There’s a few reasons I love my job. One, I get to help people realise their travel dreams. Two, I get to meet people from all over, all of whom love their jobs too. And three, I’m constantly watching webinars and fuelling my own travel dreams. In order to grow my adventure business, I’m a member of the Virtuoso Adventure Travel community this year. Through this community, I have access to adventure webinars, study tours, and other educational opportunities. All they do though, besides educate me, is let my mind wander to what it would be like to be there. After watching at least one per day for the last three weeks, my adventure bucket list is lonnnnnng. From the North Pole to the South Pole, I’ve got nearly 30 different items on my adventure bucket list. It’s time to share those with you, since maybe you’ll want to add them to your adventure bucket list too!
my adventure bucket list
For years – since I was 18 – Antarctica has been on my bucket list. It’s my dream, but I’ll admit to you, I have an even loftier dream now. My adventure bucket list is a mile long and includes stops in places that most people don’t even know exist. I also fully admit that my adventure bucket list doesn’t include too many tropical destinations, although there are certainly adventures aplenty to be found in places like Costa Rica, the Galapagos, and Southeast Asia (the last two are on my adventure bucket list).
Because I don’t want to overwhelm you with my desires – only whet your appetite for adventure travel – here’s a smattering of my adventure bucket list.
Antarctica, and some nearby destinations
I’ve already said Antarctica is my top bucket list item. But there’s so much more than just going to the White Continent, although I definitely do want to cross the Drake Passage and set foot on the peninsula.
Snow Hill, Antarctica
First, I recently watched a webinar from one of my expedition suppliers who takes guests on a Russian icebreaker to Snow Hill to see the emperor penguins. How CUTE are these emperor penguin chicks?! There are few others that do that. So, if seeing emperor penguin colonies is on your bucket list, then that’s a trip to take.
South Shetland, Falklands, and South Georgia
I also really want to visit the South Shetland Islands, Falkland Islands, and South Georgia. Seeing a million king penguins on a beach is definitely high on my list. Some of my suppliers offer month-long trips that include these islands on their Antarctica itineraries, and I hope to get there soon.
Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, and Macquarie Island
The Auckland Islands, which lie a few hundred kilometres off the southern coast of New Zealand, are the site of a few interesting shipwrecks. I read a book about the survivors once, which was really intriguing. Both Campbell and Macquarie Islands are about as remote as you can get. Look at this penguin colony! (Do you see a theme?) These two islands lie a few thousand kilometres off the southern coast of New Zealand. But, someone went there once and that’s enough for me.
hiking Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina
I have to preface this by saying that if mini-trekking in Patagonia is on your bucket list, you have to do it before you turn 65. The Argentinian government has implemented an upper age limit (and, I believe, a minimum age limit as well) for trekkers. So, I have a few years left but I definitely want to get there soon.
sailing through the Northeast Passage (and the Northwest)
Both of these famed shipping channels have been clear of ice lately. While that’s not a good thing (but I don’t want to get into politics), it does mean that exploring them is easier. I can’t give too much away but I would definitely keep an eye out for some exceptional expeditions soon. A word to the wise: they will sell out very quickly. Of course, the proper way to do it would be by icebreaker, so when the ice returns that is where you will find me!
hanging out with the walrus on Wrangel Island
Did you know that Wrangel Island, which is located on the 180* meridian and well within the Arctic Circle, is the last known place of the wooly mammoth? They died out here in 2000 BCE, which is far later than any other known population. Animals you’d spot here include walrus, polar bear, and wolverine. Wrangel is also a severe Arctic tundra yet has more plant life than any other Arctic island, double the plant life of any other Arctic land, and is 15% forest. For these reasons, it and it’s closest neighbour (Herald Island, 60km away) are predominantly federally protected nature sanctuaries. Wrangel is also the northernmost World Heritage Site. You need a Russian visa, but you can visit by small expedition ship.
