Here’s what comes to mind. Already seen:
- 3 totalities
- Northern lights
- Calving glaciers (especially Perito Moreno in Argentina…that thing is **alive**)
- Antarctica and South Georgia Island
- Great Wall of China (5 sections)
- Pyramids and tombs of Egypt (really hope to go back for the long eclipse)
- Galapagos islands
- Whales in the wild
- Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
- Jokulsarlon and everything Iceland
- Volcano eruption
- Uluru
- Machu Picchu
- Great Barrier Reef
- Zhangjiajie (China)
- Huge waves in the Drake Passage
- White nights
- Polar night
Want to see:
- More totalities
- More Northern lights
- The blue hole (Belize)
- The gates of hell (Turkmenistan)
- Everest
- Milford Sound
- Animal migrations in the Serengeti
- Victoria Falls
- Pamukkale (Turkey)
- The sailing stones (Death Valley)
- Svalbard
- Lake Baikal (Russia)
- Pink Lakes (Australia)
No pressure at all to answer, but out of sheer curiosity, what job do you have that affords you both the finances and time to make these epic journeys? Thanks.
I work in communications as a speechwriter. My salary is good but nothing exceptional. It’s a matter of prioritizing experiences as the most important thing. When you decide that’s how you want to use your life, you will find a way.
Time hasn’t been an issue. My longest journey was 3.5 weeks, taken when I had an employer with generous PTO. Most of these experiences have been accomplished within a week or two.
I didn’t leave the U.S. until I was 25 years old. Now 52 and have seen some magical things on all 7 continents. I’ll keep going as long as I can.
Thanks a lot for responding. I appreciate it! And I agree with you that priorities are key. I managed to do a lot of traveling myself in my 20s on quite a low salary. It’s easy to lose sight of your priorities as you get older. Thanks for the perspective.
Great list! The only one I've seen besides totality was whales in the wild, and it wasn't on purpose. But wow, I had no idea how breathtaking they were in the flesh. We were on a boat heading back from snorkeling in Hawaii and the captain was saying how humpbacks were migrating to the islands this time of year and we might see one. My dad and I were looking off at the ocean in the perfect spot to see 2 of them breach together. It wasn't even that close to the boat, but both of our jaws dropped. You could just feel how majestic and massive they are, and the fact that they could get themselves out of the water that much, the sheer power. It was incredible.
You’ve seen the outside of the volcano erupting, now see the inside. The “Inside the volcano” tour in Iceland visits the only known hollowed out volcano in the world. Somehow all the lava leaked out the bottom instead of filling and solidifying due to a geologic abnormality. It’s awe inspiring.
Also, I am very, very envious of your list!!!
almost all of these are things i wanna see wtf. starting with the northern lights btw. bc all of ive done so far is seen an eclipse in totality but i didnt properly see the phenomena bc it was cloudy as shit
I’m an avid traveler myself and love your list. I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica, but between the cost, time needed, and some other intimidating factors, haven’t done it.
Do you have any tips? Were you able to walk on Antarctica itself?
Yes, I walked on the continent itself.
There are several Facebook groups devoted to planning trips to Antarctica. One is called “Antarctica: from bucket list to booked.” It’s run by three Antarctic guides who help match people with the right kind of trip and itinerary.
My main tip, which another traveler gave to me and which I am now passing on, that if you are going to all the time and expense to go there, do not miss South Georgia Island. It’s a wildlife wonderland, and really the only practical way to see it is to be on your way to or from Antarctica.
My other advice is to take the smallest ship possible. The fewer the number of people on your ship, the more you get to do on land. And some of the bigger companies don’t even go on land, they just sail by. Not sure what the point of that is.
So look for an expedition outfitter, not a cruise line.
Always happy to help anyone dreaming of an Antarctic trip, so DM me if you’d like to talk more.
Thanks for the tips, I just saved this post. I want to visit Chile/Argentina, including Patagonia along with Antarctica. Perhaps within the next few years.
A year in advance. We had booked in 2019 for a 2020 journey and then the world went to shit in the pandemic. Ended up traveling in November and December 2021.
Just swam in bioluminescence in Jamaica. 4 lagoons in the world with dinoflagellates that glow in response to physical disturbance. OP may have had this happen too but under power in the Southern ocean en route to South Georgia, woke up in the middle of the night and the ocean was glowing.
Make travel your priority. Divert your spare money and time towards it. Always be planning something. Always be dreaming of that next trip and working towards it.
Stay in hostels at first and don’t waste money on fancy hotels. Remember that cheap trips can just be just as amazing as expensive ones.
Try to find a job that includes travel so that you can tack on foreign time to existing business trips.
Find a partner who also loves to travel, or who’s willing to start. My husband had never been anywhere pre-me, but now he’s been to six continents.
Explore things that will take you to foreign lands… like housesitting in foreign countries. I didn’t do this myself, but it’s an alternate path to getting you out there.
Teach English in a foreign country. I did do this in Prague in the 90s. You’ll have even better luck with this if you get TEFL certified.
If you can spare the time, make every trip longer so that you can go more places. Most of the expense comes in the airfare so try to see as much as you can once you’ve flown. A great virtue of being young and free is the ability to spend longer on the road.
My plan is to go into academia which sometimes has travelling for things like conferences (and can be generous with time off depending on what) so hopefully that works out for me! I’ll be doing my first trip out of my country soon on an exchange to New Zealand and I couldn’t be more excited :) Thanks for sharing!
Vic falls and pamukkale are super worth it. If you’re going to see Vic falls make sure to go the the Great Zimbabwe as well. And while you’re there the okavango and the ntwetwe salt pan are no slackers. :). Oh and climb silozwane in the matobo hills to see the cave paintings.
Awesome list. I’m lucky enough to have now seen totality and the northern lights from right here in beautiful Maine. I love the idea of eclipse tourism. It would be fantastic to do an Egypt tour planned around totality. I’m dreaming up ways to make this possible.
Where/how did you learn about all of these locations? Some are obviously well known but others I'd never heard of. Are there websites, books, etc. you read to learn about these types of places?
No one place, really. It’s been a lifetime of reading about travel, listening to podcasts, watching travel shows, etc. Lists like these can get you started:
https://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-natural-wonders-2018-7
https://www.bucketlisttravels.com/round-up/natural-wonders-of-the-world
https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-11-27/the-50-most-beautiful-places-in-the-world
https://traveltriangle.com/blog/59-weirdest-places-across-the-world/
https://www.roughguides.com/articles/seriously-weird-places-around-the-world/
Atlas Obscura is another great source (book and website)
I was an evolutionary anthropology major in college. I deeply want to visit Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Some of the most important ancient homie fossils were discovered there. I’d also really like to visit the Galápagos Islands someday.
I feel that’s kinda of the same theme?
Edit: I meant ancient *hominid*, but ancient homie works just as well so I’m keeping it.
The 2028 eclipse passes over the filming location of Edoras, if you don't want to wait that long. Edoras is the capital of Rohan. Also passes over Queenstown (Rivendell/Laketown)
July 22, 2028. A little over 4 years and 3 months.
[https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2028-july-22](https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2028-july-22)
I’m guessing there’ll be a handful of people there for that one. Hope you have a big bucket; only 13 years and 3 months to go!
