8 Travel Experiences You Should Have At Least Once In Your Life

Bucket list, life goals, dream list – call it what you will; most of us have a list of things we’d like to experience at least once in our lifetimes. If you’re prone to bouts of wanderlust but yet to assemble a must-do, must-visit list – here are 8 travel experiences we urge you to try before you bite the dust.

Walk the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland

For the discerning wayfarer, walking doesn’t get much better than Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Stretching for 1,500 miles along the country’s brooding west coast, this designated tourist trail happens to be the longest coastal walking route on earth – and one of the quietest. Lace up the boots, don the rain mac and get set for the most memorable hike of your life.

Visit Antarctica

Think Antarctica, and you’ll likely picture plucky, bearded explorers shivering in blustery cabins. Truth is, Antarctica is becoming more accessible, with a fleet of domestic passenger ships regularly sailing to the region. Fancy it? Cruise experts, Cruise1st Australia, advise that: “Antarctica is the final frontier when it comes to ocean travel; a place where wildlife outnumbers tourists, and the natural beauty is nothing but humbling. Don’t miss it.”

Drive the Patagonia Corridor in Argentina

If you’ve a penchant for petrol power, forget the classic, all-American road trip and make for Argentina instead. When you get there, hire or buy a car (whichever is cheapest) and make for the Patagonia Corridor – a 5,000-kilometre tourist trail that traverses some of the striking and remote scenery on earth. Just don’t run out of fuel.

Snowmobile Across the Vatnajokull Glacier in Iceland

Iceland alone is worthy of any bucket list, but to make your visit extra special, book a snowmobile tour of the Vatnajokull Glacier with experienced tour operator, Glacier Jeeps. Aboard your very own ‘skidoo’, you’ll discover the otherworldly beauty of Europe’s largest glacier, before travelling deep beneath the ice to explore a world of tumbling waterfalls and mysterious blue ice.

Celebrate the Day of the Dead in Mexico

Mexico is home to many an eccentric – albeit, unforgettable – festival, but none captures the imagination quite like the Day of the Dead. Before you dismiss this travel experience as a diluted Halloween spin-off, think again. The Day of the Dead is a national holiday in Mexico, with locals donning ghastly attire to attend enchanting events and parades across the country.

Explore Vietnam’s Halong Bay by Junk

Creeping onto many a must-travel list, Vietnam certainly dishes up a unique travel experience for foreign backpackers – think unique cultural sites, white sandy beaches and some of the friendliest locals on the planet. One of the most unforgettable things to do in Vietnam is take an overnight cruise of Halong Bay by Junk – a traditional Vietnamese boat that’s become synonymous with this magical bay.

Hike the Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia

If getting lost in a 130 million year old tropical rainforest sounds like a good way to spend the day, head to the Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia. Standing tall since the time of the dinosaurs, this unique rainforest tops Malaysia’s ecotourism hit list – offering visitors the chance to hike, paddle or climb through one of the last remaining virgin rainforests on earth.

Spot Whales in Canada’s Gulf of St Lawrence

Located off the east coast of Quebec, Canada, the Gulf of St Lawrence has become the place to whale watch in the Northern Hemisphere. Blue, killer and beluga whales are but a handful of these majestic mammals you’re likely to see during a whale-watching cruise in the Gulf of St Lawrence, whilst the scenery isn’t too shabby either.
Images courtesy of Greg Clarke, 23am.com, Lawrence S Jacobs and Lawrence Murray