With the coronavirus putting many of our travel plans on hold, planning vacations isn’t a top priority at the moment. But, these bucket list trips take lots of advance planning and they’ll give you something to look forward to once the pandemic is behind us. These are the epic once-in-a-lifetime trips you can start researching, planning, and booking in advance.
Cruise Around Antarctica
The coldest, ice-covered continent in the world is really expensive to visit. Trips to this continent are planned at least a year in advance and the cruises usually start in the southernmost city, Ushuaia in Argentina. The stops include the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Shetlands, and the Antarctic Peninsula. At each stop, you head out in a zodiac (inflatable boat) to watch wildlife, visit research stations, go polar diving, and reach land to snowshoe.
Trips to Experience a Solar Eclipse
Did you see the “Great American Eclipse” in 2017? During a solar eclipse, for a few minutes, the entire world goes cold and dark for those under the moon’s narrow and fast-moving shadow. You can see the sun’s corona which is its wispy, white outer atmosphere. The next one will occur in Chile and Argentina on December 14, 2020, and then in Antarctica on December 4, 2021.
East African Safari
If you’re after the “big five” (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo) a visit to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve should be on your bucket list. Be sure to also check out the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The risky river crossings take place in July and August and from January to March wildebeest calves are born in the southern Serengeti. You can also hot air balloon or trek the Rwanda or Uganda to see mountain gorilla.