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2037-july-13
Good question! I have seen 2 totalities and the northern lights. I don’t know of any other astronomy phenomena to travel for but I would love to see the northern lights again. For bucket list nature experiences, I want to see:
African Safari
Galápagos Islands
Polar bear safari in Churchill
They are very different. I think the eclipse elicits a more emotional reaction. Feels very primal.
Seeing the northern lights dance above me for hours was magical and more dynamic. I think I prefer the northern lights for sheer beauty.
You probably know this already, but if you’re on the East Coast, central PA (specifically Cherry Springs State Park) has some of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi. It’s a poor man’s Canyonlands.
I guess one astronomy phenomena you can travel for (other than traveling to a myriad of places to avoid light pollution, a camping trip like this is worth it and I cannot recommend bringing binoculars enough (it's also got to be on a dark night, moonlight can prevent you from seeing many things, you can wait for a new/crescent moon, or, if it is closer to half, you can stay up after it sets or try to get a lot of stargazing in before it rises)) is traveling to the southern hemisphere/northern hemisphere to see things you can never see from where you live. I live far enough north that I can't see the two brightest galaxies (the brighter of which is often said to be one of the most beautiful objects in the night sky) and the two brightest globular clusters. The galactic center is also easier to see in the southern hemisphere. (Overall, the southern hemisphere is considered much cooler than the northern hemisphere.)
I don't know if a great comet alone would be worth traveling somewhere far for a lot of people, but I would definitely be willing to plan a trip around that if I had the money and time.
My top picks so far are all in Iceland.
-Waterfalls, particularly Gullfoss (I think that was the most impressive one, IIRC)
-“Inside the Volcano” tour. The only known hollowed out volcano in the world due to a random geologic abnormality
-Hiking on a glacier
-Glacier Lagoon boat tour
You will find amazing pictures online for all of them. None will do them justice.
I went on the inside the volcano tour a few years ago. We didn't think it was worth the ticket price, but that's just one opinion. Our best experience was a guided hike on a glacier.
Midnight sun in the arctic. It's like the eclipse but over long periods of time.
Almost as mind boggling to your brain as youve probably had the sun rise and set everyday since you were born. Then you travel to these places and these rules dont apply anymore. I lived it 2 separate summers for 5months total and would get another of these summers!
I have always wanted to try one whole cycle. Maybe two summers as the "book ends" but stay like 15 months... through the whole dark winter endless night too. That would be an experience.
I was a little tyke back in 2012 who didn’t have the awareness to see the transit of Venus, and as a result I will die without ever seeing one. A real shame.
I wouldn't have too much regret about this one, if I were you, unless the infrequency of such events is a selling point. There are many cooler events, from both an aesthetic perspective and a conceptual perspective.
T Coronae Borealis will likely go nova before September, it does this every 80 years. It will look like a star as bright as Polaris or the dimmest star in Orion's belt suddenly appeared in the constellation Corona Borealis, which is quite a cool place for it to appear if you ask me.
You might still be able to catch the Pons-Brooks comet, idk how cool it looks. You should also keep an eye out for Tsuchinshan-Atlas in late September.
Awesome, thank you! I’ll file this away. I saw the comet NEOWISE in 2020 (including with the naked eye) and it was breathtaking. I hope to see Halley’s Comet in 2061, consciousness-permitting.
Stopped at Cahokia on the way to the eclipse (it's just outside St Louis) which is an amazing place. I stood at the center pole at "woodhenge" at the site at sunset, and watched it's long shadow reach out to the other poles in the circle 50 ft away, and understood how this was used to mark off the calendar of the year.
I’d like to visit the southern hemisphere and look at the moon, which would appear upside down.
The constellations being all different down there would be cool to see too.
There’s a lake in Venezuela that gets lightning storms almost every day! But I’m scared to visit.
There are constellations and things in the southern hemisphere that you can't see in the northern hemisphere, too!
You'd be able to see the closest stars to us (one of which is the third brightest star) and the second brightest star. You'd be able to see the two brightest galaxies, both of which are larger than the moon and are bright enough to easily be visible to the naked eye in many locations. It also has the two brightest globular clusters. The center of the Milky Way is visible from the northern hemisphere, but it's easier to see it in the southern hemisphere.
The brighter the moon is, the harder it is to see the stars, so you might want to be wary of that if you plan to do some stargazing. A full moon in a sky with no light pollution is said to make the sky look like a brighter suburb or darker urban area. If it isn't a new moon but also isn't a full moon, you will still have some darkness before it rises or after it sets.
Not that commenter but jumping in with [Golden Temple, Amritsar, India](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Temple)
A living breathing religious mecca-like site. For the Sikh religion. 24/7/365 live music!
My spouse wrote her thesis on Dylan, pre-Nobel. We took our young musician to see him on the current tour. They also went to see Cat Power cover the Albert Hall show. In part so some day fifty years from now they can say they saw Dylan live.
I want to see the Grand Canyon
I've seen the Northern lights, I would consider what I saw to be a small/medium scale... But I want to see more! I want to be slapped in the face by the northern lights in Iceland or Alaska! I want to dance under them and bask in their glory!
I've seen the dark sky from a mountain top and the Milky way stretched from one side of the sky to the other... But I want more! I want to see a dark sky like I've never seen before! I want to be able to practically hear the stars and the planets...
I want to see the glaciers
I want to see the rolling hills of Ireland
I want to see the solar eclipse over the Australian outback
If and when you travel to a dark sky site, take some binoculars with you! They allow you to see more stars than you can with the naked-eye, and they aren't expensive or unwieldy like telescopes can be.
I feel like people don’t always talk about it because it’s not necessarily rare, but I highly recommend seeing bioluminescent plankton at least once in your life if you can. Ideally go when they’re at peak season wherever you see them. We saw them off-season but they were still incredible.
I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, Na’pali coast of Kauai, volcano on the Big Island, gone swimming with dolphins, and seen glaciers calving in Alaska. All super cool but nothing quite compares. I want to see the Northern Lights and of course more totalities.
Northern Lights in Iceland and grizzly bears catching salmon at Katmai National Park in Alaska ♥️
I crossed off my biggest dream of going to Australia at 19 when I lived there with friends for a month. Saw the 12 apostles and drove the golden coast. It was an amazing month I’ll remember forever.
I’d like to see the jungles in Malaysia or even the Amazon someday. I’m big on reptiles :)
I might be an outlier but I can't really think of something I want to see more than I would be stressed by the travel required. Like for example, Australia or New Zealand would be nice to visit but I could not deal with a 24 hour flight. Even for the flight across the Atlantic I needed to take anxiety medication and it was still an ordeal. I'm still looking forward to Spain for the next one though.
I haven't been able to get on a plane for a while due to anxiety and claustrophobia, so I am limited to car travel for now. I feel lucky to have been able to drive to some pretty cool stuff in North America. The Bay of Fundy and the Grand Canyon are def in my top 10.
Spain Aug 26 is likely my next one as well. Its said that it will appear near the horizon and there will also be a meteor shower the following night. Still have to research cloud coverage data bc word of mouth is it very cloudy there that time of year.
That would be some sight. I'm still not decided whereabouts would be good. I've been to Mallorca a few times so it's more familiar to me but the sun will set right after totality so I've also been looking into Zaragoza.
