Bucket List Trips

It’s Wave Season! The time of year when cruise lines try to fill their ships for the year and travelers have their pick of deals and cabins. If you’re thinking of cruising in 2015, consider booking before the end of March. Don’t know where to go or what to choose? We’ve cruised on several continents, from small river boats to ocean mega-ships, and are always happy to provide some pointers. Cruising is now so much more than crowded decks, tacky entertainment and buffet lines. There are cruises to suit every taste and bucket list experiences to be had. Cruising is cool.

Bucket List Trips is heading to South America for the Holidays to do some more trip reconnaissance. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, here we come. Best wishes for a wonderful festive season and a happy and successful 2015. Make a New Year resolution to take a bucket list trip or two!

Malta is one of the less-known Mediterranean destinations for North Americans, but definitely a worthwhile one. The capital, Valletta - a UNESCO world heritage site - was built in the 16th century and, with hundreds of monuments, is one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. Divers head to Malta and sister island Gozo in droves, eager to explore the spectacular underwater scenery - caves, tunnels, plunging cliffs - and clear visibility. Gozo is also home to the prehistoric Ggantija, a well-preserved temple complex built of enormous monoliths that local legend claims was the work of giants. Maltese cuisine is an interestingly eclectic mix of Mediterranean cooking, collected from the many civilisations who occupied the islands over the centuries. Consider a visit next time you cross the Atlantic.

‘Tis the season for ice hotels. Sculpted from thousands of tons of snow and ice and undeniably cool in more ways than one, there are only around 20 of them in the world. One of the most intricately designed and visually stunning ice hotels is right here in Canada. Québec City’s Hôtel De Glace is built from 15,500 tons of snow and comes complete with an ice chapel for weddings and vow renewals, and the Grand Slide for some speedy fun. Open January through March for a unique bucket list experience.

Uruguay is not the first South American destination that tourists rush to… and that’s part of its charm. It’s a progressive, stable and safe country that offers visitors the opportunity to experience real life rather than shrink-wrapped tourism. Cosmopolitan Montevideo, picturesque Colonia and party-till-you-drop Punta del Este with a ton of great eats thrown in – worth a trip south.

The Baja is back in business. Bucket List Trips is ‘on location’ and can report that the Los Cabos area is returning to normality after the devastation of Hurricane Odile. The airport is up and running, hotels are re-opening, and tourists are returning. Now is the time to get some fabulous deals and enjoy the Baja’s endless blue sky, white sand beaches and pervasive, impossible-to-resist, mellowness.