10 Ultimate Trips of a Lifetime
Choosing the perfect vacation is a lot like dress shopping. The little black dresses of travel are always great, but every once in a while, you need to indulge in a little couture. We rounded up incredible dream adventures that are transformative and inspiring.
1. The Great Wall to Gorky Park: Beijing to Moscow via the Trans-Siberian Railroad
Majestic landscapes scroll by cinematically as you sip champagne in the dining car. You fall asleep to the gentle rocking of your cabin and awake to sunrise coffee over an amber-hued steppe. This is clearly what they meant when they said it's the journey, not the destination, that counts. This particular journey starts in Beijing, where you'll marvel at the sprawling Forbidden City and the Great Wall before boarding a train that takes you through the mysterious Gobi Desert, the epic Mongolian Alps, and the Siberian splendor of Lake Baikal. You'll disembark in Moscow to explore the bling-a-minute presence of gold-plated Lamborghinis, bottle service clubs, and tasting menus alongside a dramatic past of tsar palaces, Soviet bunkers, and dreamlike Gorky Park.
2. The Real Happiest Place on Earth: Bhutan
Good ol' Walt may have claimed the Happiest Place on Earth mantle for Disneyland, but its true soul is in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The country's leaders have even arranged their development priorities around GNH (gross national happiness), balancing economic gains with the well-being of the people. You'll feel that sense of contentment at Amankora, a series of five ultra-luxe lodges that form a circuit, from the rammed-earth walls of the contemporary rustic Paro to the whitewashed stone buildings in the blue pine forests of Thimphu to sixteenth-century monastic views at Gangtey. You'll do yoga while overlooking rice paddies, visit an eighth-century monastery clinging to a 9,678-foot cliff, shop in rambling ancient markets, and hike past yak herders and Buddhist monks through dramatic mountain passes and lush valleys.
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3. Tiger Safaris and Saris: India
India has always held an allure for travelers, whether for its history, shopping, or food. But navigating the beautiful chaos of its hectic cities and dramatic countryside can be intimidating. That's why we suggest leaving it to the experts. Abercrombie & Kent organizes tailor-made trips that take you from the modern bustle of Delhi to the gem markets of Jaipur, the floating palace of Udaipur, and the Bengal tiger forests of Panna National Park. You'll ride elephants, take a boat down the sacred Ganges, shop the labyrinthine markets of Mumbai, and visit the spice plantations of Kerala.
4. Turning Japanese: Tokyo and the Jigokudani Valley
Japan may be known for the aesthetic and culinary wonderland that is Tokyo, and it's certainly among the most fascinating cities in the world, from the before-dawn spectacle of the Tsukiji Fish Market and artful creations that come from it at Sukiyabashi Jiro to the exacting design on display in boutiques from Ginza to Aoyama and Shibuya to Nakameguro. But you'd be remiss to visit Japan without experiencing its natural wonders. So head north toward Nagano and the Japanese Alps for skiing, a dip among the pink-faced snow monkeys that cavort in the area's onsen (hot springs), and a stay at the tony Hoshinoya Karuizawa. Then fly south to the remote Ryukyu Islands to go trekking on jungly Iriomote-Japan's Galapagos-to visit the preserved villages and pristine beaches of Taketomi, and to go to scuba diving among giant manta rays at Ishigaki. End up at the resort haven of Okinawa.
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5. Burn Rubber So-Cal Style: California
It's easy to take for granted, but America can feel every bit as exotic as Timbuktu. Give yourself a few weeks to really embrace the good ol' US-of-A with a classic road trip through California. Airstream 2 Go rents out modern takes on a classic camper pimped out with flatscreen TVs, high thread-count sheets, and iPod interfaces. Pick yours up in California and make for the desert, visiting retro cool stops including the modernist playground of Palm Springs, the acid-trip art project Salvation Mountain, the sculptural cacti and watercolor rock formations of Joshua Tree, and the Wild West indie rock outpost Pappy and Harriet's. Then loop up north, hitting Yosemite National Park before making for the ocean and the iconic Pacific Coast Highway. Go tide-pooling and sea kayaking in Monterey, visit hippy enclave Big Sur (where you can stay the night in a human-sized nest), and taste your way through Santa Barbara wine country before ending up back in L.A.