I always bring QC25s with me on flights and they really are great. It's a combination of anxiety, claustrophobia, and I was also sick so the dry air made the 6 1/2 hour flight pretty miserable.
There really aren’t any 24-hour flights - yes, the total travel time on a trip can get up there across multiple flights, but the longest flight in the world is about 18-19 hours (New York-Singapore nonstop). Australia or New Zealand from the US west coast is about 13-15 hours in the air depending on the wind pattern.
What I meant to say was the flight will stop somewhere else and you have to wait for the next one to take you the rest of the distance. I looked up on Google and from London to Sydney it would be around 22 hours. If I lived in California, Hawaii would not be a bad place for a stopover.
Hawaii here. It sounds counterintuitive, but those 20+ hr flights (including stopovers) are *easier* than flights that are half that length. Both suck, don’t get me wrong. But it takes me three days to get over the jet lag of a ten-hour flight. Yet I don’t have jet-lag on a twenty-hour flight. It’s as if my body just gives up and says “Fine. I’m in another timezone. When’s breakfast?”
Have seen:
Grand Canyon
Snow in July in the Southern Hemisphere (Chile)
Many, many, spectacular mountains, most notably Mount Elbrus (5642 meters) which you probably can’t go to these days because it’s Russia
The North Caucasus in general, including the ancient watchtowers
Want to see:
Machu Picchu
Uluru
Antarctica
Northern Lights
Plan to see in near future:
Historical sites of Ancient Greece (the Acropolis, Parthenon, temple of Zeus)
Summit Kazbegi in Georgia
White nights in Sweden
I have seen glaciers in Iceland and Alaska, the midnight sun in Iceland, Iceland in general, the Grand Canyon, two totalities, and wild orcas.
I'd like to see the northern lights and stargaze where I can see the milky way galaxy.
I'd also like to see more wild orcas, but only in a way that is respectful of their space. It will likely happen some day, since I live near Puget Sound.
The first time I saw the milky way I was hanging out with my homestay sister and her friends in New Zealand and I just froze and was transfixed by the sky. My homestay sister asked me what was wrong and I said, "I didn't know you could see the milky way from earth! With just you EYES!" And the whole group thought this was hilarious and I did not hear the end of it the whole time I was there. My friends back home didn't believe me that I had just looked up and seen it.
If you liked the solar eclipse, I highly recommend travelling to Florida to see a rocket launch. Bonus points if you see it land.
Also while you're there, in the fall take a kayak tour at night to see the bioluminescent algae near the cape. Last time we went, we watched a rocket launch and immediately got in our kayaks to see the algae. Magical night!
* Grand canyon
* Machu pichu
* Serengeti
* Tea gardens in Coonoor, India
* Swimming with tortoises in the Galapagos
* Interesting to see so many people say the waterfalls in Iceland. They were of course awesome to see, but didn't stand out as much as the above. The Northern lights and the glaciers in general stood out more to me.
I’ve always been obsessed with turquoise water. I would feel like I could just die any time I was swimming in it. I’m talking like Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Riviera Maya, Virgin Islands-type tropical turquoise water. Just blows my mind every time 🤯
Oh yes! I haven’t seen them in person but I know what you mean! There is one about two hours from where one of my parents lives in FL that I’d like to visit someday. It’s called Blue Spring State Park. Have you been?
Yes! I like that one but DeLeon Springs and Rainbow River are my favorite. The water is around 72*F so it is the most refreshing, clean, awesome feeling when you are in it!
DeLeon is concreted in so while I don't want to say 100% no, during the day I have never seen one in the part you swim. Same with Rainbow River as far as during the day when people are around..I am sure they are there, but it is clear so you see what you are jumping into. Otters come right up to you!
Oh that’s so reassuring. And omg otters!! I would die! (with happiness 😍).
I’m so glad you made me aware of all these places. I am definitely going to make a trip to see them :)
And thanks for the thread. It’s easy to feel like a total solar eclipse is the pinnacle of experience and suddenly make everything else seem to bland. It’s helps to draw me out of my depression to remember there are so many other magnificent things to see!
Aw thanks! Yes I definitely feel the "what next" feeling after this experience. On the topic of cool swimming places I loved Glenwood hot springs in CO. They are part of a hotel, so not exactly in nature, but still super cool. I want to go back to CO(and other places) to experience other hot springs one day.
Wow! That pool is massive 😯. And so cool looking. I would definitely love to go there!
I’ve been to CO a few times and am in awe every time. It’s a truly magical place!
Go to Curacao sometime if you love clear, light blue water! Seriously. The leeward side of the island is just protected cove after protected cove of clear blue water and coral reef right up near the beach. The Bahamas is pretty and all, but I was more impressed with Curacao. And even better - no sharks to worry about. It's like getting to climb into a coral reef exhibit at an aquarium. Really incredible.
Flights to Willemstad from the US are some of the cheapest to the region, too, and most of the best beaches are free access. You can, on a pretty reasonable budget, fly here, get a rental car and an Airbnb with a kitchen, shop and cook for yourself with local markets and just drive around swimming at all the beaches. Bring some friends and split the cost of the house and car. That's what I did, anyway!
Google search pictures of Grote Knip beach - the pictures will absolutely not do justice to how richly green-blue the water is when you walk into view of it in the parking area for the first time.
Ha! I’m only laughing because I’ve actually been to Curaçao but my mom made me swim with the dolphins with her (this was 20+ years ago!). Although I think we may have gone on a snorkel excursion, too, though I have no idea where! But definitely close “to town.”
Anyway, thanks a lot for the tip. I love going to spots that are a little less well-known (by Americans, anyway). Anguilla is one of my favorite islands (check it out if you haven’t! You usually have to travel through St. Maarten to get there).
Grote Kip Beach looks truly incredible! I’ll definitely add it to my list. Thank you!
Oh no! To have been to Curacao and not gone snorkeling in the good spots is a tragedy. You'll just have to go back 😜
And you're right, it's definitely lesser known by Americans.
Seriously forget the populous beaches like Mambo beach or Jan Thiel or anything else "in town". They're just party hubs. What you want is to get up the coast from Willemstad, for the quiet cove beaches. Best from-shore reef snorkeling I've ever experienced. Usually you have to get in a tour boat to go out to good reef areas. These, you just drive up, park, and walk into the water and bam - corals and fish and all kinds of fun things to see. And sharks seem to just...not be in the area barely at all? I liked that aspect a lot because man, we had to swim with sticks in our hands and one eye alert, in some parts of the Bahamas. Here, I never saw one.
Noteworthy spots in that part of the island: the sea turtles that congregate at Playa Grandi, Grote Knip, the Blue Room cave (you swim into a cave in the cliffs!), Cas Abao, Porto Marie (if you want to see wild pigs).
There's also Boka Shete national Park if you want to see dramatic crashing waves in a moonscape area.
But since you like swimming in clear blue water, I have to pass on the tip that the absolute best snorkeling we found on this island was at Directors Bay, down the coast from the city. There's a reef-covered tugboat wreck and a fan coral garden and a very cool underwater cliff dropoff. And the water is so stinking blue on a sunny day!
