Top Destinations for Seasoned Globetrotters
The more you travel, the more you want to travel — it’s a common problem that most passionate travelers share. Once you have graduated from novice wanderer to seasoned globetrotter, though, you start to have a different problem.
Many places and experiences start to blend into each other. New countries lose their shock value. Ancient ruins all start to look the same. Everything you eat, you compare to a dish you tasted in another country.
Well-traveled people have unending cravings for new sights, sounds and tastes, but often find it gets more and more difficult to visit places that feel unique. To solve this problem, sometimes it helps to focus more on experiences and less on locations. Many travelers choose to add spark to their journeys again by trying extreme adventure travel, or other adrenaline-pumping experiences.
However, if you can’t help crave new sights and cultures, here are nine places you should add to your bucket list stat.
Whether it is a change of pace or a new challenge, each of these destinations has something truly unique to offer travelers who have been everywhere.
Gabon
Tucked away on the west coast of Africa, Gabon is largely overlooked by travelers journeying to the African continent. Gabon happens to be one of the most progressive and stable nations in the area, making it ideal for visitors who want to delve into the vast tracts of protected parkland it shelters within its borders.
However, despite its peaceful status, tourism in Gabon is a developing industry so there is still plenty to challenge intrepid travelers. If limited transport, poor roads and almost complete lack of infrastructure don’t faze you, the untouched landscapes, jungles and beaches of Gabon await.
Kyrgyzstan
Traders once guided their caravans down the Silk Road, which wound through the mountains of modern day Kyrgyzstan. Today, the ancient cities that were once stops along the Silk Road are still bustling bazaars full of curiosities.
The mountains might no longer see traders but they are populated with snow leopards, lynx and sheep. With its raw natural beauty and semi-nomadic shepherd people, Kyrgyzstan has preserved an old-world charm that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
To really see the wonders of this stunning country, take a trekking trip — it’s one of the reasons Kyrgyzstan tops lists of adventurous places to visit. Go on foot or horseback, venturing from deep valleys to glaciers.
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Mongolia
Sandwiched between China and Russia, Mongolia is a rugged wilderness, and one of the last places on Earth where people live a truly nomadic lifestyle. The glorious landscapes are almost completely empty of people, an isolation that has helped keep these nomadic traditions alive.
Mongolia is a place travelers can go to truly get away from the pace and pressure of the modern world, to reconnect with nature in a big way, and witness a way of living completely alien to their own.
Bhutan
A Buddhist kingdom set high in the Himalayas, visiting Bhutan is like stepping into a magical realm. Fortresses and monasteries adorn the high valleys and mountaintops, and gross national happiness is not only measured but taken extremely seriously.
The concept encapsulates Bhutan’s holistic approach to well-being and sustainable development. As part of this philosophy, Bhutan tackles tourism with a low-volume, high-quality strategy that sees visitors paying a minimum fee of $250 USD a day.
While it is not a cheap destination, it is most certainly a unique one, with a blending of ancient and modern worlds that will fascinate and inspire you.
Georgia
A former Soviet Republic on the edge of both Europe and Asia, Georgia is coming into its own as a unique and exciting destination.
It has a little bit of everything: the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, the ancient wine-growing region of Kakheti, cave monasteries dating back almost a thousand years, and diverse architecture among the cobblestone streets of Tbilisi, the capital city.
Every aspect of Georgia is utterly charming, sure to delight even travelers who have been everywhere.
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Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is a country that will challenge even the most experienced travelers. With minimal tourism infrastructure, planning and executing a trip to PNG isn’t easy.
But while a trip to PNG shouldn’t be embarked upon lightly, the rewards are guaranteed to be greater than the challenges. Despite being relatively small, PNG is recognized as one of the planet’s mega-diverse regions.
Completely untainted by mass tourism, the jungles and beaches of PNG are a buffet of biological diversity, while fascinating tribal cultures are just as varied. Going to PNG is about as far off the beaten track as a traveler can get, which makes it all the more compelling to travelers who have been everywhere.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu might be a Pacific paradise, but it has far more to offer than the flashy resorts and packaged holidays that would bore a seasoned traveler. Hidden away among the 83 islands that make up the archipelago are deserted beaches, active volcanoes, spectacular dive sites and ancient cultures.
You will need a true appetite for adventure to make your way around Vanuatu’s islands, but what you discover along the way is enough to satiate any world wanderer.
Madagascar
Even if you have been all over the world, Madagascar still has the capacity to surprise you. Thousands of the plant and animal species that live on this island nation are found nowhere else on the planet.
And just laying eyes on the famous lemurs is an adventure in itself, which will see you trekking through virtually uninhabited corners of the country. Madagascar is an outdoor lover’s playground, and if you want to see natural wonders (think avenues of Baobab trees, spiny forests and limestone karsts) this is one of the best places to go.
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Greenland
There is an old saying that goes, “When you’ve seen the world, there’s always Greenland.” And sure enough, Greenland is one of the best places to go for travelers who have seen everything.
Not for negative reasons, but because it is a truly unique location that is brimming with the unexpected. Greenland’s sparse population exists mostly along the coast, in surprisingly colorful seaside villages.
The rest of Greenland is essentially endless miles of true wilderness, with jaw-dropping scenery in every direction. Getting around can be tricky, but if you enjoy hiking, skiing or even dog sledding, you will love this adventure.
Although the weather can be harsh, Greenland is magical at any time of the year, with the midnight sun in summer and the Aurora Borealis in winter.