You’ve probably got bucket lists for every area of your life, right?

But ICYMI, travel bucket lists are clearly the most important (and fun) of them all.

And now that this year’s first quarter is done and dusted, it’s time you got serious about making those plans.    

Because dreams of travel are almost as much fun as actually taking the trip, here’s some must-do fodder for your annual travel plan.

Go get ‘em, adventure-lover!

An African safari should be on anyone’s bucket list; film your own Toto tribute out on the savannas.

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Make your own European summer festival crawl. Hit list: Sziget, Las Fallas, Oktoberfest and La Tomatina, to name a few.

CsudaiSándor (22)

Visit the Land of the Rising Sun and mind blowing contrasts, Japan; drink some sake, hit a robot bar and nail your chopstick skills once and for all.

Japan robot bar

Get your fix of Adriatic sunsets and the sailing life in Croatia.

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Walk like an Egyptian and check out the pyramids from the back of a camel.

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See Amsterdam from four wheels. Then two wheels. And by boat.

Amsterdam

Hunt for a leprechaun and your very own pot of gold in Ireland.  

Ireland

Dominate Cinque Terre in just one day.

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Meet Squirt, Nemo and pals and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. Then take to the skies in a balloon to see its magnificence from above.    

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Loved Gorillas in the Mist, and Netflix’s Virunga? Head to Uganda to see the magnificent creatures up-close and in the wild.

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Bathe yourself in Istanbul’s famous bathhouses before heading to the trifecta of jaw-dropping attractions, Hagia Sophia, the Palace and the Blue Mosque.

Istanbul (10)

Wander the cobalt blue walls of Morocco’s Chefchaouen (#instaworthy) and try the city’s famed goats cheese. Because goats are funny + cheese equals heaven.

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Take a bite from a really large apple, leave your heart in San Francisco, then kick it on Route 66 and get your canyon fix in Arizona with a larger-than-life All-American road trip.

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Head off-the-beaten-track with a serious Asian odyssey.

Asia

Hop from one side of Russia to the other, sampling the vodka wares along the way.

Russia

Desta Cullen
A Sunshine Coast native (via Belize and the US), Desta’s a freelance writer, editor and digital content kid with a serious case of wanderlust. Her work has been published on ABC Radio National, Tourism Queensland’s Hello Sunshine Blog, Peppermint Magazine, and the now defunct Jmag, among others. With a heart full of ambition and a head full of dreams, she recently said goodbye to her full-time gig covering all things health, beauty, culture and food at lifestyle publication, The Urban List, to go hard at the freelance life. Oh, and then there’s the very important business of making her dogs Insta-famous… #itsarufflife.