20 Experiences To Add To Your Bucket List Immediately

19 Jan 20 Experiences To Add To Your Bucket List Immediately

As originally seen on Traveller24

It’s been a crazy, wild, unforgettable (and slightly unbelievable) journey, travelling full-time for nearly three years. We’ve done some extraordinary things, and we’ve been to places we hadn’t even heard of when we left on our trip in March 2015. But every great journey starts somewhere, and for us, it was our Wanderlist (our own affectionate term for our traveling Bucket List) that turned our “someday” dream into a tangible trip of a lifetime.

Back in early 2014 (when traveling around the world was a mere figment of our ambitious imagination), we decided to write down on a piece of paper, all the wonderful dreamy things we’ve always wanted to do (you know, in case we ended up with enough savings and enough internal guts to actually quit our jobs and buy two one way tickets…spoiler alert: we did). Needless to say, nearly three years have passed, and we have managed to tick off 75 of our 100 Bucket List items.

Now, in case the idea of writing your New Year’s resolutions is clouding your mind, and at the top of your list is “Travel more”, we wanted to give you some ideas of epic Bucket List items we’ve ticked off already (that were as magical as we imagined them to be) so that you have the perfect starting point(s).

Camp under the stars

We kept it quite vague, as we weren’t sure of the perfect spot to do this in, but when we finally made it to the dunes of Paracas in Peru, this seemed like the best spot to tick this item off.

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Paracas // Peru Our last night in Peru involved some off-roading through dunes, star gazing, and dinner in the middle of the desert. A truly magical way to end our (first) trip to South America 🌌 —————————————————- We have tagged all the talented creators from the #DestinationDiscoveries trip in this pic >> if you're looking for some new talent to add to your feed, make sure you check them out (if you're not following them already) 😀✌🏼 —————————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinperu #peru #paracas

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Aug 12, 2017 at 9:24am PDT

Take a walk in the Namib desert, Namibia

We still can’t believe that we had to travel over 300,000km to discover that one of the world’s most beautiful places, was a drive away from our hometown of Jozi.

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107 625km // Deadvlei // Namibia Let us paint the scene… It's 43 degrees Celsius. Our 4×4 is about 1.5km away. The sun is slowly going down. There isn't a person in sight, and the two of us are standing on the clay desert sand, surrounded by dead trees that have only been preserved by the heat and wind of Namibia's oldest desert. Ah #Deadvlei 😍 If we could handle the heat more, we would never leave. Blog : howfarfromhome.com Snapchat : howfarfromhome Curated videos : facet.com/@howfarfromhome #howfarfromhome #hffhinnamibia #facetnation #facet50 #whpeyetricks

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Mar 13, 2016 at 8:42am PDT

See the Cherry Blossoms in Japan

Timing was everything here, and we literally designed our entire Asian itinerary to ensure that we were in Japan during the Cherry Blossom season (between end March and mid-April).

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229 397km // Tokyo // Japan Here we were, at the end of our Japanese adventure – two magical weeks exploring this phenomenal country, with our final morning proving to be the best morning shoot we could have asked for. Cherry Blossoms for years, and a realization that our Asian leg has come to an end (for now). Next stop >> HOME (for some much needed R&R…and a chance to show YOU what our beautiful country has on offer). Check in on Sunday for our Home Series in sunny South Africa 🇿🇦 #howfarfromhome #hffhinjapan #japan #tokyo

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Jun 1, 2017 at 10:16am PDT

Go mushing with Huskies

To make this happen, we signed up to do an entire month of volunteer work at the top of Norway at a husky lodge. Still goes down as one of the best months of our lives, although you don’t have to go to such extremes to go mushing – most Arctic resorts these days offer this for their guests.

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13 012km // Alta // Norway With 13 012km traveled over the past two months, we have made it to the Arctic Circle. 70 degrees north and 2230km from the North Pole, the sun sets around 10pm and is up again at 2am. We are fortunate enough to be staying at the "Northern Lights Husky Lodge" for a month, so look forward to seeing more of these amazing dogs (60 full grown and 8 puppies in total). Follow our story >> link to blog in profile. #howfarfromhome #hffhinnorway

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on May 3, 2015 at 7:30am PDT

Relax in the Blue Lagoon, Iceland

It couldn’t have been a more special evening (arriving at 10pm in the middle of Summer to avoid most of the crowds) during our Summer trip to Iceland.

