100 Dream Destination Bucket List Ideas: Where to Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up

Are you an adventurer at heart with a list of dream destinations you’d love to experience?

Maybe you’ve always wanted to go snorkelling in clear blue waters, watch the world pass by from a cafe in a European city, or sit on a beach somewhere far flung?

Put these dreams into writing with a travel bucket list – the perfect way to commit to your travel aspirations so that you can start making unforgettable memories with your family.

Whether you want to travel to new places, bond over new experiences, or just spend more time together, having a family travel bucket list will help you take control of (and commit to) your future travel.  

What’s in this post? 

In this post you can find 100 inspirational dream destinations and experience ideas for you to add to your family travel bucket list. 

The ideas and inspiration we’ve pulled together span across the globe so no matter where you’re based there’ll be at least a few that are more achievable for you to do. 

We also cover why you should make a bucket list, how to set yourself on the right path to achieve it, and other common FAQs to help you create your own bucket list to start travelling the world with your family.

If there’s something on this list you’re particularly interested in you can skip straight there by clicking on that section in the contents below. If not, then scroll down to read all of our top tips for flying with kids. 

Dream Destinations in Europe

1.  Eat lunch at Borough Market in London 

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2. Visit Bamburgh Castle – the Castle on the Beach

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3. Do a tour of Pompeii in Italy

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4. Cruise through the fjords of Norway

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5. Take in the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

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6. Island hopping in Greece

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7. Meet Santa at Lapland

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8. Riding the Bernina Express train from Switzerland to Italy

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9. Road trip around the Scottish Highlands

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10. See the Puffins in the Shetlands

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11. Take a gondola ride in Venice

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12. View the Northern Lights in Iceland

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13. Ride on the London Eye

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14. Travel to a German Christmas Market

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15. See the Barbary Apes in Gibraltar 

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16. Visit Dracula’s Castle in Romania

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17. Have an authentic Paella on a Spanish Island 

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18. See the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace

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19. Explore the Cinque Terre

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20. Climb to the top of Meteora

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21. Discover the remains of the Berlin wall

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22. Visit the Acropolis of Athens

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23. Visit the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

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24. Visit Stonehenge in England

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25. Eat Mickey shaped food at a Disney park

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Dream Destinations in Asia

33. Explore Petra in Jordan

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34. Visit an elephant sanctuary in Thailand

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35. Visit Khao Sok National Park in Thailand

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36. Sail on Ha Long Bay in Vietnam

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37. Visit the Taj Mahal in India

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38. Visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia

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39. Visit a National Park in Sri Lanka

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40. Camp at Wadi Rum in Jordan

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41. Eat sushi in Japan

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42. Travel through the Phang Nga Bay in Thailand

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43. Walk along the Great Wall of China

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44. Explore the rainforests of Borneo

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45. Watch the hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Turkey

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46. Visit the Komodo National Park in Indonesia

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47. See the pink blossom trees in Kyoto

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Dream Destinations in Oceania 

48. Watch the sunset at Uluru in Australia

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49. See the Glow Worm Caves in New Zealand

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50. Cruise the Milford Sound in New Zealand’s Fiordland National Park

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51. Relax on a beach on a Polynesian island

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52. Visit the Robinson Crusoe Island in Fiji

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53. Drive the Great Ocean Road in Australia

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Dream Destinations in Africa

26. Camp overnight in the Sahara Desert in Morocco 

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27. Go on a safari tour in Masai Mara National Reserve

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28. Camp at Lake Victoria

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29. Relax on one of the many white sand beaches in Zanzibar

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30. Visit Victoria Falls

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31. Visit the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania

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32. Visit the xx in Marrakesh

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Dream Destinations in North America 

54. Hike in Zion National Park

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55. Visit Banff National Park in Canada

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56. Visit Niagara Falls in the US

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57. Visit the Grand Canyon in Nevada

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58. Party at a New Orleans festival

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59. Visit a ghost town in the US

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60. Take a night trip to see the Lincoln Memorial in DC

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61. Complete a US road trip

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62. Visit the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone

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63. Road trip along route 66

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64. Travel across Canada by train

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65. Do a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon 

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66. Sled at the White Sands National Park in New Mexico

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67. Do a witch tour in Salem

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68. Visit Banff National Park

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69. Do the Jurassic Park tour in Oahu, Hawaii

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70. Relax and Explore the Yucatan Peninsula

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71. Release baby turtles into the ocean in Mexico

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72. Walk through Central Park in New York

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Dream Destinations in Caribbean

73. See the humpback whales of Samana Bay, Dominican Republic

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74. See the horses at Pebbles Beach, Barbados

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75. Splash around at the Turtle River Falls & Gardens, Jamaica

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76. Charter a boat to sail around the Turks And Caicos Islands

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Dream Destinations in Central America

77. Cruise through the Panama Canal

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78. Trek in the rainforest in Costa Rica

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79. Visit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve in Costa Rica

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Dream Destinations in South America

80.  Visit Rio de Janeiro during the carnival

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81. Visit the Galapagos Islands

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82. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru

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83. Visit the Angel Falls in Venezuela 

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84. Visit Easter Island in Chile

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85. Hike through the Iguazu National Park in Argentina

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Not specific to any destination

86. Explore a cave

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87. Spend a night in a treehouse

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88. Hike to see a volcano

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89. Road trip in a campervan

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90. Spend a weekend camping by a lake or beach

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91. Learn how to forage

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92. Go on a helicopter ride

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93. Go to a family camp

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94. Visit a monastery 

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95. Go dolphin spotting

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96. Go whale watching

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97. Scuba dive with turtles

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98. Spend a night in a castle

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99. Spend a night glamping in a forest

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100. Walk behind a waterfall

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FAQ: Dream destinations and experiences

Is a bucket list a good thing? 

A bucket list is a great thing! 

It’s good to use a bucket list as a tool to record a dream or a plan to give you something to aspire to. 

Having said this, there are two sides to every story and the flip side to a bucket list being a good thing is the pressure that it can bring. 

Your bucket list needs to be full of fun things that are going to bring you joy. Don’t let it become a source of stress, disappointment or discontent. 

What is a bucket list? 

A bucket list is a list of experiences, dreams or goals that you haven’t done yet but aim to achieve in your lifetime. 

These can be general lists or more specific – like books you want to read, food to try, or places to visit on a travel bucket list!

Should you make a travel bucket list? 

Yes absolutely! Everyone should have a bucket list for inspiration and to help you set a plan in place to achieve your goals. 

How many things are usually on a bucket list? 

There is no set amount of things you should have on a bucket list.

How to answer the question “what’s your dream destination”?

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What makes a good family travel bucket list? 

A good bucket list needs to include a mixture of the achievable, inspirational and considered (especially if you’re not a seasoned traveller). 

If it’s a travel bucket list for a family it’s important to consider the age of the children in your group and what activities are going to be suitable for them – 6 hours of gorilla trekking in Uganda probably isn’t ideal with a 2 year old!

How do I achieve my travel bucket list?

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How do I plan a bucket list trip? 

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Summary of the dream destinations and experiences to add to your family travel bucket list

Hopefully this post has given you some inspiration to start your own bucket list, or given you some ideas to add on to your existing one!

Just keep it simple – it could be a list of all the things you would love to do in your lifetime, or it could be a small achievable and realistic set of travel goals that you meticulously plan. 

For us, we have this list of 100 dream destinations that’s kind of an inspirational wish list of travel!

We don’t have a strict plan to follow with them and are just ticking them off one by one as and when our travel plans and budget allow. 

Ultimately, a travel bucket list is personal to you and there really is no right or wrong answer to how to create one or what to include.