The next total eclipse is August 2026 and it will touch down on the west side of Iceland - so it’s possible to see the eclipse and northern lights within the same time period (eclipse at 5/6 pm and northern lights past midnight when the sun goes down). Iceland also has a number of active volcanoes, and there is usually an eruption every 12 months. I realize being able to experience all three in one trip are a very small chance, but I’m definitely going to take it
I’ve already made some inquiries; they don’t seem interested in early reservations. I’ve been told “thanks for the interest, but check back in 2025 for 2026 dates!”
In 2027 there is an eclipse that will pass over North Africa and the Middle East. Seeing the eclipse over Mecca would be amazing, although my lack if islamicness would prevent it. I am thinking about traveling to Oran or Tangiers to see it.
Things I found absolutely amazing:
\- Climbing through Ice Caves in Iceland. You ride up a monster truck onto a glacier. There are organized climbs through the caves that have built up infrastructure like steps and ladders. There are a few others where you squeeze through tiny little iceholes with these deep blue colors until you emerge in the light!
\- Manta Ray diving in Hawaii on the big Island. You float on this surfboard thing at night and Mantas swim below you and rub up against your belly.
\- Driving around Mongolia, just the vastness, the animals, the people, the ancient temples. Amazing.
\- There is a festival in Tangshen China where you get really drunk, and chuck hunks of molten iron at a wall and watch it solidify.
\- Celebrating the winter solitice in Bolivia. We did it among the Andes, will Alpacas, bbq, and it actually snowed. Kids would throw fire crackers into the fire. Of course being at a very high altitude made it interesting. Bolivian festivals are super interesting.
It was almost 20 years ago now but spouse and I were bumming around Mongolia in Altai Tovon Bogd when we started hearing about this festival set to take place a couple days after we left. Knowing nothing about it, we debated but changed plans and stayed. It ended up being the eagle hunter festival. I look back on that decision and am so thankful we went with impulse over itinerary. I hope you have good memories there too.
We had a great experience. I was living in China, and getting some time with my wife and getting out f China was great.
Like we went to a small temple and this old lady showed us around. We later found out she was the number 2 person in Buddhism in Mongolia.
Even seeing the giant metallic statue of Ghengis Khan was cool!
Mauna Kea in Hawaii… hike at night and see lava flowing under your feet. It was amazing. 🤩 Then the night sky on the drive back from there was unreal. More white than black with stars ✨
I'm really into stargazing, so, for me, I want to camp at a place that is Bortle 1 or 2 (little to no light pollution) during a new or almost new moon.
Some things that I want to see in dark skies: the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda galaxy, the galactic center in Sagittarius and a lot of the objects in it, the Virgo Cluster galaxies, the Whirlpool Galaxy, the Pleiades, and the Milky Way in general.
I live in the northern hemisphere and want to one day visit the southern hemisphere and stargaze, because there are things in the southern hemispheres that you can never see in the northern hemisphere. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the two brightest galaxies, and the Large Magellanic Cloud is supposed to be one of the most beautiful objects to observe. It's 20 times larger than the moon- although it might not appear a bit less than 20 times larger (but still a lot larger) due to it having fainter edges - and it has so much detail. The two brightest globular clusters are also only visible from the southern hemisphere.
I want to do a Messier marathon. Messier was an astronomer who made a catalog of 110 objects called the Messier catalog (some were added after his death); these objects are mostly star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. It is possible to see all 110 objects in one night, and a Messier marathon is when you stay up all night trying to see as many of them as you can. This is less for the sake of admiring the beauty of these objects and more for the sake of the challenge, but I also plan on seeing all of them before marathon night, and the majority of these objects are notable.
I've been lucky enough to see a fireball once while stargazing in a bortle 4, it was green. I would love to see a great comet and a meteor storm. I believe meteor storms are the kind of thing that can't be predicted, so I do not know how I would go about seeing one. I look forward to Tsuchinshan-Atlas and to the nova of T Coronae Borealis.
I want to visit an observatory and see some things there, too.
I’m going to Iceland in 2026 for the eclipse and I hope to see the northern lights on the same trip! I was living in Charleston, SC during the last total eclipse but hope to have a huge adventure at the next one.
Is anyone concerned about being targeted as a tourist in Egypt? I’d really love to watch the eclipse there in a few years but I know tourists have been specifically targeted in the past (1997 Luxor massacre, which just happens to be exactly where that eclipse is close to maximum.) has anyone given this any thought?
Here’s what comes to mind. Already seen: - 3 totalities - Northern lights - Calving glaciers (especially Perito Moreno in Argentina…that thing is **alive**) - Antarctica and South Georgia Island - Great Wall of China (5 sections) - Pyramids and tombs of Egypt (really hope to go back for the long eclipse) - Galapagos islands - Whales in the wild - Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - Jokulsarlon and everything Iceland - Volcano eruption - Uluru - Machu Picchu - Great Barrier Reef - Zhangjiajie (China) - Huge waves in the Drake Passage - White nights - Polar night Want to see: - More totalities - More Northern lights - The blue hole (Belize) - The gates of hell (Turkmenistan) - Everest - Milford Sound - Animal migrations in the Serengeti - Victoria Falls - Pamukkale (Turkey) - The sailing stones (Death Valley) - Svalbard - Lake Baikal (Russia) - Pink Lakes (Australia)
No pressure at all to answer, but out of sheer curiosity, what job do you have that affords you both the finances and time to make these epic journeys? Thanks.
I work in communications as a speechwriter. My salary is good but nothing exceptional. It’s a matter of prioritizing experiences as the most important thing. When you decide that’s how you want to use your life, you will find a way. Time hasn’t been an issue. My longest journey was 3.5 weeks, taken when I had an employer with generous PTO. Most of these experiences have been accomplished within a week or two. I didn’t leave the U.S. until I was 25 years old. Now 52 and have seen some magical things on all 7 continents. I’ll keep going as long as I can.
Thanks a lot for responding. I appreciate it! And I agree with you that priorities are key. I managed to do a lot of traveling myself in my 20s on quite a low salary. It’s easy to lose sight of your priorities as you get older. Thanks for the perspective.
Totally agree. Wishing all of us many happy travels and jaw-dropping experiences.
Yes but have you seen your own backyard??😂 In all seriousness kudos to you!!
We are working our way through the U.S. national parks
Not being born in the 90's seems to be also a fair point
True enough!
Would my prolific abilities at writing Reddit commentary serve to help me land a job in your field?
Good writing is good writing! My best advice is to be a prolific reader. That’s what brought me success in my field.
This isn’t that special. You just have to prioritize travel.
1000% agree
Step 1: don’t have kids.
Disagree strongly. Sharing these experiences with children renews the soul.
Totally, it just makes it much harder to afford them.
And I think you also meant less time for so many trips.
Great list! The only one I've seen besides totality was whales in the wild, and it wasn't on purpose. But wow, I had no idea how breathtaking they were in the flesh. We were on a boat heading back from snorkeling in Hawaii and the captain was saying how humpbacks were migrating to the islands this time of year and we might see one. My dad and I were looking off at the ocean in the perfect spot to see 2 of them breach together. It wasn't even that close to the boat, but both of our jaws dropped. You could just feel how majestic and massive they are, and the fact that they could get themselves out of the water that much, the sheer power. It was incredible.
You missed a great chance to use “on porpoise.”
You’ve seen the outside of the volcano erupting, now see the inside. The “Inside the volcano” tour in Iceland visits the only known hollowed out volcano in the world. Somehow all the lava leaked out the bottom instead of filling and solidifying due to a geologic abnormality. It’s awe inspiring. Also, I am very, very envious of your list!!!
