Since it’s the end of the year, we’re thinking about our 2023 resolutions! To nobody’s surprise, a lot of them involve travel. We’ll share those tomorrow, but today we thought we’d tell you about our top travel experiences to date, in the hopes that they inspire you to make your own plans. Here, in no particular order, are the twelve things we’ve enjoyed most in our travels around the world.
- Go on safari: not the hunting kind, at least not for us. We went to Kruger National Park and had the time of our lives, ‘bagging’ all of the Big Five (animals to look out for), in spite of the fact that it was the wrong season.
- See the Great Pyramids: they really are spectacular. We worried they would underwhelm, but wow! They did not. Best on a camel, smelly though they are. Of the classic great travel experiences, this is our very favourite (just barely edging out Machu Picchu).
- Climb a glacier: Laurel did this a few years ago, just for a short while, and it was incredible. She realised she wanted to be a professional ice climber. (And then finished her sabbatical and became a university administrator.)
- See the Great Barrier Reef before it disappears – also spectacular, and we only went snorkeling on it. (We might go back once we’ve got diving licenses…)
- Tour vineyards: we’ve already admitted to not knowing a lot about wine. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying! We’ve been to wineries on four continents and wouldn’t mind visiting more. This also goes for liquor distilleries, or, actually, whatever floats your boat: ice cream, say, or something that isn’t food. (We just can’t think of anything in that category!). Learning more about something you like makes travel a lot more fun.
- Learn the language: we’ve taken language lessons in all kinds of places, from a week at a time to three months. It’s a fantastic way to learn a language, obviously, but also to meet people and to have access to locals in the bargain. Many language schools can help arrange a homestay, and most offer little extras: cultural outings, discounted tickets to museums or transportation, etc.
- Be in love in Paris, or Cape Town: everywhere is grand when you’re in love! But these two top our list of romantic cities. We’ve been to Paris a bunch and Cape Town only once. Both are stunningly pretty, in large as well as small ways (the ways vegetable sellers arrange their wares, for instance – not that it’s all about food).
- Learn to cook: we’ve done cooking lessons in a couple of places. Thailand was the most fun, because they made fun of us for being sissies about spice. Also because afterwards we got to eat Thai food.
- Try something new: for us, this is nearly always food, from eel pie in London to waffles in Norway. But we are also willing to try other stuff; part of the reason to travel is to be able to do things you couldn’t or wouldn’t do at home.
- Take a scenic rail trip: we wrote about our journey on the Flåm-Myrdal train; that’s just a short one, but we love trains (and are planning some longer trips on them).
- Go out of your way: gather recommendations about unusual things to see and do; have a quest; or do a favour for someone. For instance, we picked up a pair of chappals for an Indian friend when we were there; she was grateful and it gave us the chance to go into a couple of stores we wouldn’t otherwise have entered. The idea here is to get out of your comfort zone, and to experience something most tourists don’t. (This is also why we used to get haircuts on vacation.)
- Spend some time getting to know a place. Obviously, this is our jam. And we can’t recommend it highly enough: the feeling you get when you return to a city you know, even just a little bit, is amazing. We’ve had this in Oxford for years, and a few other places. And now we’re broadening our repertoire.
So there you have it, our dozen best travel experiences so far. Chances are good, though, that we’ll have added a few more by this time next year!
