The Bucket List--Where you have BEEN that is a must see. (rent, bridge)

[jdavid93225]

Well compared to some of the world travelers on this forum, I've hardly been anywhere!

I have traveled extensively in the Western U.S., though, so I'll second (or third) some of the places already mentioned, and add a few more:

Grand Canyon N. P., including a hike into it!
Mesa Verde N. P.
Zion N. P.
Bryce Canyon N. P.
Yellowstone N. P.
Mt. Rushmore N. M.
Yosemite N. P.
Rocky Mountain N. P.
Capitol Reef N. P.
I-70 through the San Rafael Swell, Utah (most of I-70 is through beautiful country from I-15 to Denver)
The Columbia River Gorge, Oregon/Washington
Mt. Shasta and Lake Shasta, California
Lake Tahoe, California, Nevada
Sequoia N. P. and Kings Canyon N. P. *they are usually treated as one park, though they are actually two*
Northern California/Southern Oregon Coast
Grand Teton N. P.
Monument Valley/Four Corners area
Raton Pass area, New Mexico/Colorado
Crater Lake N. P.
Virgin River Gorge, I-15 through Arizona
Western Idaho

These are just a few of the many beautiful places I've been. I am sure that in my travels, I will find many more to add to the list. Here are a few I have yet to visit, but hope to someday:

Glacier N. P.
Big Bend N. P.
Olympic N. P.
Great Basin N. P.
Saguaro N. P.
Kalispell/Flathead Lake area, Montana

Obviously, National Parks are high on my list of must-see places. They have been preserved for good reasons, most notably, their unique natural features. This, in my opinion, is what makes most of them must-see sites. Other areas, while not dissimilar from other places, are still quite beautiful, and make my list for that reason. The American West has some of the most spectacular and stunning landscapes that I've ever seen, in person or in photographs. I know other areas do, too, but I'm not as familiar with them to make any recommendations.

I still remember with great fondness, the "America the Beautiful" show at Disneyland. Many of the sights from that show are ones that I have seen, or would like to see in person.

[Mooseketeer]

Not an exhaustive list at all but some of my favourites :


The Galapagos Islands , best place I have ever been to.
Scottish Highlands
Bhutan
South-West France
Prehistoric painted caves in the Dordogne ( South-West France)
Tuscany
Chile
Venezuela
Peru
Mexico ( off the beaten path)
New England
Grand Canyon
Martinique and Guadeloupe
Papua New Guinea
Croatia
Istanbul
Eastern Turkey
Mongolia
St Petersburg and the Hermitage
The Med seen from a sailboat
West Coast of Ireland ( Connemara, Donegal etc...)
The Amazon forest
Archaeological sites not to be missed :

Petra
Tikal
Teotihuacan
Chaco culture national historical site
Mesa Verde
Pompeii and Herculaneum
Chichen Itza
Angkhor Wat
Tulum
Machu Picchu / Inca Trail

[AlohaMarie]

Wow, what a list. I have started through many of these suggestions by researching on the internet. I still have a long way to go.

[Vichel]

I've done a lot of world travel myself but if you're worried about $$$ and you're American, with the way the exchange rate is these days, come to Australia. Lots of must-sees here. And very different must-sees too.

But if you want to stay close to home because the $$$ you have doesn't cover the airfare down here, then the US has enough must-see sights to fill more than a bucket full. I used to live in Canada - lots of bucket-list must-sees there too, but used to vacation in the US lots and was always thrilled with what I saw there. Everything from the big bustling NYC to the bleak nothingness of Death Valley.

We're heading up your way in May/June, when we've got a 12-day Southwest driving trip planned: Zion, Bryce, Moab, Telluride, Durango, Santa Fe, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon. That's our Bucket-List for this year, and I'm sure we won't be disappointed. America is truly the Beautiful. It's just got everything. My husband and I always say we could spend a year just meandering through the US and still not see everything to fill our bucket-list.

[hkgal]

Paris, Paris, Paris!

As for what I haven't done, the Trans-Siberian from St Petersburg to Beijing. That must be the most epic train journey on the planet.

[Bluesmama]

I like the title you gave this thread. Because I've had such a list of things-to-do-before-I-die for quite some time. And when I finally saw "The Bucket List" with Morgan Freeman, I decided to pull out of those wishes from my bucket. I went to New York for 10 days by myself. Never been there, always wanted to, and the time was finally right.

[AlohaMarie]

Vichel: Please tell us what exactly in Australia is a must see....we want to hear it from someone who lives there.....

Years ago, I was soooo anxious to see Japan. I was very fortunate because I traveled there by invitation with the Japanese-American Foundation. It was a teacher exchange program. We toured all the sites, but some of the best things was that I was able to go inside homes and to really get to know some about the Japanese culture. This was something that I had wanted to do my entire life. After the foundation participants left, I stayed on another month traveling the country with a backpack. What an adventure to be in a strange land, where I did not know the language!! It was wonderful and left me with a sense of awe.

Years later, I went to Italy.....just me, my husband, and a car. It was a road trip. No reservations, just a general idea what I wanted to see and where I wanted to go. Honestly, to some of you who have traveled all over the world, you'll be surprised, but even this made me a bit nervous before I left, but I went anyway. Of course, everything turned out wonderful. I could indeed drive there; I could arranged to stay in "zimmers" all over, and I could negotiate roads, grocery stores, and gas stations. It was a wonderful trip.

Now.....??? Other countries: China? Russia? New Zealand? Israel? ....Can I do those independently? Just me, a car, and my wits? Hum......

[phonelady61]

I would say if you like mountains and stuff then Pikes Peak for sure as well . My brother and I went and climbed a little of it and we were thrilled . This was the last trip my brother would take he died shortly after we did the trip . I feel so much better because he got to see this before his accident .

[BucFan]

Just spent 4 days in Lisbon. Would recommend it as a side trip if you're coming to Europe for any other trips. Actually in 2 days, you can see/do all you need in Lisbon if you want to see the major sights.

[hkgal]

Originally Posted by AlohaMarie

[b]
Now.....??? Other countries: China? Russia? New Zealand? Israel? ....Can I do those independently? Just me, a car, and my wits? Hum......

You'd definitely need your wits about you if you were brave enough to get behind the wheel of a car in China!!

But seriously, I'm off to Guangzhou, China by myself tomorrow on the train. I think its a fantastic place to travel solo. I heard that there was a 2250 year old Western Han dynasty tomb found during excavations for a shopping mall during the 80s, so I decided to go see it. Where else in the world would that happen?? Luckily, it's on my doorstep...in the same day, I can do my grocery shopping and then get on the train to China and go see the tomb of the Nanyue King.