Think you’ve seen it all? 20 travel experiences to inspire and excite you

I’ve been everywhere, man … If you’ve been feeling that way lately, you’re not alone. Many of us have been lucky enough to have travelled for decades now, visiting amazing places and ticking off dream destinations.

After a while, it’s possible to run out of inspiration. The world of travel is filled with seemingly endless possibilities, but still, there can come a time when you feel you have done everything you always wanted to do.

So, what to do now? Where to go next? What can you plan and get excited for when all the obvious experiences have been enjoyed? In this story, we talk to the experienced traveller, to someone who has seen the sights over many years.

Some of the ideas are deeper dives into familiar regions, others are suggestions for lesser-visited destinations. Some are skills to acquire to open up new experiences and places. Others are grand journeys.

These are 20 amazing experiences and destinations that even the hardiest explorer will find exciting and invigorating. If you’re seeking inspiration to take your travels further, this is the place.

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By now you have probably seen the Colosseum, the Great Barrier Reef, maybe Iguazu Falls, and possibly the Temples of Angkor. But have you visited Cameroon’s Dja Faunal Reserve or Finland’s Fortress of Suomenlinna? For those hungry for a new adventure, the next great “wow” moment, it’s worthwhile scrolling through the list of UNESCO’s 1273 heritage-listed sites around the world for inspiration. In all likelihood you will never visit all of them, but as a snapshot of the wonder that the world has to offer – and how little of it you have probably seen – this is an invaluable tool. See unesco.org

Why let the kids have all the fun? It’s something of a tradition for school-leavers or university graduates to take a year off before they start the serious business of a career, to travel the world and enjoy themselves, see the sights and have experiences. So, what are you waiting for? If your travel experience in the past has been made up of small chunks of time away, this is the ultimate way to see the world in a completely different light, to get to know yourself and your destination and just have a whale of a time for 12 months. If you’re retired, it’s a no-brainer. If you’re still working, there are ways and means to figure this out.

Many experienced travellers have done the safari thing in southern or east Africa. It’s the sort of holiday that gets under your skin, that calls you back for more, which is why so many people return to Namibia and Botswana, Kenya and Tanzania for their Big Five thrills. If you’re looking for something a little different, however, consider heading west: Ghana, Senegal, Guinea, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and more offer some incredible travel experiences, and they’re all rated orange, “exercise a high degree of caution”, by Smartraveller (the same as France and the UK). Explore national parks, vibrant cities, historic sites and more.

It takes some effort for Australians to get to the Caribbean.