A Travel Wish List for 2020

We live in a very confusing time. We all long for the time when we can travel again without restrictions. It gives me hope to look back on past trips and to look forward to fulfilling my “Travel Wish List”. Here are some of the places I would like to visit.

This is a very diverse list, from the East Coast to the Gulf Coast to the West Coast. We have been to some of these places before but they deserve a second trip. I wanted to make my list “doable” both financially and timewise. Some of these destinations will probably take several years of saving and planning.

Our Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2020

1. Pennsylvania; The Poconos, Hershey, Philadelphia
2. Niagara Falls from Buffalo, New York
3. Disney World or Universal Studios Orlando
4. Florida
5. Cruise to the Southern Caribbean
6. New Orleans
7. Alaskan Cruise from Seattle
8. Grand Canyon
9. South Dakota road trip; Mount Rushmore, Bad Lands, Custer State Park
10. New York City at Christmas

Pennsylvania

There are many beautiful and historic places in Pennsylvania. We would like to take a week-long road trip to explore these places.

• Hershey’s Chocolate World, Hershey, Pennsylvania(Reminds me of Willy Wonka’s factory)
• Philadelphia; the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall
• Gettysburg
• Pocono Mountains, the town of Mt. Pocono(also known as the “Land of Love”)

This might be an unusual destination, but once you’ve been there you will understand. Pennsylvania has a lot of natural beauty like the Pocono Mountains as well as big cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where you can find museums, historic landmarks, great restaurants, and much more. It really is a great state to visit!

Niagara Falls from Buffalo, New York

We drove through Buffalo, New York on our way to Canada. The city looked very interesting! It is the second-largest city in the state of New York and is located on the banks of Lake Erie. Seeing all of the Great Lakes is on my bucket list! It is also the origin of the Niagara River which flows to Niagara Falls about 22 miles to the North. I don’t know much about Buffalo but would love to explore this city. Our plan would be to stay in Buffalo and see Niagara Falls from there. The “American Falls”, which is the second-largest of the three waterfalls, is entirely in the United States.

Disney World or Universal Studios Orlando

We have been to Florida several times but I have never been to Disney World or Universal Studios. I know! that’s crazy! Any of the Disney theme parks would be ok with me! My husband wants to see Star Wars-Galaxy’s Edge, which is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There are many theme parks to choose from;

Walt Disney World Resort

• Magic Kingdom Park
• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
• Disney’s Blizzard Beach-Water Park
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon-Water Park

Universal Orlando Resort

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Universal Studios Florida
• Universal’s Islands of Adventure
• Universal’s Volcano Bay

Sea World

We have been to this one, which was great! You can read more about our trip at the end of this post.

Florida

As I said before, we have been to Florida several times. We usually go to visit my son and daughter-in-law in Largo. We really love the Gulf Coast area of Florida, but there is so much more to see! My son is always exploring new areas of Florida and telling me about them. I would love to head south to the Everglades, Miami, or the Florida Keys. You can’t beat the beautiful beaches, great restaurants, exotic wildlife, and nature. This is the only place on my list that I know we are definitely going to next year!

Cruise to the Southern Caribbean

My husband and I enjoy cruises and have two on our “wish list”. We have been to Nassau, Bahamas twice and would like to see other areas of the Caribbean. The Southern Caribbean is a great destination for a cruise. There are many beautiful islands to explore. Here are a few places we would like to see;

• Aruba
• Antigua
• Barbados
• Curacao
• St. Lucia
• St. Kitts
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Virgin Islands

If you have never taken a cruise, I highly recommend it! No matter which cruise line you choose, you will get good food, great entertainment, cool destinations, and beautiful sunsets!

New Orleans

New Orleans is one of those cities that is a “must-see”, at least for us! We have always wanted to go there. New Orleans has a lot of natural beauty with Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. There are many things we want to see;

• French Quarter
• Aquarium of the Americas
• National World War II Museum
• Bourbon Street
• Mardi Gras World
• Lake Pontchartrain
• Jazz Bars

Alaskan Cruise

Alaska is definitely on our “bucket list” it’s “America’s last great Wilderness”. A cruise to Alaska seems like a great way to get there and see some amazing things. One example of a cruise itinerary is an Inside Passage Cruise, from Seattle, Washington to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and back to Seattle. These are the things I hope to see:

• Glacier-carved fjords
• Whales, dolphins, and other marine life
• Bald eagles
• Waterfalls
• Snowcapped mountains
• Untouched islands
• Glacier Bay National Park

I think it will take a little bit of saving to achieve this goal but it will be well worth it. Between the cost to fly across the country and the cost of the cruise, I’m sure it will cost thousands. This could be a “once in a lifetime” kind of vacation so the cost doesn’t matter and I want to have enough!

Grand Canyon

I went to the Grand Canyon over 25 years ago and spend a night tent camping on the North Rim. It was an amazing experience and one that I want to share with my husband. Our days of tent camping are probably behind us and I’m not sure if he would be “all in” on taking a mule ride to the bottom of the canyon, but it is still a spectacular view and something everyone needs to see for themselves. Just like Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon can not be fully appreciated through photos.

South Dakota and Mount Rushmore

I took my sons on a road trip “out West” about 20 years ago. We lived in Wisconsin at the time and were headed to visit my brother in Wyoming. We pulled a pop-up camper behind our van and camped along the way. Our first stop was the Corn Palace in Mitchell, then Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, and the Black Hills, and we ended up camping in Custer State Park. All of these are “must-see” places in my book! I want to take my husband on a road trip pulling our camper and camping in Custer State Park. Here is the list of places to see;

• Corn Palace
• Badlands National Park
• Black Hills
• Custer State Park
• American Bison/Buffalo
• Mount Rushmore

It was so cool to wake up at the campground in Custer State Park and see Bison close enough to touch. I really want to share all this with my husband!

New York City at Christmas

I have always wanted to go to New York City at Christmas time. The photos that I’ve seen look wonderful, with the store window decorations, huge Christmas Tree and so much more;

• Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
• Broadway shows
• Empire State Building
• Statue of Liberty
• Central Park
• Holiday Markets
• Holiday Window Displays

This is our “wish list”, hopefully, we can get to some of these places in 2020. I encourage you to make a list of your own. Even though many travel plans have been canceled for the near future, I am hopeful that there will still be time to travel this year. Let me know where you want to go this year, please leave a comment or send me an email!

You might also enjoy these posts;

• SeaWorld
• Largo
• Honeymoon Cruise

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