Six Places on My International Travel Bucket List

I have wanderlust on a typical day, but being stuck inside and not really knowing when we can travel again has intensified it. I’m hoping (fingers crossed) for a fall vacation to Boston and up the coast to Maine this year, but kind of playing that by ear and waiting to see how the virus spread goes before hopping on a flight.

But since I’m over here dreaming about the day I can start checking places off my bucket list, I thought it would be fun to share the top six places in the world I can’t wait to visit someday. This is the international version – US version coming soon!

Australia & New Zealand
I’ve always wanted to visit “The Land Down Under” – the coast lines look amazing and I think it would be so cool to see The Great Barrier Reef from the air. Plus kangaroos and koala bears – who could resist a place where you might see these cute creatures in the wild? I plan to also work in New Zealand the same trip so I can see the Lord of the Rings filming locations and visit Hobbiton.

Banff National Park – Alberta, Canada
Have you seen the stunning blue Lake Louise in Banff National Park in person? If not, you will want to when you do! Banff has kind of become a hip vacation spot in the last few years and I’ve heard that the parks are sometimes so crowded, you can barely move. It’s such a stunning park, even in the winter time so I can see why!

There’s lots of hiking, canoing and wildlife in the park and if you like all those things like me, you probably have this one on your travel list too. My plan for Banff is to drive up from Montana and stop at nearby Jasper National Park too.

Israel
A visit to the Holy Land is on my radar for my 10th wedding anniversary, which is five years away. Not only do I want to see all the places important to my faith, but I’d love to get baptized in the Jordan River too. And floating in the Dead Sea, as well as taking a day trip to Petra in Jordan. I think we’ll combine this trip with a stop in Croatia and fly in and out of Greece – we didn’t make it to Santorini last time, so that’s high on the list of things to see next time we’re in Greece!

 

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Croatia
Croatia is one of those places that I mention to people that I want to visit and get funny looks. You can read their minds: “why do you want to go there?” But have you seen their National Parks? Lots of amazing waterfalls, old world history and a lovely climate on the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik was the setting for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, so it’s a MUST SEE even though it was on my list long before I watched the HBO show.

Germany
I’ve been itching to get to Germany for a while now and have a rough outline of a road trip through the country. There’s so much history for a nerd like me and I’d love to see the Berlin Wall. Also high on the list is castle hunting, including Neuschwanstein Castle which would be beautiful to see in winter or summer. I’ll probably also make the trek down to Switzerland while I’m at it because it’s also high up there on the travel list and since they’re so close, I can knock them both out at the same time.

Peru

I recently discovered a Peruvian restaurant here in Indianapolis and it’s one of my favorite hole in the wall places to eat! From the lesser known Rainbow Mountains to the extremely popular Machu Piccu, Peru has a rugged beauty that I hope to see soon. This is one place I think I should go sooner rather than later due to the high altitude and increase in popularity as a vacation spot. It’s not especially easy to get to either of the places I want to see, but I’ll certainly do my best to get there!

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What are some of the places you’re dreaming of going? I’d love to hear all about them and if you’ve been to any on my bucket list, share those travel tips with me!