[imagesource: Micato Safaris]

There’s definitely a sense of fatalism in the air these days.

The sense that “life is too short” is prominent after the COVID-19 shutdowns, with natural disasters and the quickly worsening effects of climate change and war also serving as warnings that we never know what’s coming next.

In that sense, where a bucket list trip has always been scheduled for ‘someday’, many are realising that someday is now or possibly never.

Award-winning travel journalist Larry Olmsted has compiled a bucket list for Forbes. Atop the list is a southern African safari which he calls the “epitome of the Bucket List concept”:

…because unlike most of the others, I can’t imagine a personality that would not be wowed. It’s for everyone, and it is truly something you need to experience in your lifetime.

Who could hate this?

The publication mentions the classic safari locations in East Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, but highly recommends South Africa, or South Africa and Botswana:

South Africa has a lot more non-wildlife appeal—wine country, amazing food, beaches, golf, classic luxury trains—and Cape Town is one of the world’s great cities.

Southern Africa is easier to get to and has better luxury safari lodges and much better luxury non-safari hotels and resorts.

There is an acknowledgement that Botswana has the very best concentration of pure wildlife viewing and some of the best lodges among the eight marquee African safari countries.

East Africa is worth visiting for the annual great migration across the Serengeti – “one of the earth’s premier natural wonders” – as well as the unique gorilla trekking in Rwanda.

Other notable travel ideas on the list include an ever-exclusive trip to Bhutan:

Nestled in the mountains between India and China, the Buddhist nation is often referred to as “The Last Shangri La” or “Paradise Found”.

The fact that it is so hard to get to, so expensive to see, and so stunning in multiple ways, makes it a once-in-a-lifetime must-see destination:

It has been less than half a century since Bhutan first decided to allow tourism at all, and since then it has been tightly controlled to prevent overcrowding and over development, a policy known as “High Value, Low Volume.” It makes it an expensive place to visit, especially since they tacked on a $200 a night sustainability fee for foreign travelers.

There is also a required minimum daily spend, which can be hotel, meals, tours guides and such, and a visa is required before you can buy plane tickets, which is important because you can only fly there on the national carriers (see the national tourism site for more info).

The country uses Gross National Happiness to measure its national success, instead of money-driven metrics found in most other countries, so you’re bound to come home a little wiser and happier.

Also, fitter, if you decide to traverse the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalayas, full of gorges and waterfalls, and the famously photogenic cliffside monasteries.

Bhutan has only just reopened to international travel on September 23 and is ready for visitors.

As well as a place with something for everyone, a fairytale trip to Tuscany:

There are so many amazing hilltop villages and cities, large and small, each unique in character, plus all the vineyards (it’s where the Chianti region lies), plus the less visited coastal section, plus the gateway city of Florence, just so much to see and do—and eat—that it’s a place you could visit again and again without repeating.

Sienna, Montalcino, Monteriggioni, and Lucca are the recommended top spots, often skipped over by tourists and brimming with wine and fairytale vibes.

The nice thing about Tuscany, Olmsted notes, is that it is one of the more accessible trips, with options for those with a limited budget, extremely deep pockets, or everything in between.

I’m keen on a little travelling now, how about you?

[source:forbes]