6. The World's Coolest Vacation: Antarctica
It appears on many a bucket list and with global warming, there may also be an expiration date. So, now is definitely the time to book a trip to Antarctica. With 175 years of combined experience, Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic have teamed up to offer the most informative, environmentally sensitive expeditions to the white continent. They'll take you to kayak past icebergs, watch rare albatross flap their 11-foot wings, and walk down penguin beaches. Nat Geo photographers help you get magazine-worthy shots. World-renowned researchers and naturalists lead talks. And days end with champagne-sipping while watching elephant seal pups. That's as cool as it gets.
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7. Yachting Darwin-Style: Galapagos
The flora and fauna of these isolated islands off the coast of South America were so unique, they inspired Charles Darwin's studies on evolution. The volcanic islands themselves are evolving, graduating from being home to basic tents and lodges to offering more stylish eco digs like the Galapagos Safari Camp. Combine a stay here with a cruise aboard the Grand Odyssey yacht to see blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, orcas, penguins, and iguanas, not to mention a Technicolor array of birds not found anywhere else. The best part? Having never learned to fear humans, the animals often let tourists get remarkably close.
8. A Lost City and a Dead Sea : Jordan
Just 200 years ago, Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt discovered Petra, an otherworldly stone city lost for more than a millennium. The hip kids at Black Tomato can hook you up with the ultimate exploration, taking you there by candlelight to hear the stories and songs of the people that once inhabited its ornately carved walls. And that's not all Jordan has to offer. You'll stay in a luxe Bedouin camp, explore the sweeping ruddy rockscape of Wadi Rum via camel, visit the world's best-preserved Roman city, and sup on al-fresco barbecues under a canopy of stars. Then you'll end your Arabian odyssey blissing out in an oasis of olive trees, lagoons, and waterfalls beside the Dead Sea, slathering yourself in its therapeutic mud and floating in its buoyant waters.
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9. Island Idyll: Seychelle
For us, the ultimate beach vacation will always be the Seychelles. It was good enough for Kate and Will's royal honeymoon after all. Check into the Raffles Praslin, where you can hole up in villas with private infinity pools, soaking tubs, and outdoor showers, all overlooking the ocean. The location puts you a short drive from Anse Lazio, a dreamy stretch of sugar sand fringed in palms and framed by curvaceous boulders. The postcard-worthy spot consistently tops lists for the world's best beach. You could spend the whole week here sipping ice cold SeyBrew beers. But we'd suggest rallying to hike the nearby Vallée de Mai, a lush jungle of Technicolor birds and coco de mer palms aside a waterfall. On another day, take the ferry to La Digue island and rent bicycles to explore vanilla plantations, visit giant tortoises, and frolic on Anse Source D'Argent, where towering boulders form secluded coves of turquoise.
10. Go Where No (Wo)man Has Gone Before: Guyan
In an over-Instagrammed world, so many destinations feel "been there, done that" before you're even cleared for takeoff. So why not go where literally no one has gone before? Epic Tomato, a luxury UK adventure outfitter, hooks up "world's first" adventures, bringing you to places no traveler has stepped foot in before. Case in point? Their expedition to remote Guyana. You'll rappel from Kaieteur Falls, the world's largest single-drop waterfall, before mapping a path behind the cascade to a yet-to-be-visited cave. Then, after camping by a plunge pool, a helicopter will fly you over the jungle canopy to the 9,219-foot Mount Roraima near the Venezuelan border. You'll hike, boulder, and abseil across the table-top mountain ending with a jungle trek back to civilization, sleeping in hammocks and platforms you build high in the trees.
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