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154 071km // Blue Lagoon // Iceland Stepping into the warm waters of the @bluelagoonis, overlooking the midnight sun, wearing nothing but some @elementeden attire…the perfect way to end a birthday celebration 🎉. ———————————————- Facebook /thisishowfarfromhome Snapchat 👻 How Far From Home Twitter @HowFarFromHome ———————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhiniceland #element #elementeden facetnation #facet50 #igersiceland #icelandacademy #bluelagoon #iceland #mystopover #discovericeland

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Jun 27, 2016 at 9:17am PDT

Visit the hidden caves in Algarve, Albufeira, Portugal

Reached only by boat, these caves blew our minds and made us fall in love with this Mediterranean country.

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164 368km // Ria Formosa // Portugal As you know, we're a little obsessed with unique experiences, and catching boats into the Atlantic to swim with dolphins, find hidden caves, and trek to (practically) uninhabited islands with beautiful lighthouses is what we live for. Going to the #BenagilCave has been on #TheGlobalWanderlist for a while, so were really happy to see it in the flesh and tick that off ✔️ ———————————————- Facebook 📪 /thisishowfarfromhome YouTube 🎥 How Far From Home Snapchat 👻 How Far From Home ———————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinportugal #theluxurycollection #visitportugal #facetnation #facet50

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Aug 3, 2016 at 1:05pm PDT

See the midnight sun

Experiencing this natural phenomenon at 69 degrees north, was truly a life-changing experience.

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We've waited a long time to see this. We finally got a clear sunny night and at 12 we saw this… The midnight sun in all its glory.

A post shared by Stevo Dirnberger (@stevodirnberger) on Jun 1, 2015 at 8:45am PDT

Cross the Charles Bridge in Prague, Czech Republic

One of Europe’s finest cities, filled with gorgeous architecture and culturally-rich in history, (not to mention home to some of the best beer in the world…if not the best), having this bridge to yourself at sunrise was one of our favourite memories from Europe.

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Prague // Czech Republic Crossing the Charles Bridge in beautiful Prague was one of our early Wanderlist items #linkinbio & one of the reasons we left South Africa in the first place. We wanted to: ✅ Get up early to avoid the crowds ✅ Take a walk from one side to the next ✅ Enjoy some good local 🍺 (which is really, REALLY good) later that day Happy to report we did it all, and did it during this PERFECT time of year 😍🍁🙌 —————————————————- If you’re also planning on visiting #Praha, make sure you check out @hideoutprague – @hideoutbali’s little Czech cousin (you may remember the bamboo house we stayed in Bali in Feb? Well, now we tried out the equally cool micro-living apartment…possibly Prague’s smallest apartment. Comment ☝️ if you saw our InstaStory tour of the place) —————————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinczechrepublic #prague #czech #czechrepublic #czechia

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Nov 21, 2017 at 9:01am PST

Walk along the Inca Trail at Machu Picchu, Peru

A firm favourite on almost everyone’s Bucket List, this citadel at the top of the Sacred Inca Valley is worth all the hype (and should definitely be on your list if it isn’t already).

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Machu Picchu // Peru Maybe it's because we have been traveling together for the last 2.5 years. Maybe it's because we have only spent 3 days apart since embarking on this journey. Maybe it's because we only had these clean clothes left in our bags… whatever it is, we are clearly #twinning here and our outfits match. Always a win. —————————————————- Shoutout to our friend @nikon_photography_ who captured this shot for us a couple months ago 👫 —————————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinperu #destinationdiscoveries #machupicchu #peru #ongooglemaps

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Sep 20, 2017 at 10:01am PDT

Photograph the Tre Cime in the Dolomites at sunrise

We love this mountain range so much, we’ve visited it four times already – Steve even chose it as the location for our recent proposal, but with views like that, do you blame him?

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167 770km // San Candido // Italy The final photo taken with @ChanelCartell's camera before it went swimming (in the puddle you see in the shot), and the final board shot we'll take in Europe this year, because guys – WE'RE AMERICA BOUND!! That's right, our next stop is the city that never sleeps, the big apple, New York! We land tomorrow night, so follow along on Instagram stories as we share our transit from London. ———————————————- We'll be replacing Chanel's camera this week, so if you have any dollars/euros/rands to spare, please visit the link in our bio to help. Thank you to everyone who has donated already!! ———————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinitaly #thedolomeet #ichoosesancandido #dolomites #exploringtheglobebucketlist

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Aug 13, 2016 at 2:16pm PDT

Visit Antelope Canyon in Arizona, USA

Hidden deep in the American Southwest, our tour inside this slot canyon goes down as one of our most memorable photography sessions to date.

