9 Amazing Travel Experiences to Have Before You Die

Meet the wildlife on the Galápagos Islands.

We admire those who quit their jobs and travel the world, ticking off their bucket lists one week’s destination at a time. Life doesn’t happen that way for most of us, though, and maybe it’s years, even decades, between each time we visit a place we’d always dreamed of. But seeing the earth’s greatest sights is still a very worthy endeavor that everyone should have.

The good thing is that there are countless incredible things to see and life-changing experiences to have in this wide, wide world. Half the battle is knowing about them, though. MyDomaine.com 21 travel experiences to add to your bucket list and here are 9 to get you started. If you do even a few of these things, you’ll be more well traveled than most of us, so here’s to baby steps…

This piece originally appeared on MyDomaine.com.

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Breathe in the lavender fields in Provence, France.

The fragrant lavender fields of Provence bloom from June to August into a sea of purple, creating an incredible, color-rich, aromatic scene. Close your eyes, breathe deep, and exhale.

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Take a cruise in Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam.

A vision of towering limestone rainforest islands surrounded by emerald-green waters, Hạ Long Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam, includes more than 1,600 islands and islets, mostly uninhabited. The area provides lots of interest for sightseers, scuba divers, rock climbers, and hikers alike.

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Heat up by the Champagne Pool in New Zealand.

Located on the North Island of New Zealand, the Champagne is a terrestrial hot spring formed by a hydrothermal eruption 900 years ago. Its name derives from its abundance of flowing carbon dioxide, which causes a similar bubbling to Champagne, and its unusual colors come from mineral deposits. Water in the pool is around 163°F—swimming is not recommended.

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Swing at “the end of the world” in Ecuador.

At this low-tech tourist attraction in Baños, Ecuador, La Casa del Arbol, nicknamed “the end of the world,” non-acrophobes swing over a deep abyss below, the crater of Mount Tungurahua, an active stratovolcano. The building—a tree house—that the swing is attached to is a seismic monitoring station.

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Stroll through the Sagano Bamboo Forest in Japan.

Located on the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan’s Sagano Bamboo Forest is a magical wonderland of towering, verdant bamboo stalks gently moving in the wind, eerily creaking as they collide.

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Walk through Plitvice Lakes in Croatia.

Located in central Croatia at the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, heavily forested Plitvice Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a sight for sore eyes, with 16 tumbling crystalline lakes and a series of cascades and waterfalls of mineral-rich water.

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Hike Machu Picchu in Peru.

This Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains, which was built in the 15th century and later abandoned, presents a fierce challenge for hikers, offering incredible panoramic views as a reward.

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Float on a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Take in breathtaking sights of natural fairy chimney rock formations (hoodoos), panoramic vistas, and the picture-perfect image of vibrant hot-air balloons—all the while experiencing flying high in the sky—in the semi-arid town of Cappadocia, Turkey.

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Meet the wildlife on the Galápagos Islands.

A volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean studied by famous evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin, the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador are famous for their great number of endemic species (unique to the islands), including giant tortoises, marine iguanas, flightless cormorant birds, tiny penguins, blue-footed boobies, and magnificent frigatebirds (pictured).

See More of the Amazing Travel Experiences to Have Before You Die At MyDomaine.com.

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9 Amazing Travel Experiences to Have Before You Die

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Breathe in the lavender fields in Provence, France.

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