I first saw Angkor Wat on TV, a slow, sunlit sweep across stone towers, trees threading through centuries, and a soundtrack that made the whole thing feel like a memory I hadn’t yet lived. It landed in my chest the way a song does: familiar and impossible to ignore. That moment turned a passing curiosity into a quiet insistence: I have to see this for myself. The feeling was less about ticking a box and more about answering a question I didn’t know I’d been carrying.

A long‑awaited journey to Rio de Janeiro, from Copacabana Beach to the summit of Corcovado, finally standing beneath Christ the Redeemer.

A visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa has long been on my travel radar, and it now holds a place on my bucket list as a must‑see landmark rich in history and architectural significance.

At the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary, the elephants roam free, the humans behave themselves, and the only thing likely to spray you is a trunk with a sense of humour. It’s ethical, emotional, and exactly the kind of place my Mum would’ve loved.

Machu Picchu became a deeply personal bucket list journey, a place my dad always wanted to see, and one I finally visited for both of us.

A lifelong Tolkien fan finally steps into Middle‑earth. From wandering the hobbit‑holes to raising a pint in the Green Dragon Inn, my visit to Hobbiton was a childhood dream brought to life, and an unforgettable highlight of my New Zealand adventure.

Some bucket‑list experiences happen once and stay with you forever. Others, if you’re lucky, come around again and again, each time offering something slightly different. Flying over the Grand Canyon is one of those rare ones for me. I’ve had the privilege of doing it three times, and each flight has carved out its own place in my memory.

I’ve only ever seen Chichén Itzá on television, but the moment I first watched those stone steps and shadowed carvings, I knew I had to go. The image reached through the screen and planted itself on my bucket list. I imagine arriving at dawn, when the air is cool and the stones still hold the night’s quiet, and feeling the scale of El Castillo settle around me like a slow, steady breath.

Some bucket‑list ideas arrive quietly. Others leap out of a film, grab you by the imagination, and convince you that you, too, could be the sort of person who dives off cliffs with cinematic grace. For me, it was Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco, effortlessly plunging into the water in one of his films, looking cool, fearless, and entirely unbothered by the laws of physics. I remember thinking, That looks brilliant. I’d love to try that one day. And eventually, I did. Once. Which was more than enough.

Flying in a hot air balloon had been something I’d wanted to do for a long time. There’s a certain romance to it, the quiet, the height, the slow drift across the landscape. In 2003, my mum decided it was time I stopped talking about it and actually got airborne. She gave me a hot air balloon flight as a Christmas present, and a few months later, in May 2004, I finally took to the skies.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Humphrey Bogart films, the smoky bars, the impossible choices, the kind of romance that makes you think you’re immune to sentiment until you realise you’re absolutely not. I hide it well, of course. But somewhere between Bogart’s weary charm and Ingrid Bergman’s luminous heartbreak, Casablanca lodged itself in my imagination as a place I needed to see at least once.

My mum would insist I’ve technically already been to the Eiffel Tower. She was pregnant with me when she visited it in 1966, so depending on how generous you’re feeling, I’ve either been once already … or I’ve never been at all. Personally, I’m claiming the latter,  I don’t remember a thing, and I wasn’t tall enough at the time to appreciate the view.

A lifelong dream to walk Augusta National, not to play it, but to feel it. From the quiet of Amen Corner to the rolling greens I’ve only ever seen through a screen, this is my pilgrimage to one of the most beautiful landscapes ever crafted.

The Langkawi Sky Bridge earned its place on my bucket list the moment it appeared as a Microsoft screensaver,a curved walkway floating above the Malaysian rainforest that looked too extraordinary not to see in person.

From Cocoa Beach to Launch Pad 39B, I’ve watched rockets and shuttles roar into the sky, a childhood dream fulfilled many times over.

I was eating cereal for breakafst and doom scrolling through Facebook posts when I saw one about the Caminito del Rey. I thought it looked great and after doing some internet surfing and some research I have added it to the growing list of things on my bucket list.

Soaked, stunned, and standing inside the roar of Niagara Falls, from the Maid of the Mist to the Cave of the Winds, this was a bucket‑list adventure that delivered power, chaos, and unforgettable views.

Most people return from a holiday with a tan, a hangover, or a suitcase full of laundry that smells faintly of regret. I however, returned with something far more inconvenient: emotions.

Jasper National Park earned its place on my bucket list the moment I saw my parents’ photos, vast mountains, glacier-fed lakes and scenery so spectacular it looked almost unreal.

I finally snorkelled on the Great Barrier Reef, experiencing the colours, marine life, and sheer scale of this natural wonder, a lifelong ambition proudly ticked off my list.

Since learning about the travels of Marco polo when I was very young and then seeing the canals and gondolas in James Bond films as a boy I had always wanted to visit Venice. On a very wet stormy day in Spain, I got bored and feeling it was time to do a bit more travelling I booked to spend a few days there.

Japan was a long‑awaited, bucket list item. An escorted tour, exploring major cities, historic sites, and lesser‑known regions, offering a deeper look at the country’s culture, landscapes, and traditions.

I first saw Carcassonne as a young boy, half-asleep in the back of the family car, somewhere between Spain, boredom, and the promise of a beach. My mum, dad, sister and I stopped there on the way home from a holiday, and while the adults admired the ancient walls and the weight of history, I was far more interested in getting back to the sand. At that age, a medieval fortress didn’t stand a chance against a bucket and spade.

A long‑held dream realised: a cruise from Honolulu that visited Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Hilo, and the Big Island, offering volcanic landscapes, lush rainforests, and coastal vistas.

I finally walked a section of the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, a childhood dream come true and one of the most memorable experiences of my China tour.

A magical day at Discovery Cove, swimming with dolphins alongside my family, a joyful memory made even more meaningful with time.

The ancient rose‑red city of Petra has lived in my imagination for years, a place carved from stone and still waiting for me to see it in person.

A lifelong fascination with whales finally realised. From a surprise humpback breach in Hawaii to an unforgettable whale‑watching trip in Alaska, this bucket list dream delivered everything except the perfect photo.

From San Francisco’s hills to the streets of Madrid and Córdoba, riding a Segway turned sightseeing into pure fun, a bucket‑list item I’ve happily crossed off more than once.