My Travel Bucketlist 2023

I’ve been to 81 countries and I’m happiest when I’m heading out on an adventure into the unknown. I think you should search relentlessly until you find what lights you up inside, what makes you smile your most genuine and happy smile and then never, ever let it go. For me, that’s travel and I’ve always prioritized it in my budget. My last couple international trips have been solo trips and I truly believe that cool energy brings cool people into your life. When you're fearless and open to anything it attracts the best things possible. When you get outside of your bubble and travel alone magical things start to happen because there's nothing to interrupt the flow, thus you bump into people more easily. As a solo traveler you're able to follow intuition about what to do and where to go next. I try to see all situations in a positive light rather than in a negative way. Good energy attracts good energy!

Writing down my travel bucketlist is a reminder of everywhere I want to go but the only problem is that this travel bucketlist grows faster than I can tick off the destinations. While I have been to many places there are so many places left to travel. At the bottom of this post I’ve linked my previous travel bucketlists so it’s fun to see what I have accomplished and what is still on the list. You can use the Travel drop down menu at the top of my blog to see all of my travel posts. I continue to play the points game with travel credit cards so I can spend less while I travel more. Here's my top 10 list!

Puglia, Italy

I’ve wanted to go to Puglia ever since my first trip to Italy in high school. I’ve been to Italy three times but never been to this heel of the boot. In the past 5 years it has become a popular vacation destination as I’ve seen lots of people going there now so I was scheduled to go in 2020 but as you know that didn’t happen. Puglia is most famous for their conical houses called trulli around Alberobello. Since I have to fly into Naples I also want to see the island of Procida.

Finland

I've been to Finland in the summertime, but I want to go back in the wintertime. Finland is the ultimate winter wonderland! I want to travel above the arctic circle to take a snowmobile ride through the Arctic Tundra, feed reindeer at the Santa Claus Village, go for a sled dog ride (which I missed out on in Alaska), try an authentic Finnish sauna, float in icy waters, see the northern lights, stay in an ice hotel and sleep on a bed of ice and marvel at the starry sky under a glass roof cabin, and see lots of snow.

Mallorca

Mallorca is a Spanish island and I’ve already been to Madeira island and the Canary Islands, so this was next on the list. It's known for its beaches and sheltered coves, limestone mountains and Roman and Moorish remains. This interest has nothing to do with Hilaria Baldwin claiming to be from Mallorca. lol

French Christmas Markets (December)

On the eastern side of France on the border with Switzerland is the charming town of Colmar with cobblestone streets and medieval buildings. It's on the Alsace Wine Route with local vineyards specializing in Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines. The neighboring towns all have Christmas markets and each radiate the warmth and magic of Christmas in a fairytale setting.

French Riviera (Summer)

I’ve been to Nice and Monaco, but where I really want to go is the whole Cote D’Azur region: Menton, Saint Tropez, Villefranche, Roussillon, and the lavender fields.

Antelope Canyon

Is a slot canyon in the American Southwest, on Navajo land east of Lechee, Arizona. This keeps getting pushed back because you have to rent a car to visit.

Banff, Canada

Located in Canada it’s known for its beautiful lakes and mountains. This keeps getting pushed back on the list because it costs the same as going somewhere far and exotic and can only be done in the summertime.

Gdansk, Poland

My mother is Polish, born and raised so I've been to Poland many times but never to the northern cities. Like Warsaw, the town was reconstructed after WWII as it was the starting place of the war. It resembles Amsterdam with its architecture and has the largest brick church in Europe. Gdansk is known as the amber capital of the Baltic Sea region as the majority of amber stones wash up along the beaches. I thought I could combine this trip with Poznan, Poland and Copenhagen, Denmark and make it a circle.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

A charming, colorful small town in Mexico’s central highlands known for its baroque Spanish architecture, thriving arts scene, cultural festivals, and vibrant wine scene. I spent a week in Oaxaca a few years ago which was magical with its colorful buildings, incredible food, beautiful art, and warm locals so I would like to go back to Mexico. I'll either fly into Mexico City or Queretaro and combine the two cities.

Namibia

My next trip this year is to Namibia! I fly into Cape Town then join a safari in Namibia. I went to South Africa when I was junior high so I'm excited to go back to see the penguins and the colorful neighborhood of Bo Kaap.

Namibia is famous for its Namib Desert and high dunes along with diverse wildlife, including a significant cheetah population and flamingos. I'll spend a few nights camping in the Etosha National Park so we can do early morning and moonlit safari drives. Victoria Secret model Behati Prinsloo and wife to Adam Levine is from Namibia. She is the Global Ambassador for Save The Rhino Trust.

Salt Flats / Salar de Uyuni / Bolivia

The world's largest salt flat. What makes this place so unique is the mirror effect caused after a rainfall, which fades away the limits between the sky and the land, making it look as if you were walking on the clouds. When you visit at night after rain, when the salt is covered by a sheen and reflects everything around it and you can the Milky Way and a million stars since there's no town nearby with light pollution. Bolivia has no direct flights to America so I will fly to Chile and spend a few days in Santiago.

Uzbekistan

Located in Central Asia, it's where modern skyscrapers mix with Soviet-era architecture and mosaic mausoleums. The state department says its a level 1 (very safe) to visit.

Paris in Autumn

I've been to Paris a couple times so I've been to all the major spots, but haven't been in Paris in over a decade. Paris is such a magical city and I have my list ready of all the outdoor cafes I want to sit at, drink hot chocolate at Angelina, eat my heart out of fresh croissants, try a buckwheat crepe, and French onion soup. I want to visit perfume shops and the flagship Sezane, walk along the seine, and enjoy rooftop cocktails with a view of the Eiffel tower. I definitely want to visit a French Pharmacy to pickup French skincare and buy some fresh European butter that I will freeze to take home. In fall there will be fewer tourists, beautiful weather and lots of beautiful fall colors in Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Tuileries. The green ivy covering buildings will turn to red. I think fall is the perfect time to travel. Plus I feel most fashionable with the clothes I wear in fall.

What is my travel style? I would say that I'm a total go with the flow kinda person as long as the flow is scheduled well in advance and there are no mid-flow changes whatsoever. lol

Qatar & Oman

Five years ago I saw that Qatar airlines was rated as having the best business class suite and since they are partners with American Airlines I have been building up my AA miles as Qatar Airlines flies direct from DC. Qatar hosted the World Cup last year. As you can see on the map it’s a tiny country in orange, so if I’m going to fly for 15 hours to get there I want to spend more than a few days in the region so I thought I would also go to Oman which is a beautiful country as I’ve already been to Dubai. Doha, Qatar is known for its futuristic skyscrapers and other ultramodern architecture inspired by ancient Islamic design. While in Muscat, Oman, tall buildings are prohibited by law so that you can always see the mountains.

2015 Travel Bucketlist

2016 Travel Bucketlist

7 Travel Resolutions