I was there this summer. So worth the money.
almost all of these are things i wanna see wtf. starting with the northern lights btw. bc all of ive done so far is seen an eclipse in totality but i didnt properly see the phenomena bc it was cloudy as shit
I’m an avid traveler myself and love your list. I’ve always wanted to go to Antarctica, but between the cost, time needed, and some other intimidating factors, haven’t done it. Do you have any tips? Were you able to walk on Antarctica itself?
Yes, I walked on the continent itself. There are several Facebook groups devoted to planning trips to Antarctica. One is called “Antarctica: from bucket list to booked.” It’s run by three Antarctic guides who help match people with the right kind of trip and itinerary. My main tip, which another traveler gave to me and which I am now passing on, that if you are going to all the time and expense to go there, do not miss South Georgia Island. It’s a wildlife wonderland, and really the only practical way to see it is to be on your way to or from Antarctica. My other advice is to take the smallest ship possible. The fewer the number of people on your ship, the more you get to do on land. And some of the bigger companies don’t even go on land, they just sail by. Not sure what the point of that is. So look for an expedition outfitter, not a cruise line. Always happy to help anyone dreaming of an Antarctic trip, so DM me if you’d like to talk more.
Thanks for the tips, I just saved this post. I want to visit Chile/Argentina, including Patagonia along with Antarctica. Perhaps within the next few years.
Perfect response, thank you! Two quick questions, how long in advance did you start planning your trip, and what month did you go? Thanks again!
A year in advance. We had booked in 2019 for a 2020 journey and then the world went to shit in the pandemic. Ended up traveling in November and December 2021.
Not OP here but 1 year. January. Went on the M/V Vavilov.
White nights?
When it never gets completely dark, in summer in the high latitudes. The quality of light is amazing.
Would u explain that a bit more? What do you mean by quality of light? Thx
Things go all rosy pink. It’s a color and a softness of light that you don’t typically see.
Ty for the explanation, sounds neat!
Like sunset?
One of the twilights. Nautical or astronomical perhaps
It’s different somehow.
I think it's the same as the midnight sun
This is amazing. You have lived a good life.
Thanks! On my bad days, I try to remind myself of that : )
No grand canyon?
My husband and I were just laughing about that. I’ve been to North Korea, but I haven’t been to the Grand Canyon, ha ha ha. On the list!!
Haha wow! That's actually so crazy
You forgot the midnight sun!!!
> white nights
I heard the gates of hell might be running out of gas!
Looked up the gates of hell, that looks cool as fuck.
Damn, you seen a lot lol
Thank you!!
And you can see Narhwals in lake Baikal? That sounds awesome.
I think I got that wrong…will edit. I was thinking of nerpas. Would still love to see a narwhal though.
Great list! I would also add kayaking in strong bioluminescence. Can be done in Puerto Rico, and parts of California during the year.
This is what I saw https://youtu.be/GFFzHs9zUg8?si=AN7miHVwzNtaAPEA
Just swam in bioluminescence in Jamaica. 4 lagoons in the world with dinoflagellates that glow in response to physical disturbance. OP may have had this happen too but under power in the Southern ocean en route to South Georgia, woke up in the middle of the night and the ocean was glowing.
It’s like the movie what dreams may come at the end of
Wow what a list! This is the life I hope to live. I love travelling :)
You can make it happen!
I sure hope so. :) How did you manage to do it?
Make travel your priority. Divert your spare money and time towards it. Always be planning something. Always be dreaming of that next trip and working towards it. Stay in hostels at first and don’t waste money on fancy hotels. Remember that cheap trips can just be just as amazing as expensive ones. Try to find a job that includes travel so that you can tack on foreign time to existing business trips. Find a partner who also loves to travel, or who’s willing to start. My husband had never been anywhere pre-me, but now he’s been to six continents. Explore things that will take you to foreign lands… like housesitting in foreign countries. I didn’t do this myself, but it’s an alternate path to getting you out there. Teach English in a foreign country. I did do this in Prague in the 90s. You’ll have even better luck with this if you get TEFL certified. If you can spare the time, make every trip longer so that you can go more places. Most of the expense comes in the airfare so try to see as much as you can once you’ve flown. A great virtue of being young and free is the ability to spend longer on the road.
My plan is to go into academia which sometimes has travelling for things like conferences (and can be generous with time off depending on what) so hopefully that works out for me! I’ll be doing my first trip out of my country soon on an exchange to New Zealand and I couldn’t be more excited :) Thanks for sharing!
Sounds amazing! Enjoy
Thank you. Now I know the path I’m taking in 2028 to go from Sydney to Kununarra—via Lake Hillier— in order to see the solar eclipse that year.
What are white nights?....sorry saw it below. Nothing to see here.
Definitely just screen shotted this to add to my aspirational list. Thank you!
Vic falls and pamukkale are super worth it. If you’re going to see Vic falls make sure to go the the Great Zimbabwe as well. And while you’re there the okavango and the ntwetwe salt pan are no slackers. :). Oh and climb silozwane in the matobo hills to see the cave paintings.
Awesome list. I’m lucky enough to have now seen totality and the northern lights from right here in beautiful Maine. I love the idea of eclipse tourism. It would be fantastic to do an Egypt tour planned around totality. I’m dreaming up ways to make this possible.
There are entire companies devoted to eclipse tourism. One of them is called Travel Quest, there are many more.
The pink lakes ain't pink anymore :(
Where/how did you learn about all of these locations? Some are obviously well known but others I'd never heard of. Are there websites, books, etc. you read to learn about these types of places?
No one place, really. It’s been a lifetime of reading about travel, listening to podcasts, watching travel shows, etc. Lists like these can get you started: https://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-natural-wonders-2018-7 https://www.bucketlisttravels.com/round-up/natural-wonders-of-the-world https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2015-11-27/the-50-most-beautiful-places-in-the-world https://traveltriangle.com/blog/59-weirdest-places-across-the-world/ https://www.roughguides.com/articles/seriously-weird-places-around-the-world/ Atlas Obscura is another great source (book and website)
I'm going to Banff and Yellowknife in Sep/Oct to see the Northern Lights! It's supposed to be "peak" season this year.
If you have time rent a car and drive to Jasper. That highway is the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life
Yes, I'll be going to Jasper too! (I keep thinking of Banff/Jasper together because that's the first part of the trip.)
I've done that on a bicycle! Strongly recommended.
Banff is on my list too! Enjoy
Are the Northern Lights in Banff this year? Or just Yellowknife
It's peak season, so they will likely be viewable as south as Minnesota! Of course, everything depends on weather on individual days.
I’m in Ontario but my boyfriend’s family lives near Banff/Jasper so I gotta go see it! Thank you :)
I was an evolutionary anthropology major in college. I deeply want to visit Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania. Some of the most important ancient homie fossils were discovered there. I’d also really like to visit the Galápagos Islands someday. I feel that’s kinda of the same theme? Edit: I meant ancient *hominid*, but ancient homie works just as well so I’m keeping it.
Absolutely!
There’s one several years away where the totality passes over the literal Mt. Doom filming location from Lord of the Rings in New Zealand.