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182 439km // Arizona // USA Rated as one of the top 25 unique places to see before you die, Antelope Canyon completely blew our minds. As photographers, we struggled to get our heads around the prime shooting time of this location – 12pm (it's simply unheard of) – but as the midday light shone through the gaps, we understood why. If you're planning a trip here, be aware (as we weren't): – only guided tours allowed inside (no solo explorations) – if you want to take proper long-exposure photos inside, book the more expensive photography tour – totally worth it – you must have a DSLR and tripod in order to go on the photo tour – visit between 10am and 12pm for the best lighting ———————————————- Dedication // 16 of 33 // @lilypahd Our friend Leyash would absolutely LOVE this place, so we're dedicating this pic to him. Thanks for the donation friend – you're beyond special 😺 ———————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhinusa #facetnation #antelopecanyon #wildernextgen

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Sep 8, 2016 at 7:43am PDT

Find the ice cave in Berchtesgaden, Germany

Only accessible during Summer, the Eiskapelle in southern Germany (and the surrounding lakes and mountains in the region) will turn anyone into a nature lover.

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Berchtesgaden // Germany If you saw our InstaStory last week, you would have seen us hiking through the German Alps to find this particular spot (something we've been wanting to see and tick off our Wanderlist ever since we came last Winter and struggled through knee-high snow to find it – due to snow actually covering the entrance…and the pathway to get there). Well! Reason to love Summer #4356 – it's easy to access the #Eiskapelle – all you need is an epic group of friends to see it with >> thanks @sieklas @marcin.zabinski @julianpaull @nina.danninger and birthday boy @chrisperkles 😀🎉 #howfarfromhome #hffhingermany #berchtesgaden #germany #travel

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Aug 23, 2017 at 10:46am PDT

Explore the Banff National Park, Canada

Arguably Canada’s most beautiful National Park, renting a Motorhome and heading into the Canadian wilderness (for crystal blue lakes, sightings of bears, and natural hot springs) was one of our favourites.

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187 313km // Banff National Park // Canada There have been places we've traveled to that we didn't think would blow us away, and when we arrived we were totally taken aback. Then there have been places that we dreamt of seeing, but when we got there, we were a little underwhelmed. Banff was always on the list, and we're happy to say that it really REALLY didn't disappoint. If you have the means to get out there and see it, you really should! ———————————————- Stop by our personal feeds for some more inspiration • @chanelcartell @stevodirnberger ———————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhincanada #mybanff #explorecanada #explorealberta #trekbanff

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Oct 19, 2016 at 11:14pm PDT

Hike to see the abandoned DC plane wreck in Iceland

The 2.5km walk off the one main road in Iceland (into what looks like middle earth) couldn’t be more worth it, as having a plane wreck like this (all to yourself at midnight) is one of the most eerie and beautiful things you can ever experience.

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Sólheimasandur // Iceland Have you ever walked blindly into a flat open space, searching for something, but not knowing where to go? This happened to us in Namibia when we were searching for Deadvlei, in South Africa recently during a trip through the Karoo desert (check the #linkinbio for the full story) and it happened again, here in Iceland. There was some sort of a pathway leading to the wreck, but you couldn't see the plane until you got fairly close to it. Minimalistic landscapes like this are our absolute favourite, and this crazy wreck just adds to the scene. Note: we arrived at midnight and had it all to ourselves (for a few minutes) #midnightsun —————————————————- Tomorrow we launch a video that we have been working on for the past 2.5 years!! More details on tomorrow's InstaStories 🙌🏼 —————————————————- #howfarfromhome #hffhiniceland #iceland #dc3planewreckage

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on Aug 9, 2017 at 11:01am PDT

Visit the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan

Visiting this giant bamboo forest at sunrise (before the crowds) to experience pure serenity is exactly why Japan is in our top five favourite countries to visit. Ever.

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228 945km // Kyoto // Japan Number 128 on our Wanderlist is “Explore Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan” and what you see here is us doing just that. This exquisite bamboo grove is one of those locations that should be seen at least once in a lifetime. Once again, we beat the crowds by waking at the crack – our latest vlog shows the behind the scenes of said early morning rise. Enjoy >> link in bio 🎋 #howfarfromhome #hffhinjapan #japan #kyoto

A post shared by CHANEL + STEVO – TRAVEL STORY (@howfarfromhome) on May 11, 2017 at 10:36am PDT

Below are five additional items that we are yet to tick off ourselves, but yes, we hope to experience in 2018 #watchthisspace:

1. Photograph the Northern Lights in Scandinavia (a photographer’s dream – holding thumbs we get lucky during our upcoming trip to Norway)

2. Learn a dance in South America (with our wedding coming up, we thought this would be the perfect time)

3. Take part in sauna bathing in Finland (we’re terrified and giddy at the same time)

4. See the pink beaches of Budelli, Sardinia, Italy (just look this up on Google and it will all make sense)

5. Walk along the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia (one of the many things we still need to experience in South America)

If there’s any life-changing experiences you think we’ve missed (and you yourself want to take part in what we’re hoping will be the world’s largest crowd-sourced Bucket List), click here to add your suggestions.

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