big bucket list adventures

Why? To cruise to one of the remotest islands aboard the last Royal Mail Ship? and before the first plane lands. The romance of a high seas voyage. A last of its kind journey. A fascinating far flung isle. The knowledge that it s all about to change... This may tick every bucket list box. St Helena is a worthy port of call in its own right: the South Atlantic speck is a crumple of glorious geomorphology small but riven with deep gullies gulches and volcanic after effects and swept with semi tropical lushness. The waters are brim full of dolphins and sometimes whales; the skies wheel with myriad birds. But it s the human story that is most fascinating around 4 000 people live on this lonely isle in settlements little changed since Georgian times. But how much longer St Helena will remain so unique remains unclear. For now a long trip from South Africa on the RMS St Helena is the only way to reach it but the long mooted airport is finally due for completion by early 2016.

Why? Who doesn t fancy an island to themselves? Sadly most of us don t have a Branson sized budget but that doesn t mean you can t claim your own patch of sea lapped solitude. Thanks to the fact that Scotland has almost 800 islands as well as a favourable attitude to wild camping it s possible to tick this must do off the list without spending a penny. Tiny Tanera Beag the second largest of the 20 odd north western Summer Isles has never been inhabited though you might be joined by a few sheep occasionally brought here to graze. You can sea kayak from the mainland over Badentarbet Bay and around larger (inhabited) Tanera Mor to reach Tanera Beag. Once you ve hauled ashore look out for seals in the lagoon by Eilean Flada Mor climb to the island s 83m high point for views over the nearby rock stacks and skerries and pitch your tent amid the heather to feel like a laird for the night.

Why? Who knows what the future holds? The secretive nation is the ultimate destination for the world curious. Those who want boutique hotels or fancy cuisine look away now. Forget even the ability to chat to a local or take a detour down a side street just because you fancy it. This is totalitarian tourism freedom less but fascinating for the brief insight it gives into a country like no other. If you visit now you can (probably) expect to see the military machinations of the DMZ the massive bronzes of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Pyongyang s Mansudae Grand Monument a dazzling Mass Games and the natural beauty of Mount Myohyang. But maybe not. North Korea is a nation that might decide to ban all visitors if current dictator Kim Jong Un doesn t score a hole in one or something. Unpredictable edgy utterly unique.

Why? It s travel s greatest trekking summit and it could well be losing its snows. Tanzania s Mount Kilimanjaro deserves to be on every travel bucket list. No other mountain manages to combine such a wealth of wow factors to tick all those boxes: it s an aesthetically awesome monolith poking out of the African plains; it s a tough but achievable challenge; at 5 895m it s the roof of a continent; it s a climatological oddity proving snow can sit virtually on the equator. Tick tick tick tick. But just to add an extra bit of tock to all those ticks doom sayers predict that those snows might be gone by as early as 2022 all the more reason to tackle Kili quick.

Why? Hop in an iconic vintage motor before they get scrapped. It s all change in Cuba. A gentle thaw in relations with their big neighbours to the north means that some travel to the island has become (slightly) easier for American citizens and some trade restrictions have been lifted. The result? A 95% increase in online Cuba searches. For now Cuba remains quite unique with an intoxicating je ne sais quoi that s strong of culture and loose of hips. Perhaps the most iconic Cuba image though is of a classic 1950s car bumping down a Havana backstreet. But for how long? The change in trade laws may facilitate an influx of cheaper imported cars; how much longer will Habaneros diligently buff their old Chevys if it s easier to buy a new Ford? So while you can take a tour in vintage motor listening to its retro roar as you glide by the capital s crumbly grandeur.

Why? Closer encounters with massive mammals. You can see whales in lots of places but there are few spots where you can actually give one a hug. From December to April grey whales gather in Baja California s San Ignacio Lagoon to mate calve nurture their young and so it seems have a jolly old time with the weird human creatures that sail out to see them. Despite having been hunted to near extinction these greys bear no grudge; indeed they bump into boats and surface within touching distance inviting pats and strokes. However there s only a short window of opportunity to see the greys here each year with February March and April the best months and good trips sell out far often years in advance.

Why? To record a spectacular photo of the northern lights that you saw. In this age of instant images and selfies it s not good enough anymore to just see the planet s most spectacular light show to hopefully be in the right place at the right time now you have to snap a frame worthy photo of it too. One way to increase your chances of filling that memory card is to join an aurora photography tour. You ll not only get tips from pros on how to snap the show sharpening up those DSLR skills for those future travels but they ll also be attuned to where those spectral waves are most likely to start pulsing through the night. Your daylight hours will then be spent exploring the wild Arctic terrains that best yield luminous results Finland Norway Sweden or Canada.

Why? To be in the best place when the world goes weird. Total eclipses when the moon blocks out the sun basking the earth in an eerie glow happen roughly every 18 months. But you need to be in the right place ideally somewhere in the path of the solar maximum to fully appreciate the effect and you d have to wait an average of 375 years to see two total eclipses from the same spot. Sometimes being in the path of an eclipse is simple. On 21 August 2017 the total eclipse will swing right across the middle of the USA visible in states such as Wyoming Nebraska and South Carolina; its point of greatest eclipse will be just north west of Hopkinsville Kentucky where totality will last around two minutes and 40 seconds. Sometimes though it s a bit trickier the eclipse in March 2015 was best viewed in the snowy wilderness of Svalbard while in March 2016 you need to head to the remoter parts of Indonesia or Micronesia. Part of the battle is securing a place on a good expert led eclipse watching trip: these specialist departures can fill up well in advance.

Why? See fall colours without the other people. The idea of visiting New England in autumn wending between comely white clapboard houses verges lined with pumpkins and forested hillsides completely aflame is a romantic notion. Now add in hiked prices and all the other cars and coaches trying to get to the same scenic lookArguably out and it isn t quite so dreamy. the best way to appreciate the glorious death of New England s trees is to stride among it camping out each night. So why not combine a smidgen of the Appalachian Trail the East Coast s seriously long long distance hike bucket list worthy in itself to see the leaves without the crowds. The 70km stretch between New Hampshire s White Mountains and the Vermont border is particularly renowned for its fabulous fall foliage think maples smoldering crimson dogwoods turning purple and birch trees burning gold.

Why? See retreating ice from a capricious drive. The Going to the Sun Road somehow carves an 80km long furrow through the mountains of north west Montana. It s also notoriously difficult to clear of winter snows. Portions of it remain open year round but the very earliest in the season that the entire length might be accessible is mid June. Then by late September parts are off limits all over again leaving a brief window for a traverse. It s worth trying though: the road slices through the parks most dramatic sections with hair raising hairpins and a haul over 2 026m Logan Pass. You can also see the park s rapidly retreating Jackson Glacier from the tarmac which you should certainly pull over for it s estimated that Glacier NP may be entirely glacier free by 2030.