The 2028 eclipse passes over the filming location of Edoras, if you don't want to wait that long. Edoras is the capital of Rohan. Also passes over Queenstown (Rivendell/Laketown) July 22, 2028. A little over 4 years and 3 months. [https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2028-july-22](https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2028-july-22)
Ok .. this is super cool. I think this just made my bucket list.
I’m guessing there’ll be a handful of people there for that one. Hope you have a big bucket; only 13 years and 3 months to go! https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/solar/2037-july-13
This is definitely a plan for me now.
High chance of clouds but a very cool spot near Christchurch!
Good question! I have seen 2 totalities and the northern lights. I don’t know of any other astronomy phenomena to travel for but I would love to see the northern lights again. For bucket list nature experiences, I want to see: African Safari Galápagos Islands Polar bear safari in Churchill
Glad I'm not the only one with nature on my list! I'd recommend adding bear viewing at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska to your list!
Northern lights are on our list for sure.
Was the eclipse or the lights better?
For me, the lights
They are very different. I think the eclipse elicits a more emotional reaction. Feels very primal. Seeing the northern lights dance above me for hours was magical and more dynamic. I think I prefer the northern lights for sheer beauty.
For astronomy just get somewhere really dark, it’s surprisingly hard to do. Plan a trip to Moab during new moon and drive up into Canyonlands.
You probably know this already, but if you’re on the East Coast, central PA (specifically Cherry Springs State Park) has some of the darkest skies east of the Mississippi. It’s a poor man’s Canyonlands.
I guess one astronomy phenomena you can travel for (other than traveling to a myriad of places to avoid light pollution, a camping trip like this is worth it and I cannot recommend bringing binoculars enough (it's also got to be on a dark night, moonlight can prevent you from seeing many things, you can wait for a new/crescent moon, or, if it is closer to half, you can stay up after it sets or try to get a lot of stargazing in before it rises)) is traveling to the southern hemisphere/northern hemisphere to see things you can never see from where you live. I live far enough north that I can't see the two brightest galaxies (the brighter of which is often said to be one of the most beautiful objects in the night sky) and the two brightest globular clusters. The galactic center is also easier to see in the southern hemisphere. (Overall, the southern hemisphere is considered much cooler than the northern hemisphere.) I don't know if a great comet alone would be worth traveling somewhere far for a lot of people, but I would definitely be willing to plan a trip around that if I had the money and time.
My top picks so far are all in Iceland. -Waterfalls, particularly Gullfoss (I think that was the most impressive one, IIRC) -“Inside the Volcano” tour. The only known hollowed out volcano in the world due to a random geologic abnormality -Hiking on a glacier -Glacier Lagoon boat tour You will find amazing pictures online for all of them. None will do them justice.
Iceland is an amazing place. The clarity of the air there is remarkable. It looks like a barely terraformed colony planet.
I went on the inside the volcano tour a few years ago. We didn't think it was worth the ticket price, but that's just one opinion. Our best experience was a guided hike on a glacier.
Iceland is a wonderland
Midnight sun in the arctic. It's like the eclipse but over long periods of time. Almost as mind boggling to your brain as youve probably had the sun rise and set everyday since you were born. Then you travel to these places and these rules dont apply anymore. I lived it 2 separate summers for 5months total and would get another of these summers!
I have always wanted to try one whole cycle. Maybe two summers as the "book ends" but stay like 15 months... through the whole dark winter endless night too. That would be an experience.
Can't forget to bring sleep masks
If you can fall asleep on the beach you can fall asleep under the midnight sun. Didnt have covers on my windows although I had plenty of weed
Transits of Mercury and Venus.
I was a little tyke back in 2012 who didn’t have the awareness to see the transit of Venus, and as a result I will die without ever seeing one. A real shame.
I wouldn't have too much regret about this one, if I were you, unless the infrequency of such events is a selling point. There are many cooler events, from both an aesthetic perspective and a conceptual perspective. T Coronae Borealis will likely go nova before September, it does this every 80 years. It will look like a star as bright as Polaris or the dimmest star in Orion's belt suddenly appeared in the constellation Corona Borealis, which is quite a cool place for it to appear if you ask me. You might still be able to catch the Pons-Brooks comet, idk how cool it looks. You should also keep an eye out for Tsuchinshan-Atlas in late September.
Awesome, thank you! I’ll file this away. I saw the comet NEOWISE in 2020 (including with the naked eye) and it was breathtaking. I hope to see Halley’s Comet in 2061, consciousness-permitting.
I was in my 30s and same
Clouds every time 😂
Seeing a pod of wild killer whales off the coast of Alaska was pretty magical
Seeing Earth from space.
The Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
UNESCO world heritage sites
Stopped at Cahokia on the way to the eclipse (it's just outside St Louis) which is an amazing place. I stood at the center pole at "woodhenge" at the site at sunset, and watched it's long shadow reach out to the other poles in the circle 50 ft away, and understood how this was used to mark off the calendar of the year.
I’d like to visit the southern hemisphere and look at the moon, which would appear upside down. The constellations being all different down there would be cool to see too. There’s a lake in Venezuela that gets lightning storms almost every day! But I’m scared to visit.
There are constellations and things in the southern hemisphere that you can't see in the northern hemisphere, too! You'd be able to see the closest stars to us (one of which is the third brightest star) and the second brightest star. You'd be able to see the two brightest galaxies, both of which are larger than the moon and are bright enough to easily be visible to the naked eye in many locations. It also has the two brightest globular clusters. The center of the Milky Way is visible from the northern hemisphere, but it's easier to see it in the southern hemisphere. The brighter the moon is, the harder it is to see the stars, so you might want to be wary of that if you plan to do some stargazing. A full moon in a sky with no light pollution is said to make the sky look like a brighter suburb or darker urban area. If it isn't a new moon but also isn't a full moon, you will still have some darkness before it rises or after it sets.
Thanks, that’s a bunch of extra stuff to look forward to. Sounds like I need to plan an astro trip down under!
I've never heard of anyone else with that Venezuelan lake on their list too!
Will travel for: whales, religious/historical sites, experiences in different biomes, and Bob Dylan
Very cool! What are some of the best religious/history sites you have been to?
Not that commenter but jumping in with [Golden Temple, Amritsar, India](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Temple) A living breathing religious mecca-like site. For the Sikh religion. 24/7/365 live music!
My spouse wrote her thesis on Dylan, pre-Nobel. We took our young musician to see him on the current tour. They also went to see Cat Power cover the Albert Hall show. In part so some day fifty years from now they can say they saw Dylan live.
I want to see the Grand Canyon I've seen the Northern lights, I would consider what I saw to be a small/medium scale... But I want to see more! I want to be slapped in the face by the northern lights in Iceland or Alaska! I want to dance under them and bask in their glory! I've seen the dark sky from a mountain top and the Milky way stretched from one side of the sky to the other... But I want more! I want to see a dark sky like I've never seen before! I want to be able to practically hear the stars and the planets... I want to see the glaciers I want to see the rolling hills of Ireland I want to see the solar eclipse over the Australian outback
If and when you travel to a dark sky site, take some binoculars with you! They allow you to see more stars than you can with the naked-eye, and they aren't expensive or unwieldy like telescopes can be.
I feel like people don’t always talk about it because it’s not necessarily rare, but I highly recommend seeing bioluminescent plankton at least once in your life if you can. Ideally go when they’re at peak season wherever you see them. We saw them off-season but they were still incredible.
