The ancient Greek historian Herodotus is often credited with making the first travel “bucket list” when he wrote about the “theamata,” a Greek title that translates roughly to “things to be seen.” His list eventually became known as the Seven Wonders of the World, and it was kind of an early tourist guide for people looking to explore the known world at that time. There were other people who created lists of incredible places, but the accounts recorded by Herodotus in the 5th century BC are considered to be among the earliest and most detailed reports. The locations he chose were based on stories by ancient travelers—some of the world’s first tourists.
We like to think of Herodotus as the Godfather of tourism, and it’s with that as inspiration that we created our own travel bucket list based on places we’ve read about, heard about, seen on TV, or discovered in movies. We hope this provides inspiration if you are looking for new and exciting travel destinations!
NOTE: The items below are linked to either Wikipedia or our own Road Unraveled blog posts. Click the titles to learn more!
Travel Bucket List
This is our list (in no particular order) of places we would like to see, things we would like to do, and travel goals we would like to accomplish.
◯ Iguazu Falls, Argentina
◯ Taktsang Palphug Monastery (the Tiger’s Nest), Bhutan
◯ Sossusvlei and Deadvlei, Namibia
◯ Visit Bavaria during Oktoberfest
◯ The Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni, Malta
◯ Hanami Cherry Blossoms, Japan
◯ Double New Year’s Eve: Samoa and American Samoa on back-to-back days
◯ Caral, Peru – the oldest city in the Americas
◯ Tian Tan Buddha Statue, Hong Kong
◯ See a Live Sumo Match in Japan
◯ Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
◯ Attend the Summer Olympic Games
◯ Ride The Ghan through the Australian outback
◯ Attend all four Tennis Grand Slam tournaments (we’ve been to two)
◯ Sydney, Australia for New Years Eve
◯ Kailasa temple and the Ellora Caves, India
◯ See the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis)
◯ Khao Phing Kan, Thailand (James Bond Island)
◯ Moraine Lake and Banff National Park, Canada
◯ Alaska on the summer solstice (midnight sun)
◯ Mano del Desierto (Hand of the Desert) Atacama Desert Chile
◯ Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil
◯ The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia
◯ Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)
◯ The Thermal Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey
◯ Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico
◯ Maldives
◯ The Twelve Apostles, Australia
◯ Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Mongolia
◯ The Temples of Bagan, Myanmar
◯ Rebild Festival, Denmark for 4th of July
◯ Tianmen Mountain (Gateway to Heaven), China
◯ Airboat in the Florida Everglades
◯ Helicopter ride over the Great Blue Hole in Belize
◯ See the Pico Cão Grande (Mordor), São Tomé and Príncipe
◯ Visit the Quokkas on Rottnest Island, Australia
◯ The Flower Carpet in Brussels, Belgium
◯ Tour Bordeaux Wine Country in France
◯ Las Falles Festival in Valencia, Spain
Completed Bucket List Items
Antarctica
Watch the sunset on Easter Island
Bran Castle, Romania (Castle Dracula)
Visit the Snow Monkeys of Nagano, Japan
The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
The Quitsato Sundial. Located exactly at the Equator in Ecuador
The Pyramid of North Dakota, USA
The Pyramids and the Sphinx, Egypt
Port Wine in the Douro Valley of Portugal
Jerusalem, Israel, and the Holy Land
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
Cruise through the Panama Canal: Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean
Watch the sunrise over the Sahara Desert
Camp overnight on the ice in Antarctica
Walk the shores of Lake Titicaca
Watch the sunrise over the volcanoes of Central Java, Indonesia
Ride camels through the Sahara Desert
Watch the sunset over the Nile
Salar de Uyuni (salt flats), Bolivia
See the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand
Visit all seven continents (we visited all seven in twelve months!)
Visit all 50 states in the U.S.
Climb the stones of Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
Ushuaia (southernmost city in the world) on the December solstice (midnight sun)
Pumapunku and Tiwanaku, Bolivia
The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Take a gondola ride through the canals of Venice, Italy
The Medina and Souks of Marrakesh, Morocco
See the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland
Luxor, Egypt and the Valley of the Kings
Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic
Additional Bucket List Items
These are places that Stephanie has visited but Adam has not. We hope to cross these off his travel bucket list someday!
◯ The Great Wall of China
◯ Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
◯ Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
◯ Angkor Wat, Cambodia
◯ Taj Mahal, India