Do you have any bucket list destinations?
I have checked some off my list, but I still have a considerable list. My list seems to grow each day! I thought it might be fun to share some of the top bucket list destinations that I am asked about and when the best time to visit them is!
Tahiti – Bora Bora is one of my most requested destinations for the bucket list honeymoon or milestone anniversary. French Polynesia basically has 2 seasons, the dry season and the humid season.
The dry season -also called Austral winter- taking place between April and October brings an expected coolness, July and August being the coolest months of the year due to southeast trade winds called maraamu. As a consequence a cotton sweater will often be enjoyable in the evening (or early in the morning). The humid season -also called Rainy season- starts in November and ends in March. It brings mugginess, humidity as well as heavier and more frequent rains than in the dry season. Having said that, one important thing to remember, it is the tropics and the weather is not on a schedule! I have people that have been in the dry season and it rained most every day; I have people that travel during the humid season (often rates are very attractive!) and not one drop of rain. There are both cruising and resort vacation options for you to visit French Polynesia.
African Safari is another top request for bucket list travel. It is becoming more and more popular for a luxury honeymoon and life milestone destination. Please don’t worry about Ebola! The areas where you safari are literally countries away from West Africa. Remember, Africa is a continent – not a country! The best time to visit the wildlife parks is from May to 
September.
This is the dry season, there is less vegetation to obstruct your views and animals congregate around waterholes and rivers. This is, in fact, the low season for tourism. South African school holidays should be avoided. The main holidays are in December. It is winter, so the mornings and nights are cold. May and September are wonderful because it is less cold and, especially in September, the wildlife viewing is excellent. October to April is their summer and the wet season. While it is great for bird watching as migratory birds are present, it is a challenge for big game viewing as there is much vegetation and makes it difficult to spot the animals. Also, it is quite hot in December, January, and February!
Australia and New Zealand are also very popular bucket list destinations. There are many ways to experience these great destinatio
ns! You can take a cruise that will visit some of the major cities in both Australia and New Zealand or there are cruises that concentrate more on one or the other of the countries. You also have the option of escorted tours, or putting together a fully independent trip for your adventure!
Australia and New Zealand are in the southern hemisphere and the seasons run opposite of ours. Mild spring weather lasts from September to November and summer spans December through February. Summer features longer daylight hours with warm to hot conditions depending on where you are. March through May constitutes autumn, leading into the cooler winter period of June to August. The climate changes significantly as you head north in Australia near places like Darwin and Cairns. This region lies within the monsoon belt and has just two seasons. Hot and wet conditions prevail from October to March, while blazing arid weather kicks in from April to September.
Alaska is a very popular and easily accessible (with regards to logistics!) bucket list destination. The Alaska season is generally 
mid-May through mid-September, with June, July and August being the peak months. Alaska is a huge state, to give you some perspective, it is approximately 2 ½ times the size of Texas! A great way and one of the most popular ways to visit Alaska is on a cruise. There are also land based tour and vacation options as well. Due to the vast size of the state, one of the best ways to see the state is with a Cruise Tour. A Cruise Tour is a combination of a cruise and a land tour, really the best of both worlds!
Your choice of “how” you visit Alaska will really be determined by “why” you are going to Alaska.
I hope this intrigued you and you start to create your own bucket list of destinations to see!
Happy Travels!