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

◯ The Pyramid of North Dakota, USA

◯ Hanami Cherry Blossoms, Japan

◯ Double New Year’s Eve: Samoa and American Samoa on back-to-back days

◯ Kukeri Festival, Bulgaria

◯ Terracotta Army, China

◯ Sigiriya, Sri Lanka

◯ Caral, Peru – the oldest city in the Americas

◯ Mardi Gras in New Orleans

◯ Tian Tan Buddha Statue, Hong Kong

◯ Skellig Michael, Ireland

◯ See a Live Sumo Match in Japan

◯ Guaita Fortress, San Marino

◯ Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

◯ Attend the Summer Olympic Games

◯ Knossos, Crete

◯ The rock of Gibraltar

◯ Ride The Ghan through the Australian outback

◯ Attend all four Tennis Grand Slam tournaments (we’ve been to two)

◯ Lascaux Caves, France

◯ Ronda, Spain

◯ Sydney, Australia for New Years Eve

◯ Kailasa temple and the Ellora Caves, India

◯ Trans-Siberian Railway

◯ Greenland

◯ Troy, Anatolia Turkey

◯ Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

◯ See the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis)

◯ Khao Phing Kan, Thailand (James Bond Island)

◯ Moraine Lake and Banff National Park, Canada

◯ Ayers Rock/Uluru, Australia

◯ Alaska on the summer solstice (midnight sun)

◯ Sloth Sanctuary, Costa Rica

◯ Mano del Desierto (Hand of the Desert) Atacama Desert Chile

◯ Lamanai Mayan Ruins, Belize

◯ Red Square, Moscow, Russia

◯ Andorra la Vella, Andorra

◯ Hluboka Castle, Czech Republic

◯ Preikestolen, Norway

◯ Leshan Giant Buddha, China

◯ The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia

◯ Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

◯ The Thermal Pools of Pamukkale, Turkey

◯ Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil

◯ Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of the Sun, Mexico

◯ Maldives

◯ Nazca Lines, Peru

◯ Tikal, Guatemala

◯ Meteora, Greece

◯ Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

◯ Plain of Jars, Laos

◯ Lake Baikal, Russia

◯ Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

◯ The Twelve Apostles, Australia

◯ Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue, Mongolia

◯ The Temples of Bagan, Myanmar

◯ Delphi, Greece

◯ Mont Saint-Michel, France

◯ The Painted Hills, Oregon

◯ Asunción, Paraguay

◯ Ggantija Temples, Malta

◯ Rebild Festival, Denmark for 4th of July

◯ Tianmen Mountain (Gateway to Heaven), China

◯ Santorini, Greece

◯ Airboat in the Florida Everglades

◯ Helicopter ride over the Great Blue Hole in Belize

◯ Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

◯ See the Pico Cão Grande (Mordor), São Tomé and Príncipe

◯ Visit the Quokkas on Rottnest Island, Australia

◯ The Flower Carpet in Brussels, Belgium

◯ Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Wales

◯ Loch Ness, Scotland

◯ Tour Bordeaux Wine Country in France

◯ Old Quebec, Canada

◯ Mount Fanjing, China

◯ Hampi, India

◯ Las Falles Festival in Valencia, Spain

◯ Star Wars filming locations in Tunisia

◯ Republic of Molossia

◯ Hadrian’s Wall, UK

 

Completed Bucket List Items

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Antarctica

Watch the sunset on Easter Island

Machu Picchu, Peru

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

Borobudur, Indonesia

Stonehenge

Monument Valley, Arizona

The Pyramids and the Sphinx, Egypt

Port Wine in the Douro Valley of Portugal

Mesa Verde, Colorado

Petra, Jordan

Table Mountain, South Africa

Jerusalem, Israel, and the Holy Land

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Monte-Carlo, Monaco

The Colosseum in Rome, 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

Salar de Uyuni (salt flats), Bolivia

See the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)

Buzludzha, Bulgaria

Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand

Visit all seven continents (we visited all seven in twelve months!)

Visit all 50 states in the U.S.

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

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

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Take a gondola ride through the canals of Venice, Italy

The Medina and Souks of Marrakesh, Morocco

Chichen Itza, Mexico

Antelope Slot Canyon, Arizona

See the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Luxor, Egypt and the Valley of the Kings

Cinque Terre, Italy

Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic

Stand on the edge of the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley, Peru

Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

Devils Tower, Wyoming

Walk the shores of Lake Titicaca

Watch the sunrise over the volcanoes of Central Java, Indonesia

Ride camels through the Sahara Desert

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Watch the sunset over the Nile

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day

Float in the Dead Sea

Batu Caves, Malaysia

 

Additional Bucket List Items

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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