As I approach the end of my college career and first steps into adult life (or, you know, a gap year and then more school again), I think about all of the cool places I am hoping to travel with my non-existent-but-coming-soon adult money. While my parents have tried to take us on a nice vacation every year, there are still so many place I have not been, especially considering I haven’t left the country.
I think this list will be a surprise to some people for two reasons. The first being that despite never leaving the country, a lot of very popular travel destinations will be left off of my list. This is not from a lack of wanting to go to those places, but rather, feeling like they are places I can go later in life. Your 20’s are a special time, you’re young and usually free from children, maybe you have a spouse for part of it, but are still old enough to travel independently and spend money. The second shock will be the amount of destinations inside the United States that have made my list. Being 21 years old and never leaving America means that I am way more likely to check visiting all 50 states off of my bingo card then trying to hit 100 countries or all seven continents.
In no particular order, here are the places I am hoping to get to in the next eight years and three months of my life:
- Spain
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I’ve been interested in visiting Spain since middle school, but with age and learning more about the rich culture, that desire has only grown. There is so much to explore, historic and modern, in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Salamanca. Aside from the bustling cities, there are luxurious beaches and grand mountains. On top of that, the number one place I want to visit, Ibiza, is an island of Spain. I don’t even know if one trip would be enough to see and do all that I want. Before beginning grad school, I want to take one super long trip, and this is one of my top choices. The other happens to be right below this…
- California road trip
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My other super grand trip idea for before grad school, but make it domestic! While I have been out West, I’ve never been to the coast, and with a state as large as California, there is a wide range of sights to see, both natural and man-made. My plan would be to fly out to California and rent a car to drive around to all the destinations I want to see. This is another task that feels unlikely to accomplish all in one go, but I have a list of places in my mind ranging from the most Northern to Southern parts of the state. The Redwoods, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, Malibu, Los Angeles, Death Valley, and Palm Springs. The other National Parks are also on my list, but that will come up a little bit later.
- Maine summer
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Calling all Happy Place by Emily Henry fans (side bar — this is my least favorite book of hers, the characters were beyond annoying, but her descriptions of the trip helped me finish it at least). Real talk, aside from the stunning views, adorable town, and delicious seafood describe in the novel, I have a few friends with houses in Maine that have really moved me to want to take this trip. Despite being drastically smaller in size, similarly to California, Maine is a state with diverse offerings. While I would want to spend some time in Acadia National Park, the coast and quaint towns are what truly draw me here and would be the highlight of this relaxing escape.
- Northeast fall
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And the fun from up North does not stop at summer! Except this time I am focusing on other states in the region. I would love to see the fall foliage in Vermont (and have had my Noah Kahan caption planned for this trip for awhile now) and other states. I also have been wanting to visit Boston, as it is the only Northern city I am planning to apply for grad school in, and want to make sure the hype is worth the cold. Additionally, several of my former teammates go to school in Boston and it would be my excuse to finally visit them.
- Aspen
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Maybe I have been influenced by the brand trips, maybe it’s because my boyfriend is massively into skiing/snowboarding. I’m not really sure what specifically inspired this most recent addition to this list, but I am not complaining about it. I’ve only been skiing once, but I’ll have to work on it to enjoy some Après-ski, which I have always wanted to do. The high end shopping and dining is also a perk for a girl who vacations like me.
- Out West: Yellowstone
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Tying back into the California road trip, I am dying to hit many of the National Parks out West. Yellowstone is of course my number one as my Grandfather, who is about to pass, often fondly recounts the family trip he took my father, aunt, and uncle on when they were kids. My parents have always talked about renting an RV and checking it out, especially as my mom’s favorite co-worker has been spending his retirement on a ranch in Montana, so we could visit him as well. Other parks I would love to see on a trip with my parents and sister while we’re all still young enough to vacation together include Glacier, Arches, Zion, Yosemite, and Grand Teton, with Glacier and Grand Teton being the easiest to visit from Yellowstone.
- Grand Cayman
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I’ve only recently discovered how gorgeous this place is, and have wanted to visit since the beginning of college. There are plenty of tropical destinations I have on my lifelong-bucket-list, like Curacao or Atlantis in the Bahamas, but I am in more of a rush to visit here. My parents traveled here while my mom was pregnant with me, and I think it would be so special to visit it with her while we’re both able to travel to far destinations.
- Northern Lights
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Here’s another sentimental trip with my parents! My dad always talks about seeing the Northern Lights with us and has always wanted to visit Alaska. Truly any country with the Northern Lights would suffice, though I personally am pulling for Norway. As a bonus, my Dad has always been big on showing us constellations at night, and most of these destinations also have significantly lower light pollution than our hometown. It truly just adds to the special experience.
- Italy
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Prior to learning about all Spain has to offer, Italy was for sure my number one country. While I could enjoy everything about this country, there’s something about being young and running around the lively, ancient cities (or maybe I’ve just reread Love & Gelato too many times). I took Latin in middle and high school, so exploring the remains of Rome would mean so much to me. Aside from Rome, cities I hope to travel to include Milan, Lake Como, Florence, Tuscany, The Dolomites, and Pompeii. The lush cities, beaches, and countryside provide the perfect balance to me nerd-ing out over ancient ruins and mythology.
- London, England
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I feel like the way I feel about London is the way most people feel about New York. The shopping, the culture, the history, all of it! While this would not be a relaxing vacation, there would be so much to see and do. I know having general countries listed and then just having a city seems silly, but if we’re being honest, this is the only part of England I am itching to visit in the near future.
- Great Lakes/Northern Michigan
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This might just seem like another Emily Henry inspired pull, being that Funny Story takes place here, but it’s actually because I was born and raised in Southeast Michigan before moving to Virginia. My entire extended family still lives there, and its where my parents lived the majority of their lives, so of course we go back to visit a lot, but we are yet to tackle a true Northern Michigan summer (aside from Mackinac). The crystal clear beautiful waters and cozy lake houses in summery, homey towns are just calling my name, and it’s a trip I truly hope to share with my family soon.
- Canada
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This is another fairly recent add to my list. I have wanted to visit for awhile, between seeing the beautiful wintery scenes and bustling large cities, but sometime last year I saw a TikTok on my feed of an itinerary for Banff/Jasper, and it really got me interested in visiting Banff National Park. The Gatorade-blue waters, the untouched natural landscape, and rare wildlife seem so interesting to me. I am hoping to check this one off this summer, especially since the weather is perfect that time of year. On top of that, bigger cities like Toronto seem very fun to check out, especially while you’re young.
- Honorable mentions
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In an effort to not make this article 10,000 words, here are a few places that didn’t make the cut. Some of which are places I have been before, but feel like I need to see again, whether it be now that I am older or not having enough time to fully absorb it. The others are places I really do want to see, but also feel like I could enjoy them at any age.
Need to go back: Savannah, GA, New York City, NY, Key West, FL, Las Vegas, NV, and Charleston, SC
Need to go soon: New Orleans, LA, Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon, AZ, Tokyo, JPN, Dublin, IRE, Maui, HI, Monte Carlo, MON, and South Africa.
So much to see, so little time (and money until I finish that next degree). Here’s to hoping that I get to experience all these beautiful places in my lifetime and many more.