The Holidays of a Lifetime You Need on Your Bucket List

Bucket list holidays are the biggies. They are the trips that we spend years planning, months counting down to, and even more time thinking about once we’re back home. Some are far-flung, others closer to home, but they all promise something extra-special to set them apart, whether that is an iconic train trip or tickets to a big event that only happens once a year. The next couple of years are set to be all about the big holidays and these are four trips of a lifetime that should be on everyone’s bucket list.

The Calgary Stampede, Rocky Mountaineer and Alaska

Pull on your cowboy boots and lasso your passport because we’re off to the Calgary Stampede, y’all! For ten days every year, Calgary tips its stetson and welcomes the world for the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’, an all-singing, all-dancing event with bucking broncos, mac ‘n’ cheese, music and plenty of cowboys. Calgary is just an hour from the Rocky Mountains and after your two-day western adventure, you’ll have the chance to see jaw-dropping Lake Louise in Banff with your own eyes. Stay at the Banff Caribou Lodge, checking out the surrounding National Park on a full day of sightseeing, including free national park passes, a helicopter ride and a jaunt on the Banff Gondola.

A chance to see the scenery in a more relaxing manner is next on the agenda, as you board the iconic Rocky Mountaineer train to Kamloops, Gold-Leaf service promising ultimate luxury along the way. After a night in both Kamloops and Vancouver, plus a visit to the Vancouver Lookout, you’ll embark a cruise to awe-inspiring, glacier-strewn Alaska. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of bears or whales to round off your holiday.

The Singapore Grand Prix™ & Southeast Asia Cruise

The Singapore Grand Prix™ became Formula One’s first ever night race in 2008 and many fans of the sport have considered it the most exciting race on the F1 schedule ever since. Belt up and prepare to experience the high-octane drama of the fast-paced sport’s favourite street race on a bucket list holiday that combines a stay in Singapore with Grandstand tickets, plus a Malaysia and Thailand cruise to wind down in the tropical sun after the adrenaline rush.

You’ll have time in Singapore to appreciate everything this amazing city has to offer, from sipping Singapore Slings in the Long Bay to visiting Raffles Hotel, standing under the Supertrees in the incredible Gardens By The Bay and shopping up a storm on Orchard Road. You’ll enjoy the full Singapore Grand Prix™ experience, watching the drivers race around the streets of the Marina Bay area under the neon lights of Singapore’s futuristic skyscrapers. With the chequered flag waved, you’ll board your ship and head for the likes of Port Klang in Kuala Lumpur and Phuket in Thailand.

China, The Great Wall and Pandas

From its rich history to its modern metropolises, China is like nowhere else on earth. That said, it isn’t the easiest place in the world to visit independently, which makes an escorted tour even more tempting…especially when it involves pandas.

This bucket list tour of China starts in Beijing and takes in everything from the Great Wall of China to age-old city of Xian in the Shaanxi province – the starting point for the fabled Silk Road. Make your acquaintances with the fearsome Terracotta Warriors and stand at the feet of the Great Buddha of Leshan. There will be plates and plates of Peking Duck and Shui Jiao dumplings to keep your energy up in between stops, plus acrobatic shows, museum tours and Tang Dynasty dancing to entertain at night.

Then come the pandas. We don’t know what it is about them, but if you have seen the panda videos on YouTube, you’ll already share our love for the black and white bears. They’re playful, naughty and great fun to watch at the Chengdu Panda Conservation Centre, where many of those cheeky panda videos were recorded. With a case full of panda-themed souvenirs, you’ll fly to Singapore to set sail on a voyage of Thailand and Vietnam.

Northern Lights, Blue Lagoon, Helicopter Over Niagara Falls and Christmas Shopping in New York

Now, this is what we call a bucket list holiday. You’ll search for the northern lights over Iceland and soak your tired shoulders in the Blue Lagoon. Next, it’s over to Niagara Falls and of course, everyone knows that the best way to see the Falls is from above, which is why a scenic flightseeing helicopter tour over the rapids and waterfalls is a must.

After a hop-skip-and-jump over the border from Toronto to New York on the AMTRAK train, you’ll arrive in the Big Apple at just the right time to make a hefty dent in your Christmas shopping. There’ll be time to whizz around the shops, catch a Broadway show and stock up on American candy for the kids or grandkids, before meeting your Queen Mary 2 in Brooklyn to commence the Transatlantic trip home. Don’t worry, there’s no luggage limit so you can shop until you drop in ‘the city that never sleeps’.

What sits at the top of your bucket list trip wish list? Our Cruise & Stay holiday experts are waiting to turn dreams into reality; bespoke trips are our speciality, so let’s start planning yours…