So, where to next?

At this time of year, I often reflect on what I have done in the past year, and I think ahead to what I want to do, and where I want to visit, in the coming year.

In the last five years, I have had some memorable holidays abroad. I have seen a total eclipse in China, an annular eclipse in Kenya, been on safari in the Masai Mara, toured Switzerland by rail, visiting the highest railway station in Europe,  seen the Northern Lights, Polar Night and Midnight Sun in Norway, seen volcanoes in Iceland, and watched the jet-set in the French Riviera and Biarritz. An impressive list, you might think, but there are still many more places I want to see before I die.

This is my current list of must visit places, although I regularly refine the list, adding places to it, and deleting places that I no longer have an interest in. Unfortunately, the volatile state of parts of the planet, and my advancing years, causes my to think twice about visiting places that only a couple of years ago would have been at the top of my list.

My current list, in order of distance, is as follows, along with a brief note about why that place appeals to me.

1. Iceland in Summer

I was fortunate to visit this unique country in March 2011 with Explorers Astronomy Tours, mainly to see the Northern Lights, which I hadn’t seen before. The country was covered in snow, with the only bare places being  where the ground beneath our feet was still bubbling with volcanic activity.

In Summer, when the snow has melted, the country takes on a completely different look when flowers are blooming and grasses grow where the snows once lay. The mountains are still snow-covered, and the glaciers  glisten in the long daylight hours, but the lowlands and coastal regions are bursting with life. Whales and dolphins are common-place around the shores, and the rivers and streams topped up with melt water, attract birds that aren’t seen in Britain.

Being only a couple of hours away by air, I hope to take a week’s holiday there very soon.

2. Hurtigruten in Norway

This is not a destination, but a coastal cruise, not on a flashy cruise liner, but a working ferry, with beds. There are several options available, ranging from a short cruise lasting a couple of nights, to a full fortnight’s holiday from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes in the north, and back. The full trip is probably too long, and I think a couple of weeks in a small cabin on board ship might test my powers of relaxation too much.

Having taken a short four-hour journey on the Hurtigruten a couple of times when I’ve been in Norway, I have a good idea what to expect, and a four-day trip from Tromso to Kirkenes during the Summer, is reasonably priced, and a very interesting way to see the Norwegian fjords.

 3. Svalbard

A few hundred miles north of Kirkenes is the islands of Svalbard and the most northerly town in the World – Longyearbyen. This place is the starting point for many Polar expedition and is about as desolate and remote as you can get. This is the domain of reindeers and Polar bears.

Taber Holidays, who arranged my trips to Alta and Tromsø, do a seven day, two centred holiday based in Tromsø and Longyearbyen. If I can get fitter in the coming months, this one is on my agenda for Summer 2014.

4. Grand Canyon

Needs no introduction. This is on my list of places to visit across the Atlantic, and while there, I could also visit some of the National Parks and travel on the Amtrak railway network.

5. Tanzania Annular Eclipse

In January 2010, I saw an annular eclipse in Kenya, as well as visiting the Masai Mara and taking a few safaris. In September 2016, there is an annular eclipse in Tanzania, and Astronomy Tours, who arranged the trip to Kenya, are organising a tour. The opportunity to see the magnificent wildlife and spectacular scenery is one that I won’t want to miss.

6. Trans-Siberian Express

A marathon, and expensive, 20 day journey from Moscow to Beijing, or vice versa. We’re now getting to the holidays that I would love to do, but doubt that I ever will. You never know.

7. Maldives

A beautiful group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are under grave threat of disappearing under the waves if global warming is not controlled. I have wanted to visit these islands for many years and it is my ideal beach holiday, as well as the only beach holiday in my list. Expensive, but somewhere very different to the other places on my list.

8. Peru, Galapagos and Easter Island

I have grouped these destinations together as they can be combined in one amazing holiday. I have always been fascinated in the Galapagos islands, and I have wanted to visit Machu Picchu in Peru, since I saw it on a Great Railway Journeys documentary. I won’t be doing this one any time soon as you really need to be fit and healthy before tackling the altitude of Peru.

9. Australia and New Zealand

I want to travel the full length of Australia’s two long distance railway lines, the Ghan, from Adelaide in the south, through Alice Springs, to Darwin in the north and the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth. The Indian Pacific crosses the Nullarbor Plain on the longest straight line in the World at almost 300 miles. I would also like to see the Sun rising over Ayers Rock, and tour New Zealand.

10. Hangzhou

On my previous visit to China, I saw the beautiful city of Hangzhou and the West Lake. It was here that I saw the Impression West Lake show, a spectacular production performed on the lake itself which left a lasting impression on me. The music in the show was performed by Kitaro, with a vocal performance from Jane Zhang, which still sends tingles down my spine now, even though I’ve heard it hundreds of times.

Hangzhou is less than 100 miles from Shanghai, one of the most amazing places I have ever seen, and somewhere also worth a second visit.

11. Tibet

When I visited China, there was an option to extend the trip into Tibet and travel on the 1,215 mile long Qinghai-Tibet Railway between Beijing and Lhasa. Unfortunately, by the time I booked, this part of the trip was sold out. Tibet is a fascinating country, and another destination that I will have to be fit to undertake, because of the altitude.

12. Antarctica

The last place on my list is Antarctica, and is the only destination more remote than Svalbard. Trips here are very expensive, very long and not without an element of danger. It will take a good deal of planning to visit the Antarctic, but hopefully, I will achieve my ambition before I die. I would love to see the colonies of penguins in real life after watching numerous documentaries about them.

Well, that’s my list. If I can do half of them, I will die happy, but who knows, I might surprise myself and do the lot.

Related articles

• Eclipse Above the Clouds (image) (passtheknowledge.wordpress.com)
• Hurtigruten cruise: Northern Lights in Norway (telegraph.co.uk)
• Onward and Upward – Kirkenes, Norway (travelpod.com)
• Tromsø in Winter (alanrowley.info)
• 11 Must-See Skywatching Events in 2014 (space.com)
• Kirkenes and MS Nordlys – Kirkenes, Norway (travelpod.com)
• Simon Calder: Norway pushes the boat out for ferry holidays (independent.co.uk)
• I miss you, SVALBARD! (martinaaronne.wordpress.com)