Zebras, Serengeti National Park, Africa
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You're Gonna Need A Bigger Bucket List
When embarking on a vacation to a (probably) once-in-a-lifetime destination, consider joining a group tour. Allowing someone else to handle all the details makes it easier for you to enjoy every moment of your dream destination.
by Jason Frye
When you envision bucket list travel, where do you see yourself? On safari in Africa? Stepping through snowdrifts on the Seventh Continent? Taking in the sight of misty Machu Picchu? Perhaps you’re studying the pyramids of Giza, browsing the markets of Morocco, walking cobbled streets in the heart of Europe or taking in the exceptional nature of the Galapagos Islands. Those travel dreams are within reach, and the easiest way to make them come true is to join like-minded explorers on a group trip. With fellow travelers by your side and experienced guides leading the way, you can turn your bucket list aspiration into the journey of a lifetime.
Blue-footed boobies, Galapagos Islands
Some faraway destinations almost require a guide. Unless you’re setting sail for the Galapagos Islands as the captain of your own ship, for example, you’ll visit several islands that make up this storied chain as part of a group expedition. Small-ship cruises frequent the Galapagos, where you can experience the same incomparable nature that inspired Charles Darwin during his visit nearly two centuries ago. As part of a group trip—whether here or in another part of the world—you’ll do none of the planning, leaving plenty of time for discovery as you snorkel with sea lions and marine iguanas, spot blue-footed boobies and flightless cormorants, and admire the awe-inspiring giant tortoises. Who knows, maybe your trip will spark a scientific revolution?
Posing next to the fur seals, Galapagos Islands
Group travel sometimes offers more bang for your bucket list buck when you combine trips. For a seamless travel experience, combine a Galapagos sailing with a shoreside trip through Peru’s Sacred Valley to the hidden city of Machu Picchu. Seasoned guides impart firsthand knowledge of local cultures and customs while managing all the travel logistics, including transportation and luggage handling. Additionally, they are fluent in the native language, so you don’t need to be. Your energy can be focused instead on making lasting connections to the land and people you encounter. As you stand before an Inca temple and have nothing to worry about other than snapping a perfect, frame-worthy photo of this sacred place, you’ll be glad you joined a group.
Machu Picchu, Andes Mountains in Peru
In sacred and ancient spaces, from the mosques and holy sites of Morocco to Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx complex, you’ll be glad for the expertise offered by a guided trip. Scholars and experts provide context as they translate inscriptions and hieroglyphs, tell bite-sized stories that bring history and mythology to life, and introduce a new way to experience the world. Friendly reminders of local customs and concerns will ensure your visit is respectful and meaningful (for you and your host destination), and cultural insights can bring people and places into better focus, giving you a deeper appreciation for the world you’re visiting. As you walk through souks and bazaars past shops loaded with spices, fabric, antiquities and art, a helpful translator can add to the experience and make bartering a breeze. They speak the local tongue and act as a cultural conduit, connecting you to market sellers in a way that would be harder to do on your own.
Peruvian woman in native dress
Safaris top many bucket lists, and a trip to see and photograph Africa’s “big five”—lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant and African buffalo—is too irresistible to miss, but also quite complicated to plan on your own, so you need a trusted, reliable group organizer. Will you visit Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park or Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve for The Great Migration of wildebeest and the abundance of elephant, giraffes and cheetahs there? Or, will you call on South Africa’s Kruger and Botswana’s Nxai Pan national parks to scratch your safari itch and pair the journey with a tour of South Africa’s famed wine regions and a quick dive with great white sharks? Tour operators can help tick all these boxes on your bucket list bingo card and keep you safe and secure all the while.
Elephant, Serengeti National Park, Africa
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Safety is paramount for many bucket list vacations when they include far-flung and difficult-to-reach destinations. Antarctica, the Seventh Continent, remains one of the remotest and harshest environments on the planet. To get there, most travelers transit the Drake Passage on a luxury cruise ship, experiencing one of two extremes: the relatively calm waters of the Drake “lake” or the fierce, heavy seas of the Drake “shake.” Silversea, a preferred AAA travel partner, takes seasickness out of the equation on its Antarctica Bridge cruises because you fly business class from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island to board your luxury ship and begin in earnest the trip of a lifetime. Expert wilderness guides keep you safe on land and at sea while scientists and specialists introduce you to the penguins, seals, whales, icebergs and glaciers of Antarctica.
Cheetah, Serengeti National Park, Africa
Even a getaway to a familiar place can benefit from group travel. A great tour operator provides not only guides who can translate and offer insights into the past, but also experiences that delve deeper, such as those known only to locals. These group tours become immersive, taking you beyond France’s Eiffel Tower to taste wines with a local vintner in the Loire Valley. Explore lesser-visited parts of Europe, discovering hidden gems, like a hut-to-hut trail in the Alps or dining at a Croatian oyster farm. Enjoy private tours of museums and historic sites, hands-on cooking classes and excursions into national parks or seldom-seen wild places in your host country. Group tours make these experiences possible, while also making your vacation to dream destinations safer, logistically easier, more culturally literate and, overall, more positive.
Gentoo penguin, Antarctica
No matter where your bucket list travel dreams point, a AAA Travel Advisor can help you find the trip that fits. Talk to your AAA Travel Advisor today to get started.
Loire Valley, France