Bucket List Trips

By Jacqueline Miller

What’s on your bucket list?

Fulfilling our dreams becomes so much more important as we age, with traveling always near the top of the dream list. So what, besides the always-popular safaris, are some of the trending “must do before you get to heaven” bucket list trips?

I asked local travel expert Lisa Silvestri of Silvestri Travel for the answers. And while she admitted there are way too many good trips from which to choose, she did pick a few incredible choices to put in your bucket.

All Aboard

Since 1990, Rocky Mountaineer, the world’s largest privately-owned luxury tourist train, has welcomed more than 2 million guests to inhale the mountain air and let nature take their breath away. The unparalleled experience onboard the all-dome fleet offers rich, historic storytelling, world-class cuisine, a first-hand look at the vast and untouched wild beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and an opportunity to share memorable moments and make lasting friendships with fellow travelers. dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream dream

With over 65 vacation packages, you can choose from four unique rail routes, which travel through iconic destinations such as Seattle, Vancouver and the majestic Canadian Rockies in Alberta. This luxurious train travels by daylight, with overnight stays in destinations such as Kamloops, Whistler, and Quesnel, BC, so guests do not miss a single moment of the breathtaking scenery along the way. Rocky Mountaineer onboard hosts provide engaging storytelling of the passing regions and never fail to point out the glacier-capped mountains, tumbling waterfalls, and fleeting wildlife.

The culinary adventure onboard reflects the regions through which the train travels, highlighting local ingredients, such as local produce, Pacific salmon, and prime Alberta beef. Rocky Mountaineer executive chefs take inspiration from the landscape unfolding outside of the train windows when designing all menus.

Rocky Mountaineer’s season runs from mid-April to mid-October and travels at an average speed of 30 mph. It is the only all-daylight journey to travel the historic routes from Vancouver through the Rockies, so you don’t miss a moment of the majestic scenery.

Four Unique Rail Routes:

First Passage to the West (Vancouver – Lake Louise or Banff)

Journey through the Clouds (Vancouver – Jasper)

Coastal Passage (Seattle – Jasper, Lake Louise or Banff)

Rainforest to Gold Rush (Vancouver – Jasper via Whistler and Quesnel)

Soft Breeze

In 1998, Sir Richard Branson went to Morocco with the goal of circumnavigating the globe in a hot air balloon. While there, his parents found a beautiful kasbah and dreamed of turning it into a wonderful Moroccan retreat. Eventually Branson purchased the kasbah and made his parents’ dream come true.

Located in Asni, a little village and marketplace in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, Kasbah Tamadot (tamadot means ‘soft breeze’ in Berber) is a romantic and magical property perfect for relaxation and a cultural discovery of Moroccan food and customs. It is approximately a 45-minute drive south of Marrakech Menara Airport and approximately one hour south from central Marrakech.

This tranquil and secluded hotel has 28 rooms and suites, including a Master Suite and ten Berber Tents. Each room at Kasbah Tamadot is decorated in a unique style with artifacts from around the world. The luxurious Berber tented suites offer stunning views of the Atlas Mountains, king-size beds, large soaking tubs (some with mountain views) and private terraces with sun loungers and outdoor dining areas. Some even have private plunge pools. They also all come equipped with split air conditioning units to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. Accessed through the herb and vegetable garden, the tented suites are perfect for those looking for a little more privacy.

In their quest for guests to achieve optimum relaxation, everyone is asked to switch off their phones or put them on silent. Tranquility is paramount. You can indulge in spa treatments in the luxurious Asounfou spa, cooking lessons, tennis, private dining under the stars. Kasbah Tamadot recruits 95% of its staff from the surrounding communities; along with the extended family of 4 mules, 3 donkeys and 2 camels, a stay at Kasbah Tamadot is like a stay in a true Moroccan home. Something quite special is the opportunity to learn about the local culture and for guests to really immerse themselves in it. You can venture out to the local villages to enjoy a cup of fresh mint tea in a traditional Berber home and visit the Berber Boutique, which donates 30% of its revenue to Eve Branson’s Foundation in support of local projects.

As they say at Kasbah Tamadot—Salim Alikoum (peace be with you).

Dance with the Lights

If you want to check the Northern Lights off your bucket list, you need to go to Iceland. Did you know Iceland is the optimal destination to see the Lights and that September through April are the best months? While other countries like Norway, Canada and Finland also offer good opportunities to catch this incredible phenomenon (since they also have longer hours of darkness in winter), they face more cloud cover challenges to view the Lights than does Iceland. Also, due to the nature of the earth’s magnetic field, the Northern Lights only appear at the poles, usually above the 60° latitude mark in the north. Iceland, which sits at the latitude of approximately 64° north, is in a perfect position.

The Northern Lights appear as dancing lights high in the sky and vary in color, mainly green, but can be purple, red, pink, orange and blue depending on the elements being ionized.

To witness the aurora borealis in all their glory in Iceland requires patience, luck and optimum conditions.

For the best experiences, you can hunt the Lights in a jeep tour with an expert guide who uses the latest forecasts to lead the hunt. You can also witness glaciers and volcanoes during the day. For a different perspective, you can take a Northern Lights cruise to take in some incredible coastal experiences.

But your best friend for viewing the Northern Lights is time. Going for just a couple of days makes it doubtful you’ll have a sighting. You need to plan to stay for as long as you can. And one of the best towns in which to do your waiting is Akureyri.

Nestled at the bottom of the beautiful Eyjafjörður fjord and surrounded by mountains, Akureyri is known for its mild climate, picture-perfect scenery and a number of good quality restaurants. It is an enchanting, cosmopolitan town that is still somehow quintessentially Icelandic. The area around Akureyri attracts people from all over the world wanting to experience the volcanic rock formations and geothermal landscape.

As for where to stay, Akureyri’s Hotel Kea is a four-star hotel which, according to a TripAdvisor review, is “pretty high-quality compared to many of the other hotels in Iceland which tend to be more of a motel quality.” And, if you’re lucky, you can view the phenomenon of the Northern Lights right from your hotel balcony.

Feeling adventurous? Check out our Elite Escapes series, featuring some of the most exquisite vacation spots we’ve seen.