?
Should I do the big trips first or save them for later?
How do I stop my bucket list turning into a list I never touch?
The bucket list won't tick itself.
Grab our free Travel Starter Kit and use the itinerary generator to plan your first (or next) bucket list trip properly.