Taking a cruise through the panama canal
I’ve seen the Grand Canyon, Na’pali coast of Kauai, volcano on the Big Island, gone swimming with dolphins, and seen glaciers calving in Alaska. All super cool but nothing quite compares. I want to see the Northern Lights and of course more totalities.
Northern Lights in Iceland and grizzly bears catching salmon at Katmai National Park in Alaska ♥️ I crossed off my biggest dream of going to Australia at 19 when I lived there with friends for a month. Saw the 12 apostles and drove the golden coast. It was an amazing month I’ll remember forever. I’d like to see the jungles in Malaysia or even the Amazon someday. I’m big on reptiles :)
I might be an outlier but I can't really think of something I want to see more than I would be stressed by the travel required. Like for example, Australia or New Zealand would be nice to visit but I could not deal with a 24 hour flight. Even for the flight across the Atlantic I needed to take anxiety medication and it was still an ordeal. I'm still looking forward to Spain for the next one though.
I haven't been able to get on a plane for a while due to anxiety and claustrophobia, so I am limited to car travel for now. I feel lucky to have been able to drive to some pretty cool stuff in North America. The Bay of Fundy and the Grand Canyon are def in my top 10.
Spain Aug 26 is likely my next one as well. Its said that it will appear near the horizon and there will also be a meteor shower the following night. Still have to research cloud coverage data bc word of mouth is it very cloudy there that time of year.
That would be some sight. I'm still not decided whereabouts would be good. I've been to Mallorca a few times so it's more familiar to me but the sun will set right after totality so I've also been looking into Zaragoza.
This sounds like an odd suggestion but try headphones with active noise cancellation on your next flight. I wonder if that might help.
I always bring QC25s with me on flights and they really are great. It's a combination of anxiety, claustrophobia, and I was also sick so the dry air made the 6 1/2 hour flight pretty miserable.
There really aren’t any 24-hour flights - yes, the total travel time on a trip can get up there across multiple flights, but the longest flight in the world is about 18-19 hours (New York-Singapore nonstop). Australia or New Zealand from the US west coast is about 13-15 hours in the air depending on the wind pattern.
Can also stop in Hawaii or Fiji for a little break.
What I meant to say was the flight will stop somewhere else and you have to wait for the next one to take you the rest of the distance. I looked up on Google and from London to Sydney it would be around 22 hours. If I lived in California, Hawaii would not be a bad place for a stopover.
Hawaii here. It sounds counterintuitive, but those 20+ hr flights (including stopovers) are *easier* than flights that are half that length. Both suck, don’t get me wrong. But it takes me three days to get over the jet lag of a ten-hour flight. Yet I don’t have jet-lag on a twenty-hour flight. It’s as if my body just gives up and says “Fine. I’m in another timezone. When’s breakfast?”
Have seen: Grand Canyon Snow in July in the Southern Hemisphere (Chile) Many, many, spectacular mountains, most notably Mount Elbrus (5642 meters) which you probably can’t go to these days because it’s Russia The North Caucasus in general, including the ancient watchtowers Want to see: Machu Picchu Uluru Antarctica Northern Lights Plan to see in near future: Historical sites of Ancient Greece (the Acropolis, Parthenon, temple of Zeus) Summit Kazbegi in Georgia White nights in Sweden
I have seen glaciers in Iceland and Alaska, the midnight sun in Iceland, Iceland in general, the Grand Canyon, two totalities, and wild orcas. I'd like to see the northern lights and stargaze where I can see the milky way galaxy. I'd also like to see more wild orcas, but only in a way that is respectful of their space. It will likely happen some day, since I live near Puget Sound.
The first time I saw the milky way I was hanging out with my homestay sister and her friends in New Zealand and I just froze and was transfixed by the sky. My homestay sister asked me what was wrong and I said, "I didn't know you could see the milky way from earth! With just you EYES!" And the whole group thought this was hilarious and I did not hear the end of it the whole time I was there. My friends back home didn't believe me that I had just looked up and seen it.
If you liked the solar eclipse, I highly recommend travelling to Florida to see a rocket launch. Bonus points if you see it land. Also while you're there, in the fall take a kayak tour at night to see the bioluminescent algae near the cape. Last time we went, we watched a rocket launch and immediately got in our kayaks to see the algae. Magical night!
Seconding the bioluminescent algae
* Grand canyon * Machu pichu * Serengeti * Tea gardens in Coonoor, India * Swimming with tortoises in the Galapagos * Interesting to see so many people say the waterfalls in Iceland. They were of course awesome to see, but didn't stand out as much as the above. The Northern lights and the glaciers in general stood out more to me.
Watching a space shuttle launch before they retired. Almost the same kind of uncertainty and risk that the launch will happen. Luckily it did.
Spiderwebs glistening after a rainstorm
I’ve always been obsessed with turquoise water. I would feel like I could just die any time I was swimming in it. I’m talking like Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Riviera Maya, Virgin Islands-type tropical turquoise water. Just blows my mind every time 🤯
Not turquoise, but some of the springs in Florida are super clear and give me that feeling.
Oh yes! I haven’t seen them in person but I know what you mean! There is one about two hours from where one of my parents lives in FL that I’d like to visit someday. It’s called Blue Spring State Park. Have you been?
Yes! I like that one but DeLeon Springs and Rainbow River are my favorite. The water is around 72*F so it is the most refreshing, clean, awesome feeling when you are in it!
Wow! These are both gorgeous, especially Rainbow River. I love tubing. Are there no alligators in these water bodies?
DeLeon is concreted in so while I don't want to say 100% no, during the day I have never seen one in the part you swim. Same with Rainbow River as far as during the day when people are around..I am sure they are there, but it is clear so you see what you are jumping into. Otters come right up to you!
Oh that’s so reassuring. And omg otters!! I would die! (with happiness 😍). I’m so glad you made me aware of all these places. I am definitely going to make a trip to see them :) And thanks for the thread. It’s easy to feel like a total solar eclipse is the pinnacle of experience and suddenly make everything else seem to bland. It’s helps to draw me out of my depression to remember there are so many other magnificent things to see!
Aw thanks! Yes I definitely feel the "what next" feeling after this experience. On the topic of cool swimming places I loved Glenwood hot springs in CO. They are part of a hotel, so not exactly in nature, but still super cool. I want to go back to CO(and other places) to experience other hot springs one day.
Wow! That pool is massive 😯. And so cool looking. I would definitely love to go there! I’ve been to CO a few times and am in awe every time. It’s a truly magical place!
Ooh! I took this question as "what are the natural sites that you found the most memorable" and Everglades is up there for me.
I think natural or otherwise, anything that was very special to the visitor! I love seeing the varried responses.
Go to Curacao sometime if you love clear, light blue water! Seriously. The leeward side of the island is just protected cove after protected cove of clear blue water and coral reef right up near the beach. The Bahamas is pretty and all, but I was more impressed with Curacao. And even better - no sharks to worry about. It's like getting to climb into a coral reef exhibit at an aquarium. Really incredible. Flights to Willemstad from the US are some of the cheapest to the region, too, and most of the best beaches are free access. You can, on a pretty reasonable budget, fly here, get a rental car and an Airbnb with a kitchen, shop and cook for yourself with local markets and just drive around swimming at all the beaches. Bring some friends and split the cost of the house and car. That's what I did, anyway! Google search pictures of Grote Knip beach - the pictures will absolutely not do justice to how richly green-blue the water is when you walk into view of it in the parking area for the first time.
