From Samhain and All Souls’ Day to Día de Muertos and good old All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), the northern hemisphere’s autumnal shift into the long, dark days of winter produces creepy and colorful celebrations around the globe.
04.10.2023 - 10:35 / forbes.com / Leonardo Da-Vinci / Mona Lisa
What are the best places to travel? If you’re like most people, the allure of new horizons and uncharted adventures keeps you constantly adding destinations to your travel bucket list. Britain-based luxury travel company Kuoni recently did a study to rank the world’s best bucket list places to visit.
Kuoni conducted the comprehensive analysis by scouring Google search data for 119 bucket list items in 219 countries. The results paint a vivid picture of travel aspirations, spanning from the breathtaking shores of the Maldives to the thundering majesty of Niagara Falls, encompassing iconic landmarks and awe-inspiring natural wonders along the way.
According to Sheena Paton, senior program manager, this is the first time Kuoni has assembled this list. “We’ve previously created travel stories that have analyzed the demand for different locations or the best landmarks to visit, but this unique study looks at every country's most popular bucket list item,” Paton told me in an interview. “We were intrigued to see how this might vary from country to country and which experiences would come out on top, so we decided to do this study to reveal what travelers around the world want to experience.”
Coming in at the top is the idyllic cluster of islands known as the Maldives—which is known for its beautifully white sands, bright blue waters and incredible sunsets. It topped the list for a staggering 121 countries. It’s great to see that a trip to the Maldives is considered a bucket list item for so many people,” says Paton. “It’s a tropical paradise popular amongst honeymooners, families and retirees alike.”
Coincidentally, in 2021 Kuoni looked at where the world wants to travel most. “The top destinations to travel to that year were the Maldives, Mexico and Bali, which is interesting because visiting the Maldives also came top as the most searched-for travel bucket list experience in this most recent report,” says Paton.
In second place: Niagara Falls, which has an impressive amount of searches each year, as people hope to get up close to the incredible waterfalls located on the Canadian and American border. “Getting splashed at Niagara Falls is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience which focuses on the stunning natural wonder,” says Paton.
In third place—seeing the Mona Lisa, with art lovers around the world flocking to the Louvre in Paris to admire this iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting. “It’s something that draws thousands of people all over the world just to catch a glimpse,” says Paton.
The United States has an impressive six places on the top 20 worldwide list—in fact, it’s the country with the most locations on the list. In addition to Niagara Falls, the experiences that made it on the list include climbing
From Samhain and All Souls’ Day to Día de Muertos and good old All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween), the northern hemisphere’s autumnal shift into the long, dark days of winter produces creepy and colorful celebrations around the globe.
Known for its beautiful scenery and adventure activities, New Zealand is on many a bucket list. It's also great for family travel.
Several blocks away from The Dolli in Athens’ central Plaka, visitors encounter the ruins of Hadrian’s Library and the Roman Agora before climbing the hill up to the Acropolis. Guests of The Dolli, though, have an easier time if they want a glimpse of the Parthenon’s splendor: they can take a table at the rooftop restaurant or sit in or by the infinity pool, both with straight on views of this iconic temple. It’s one reason to stay at this new boutique hotel, a part of Grecotel Hotels & Resorts, which opened officially in January and one reason owner Mari Daskalantonaki selected this site. But it’s not the only advantage of being in residence here.
The list of the best restaurants in India in 2023 is out, and Indian Accent at The Lodhi, New Delhi, has yet again taken the crown. This makes it the third time that Indian Accent has ranked first in Condé Nast Traveller India's Top Restaurant Awards—with wins in the inaugural edition in 2017 and then again in 2019. In the second spot in the Top Restaurant Awards was Bomras, Goa, with Mumbai’s ingredient-forward Masque climbing up the ladder to third place.
At over six million acres, New York State’s Adirondack Park is the country’s largest contiguous park, resplendent with lakes, mountains, and rivers. While there’s a vast wilderness for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to explore, the Eastern High Peaks region—home to Lake Placid—is being loved to death, particularly in the fall, when tourism hits its annual peak. A bleak new report found that the High Peaks are showing signs of ecological stress and damage due to the high levels of foot traffic on its popular trails.
"Are you guys sure you don't want to ride the roller coaster with me?" I asked my parents, my heart skipping a beat as the screams from the mega drop faded into the background.
New York is one of 23 states where recreational marijuana is now legal. Travelers aged 21 and older may possess up to three ounces of cannabis (24 grams of concentrated cannabis) and consumption is permitted in most public spaces where smoking and vaping are allowed. Limitations still apply and you might feel more comfortable saving your dispensary haul for the end of the day – nodding off on the subway isn’t going to do you any favors. Get a bite of the Big Apple high life and revel in some post-hike hashish at these cannabis-friendly Airbnbs in New York State.
New Zealand is famed for its natural beauty.
As a flock of noisy jet skiers circle the Statue of Liberty on a warm October evening, Matthew Rhys looks out at the horizon. “There’s a Welsh word, hiraeth, which is loosely translated to ‘a longing for home,’" he says. “But it's something slightly more than that. It's a longing for something that can never be again.”
According to a recent global survey conducted by Hilton and Ipsos, travelers say they will reduce other areas of personal spending to prioritize leisure travel in 2024, with a majority across generations indicating their No. 1 reason to travel in 2024 will be to rest and recharge, with more emphasis on sleep than ever before. Those insights and more were unveiled today with the launch of Hilton’s third-annual trends report: “What Millennials, Gen Z, Gen X and Baby Boomers Tell Us About Travel in the Year Ahead.” In addition to defining the preferences and passions of the 2024 traveler, the report takes a deeper look at how each generation views travel – from the digital-native Gen Zer to the experienced Baby Boomer.
While a large portion of the world considers Halloween to be largely for children, Americans of all ages take the holiday very seriously.
Combining a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences into a single around-the-world trip can feel like the ultimate expression of luxury travel. It can be a daunting prospect though, with many contending factors to consider. Here's how to start planning the ultimate round-the-world trip.