I’ve had the privilege and blessing of traveling around the world (you can check out my Trip Reports page to see where I’ve been recently). Looking back on all of the incredible places I’ve been there are five places that keep coming back up in my mind, which is my heart’s way of telling me I need to go back! Here they are, with a photo and some commentary about what I love and what I feel like I may have missed out on.
Easter Island, Chile
Easter Island was incredibly remote and isolated from just about everything but Other Tourists. I spent two nights on the island and felt like that was plenty, but the main reason I want to go back is related to photography. I’m a much better photographer than I was when I went in April 2014 (back in my Everything Must Be HDR days) so I want another shot at the Moai, some sunrises over Ahu Tongariri, and some nighttime timelapses of one of the clearest night skies I’ve ever seen.
The Great Wall of China
Visiting the Great Wall was one of the greatest days of my travel life. It was a place that I thought for sure had to be overrated and it just wasn’t. Not only do I want to try and take some better pictures with what I’ve learned over the years but I also want to hike the unrenovated section of the Wall from one area to another (a fairly well-known hike). There’s a good chance I could revisit this amazing place this year, really hoping to make it happen!
St. Gilgen, Austria
This little mountain village is one of my favorite places in the entire world. I have no idea what it is about this place, I think the best way I’ve put it to a friend was that “exhaling feels different there” like I breath out all of my frustrations and stress when I’m there. It’s the type of place where your goal is to get bored on a bench overlooking Wolfgangsee and have it be perfectly ok. Not to mention that St. Gilgen is smack in the middle of the beautiful Salzkammergut area of northwestern Austria and is 30-45 minutes from legendary places like Hallstatt and other similarly beautiful villages.
Queenstown, New Zealand
New Zealand immediately became one of my favorite places in the world pretty much from the moment my plane touched down. Few other places have I encountered such staggering scenery mixed with some of the nicest people in the world! The place I loved most was Queenstown. Not only is Queenstown a hub for lots of extreme sports like bungee jumping and skydiving, it’s also the gateway to amazing places like Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound. There are about 200 pictures I want to take in and around Queenstown, including a shot overlooking Queenstown from the Skyline Gondola, the Wanaka Tree, and a return visit out to Milford Sound.
Cape Town would be top of my list. Great food, history, culture, and scenery, and stunning wine country nearby. And very reasonably priced.
I definitely want to hit up Cape Town soon, especially with the US Dollar so strong at the moment.
The Great Wall evoked pretty much everything in that you said it did in you. I’d go back in a second. After being at the Berlin Wall, it was the most affecting travel moment in my life.
Second to that would likely being in Bavaria. I was fortunate enough to visit many fortresses and palaces in Southern Germany when I was much younger. I’d like to go back with a much older eye, and re-experience it.
Similarly with Kyoto. I visited some places, such as the Imperial Palace and the Shōgun’s Castle with a fantastic guided tour. I’d really enjoy going back and experiencing the food and entertainment, and perhaps seeing more of the natural beauty there.
The cities of Tokyo, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Berlin…I just haven’t visited them enough to come close to scratching the surface.
Definitely Alaska for me. And South Africa and Tokyo. All are photo related. I wish I knew then what I know now from a photography perspective.
Petra for sure. And Rio. And Easter Island. And Oman. Etc……