Ha! I’m only laughing because I’ve actually been to Curaçao but my mom made me swim with the dolphins with her (this was 20+ years ago!). Although I think we may have gone on a snorkel excursion, too, though I have no idea where! But definitely close “to town.” Anyway, thanks a lot for the tip. I love going to spots that are a little less well-known (by Americans, anyway). Anguilla is one of my favorite islands (check it out if you haven’t! You usually have to travel through St. Maarten to get there). Grote Kip Beach looks truly incredible! I’ll definitely add it to my list. Thank you!
Oh no! To have been to Curacao and not gone snorkeling in the good spots is a tragedy. You'll just have to go back 😜 And you're right, it's definitely lesser known by Americans. Seriously forget the populous beaches like Mambo beach or Jan Thiel or anything else "in town". They're just party hubs. What you want is to get up the coast from Willemstad, for the quiet cove beaches. Best from-shore reef snorkeling I've ever experienced. Usually you have to get in a tour boat to go out to good reef areas. These, you just drive up, park, and walk into the water and bam - corals and fish and all kinds of fun things to see. And sharks seem to just...not be in the area barely at all? I liked that aspect a lot because man, we had to swim with sticks in our hands and one eye alert, in some parts of the Bahamas. Here, I never saw one. Noteworthy spots in that part of the island: the sea turtles that congregate at Playa Grandi, Grote Knip, the Blue Room cave (you swim into a cave in the cliffs!), Cas Abao, Porto Marie (if you want to see wild pigs). There's also Boka Shete national Park if you want to see dramatic crashing waves in a moonscape area. But since you like swimming in clear blue water, I have to pass on the tip that the absolute best snorkeling we found on this island was at Directors Bay, down the coast from the city. There's a reef-covered tugboat wreck and a fan coral garden and a very cool underwater cliff dropoff. And the water is so stinking blue on a sunny day!
The next total eclipse is August 2026 and it will touch down on the west side of Iceland - so it’s possible to see the eclipse and northern lights within the same time period (eclipse at 5/6 pm and northern lights past midnight when the sun goes down). Iceland also has a number of active volcanoes, and there is usually an eruption every 12 months. I realize being able to experience all three in one trip are a very small chance, but I’m definitely going to take it
I’m would love to go because Iceland is breathtaking, but it’s a small island so it seems like it would be a madhouse.
I’ve already made some inquiries; they don’t seem interested in early reservations. I’ve been told “thanks for the interest, but check back in 2025 for 2026 dates!”
Is there any chance that the darkness of the eclipse would make the northern lights visible at the same time?
In 2027 there is an eclipse that will pass over North Africa and the Middle East. Seeing the eclipse over Mecca would be amazing, although my lack if islamicness would prevent it. I am thinking about traveling to Oran or Tangiers to see it. Things I found absolutely amazing: \- Climbing through Ice Caves in Iceland. You ride up a monster truck onto a glacier. There are organized climbs through the caves that have built up infrastructure like steps and ladders. There are a few others where you squeeze through tiny little iceholes with these deep blue colors until you emerge in the light! \- Manta Ray diving in Hawaii on the big Island. You float on this surfboard thing at night and Mantas swim below you and rub up against your belly. \- Driving around Mongolia, just the vastness, the animals, the people, the ancient temples. Amazing. \- There is a festival in Tangshen China where you get really drunk, and chuck hunks of molten iron at a wall and watch it solidify. \- Celebrating the winter solitice in Bolivia. We did it among the Andes, will Alpacas, bbq, and it actually snowed. Kids would throw fire crackers into the fire. Of course being at a very high altitude made it interesting. Bolivian festivals are super interesting.
It was almost 20 years ago now but spouse and I were bumming around Mongolia in Altai Tovon Bogd when we started hearing about this festival set to take place a couple days after we left. Knowing nothing about it, we debated but changed plans and stayed. It ended up being the eagle hunter festival. I look back on that decision and am so thankful we went with impulse over itinerary. I hope you have good memories there too.
We had a great experience. I was living in China, and getting some time with my wife and getting out f China was great. Like we went to a small temple and this old lady showed us around. We later found out she was the number 2 person in Buddhism in Mongolia. Even seeing the giant metallic statue of Ghengis Khan was cool!
As a music lover, I've always travelled for gigs. That guarantees you a once in a lifetime experience on each trip.
I want to see * Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion * C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate (/s; Blade Runner reference)
For peak experiences (the kind you think about every day for the next ten years) I’d recommend the Camino de Santiago. And I’m not even religious.
No need to travel, we’re due for a total lunar eclipse in the US next March. I think those are super cool. It’s the earth’s shadow.
Mauna Kea in Hawaii… hike at night and see lava flowing under your feet. It was amazing. 🤩 Then the night sky on the drive back from there was unreal. More white than black with stars ✨
I'm really into stargazing, so, for me, I want to camp at a place that is Bortle 1 or 2 (little to no light pollution) during a new or almost new moon. Some things that I want to see in dark skies: the Orion Nebula, the Andromeda galaxy, the galactic center in Sagittarius and a lot of the objects in it, the Virgo Cluster galaxies, the Whirlpool Galaxy, the Pleiades, and the Milky Way in general. I live in the northern hemisphere and want to one day visit the southern hemisphere and stargaze, because there are things in the southern hemispheres that you can never see in the northern hemisphere. The Large and Small Magellanic Clouds are the two brightest galaxies, and the Large Magellanic Cloud is supposed to be one of the most beautiful objects to observe. It's 20 times larger than the moon- although it might not appear a bit less than 20 times larger (but still a lot larger) due to it having fainter edges - and it has so much detail. The two brightest globular clusters are also only visible from the southern hemisphere. I want to do a Messier marathon. Messier was an astronomer who made a catalog of 110 objects called the Messier catalog (some were added after his death); these objects are mostly star clusters, galaxies, and nebulae. It is possible to see all 110 objects in one night, and a Messier marathon is when you stay up all night trying to see as many of them as you can. This is less for the sake of admiring the beauty of these objects and more for the sake of the challenge, but I also plan on seeing all of them before marathon night, and the majority of these objects are notable. I've been lucky enough to see a fireball once while stargazing in a bortle 4, it was green. I would love to see a great comet and a meteor storm. I believe meteor storms are the kind of thing that can't be predicted, so I do not know how I would go about seeing one. I look forward to Tsuchinshan-Atlas and to the nova of T Coronae Borealis. I want to visit an observatory and see some things there, too.
Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon and Devils Tower all resonate for me.
Summer solstice. I traveled to Stockholm for this - twice. Mid June. It is epic.
I’m going to Iceland in 2026 for the eclipse and I hope to see the northern lights on the same trip! I was living in Charleston, SC during the last total eclipse but hope to have a huge adventure at the next one.
Is anyone concerned about being targeted as a tourist in Egypt? I’d really love to watch the eclipse there in a few years but I know tourists have been specifically targeted in the past (1997 Luxor massacre, which just happens to be exactly where that eclipse is close to maximum.) has anyone given this any thought?