The great thing about bucket lists is that every single one is different. Your particular bucket list may be about unique places to stay or unique places to eat, it may centre around traditional local cultures or culinary experiences, you may be in the market for outdoor activities, or you may just want to add some breathtaking views to the memory bank. Wherever your travel interests lie, we know that as a Luxury Gold guest, you will want to do it in style. Here are 10 unique vacations of the moment.
1. Chase the Northern Lights
Scientists think the furthest south the aurora borealis has been spotted is in Honolulu, and over recent years parts of Europe have had surprise sightings. But if you want to be fully immersed in the holographic splendor of the sun and earth’s clashing magnetic fields, you will have to commit more time and patience to the experience. To “chase” the northern lights, your best bet is to head to northern Norway, somewhere like Tromsö, where your probability of seeing the sky lit up with blues, greens and purples is 70-90% in cloudless conditions between August and April.
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2. Receive a Shaman’s Welcome in the Sacred Valley
Our Treasures of the Incas journey is one of our most unique vacations; once you’ve met a local artist in Lima, it’s time to venture into the Sacred Valley in the Andes of Peru, north of the Inca capital of Cusco. Here, a local shaman will perform a welcoming ceremony, designed to connect you to this magical, mystical place of natural beauty, before you head on to the travel bucket list classic, Machu Picchu. Dating back to pre-historic times, the welcome ceremony is a way to celebrate and show gratitude to Pachamama, the only goddess revered by the Indigenous people of the Andes. The journey continues on to Buenos Aires and to Rio de Janeiro for cocktails on Copacabana Beach.
3. Sleep Under the Stars in California
Don’t overlook what’s on your doorstep in favor of getting off the beaten path to find the world’s “hidden gems”. California’s National Parks are home to some of the most iconic views and landscapes on the planet. Yosemite is popular because it’s special – it has glacier-sculpted geology, fairytale sequoias, jewel-like lakes and so much more. Everyone who enters falls in love, particularly if they stay at one of 13 campgrounds, with access to a campfire.
4. Enjoy a Soothing, Open-air Onsen in Japan
Hot springs and the bathing facilities around them are called “onsen” in Japan, where they constitute an important part of daily life and are deeply rooted in the culture. Benefits of bathing in hot springs include relaxation, improved sleep, improved circulation, less joint pain, better skin and a clearer mind. Onsen etiquette usually requires full nudity and no tattoos. Our Majestic Japan journey features the Oirase Keiryu Hotel, one of our most unique places to stay, thanks to its onsen deep within the forest.
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5. Get a Taste for the Wine Life in South Africa
South Africa is home to some of the most breathtaking views in the world. It’s a wildly diverse place to travel, with culinary experiences, wildlife spotting and outdoor activities all on the agenda. Those looking for unique family vacations choose the safari, but if following the vines has always appealed to you, this is the place to do that, too. On our Spectacular South Africa journey, we head to the historic Cape Winelands, where we travel by chauffeured vintage car to indulge in a wine tasting at Vergelegen Estate and a farm-to-table lunch at Boschendal Wine Estate. Sip a delicious Pinotage surrounded by astounding natural beauty – it’s one for the books.
6. Behold an Uluru Sunset
Two weeks in Australia – you’ve probably been meaning to do it for a while, if you haven’t already. Our luxury journey takes in some of the country’s more unusual vacation destinations, as well as classics like Sydney, Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef. Near the centre of Australia is Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, a large sandstone monolith. It is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara, the Aboriginal people of the area, known as the Anangu. Stopping here to see the sun slip behind the rock is soul-stirring experience – this is a landscape of surreal proportions, awash with the pinks, purples and oranges that only the sun can conjure.
7. Spy the Elusive Tigers of Ranthambore
On the Essence of India, we take the Jan Shatabdi Express from historic Bharatpur to Ranthambore, one of our favorite and most unusual vacation destinations. It’s a vast expanse of wild jungle, with a 10th century palace at its centre, and it’s the greatest place to spot wild tigers. In the former private hunting grounds of the maharajahs of Jaipur, we join a Local Expert on a quest, exploring the fort’s crocodile-filled lakes and vine-laced chhatris (dome-shaped pavilions) along the way.
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8. Take the Orient Express to Venice
This one is high on many bucket lists, and rightfully so. It is simply one of the world’s most decadent ways to travel, and it seems fitting that you should take it between two similarly decadent destinations: Paris and Venice. The carriages on the world famous train date from the Golden Age of travel, the 1920s and 30s, and the art-deco features are a feast for the senses, even without the views through the windows. Every detail and moment of a journey on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has been carefully considered.
9. Go Whale Watching in Kaikoura
New Zealand dazzles from top to bottom, with the makings of unique vacations every stop of the way. Our luxury journey, The Long White Cloud, takes in the wilderness of Wanaka, the adventure of Queenstown, the mammoth serenity of the Fiordland National Park and sulphuric Rotorua, where we tour a working kiwi nursery and hatchery. There are nonstop bucket list ticks here, but Kaikoura often tops them all, particularly if you love wildlife spotting. Giant sperm whales live reasonably close to the shore of Kaikoura year-round, and there is little on earth that tops spying one of these glorious creatures from a catamaran.
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10. Dance at Mardi Gras in New Orleans
You are never short of unique things to do in New Orleans, and a trip here should be considered a bucket list trip anyway, particularly by those seeking new culinary experiences. But if you can make it here for Mardi Gras, there is simply nothing on earth like it. On Fat Tuesday, right before Ash Wednesday, it’s an epic carnival featuring parades and parties of pure, unadulterated revelry. And if you can’t make it in March, our Southern Grace journey includes a behind-the-scenes tour of Mardi Gras World’s Blaine Kern Studios, a workshop that has created floats, costumes and props since 1947. It’s a whirlwind of colour and culture.
Feeling inspired be there unique vacations? Take a look at our collection of small group luxury journeys.
