The bucket list

Having logged so many travel adventures over the years, I’m often asked, where to next? I’m quick to reassure people that there’s plenty left to explore. In fact, I have a five-page bucket list I’ve maintained for more than a decade, which I’m keen to complete. However, it's fair to say that Garry and I have already ticked off most of the world's easy-to-reach and cheap-to-explore destinations. As a result, completing our bucket list is an increasingly expensive proposition.

So what's on the list?  For example, it includes a tour through the “Five Stans” in Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. I’m keen to see the flaming Darvaza Crater; Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s fabled turquoise city; and the marble city of Ashgabat. These days, several Middle Eastern airlines fly there, making this elusive region much easier to reach.

I’m also keen to see the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, explore the Okavango Delta and experience the Serengeti. I’d also like to see Zanzibar, visit the famous Masai-Maji tribes and encounter Gorillas in the mountains of Rwanda. I recently met a man from Ghana, who convinced me to add his home nation to my list. Equally, I’d love to visit Timbuktu. However, the rebels in Mali need to stop kidnapping tourists. 

Garry and I are both keen to visit the Galápagos Islands and see its marine iguanas. Then, while we’re in the region, explore a few Mayan ruins in Central America. Everyone says the birdlife in Costa Rica is unrivalled, so that’s also on the short list. 

A cruise down the Mekong, Vietnam and Angkor Wat top our list of must-see destinations in Asia. I’m still keen to visit North Korea and explore central China. You can only reach the hermit nation via flights from Beijing, so why not see the best of Zhangjiajie on the way? Garry and I have also talked about visiting the Philippines.

On a more conventional note, we’re both keen to explore more of France, including the Atlantic Coast and the Pyrenees, plus a few days in Andorra. Elsewhere in Europe, we’d like to visit Monte Carlo, see Albania and possibly explore the Italian Lake District. Luxembourg is also missing from our list of European countries we’ve visited.

Closer to home, Garry and I want to cross the Nullarbor, visit Southwest WA, the Kimberleys and swim with whale sharks at Ningaloo. Garry hasn’t seen Broken Hill, and we’re both like to tick Birdsville off our bucket list. I’m also keen to visit Cape York, which you can reach from Thursday Island, rather than driving 1000km overland from Cairns.

Finally, there are a few more exotic and remote locations on my shortlist. This includes the dramatic Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic (see the Google Street View screenshot above), St Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic and even further south, the Falkland Islands. Garry and I have also talked about visiting Palau, Tuvalu and Kiribati to round out our Pacific Island adventures.

So next time you ask, “Where to next?”, I’ll refer you to this blog post. Let the fun begin.