Eight Places on My International Bucket List

Let’s talk about an international bucket list for a second. In 2019, our youngest child turned 2 and we left her and our other girls with my mom and went to France. That year was our self-proclaimed kickoff year for launching into more travel – the kids were getting older, I wasn’t planning on more pregnancies, and we decided we could expand our travel budget a bit more.

Of course, 2020 completely threw a wrench into those great plans, but now in 2021, we are revisiting all our plans and looking at where our top priorities are.

In no particular order, here are 8 places that are at the top of our international bucket list for the next few years (All images via Unsplash):

1. Peru

Peru looks awesome. Neither Matthew nor I have been to South America and we are chomping at the bit to start exploring this continent. Of course, we want to visit Macchu Pichu (Matthew is also interested in hiking the Inca Trail there), but we also definitely want to visit Rainbow Mountain, and go stay in a treehouse in the Amazon.

2. Greece

I started looking at Greece because it was one of the first European countries to announce it would open up to vaccinated tourists, and after doing research for my Virtual Vacation polls on Instagram stories, I was hooked – Greece needs to be in my near future!

3. Christmas Markets in Germany

I would love to go Christmas market hopping in Europe and from what I’ve read, Germany has some of the best Christmas markets around! Snow falling, hot cider, Christmas decorations, and booths of regional wares seem like the perfect winter wonderland setting.

4. Thailand

I’ve heard many people say that Thailand is a backpacker’s paradise, and also that Thailand is a great country to start in when visiting southeast Asia. I’ll take it! I’ve done a fair bit of research and planning on Thailand already, so I think when we go we’ll skip Bangkok completely and focus on Chiang Mai in the north, and an island in the south. Can’t wait!

5. Prague/Budapest/Vienna

Okay, okay, I know these are three different places, but Matthew and I have had this itinerary in mind for years. Since they are all located relatively close to each other, we’d love to spend a trip going between and exploring these three central-European cities.

6. Tanzania

I am DYING to go to Tanzania and go on safari. Plus, Mount Kilimanjaro and the beaches at Zanzibar? It just feels like such an ultimate bucket list adventure.

7. Cartagena, Colombia

I only recently became aware of this city on the north end of south America, but I immediately was convinced I needed to go and it shot to the top of my bucket list. An old colonial city with beautiful architecture, color everywhere, flowers and gorgeous beaches? Yup, I can definitely handle that.

8. Israel

My mom spent a semester in Israel as a college student and raved about it – I would love to go and experience this different culture and see all the Biblical sites in the Holy Land. Heading into Jordan and/or Egypt wouldn’t be a bad idea either on this trip!

Final Thoughts and How We Prioritize

I am hoping that in the next few years I can check off a lot of these places on our international bucket list!

Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list, many other places interest me, and a lot of the decision on where we go is driven by what good deals we can find – as we often choose our destinations based what places have the cheapest flights!

This is one of my favorite travel hacking strategies – to read more about how we regularly score fantastic deals on flights and hotels, head to my travel hacking post here!

What are places are on the top of your international bucket list?