Top 30 Travel Experiences

Jo Baldwin on 27 June 2018
Travelling isn’t about ticking countries off a list, it’s all about experiences. Here are 30 of my favourite travel experiences whether it is food, people, sounds, sights or smells. These are the things that we remember from our travels, and they’re what make us go back for more.

1. Spain: The smell of sweet jasmine and the sound of delicate flamenco guitar in Seville.

2. Iceland: Floating in the steamy, warm waters of the Blue Lagoon as snow falls.

3. China: Wandering ‘The Bund’ (waterfront in Shanghai) at night, when the city is lit up and everyone promenades with their families.

4. Costa Rica: Zip lining through the misty forest canopy in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest.

5. Cuba: Stopping for Piña coladas at a roadside shack on the way to see Che Guevara's tomb.

6. Italy: The amazing acoustics at the Baptistry at Pisa.

7. Malaysia: Grilled lobster on lush tropical getaway Gaya Island in Borneo.

8. India: Sunny mornings drifting on a rice boat in the backwater of Kerala as school children wave cheerily, kingfishers catching their breakfast and colourful sarees hang to dry in the breeze.

9. Croatia: Cocktails on the medieval roof turret at Bar Massimo in Korcula, for the jaw dropping Adriatic sunset.

10. Thailand: Overnight just one jump away from the lake at the floating Rainforest Camp in the jungle at Khao Sok’s unique Elephant Hills, then feeding, washing and interacting with Asia’s largest land animal.

11. Canada: The best ever seafood chowder at Hastings House on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

12. Morocco: Hawkers, musicians, entertainers and sizzling street food combine after dark at the electric, buzzing Jemaa el-Fnaa in Marrakesh.

13. Sweden: Stay in what must be the coolest tree houses in the world at the Scandinavian-chic TreeHotel.

14. France: You can’t beat chocolate mousse at Chez Janou in Paris.

15. Montenegro : Coffee and people watching on the Bay of Kotor in trendy Porto Montenegro, as superyachts come and go.

16. Tanzania: The ultimate in safari innovation, a ‘Tent with a View’ is a working 4X4 that converts into luxury tented safari accommodation with an elevated bedroom and balcony looking out to the African wilderness.

17. South Africa: Seafood on the stylish waterfront in Cape Town.

18. UAE: Burj al Arab afternoon tea in Dubai after skydiving over The Palm.

19. USA: An evening visit to Alcatraz to watch the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge.

20. Norway: Husky sledding under the Northern Lights before settling into a cosy glass igloo for the night.

21. Antigua: A beach lover’s paradise, there are 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.

22. Egypt: Stargazing in the vast silent desert with traditional Bedouin tea and shisha pipe.

23. Colombia: Night time swimming in sparkling bioluminescence in the warm inky waters of the Caribbean.

24. Indonesia: Paradise palm fringed beaches and the feel of powdery white sand between your toes on the traffic-free Gili Islands.

25. Scotland: Swimming with seals and then warming up in a wood fired hot tub and drinking gin that’s been made on the premises at Torrisdale Castle Estate.

26. Bolivia: Other-worldly landscapes that will blow your mind at the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni.

27. Guatemala: Dawn, and the sound of the jungle waking up around the ancient Mayan citadel in the rainforests of northern Tikal.

28. St Lucia: The psychedelic underwater world of fish and coral that awaits when snorkelling or scuba diving with the backdrop of the Piton mountains above water.

29. Mauritius: A sunset cruise with dolphins playing in the wake of the catamaran.

30. Kenya: Share your breakfast at the aptly named Giraffe Manor, where the windows are flung open to welcome the gentle giants as they poke in their long necks to see what's on the menu.