Where In The World? Our Travel Bucket List

When it comes to travel, I like to think I’m pretty well seasoned. Whether it’s exploring Disney or traipsing around factories in rural China, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot. But since having a child, our trips and treks have significantly decreased. I dream of having a child who’s happy immersing himself in new cultures and who shares his parent’s love of adventure.

We’ve taken him to Crete and more recently to the Caribbean but, put simply, my list of places to go is growing faster than we can tick them off. With a focus on making our house a home, money is tight. And with a toddler in tow, we’ve got to be realistic about our travel expectations. So whilst we save and plan, I’ll keep lusting over holiday sites and thumbing through guidebooks in a bid to one day tick off some of our travel bucket list.

Iceland

Ice hotels, the Northern Lights and a sense of wilderness all contribute to this being top of the wish list. I’m yet to hear a bad review of a trip to Reykjavik and the stunning landscape around it. This is one of the few places on the list I feel we could do as a long weekend, rent a camper van and make our way around at our own pace, making it even more tempting with little people in tow. Honestly, I can’t wait to flesh out a trip here. Even if it does mean waiting a few years to allow us full enjoyment of the hot spring relaxation!

India

When it came to planning our honeymoon, it was a toss up between Sri Lanka and Goa for the relaxation part. Having gone with Sri Lanka, a Goa holiday is now firmly in our sights. Renowned for it’s long sandy beaches and small fishing villages, Goa’s the opposite to the hustle and bustle of urban life in India. With that in mind, we’d look to combine it with some time exploring the tourist traps of the Taj Mahal and Golden Triangle before jetting over to Goa for some well-earned r&r!

Japan

I travelled briefly to Japan on a work trip back in 2011 (a week prior to the large tsunami). I remember the trip as a huge culture shock; an indecipherable language, continuous bursts of colour and a country seeped in ancient culture. Work trips are usually very factory based with little to no time for sightseeing; just enough to give you a taste for a place. During my time there we managed a temple trip in Kyoto and I fell in love. Japan is one of those places we’re both itching to visit, its a relatively safe country to travel in making it a likely option for travel with a young family. Plus, all those lights, anime and Hello Kitty?! It’s perfect for little ones!

Southern USA

I have a fascination with the more southernly US states such as Louisiana. It’s not an area of the US that I’ve visited and a trip to New Orleans is most definitely on the bucket list. The architecture alone is enough to draw me in! We’ve talked often about doing a big road trip but the reality is we’re more likely to use internal flights and do some city hopping – especially given the distances involved with little ones. There’s a huge amount of the US that stays on our list – seeing the fall leaves in Maine for example, but for now, the south holds the most appeal.

Italy

I travelled around Italy with my sister but we’re yet to take a trip there as a family. Italian life is so family centric, it really is the perfect place to go with a young family. I want to roam the Tuscan hills, ride the merry-go-round in the centre of Florence and take water buses in Venice with my son, the boat lover! Although being around water that much would be a little bit of a nightmare at this age! Instead we’ll have to stick to gelato by the Spanish Steps in Rome and fighting gladiators in our dreams.

I could go on for days with my wishlist… but what about yours? What’s on your family travel bucket list?