Planning a bucket list trip in 2024? You’re in just the right place; we have all the recommendations you need to decide on your next once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
We know just how popular bucket list travel is across the UK, but we wanted to find out a little more about exactly where Brits are travelling to. We’ve carried out some research, looking at monthly searches, Google Trends and social media impressions to work out which bucket list items prove the most popular.
If you’re looking for bucket list inspiration, here are the UKs top experiences.
The UK’s top travel bucket list experiences
1. Go on safari
Top of the bucket list for Brits is going on safari, with almost 8.5k people looking up ‘safari holidays’ each month – and an incredible 8.6B views for the hashtag ‘safari’ on TikTok. Africa is the most renowned continent for safari adventures, with popular destinations including the Amboseli National Park in Kenya and Kruger National Park in South Africa.
2. Ride a hot air balloon
Brits looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience are looking to the skies – riding a hot air balloon is the second most popular bucket list item, with over 7.3k people a month looking to book a balloon experience. Cappadocia in Turkey is a highlight for hot air balloon enthusiasts, offering breathtaking views of the region’s unique rock formations and distinct fairy chimneys.
3. See the Northern Lights
The awe-inspiring Northern Lights rank third for the UK’s top bucket list destinations. 7.1k people search for ‘Northern Lights holidays’ each month, and the TikTok hashtag has over 995M views. The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are best seen from destinations around the Arctic Circle, with Tromsø, Norway, a hotspot for visitors looking to witness this natural phenomenon.
4. Go white water rafting
The research uncovered Brits are looking for adrenaline experiences, with white water rafting making the top five list. 6.5k people a month search for this white-knuckle activity. Luckily for Brits, rivers in Scotland and Wales, such as the River Tay or River Dee, offer opportunities for white water rafting. The Colorado River in the USA and the Futaleufú River in Chile are popular destinations for more extreme rapids.
5. Fly first-class
It’s not just where to travel that’s making Brits bucket lists, but also how to travel: taking a first-class flight comes in fifth in the ranking with over 6.5k people a month searching for first-class airline options. From fine dining and exclusive service to luxurious surroundings, opting for a first-class flight allows many Brits to tick off a bucket list experience even before touching down at their destination.
6. Go parasailing
Adrenaline experiences also scored highly on our list, with parasailing coming in as the sixth most popular bucket list experience. 5.7k people each month search for the activity, with the parasailing hashtag on TikTok having over 627 million views!
7. Go hang gliding
Similarly, for number seven, we saw Brits want to push their boundaries and experience something totally different – like hang gliding. This thrilling activity is searched for almost 3k times a month and has over 142 million views on the TikTok hashtag.
8. Visit Alcatraz
With almost 3k people a month in the UK looking up Alcatraz tours, this iconic destination comes in eighth on the UK’s bucket list. The hashtag for the San Francisco former penitentiary sees over 1.1 billion views on TikTok, reflecting the unique pull it continues to hold today.
9. Visit Pompeii
Continuing the historic trend, the ancient city of Pompeii in southern Italy places ninth on the UK’s bucket list. 2.4k people a month search for tickets to this bucket list destination, with TikToks showing the destination pulling in almost 749 million views.
10. Skydive
Finally, Brits proved they’re all about unique, exciting experiences, as skydiving finishes up the top ten bucket list. 1.8k people each month search for skydiving experiences, and TikTok’s showing skydives have an incredible 3.3B views – making skydiving the second most popular experience on social media!
Bucket list trends: Unique experiences are in while swimming with dolphins takes a dive
As well as analysing the top bucket list experience, we also wanted to look into which experiences are increasing – and decreasing – in popularity.
We found unique, extreme, and adrenaline experiences are increasingly popular options, with visiting an active volcano, cave diving, visiting Alcatraz, cliff diving and glacier hiking all appearing in the full top 30 list. Swimming with sharks ranked 19th, with the nail-biting activity doubling in interest over the last year.
This is in stark comparison to previously popular bucket list activities such as riding elephants and swimming with dolphins. Searches for swimming with dolphins have declined over the last five years, while searches for riding elephants have halved since their peak in July 2021.
When it comes to animal and wildlife experiences, we can see more and more people opting for experiences where they can witness wildlife in their natural habitat, rather than previously popular activities like riding elephants, which raise ethical issues.
Overall, it’s clear Brits want travel experiences beyond the ordinary. As a country, we’re seeking adrenaline adventures such as skydiving or exploring iconic sites like Alcatraz, showing a growing appetite for unforgettable travel experiences that create lifelong memories.
If you’re considering a bucket list holiday, why not create your own unique itinerary with eShores? From island hopping and relaxation to city breaks and cultural exploration, we have a huge range of experiences and luxury holidays just waiting to be explored.
Why choose eShores?
One to One Service
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
100% Tailor Made
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
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Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
Competitive Pricing
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
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Sharon
Kadie is so informative on the tours and countries we have visited. This is my 3rd trip with her. I wouldn’t use anyone else
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Dennis
Having sucessfully used eShores in the past, I decided to ask them to arrange a multi destination holiday to Greece this year. I told Rob what we had in mind, and he very quickly put together a number of hotel options for us to consider. Once we made our choice he confirmed everything, including airlines, flight times and transfers. Nothing was too much trouble for him, despite we making a few alterations along the way. Well done Rob.
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Colin& Sue
eshores helped us arrange our recent Feb /March 2024 trip to Cambodia ,Vietnam and Singapore with my wife . What a fantastic job sorting our holidays out for us, very professional , even changed the itinery to suit us . Chris Eves at eshores was brilliant nothing too much trouble and a great help and service .Will definitely use them again have also recommended the company to numerous people on our travels. Private transfers were organized from the different hotels and to and from the airport, this definitely made our trip much more enjoyable, everything on our trip ran like clockwork, our holiday finished off at Marina bay sands hotel in Singapore , although expensive it has to be on a bucket list .Keep up the good work cant wait for the next holiday .
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Elizabeth
Quick response to emails . Requested a lot of changes etc that were all dealt with promptly.
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Tony
Michelle is fantastic and has so much patience with Me which I thank Her for. On this occasion the pricing was more favourable than My last trip but again Michelle has been so supportive and met all My expectations.
Posted 3 days ago -
Jane
Second time booking with Michelle at e shores. Could not have been more helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. Would highly recommend.
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Maureen
Nick was very helpful in finding us a suitable 2 centre holiday in Greece. He quickly amended the original quote when we had to change the dates. He was very approachable, polite and friendly.
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Anonymous
Matt really helped with our booking. Nothing was too much trouble. Every time we changed our mind (which was quite a few) he rearranged the plans and got back to us promptly. I will definitely use this company again.
Posted 6 days ago -
Angela
Have just booked with eShores for the second time. Gavin planned a three week Caribbean Island hopping trip earlier this year which was fantastic and very well organised. We decided to do the same thing again and look forward to our next trip in January. Would definitely recommend this company and use them again.
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Paul
Absolutely a fab team ...Matt has been taking care of my holiday he is really so nice and helpful and responded to everything for me..
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