10 UNFORGETTABLE TRAVEL EXPERIENCES TO HAVE ONCE IN YOUR LIFE

While the travel industry is still under a lot of question marks and no one really knows when are we going to be able to travel as before, there is no harm in creating your travel bucket list. So here is my list of unique travel experiences that I think everyone needs to have at least once in their life - just to give you a bit of inspiration. Almost everyone knows that travel makes us wealthier in many ways that money can't. We see new places, meet new people, indulge in new activities. These new experiences make us a different person. Travelling isn’t merely about stepping foot on a landmark, but also inhaling the essence of the very place. While culture and beauty grow in you.

#1 Discover and explore Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru, on a 2,430-metre (7,970 ft) mountain ridge. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

#2 Bungeejump at Bhote Koshi River, near Kathmandu

If you are someone who likes a bit of adrenaline and extreme sports, then here is one for you. Named one of the longest bungees in the world as you jump from the bridge, right into a scenic 160-meter deep river gorge! And I always loved the name of the country, doesn't it have that magic ring to it? Kathmandu.

#3 Husky mush in Lapland, Sweden

If you don't believe in Santa anymore a trip to fairylike Lapland, might help. Learn to ride a sledge lead by charming huskies and go onto a race through the gorgeous frozen lakes and woods. It looks to me that in Lapland everyone can feel like a kid once again.

#4 Whale watching in Chatam Straits, Alaska

If you never thought of going to Alaska, I am surprised! That's basically believed to be the end of the world by many. Now imagine spotting a whale, one of the biggest and oldest creatures on our planet. Chatham Straits is one of the world’s richest waterways, where krill and herring, one of the whales’ favourite food sources, is extremely plentiful.  So it's no wonder that humpback whales bubble net feed there, it is an experience you will never forget.  Or I should say, I would never forget!

#5 Go on a wild safari, Botswana

The best and fastest ways to reconnect with nature is to dive into it in Botswana, where desert, delta, forest and big skies create a perfect destination for a wild safari. Here, you can gallop on horseback alongside herds of zebra, sway on elephant-back above feeding antelope, or canoe the Selinda Spillway, currently full of water after being dry for 30 years. And not forgetting the kings of the jungle (lions) roaming around.

#6 Etretat's Garden of Emotions, France

Now if you are someone like me and love arts, you must go to the Garden of Emotions. Les Jardins d’Etretat is a neo-futuristic garden that extends over the cliffs of the Alabaster Coast, one of the wonders of Normandy with a view listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO. The garden is a playground where lush topiary, architecture and contemporary art dialogue in all poetry. The project is the winner of the European Garden Award in the category "Best development of a historic park or garden", possesses one MICHELIN star in the Green Guide, listed among "Great Gardens of the World" and has the label "Remarkable Garden". And fairly so!!!

#7 Be mesmerised by the Northern Lights, Norway

Not only Norway is considered to be one of the most beautiful places on our planet, but you can also watch northern lights while you travel the country. To fully appreciate the glory and grandeur of this celestial display, which is also known as the aurora borealis, you have to settle beneath the ever-changing lights and watch them curve and curl, slither and flicker. People say it's easy to see why in older times people revered them as signs of the gods. And this is one of the most important items on my bucket list.

#8 Make your wish come true in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The Yi Peng Lantern Festival is a special holiday celebrated by the Lanna people of northern Thailand. In Chiang Mai, the stronghold of Lanna culture, houses and temples are decorated with colourful lanterns to mark the approach of the holiday. This festival of lights is iconic for the thousands of paper lanterns released into the sky, often adorned with written messages, prayers, and wishes. The sky lanterns are known as khom loi and usually made from thin pieces of rice paper. This is one magical event I wouldn't want to miss during my lifetime.

#9 Fly in the sky, Turkey

I have always wanted to visit Turkey to meet the cats of Istanbul and to see the blue mosque, amongst other things. Cappadocia is now a prime tourist destination with plenty of interesting facts to discover. Famous for its unique rock formations and amazing hot air ballooning opportunities, the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia are one of Turkey's most popular natural wonders.

#10 Breathtaking views from the Golden Bridge, Vietnam

I was always fascinated by big structures and sculptures, the Great Wall of China is also on my list, as well as giant Buddha... and the list goes on. So for item #10, I picked the bridge outside Da Nang in Vietnam that wows visitors with its beautiful view and elegant design – seemingly being held aloft by two giant stone hands. Known as the Golden Bridge, it stands 1,400m above sea level above the Ba Na hills, offering majestic panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.

Well, I hope my bucket list inspires you or gives you new ideas. Is there something else you would add to it? And where would you travel first once the world is back to normal?