Seeing the Northern Lights is quite possibly the thing that sits at the top of the vast majority of people’s bucket lists. It’s certainly got a very definite place on mine, and is one of the original entries. Despite having been to Finnish Lapland a couple of times I am yet to see the sneaky celestial event. Said to be breath-taking, I think I would find seeing it with my own eyes quite humbling.
So when I spotted a competition over on Life in a Break Down to win a trip to see the remarkable dancing lights in the sky, I couldn’t resist but write my own entry. Transun are giving one lucky blogger who takes part the chance to see the Northern Lights deep inside the Arctic Circle on one of their short breaks. Yes please!
To enter, Transun want to know what my top three travel bucket list destinations are. You all know that my bucket list is very long, and as a relative newcomer to the travel game an awful lot of the things on it are places I want to visit.
My Travel Bucket List
Iceland
It feels like everyone I know has ticked Iceland off their travel bucket list in the last few months. Really. I think I know at least twenty people who have each, separately, visited this place since October last year. Very jealous. Reykjavik is supposed to be a lovely city with lots of things going on, some great food to try, and of course the stunning Hallgrímskirkja church. Then of course I’d want to swim in the Blue Lagoon, go whale watching, see the geysers, visit a lava field and at least one volcano, go into an ice cave, and stand over the Gullfoss waterfalls. Add to all that sleep in an igloo for a night and I’ll be a really happy lady. I’m not sure all of those could be done in one trip! Thankfully it’s not actually that far away from home so it is feasible to do a city break to get a taste of the country rather than having to take a couple of weeks off work, making it very possible this will be the first of the three on this short list to be ticked off. Of course Iceland is also an excellent place to see the Northern Lights; you know, just in case I don’t win this competition.
Canada
An absolutely massive country, this would take quite some exploring to do it justice. I think the vibrant city of Toronto and the power and scale (and noise) of the Niagara Falls (Horseshoe Falls) are probably the places that come to mind first, but I imagine going much further into the country – right over to the Yukon in the north west if possible. Although that might be more adventure than I could cope with…! I’d probably stick to the Canadian Rockies, said to be the Cathedrals of Canada, Lake Louise, Vancouver, Victoria, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and other such places (of course not necessarily in that order!). Did you know it is possible to ski and surf (outside, no fake experiences) in the same day in Canada? Please please please! Oh, and while I’m there I’d want to see an ice hockey match, a proper one with pushing and fighting and lots of noise!
New Zealand
Like so many other people, New Zealand has been on my travel bucket list for a long time. There is something about the country that has always captured my imagination, ever since the coolest kid in School went one summer holidays and toured with her parents in a camper van – oh how I wanted to be her (okay I still might want to be her a little bit – I wonder what she’s doing now)! This was added to tenfold when another friend spent time there on her year of adventure (this time last year, in fact); it just seems to be the place to discover. Mountains and volcanoes, lakes and an awesome coastline, farmland for miles and miles, Maori culture – New Zealand would provide a new view every single day. While my childhood dream was all about the old split screen vanilla Volkswagen campervan, these days I think a motorbike is much more likely to be my mode of transport, but either way it would make such an awe-inspiring location for a road trip. Definitely something to write home about.
I’d love to know what’s on your travel bucket list – let me know in the comments. Or have you been to any of these places? What are your must see and must do things for me to remember when I get to go?
And if you are a blogger yourself, get a post written before the end of April to be in with a chance of winning this trip, and then if you win you can take me with you!! Check this page over on the Transun website for the full details.