exploring the Russian Far East by small ship, and Siberia
On the same, or a similar, voyage to the Wrangel Island expedition above I really want to explore the Russian Far East. I’ve also always wanted to visit Siberia – very specifically hike the Lake Baikal trails and embark on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I have some Norwegian ancestors, but for some reason the Finnish and Siberian heritages really interest me and I would love to see it in person. I’m also very interested in the wild animals of this region and would love to see them in their native habitat.
cruising from Scotland to the Faroe Islands, Norway, Iceland, & Greenland
Admittedly this is a completely nonexistent trip right now that I am trying to get off the ground! But I love Scotland, most people know that, and I would love to take a small group into Scotland’s Highlands and do some food and whisky touring. After that, we’d explore the northern Scottish islands by ship (and land) before heading north to the Faroe Islands. From there, we would cruise east to Norway’s fjords, and finally back west to Iceland and Greenland. I even asked my supplier friend if I could stop at Base Camp Greenland for some hiking and kayaking! The trip would end by cruising back to Scotland and exploring the Outer Hebrides by boat before finally docking and heading home. It sounds ambitious but holy adventures that’s a trip I want to do!
adventures in New Zealand and Australia
circumnavigating New Zealand by sailboat
I had my first taste of sailing two years ago with my friend Christian in New Zealand and I have thought since that circumnavigating the country by sailboat would be great. While some of it admittedly is rough water, there are so many little coves to sneak into. New Zealand is already a great adventure bucket list destination (as if you needed more reasons to travel to New Zealand), and this would be an amazing – unique – way to see the country.
flightsee over Doubtful Sound
The towering mountains of Fiordland are best seen from two angles: sea level and birds eye. I definitely want to go flying over Doubtful Sound – I’ve seen Milford Sound from a boat and it was spectacular. But Doubtful is that much harder to get to and twice as beautiful so a float plane trip is high on my bucket list.
Central Asian adventures
hiking to Base Camp Everest and/or the Annapurna Circuit
I do have bad knees, so these trips may not happen anytime soon, but I’ve always thought that hiking to BCE would be very cool. I renewed my interest in it after spending a week in Nepal in 2017. I’ve heard that the Annapurna Circuit is less crowded, although after meeting dozens of people who have been to Pokhara and hiked it, I wonder if that’s true. I’d definitely want a guide for this, and I’d probably want to go with someone who’s familiar with Nepal.
whitewater rafting in Nepal
Adding to the above notes, I’ve got some friends who run a bespoke whitewater rafting company. Their focus is trips to Nepal, and I’m so excited to plan a trip with them soon. I’m hoping to go in 2019 to experience it. In addition, they visit villages and get to know the people, hence the name of their company River & Soul. Combine this two week adventure with a few days in Kathmandu on either side, maybe a few days in Delhi, and you’ve got a fantastic adventure bucket list item.
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and the rest of the Stans + Mongolia
This part of the world seems so under-represented to me, and I wonder why because when I do see photos of it it’s absolutely gobsmackingly gorgeous. So, the Stans + Mongolia (and the rest of the Middle East) are midway on my adventure bucket list. I’m not likely getting there anytime soon though, so I have more time to imagine how cool it is.
spending a night with the tortoises in the Galapaganian Highlands
While most cruise ships just spend an afternoon with the famous tortoises, one of my suppliers actually has the rights to the safari campsite. This means that their guests get to spend more than a few hours with these gentle giants.
swimming with humpback whales in Western Australia
And, finally, I’ve always wanted to swim with humpback whales. I had my first interaction with these amazing creatures in Alaska, but it was in Baja California that I saw how graceful and incredible they are. We were on the way out of Cabo one day, heading back to La Paz, when our ship had two humpbacks play with us for nearly three hours. We stopped moving – we actually shut off our engines at one point – and let the whales swim around us. It was magical. I also happen to know Flip Nicklin, a famous whale photographer, and love looking at his photos. At the Ningaloo Reef in WA, people can swim with the whales. This is a relatively new program and it may not continue if it proves not to be sustainable.
So, there you have it… my adventure bucket list. What’s on yours? If you want to start the conversation about your bucket list items, we can definitely map out a timeline of when to best travel to your bucket list destinations. Pin this >>> for future reference on your adventure bucket list!
