1. TIBET
Tibet is first on my list for a number of reasons. In order to get there you have to travel with a group, on a tour, in a private car, with a tour guide at all times. There are a lot of restrictions on foreigners traveling to Tibet, and China is extremely strict about enforcing them. These restrictions also make the trip expensive. Getting all the way to Tibet, and then paying for a tour, is not cheap.
When I went, I had been living in Nepal for a few months. My brother flew out to visit me and we took a tour from Kathmandu to Lhasa by car, and then flew back. I highly recommend doing that option because some of the best sights were in route to Lhasa, not in the city. You would miss a lot by only touring Lhasa.
It was absolutely amazing learning about Tibet, from Tibetans. I usually hate tours but I really enjoyed learning all about Tibetan history, culture, and current events from our guide. We also had the most eclectic group of foreigners that we loved getting to know. Everyone was well traveled and asked a lot of interesting questions.
Even though Tibet was bizarrely beautiful, it had its share of downfalls even once you made it. I'd never been so cold in my life. Sleeping in the high mountain passes, in hotels that don't have heaters, left me colder than I'd ever been. I pored hot water in every plastic bottle I could collect, and left them in my bed each night. Also, everyone experienced some form of altitude sickness. Between the cold and the altitude there were a few days straight that everyone in our group was sick. My brother Josh got it the worst. Even when we made it to Lhasa, he wasn't able to get out of bed. He had to be taken to the hospital and given oxygen multiple times. They didn't have a decompression chamber, and he remained deathly ill until we were able to get on our flight back to Kathmandu. In other words, be prepared, and you will love it.
Tibet was bizarre, enlightening, and completely unique. Unless regulations change, I will most likely never make it back.
2. ANTARCTICA
Antarctica was my most recent adventure. I've always felt that it was a once-in-a-lifetime destination. Now that I've made it, I want to go back. It's possibly no longer a once-in-a-lifetime destination for me, but for most people, it will be.
I went to the Antarctic Peninsula with Oceanwide Expeditions. If you are not a researcher, you will most likely travel to Antarctica by boat on an expedition. It is the easiest, cheapest, and most common way to see Antarctica. Yet, it still is extremely expensive, and takes forever to get too!
The two main reasons Antarctica is a once-in-a-lifetime destination are: price, and distance. A trip to Antarctica will cost most people somewhere between $5,000 - $10,000. That one trip is more than I spend on travel in any given year, and I travel a lot. The distance is almost as daunting as the price. It took me about 5 days to get to the continent and 5 days back. That means in a 2 week trip, I was only in Antarctica for 4 days! 2 1/2 days each way are spent traveling the Drake passage by boat, which will make almost everyone seasick.
Despite Antarctica's large downfalls, I could come up with hundreds of reasons why you must go. It is the last great wilderness, which means I found it endlessly beautiful. We were there for 4 days taking an average of 2 shore excursions per day. Each place we visited was completely unique and amazing. We saw endless snow capped mountains, 300 foot tall walls of ice, thousands of glaciers, hundreds of penguins, lots of whales, seals, birds, and land that went on forever. I couldn't look away from the bright blue glaciers, and loved waiting for the ice to break off. It was a mesmerizing place, and time flew by while you were there.
While in the Galapagos Islands, I saw more unique species and wildlife than I have anywhere else in the world. Sea lions are everywhere. They are on park benches, streets, and boats. They are sloths above water, and playful and energetic down below. We swam with tons of small sharks, rays, turtles, and even hammerhead sharks. There were wild flamingos, pelicans, blue footed boobies, penguins, crabs, and hundreds of lizards. The lizards were of all sizes, and some were up to 4 feet long. The Galapagos Tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise, and you better not miss seeing them while you are there! It is amazing how many species you will see, how many of each species you will see, and how large the species grow in that environment.
The downfalls to the Galapagos, which make it a once-in-a-lifetime, are almost as prevalent as the reasons to go. The first is, like most once-in-a-lifetime destinations, it's expensive. It is nowhere near as expensive as Antarctica, but expensive none-the-less. It costs a lot to get to, and still does once you arrive. It is also far away from anything, and takes a long time to get to. Once you arrive there aren't many nice beaches, and even less nice hotels and towns. They don't have ferries, but small bumpy speed boats that you take from island to island, taking up much of your day. The people aren't very flexible and customizing tours is almost impossible. Lastly, the water is surprisingly cold, and the land surprisingly barren in places. The downfalls make me not want to go back anytime soon, but despite them, it is worth visiting. I have never seen such amazing wildlife, and in such large quantities.
Palau is the one destination on this list that doesn't meet the requirement of being expensive. Yes it can be expensive to pay for the flight, but once you arrive it is surprisingly well priced for what you get. I had no expectations of Palau, so when I arrived, I was blown away. Palau is made up of around 200 islands and is located in the west Pacific Ocean. It is surprisingly modern, and is known mostly for it's rock islands and scuba diving. If you enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving, add it to your bucket list.
I started my trip off with a cave dive, which I always love. One of my favorite parts of diving is how peaceful it can be. The silence underwater and the scale of the ocean has always amazed me. Cave dives seem to amplify this feeling. The cave dive consisted of three chambers, all of which you could surface in an air pocket inside. The other activities that you can't miss are the numerous ship wrecks, shark dives, and the chance to swim with dolphins. We also took a rock island tour where we were able to see giant clams, white mud, beautiful beaches, and much more.
My absolutely favorite part of the trip, which in my mind was totally under-rated by everyone, was Jellyfish Lake. You hike into a lake in the middle of a rock islands, and slip into the side of the lake with your snorkel and fins. The lake itself feels quite and deserted. As you swim towards the center you start seeing jellyfish, and you see more and more the further you go. By the time you find the middle you are surrounded by millions of these jellyfish. They sting, but it is not powerful enough for humans to feel. They have been trapped in the lake for thousands of years and their sting has almost completely disappeared over time. Many of the other travelers enjoyed Jellyfish Lake, but weren't as amazed by it as I was. It is by far one of the most unique experiences I've ever had, and it is definitely makes the once-in-a-lifetime cut.
5. NORWAY
Norway is a beautiful country with endless places to explore, absolutely amazing scenery, and fun vibrant cities. The only downfall, which allows it to be on my list, is price. Once you go to Norway, you realize you most likely can't afford to go back!
One of the days for lunch, we decided to get some fish from a street vendor. My brother ordered a skewer of a white fish, and a skewer of shrimp. Not that big of a lunch, but it ended up costing around U.S. $80. Afterwords, we all decided we were better off going hungry. We thought Norway would be a great start to our diet.
Even though Norway is out of my price range, it is one of my favorite places I have every been. The people are extremely nice, the cities are super clean, and the fjords are unforgettable. I was constantly surprised by the sites that we saw, and loved every place we stopped. I enjoy cities, but I love travel due to all the unique natural sites and landscapes that you can find. Norway has hidden gems almost everywhere. You'll round the corner to a wall of endless waterfalls. You unexpectedly find yourself in crazy-steep valleys. On the train ride from Oslo to Bergen the landscape seemed to completely change every half hour. I could have spent months exploring Norway, but unless the U.S. $ strengthens, I won't be heading back anytime soon.
Another reason why I love Norway, is their style. I love Scandinavian style's and wanted to buy everything I passed for my house. I am not a huge shopper, but I just couldn't get myself out of the Norwegian home stores. I loved them all!
There are lots of destinations beyond these five, that will be once-in-a-lifetime for the majority of people. I definetly have a lot more to see, but these have been a few of my favorites so far, and if you ever have the opportunity to visit an, GO!
