What’s on your Travel Bucket List?

Having already visited some of the major cities of California, it’s time to hit the road. There’s so much to see, so this time we’d concentrate on the northern part of the state. Crossing over the Golden Gate bridge, we’d start in the winelands (below), either Sonoma or Napa Valley, before heading east to explore Lake Tahoe and its surrounds – walking in the Sierra Nevada, getting out and about on the lake or visiting one of the nearby historic mining towns. Spending time exploring Yosemite National Park (above) is a must before we drive back to the Pacific Coast to look for whales and dolphins in Monterey Bay. It’s a short hop to San Francisco to soak up this fabulous city for a final few days.

It’s wonderful having relatives in Australia, and spending Christmases in Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland will always be treasured. However it does sometimes mean you don’t get to explore as much as you would like! The next visit down under will definitely include time on the Great Barrier reef, hopefully for some diving, as well as revisiting the Northern Territory, with its stunning National Parks (above) and varied wildlife – it would also be brilliant to find out more about the indigenous way of life and culture. Last but not least, will be a visit to Uluru to walk around the base (below) and hear the stories of the local Mala people. Can’t wait.

There’s so much incredible diversity across India and we’ve been lucky enough to visit most parts, however a trip to mountainous Uttarakhand, just north of Delhi, is definitely on the cards. There are a host of Hindu holy centres, including treks to the pilgrimage sites of Gangotri and Badrinath, deep in the Himalayas, plus holy Rishikesh on the Ganges. It would be brilliant to do one of the village to village walks in the Kumaon region, with their local homestays, as well as relaxing at the lovely Shakti 360 retreat (above). Hill stations to visit include Nanital, to hopefully see Nanda Devi (7,816m), and also nearby Ranikhet for family reasons. Last but not least, we can easily include Corbett National Park, India’s oldest protected region, well known for its forested slopes, healthy populations of tiger and elephants plus magnificent bird life.

With the whole world to choose from, in normal times, it is easy to forget that some of the world’s greatest treasures lie relatively close to hand in Egypt. And what treasures they are! We will start with the Pyramids & Sphinx in Cairo, together with the wonders of the historic Egyptian Museum and soon to open Grand Egyptian Museum. Heading to Upper Egypt we will join a Nile Cruise that follows in the footsteps of classical era visitors, such as Alexander the Great and the Roman Emperors. Luxor has Karnak Temple and tombs in the Valley of the Kings then we will gently cruise along the Nile to reach Aswan, on the edge of Ancient Nubia, where treasures such as beautiful Philae Temple (above) await. The expert guides will bring the country to life, the weather will be brilliant and we can round off the trip by relaxing under the palm trees in the warm African sun, either by the pool or on the shores of the Red Sea, with its fine sandy beaches and magnificent underwater life.