Hubby & I are saving for the "once in a lifetime" travel experience but not sure where we'd like to go yet. We're in our mid-forties, no kids, easy going...skipping all of our details about our likes/dislikes, budget, etc. I like to hear from all of you about your MOST ULTIMATE travel place that shouldn't be missed in one's lifetime. Thanks.

To me it's not just where but when. Some done, many more yet to be done.

The Cape for a shuttle or other big bird launch - not yet.

New Year's Eve in Edinburgh - done.

Jerusalem old city - done, again next week, a tad scary nowadays.

Fiji - done, but on the cheap. Luxury, not yet.

A year in Provence - catchy title, eh? Not yet.

Antarctica - maybe next year. Really.

Freighter cruise - done one (trans Pacific) - would really like to do the one from Italy down through the Indian Ocean islands to Madagascar. Maybe next year unless we're with the penguins.

Overwater bungalow on Bora Bora.

Ken

Egypt - touch a pyramid from the inside and imagine the thousands of years of history contained in those walls.

Why is it a once in a lifetime expreience? Why not have a bunch of great travel expriences? (Unless you're plaanning on dying real soon?) there are thousands of great experiences - just start to collect them!

Walking where Julius caeser did

Seeing where charlemagne crowned himself holy roman emperor

Seeig the original Constitution - and Magna Carta

walking on a glacier at 12,000 feet plus

seeing the sun rise over the atlantic and set over the pacific

watching life go by on the Champs Elyseee

Seeing QEII really enthused - honest - when her horse won a major race

Tivoli Gardens fireworks at midnight in June - when the sky is just starting to turn dark

Why not collect dozens yourself? With a little planning its esy enough!

Things to put on your list:
Frigate cruise to Antarctica
Patagonia hiking trip
Galapagos islands
Australian circuit-Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Sydney/Melbourne
French Polynesia sampling
Hong Kong
Seychelles
Botswana naturalist trip
Europe/Mediterranean: too many specifics to list, but tops on my recommended list are Italy's Amalfi Coast/Tuscany/Lakes region, and the Greek Isles.

Must add Niagara Falls in the winter when it is frozen. AWESOME.

Safari in East Africa(kenya,Tanzania) followed up with a nice, long, lazy stay on some of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world - Seychelles Islands.

Around the world cruise with Cunard Lines.

Spending the winter in the Arctic Circle.

A luxury around the world flight, can't remember the company name, but it's a specially converted B-727, with only 100 seats or so. Stops at all the major cities, includes top of the line hotels and tours.

Flying first class aound the world with one of the airline alliances. Almost same as above, but at your own pace and destination choosing.

Route 66

and on and on and on.....

If I could only win the MegaLotto

A jet set tour of Austrailia's best followed by a relaxing drive thru New Zealand for a month, finished with a polynesian stopover or two on the way home...hmmmm someday!?!

I would say that the number one ultimate couples destination would be the Sea Mountain at Palm Springs. Sea Mountain Inn has everything the most romantic couple could ever want. I have been with my fiancee many time and we love love love this place. It can be very pricey, as it is highly exclusive and considered a celebrity hang out but once you go you see why its worth it. There are natural mineral hot springs, a wonderful spa. Sea Mountain Inn for us was always about the experience of being toghether and loving each other. I think you should look at the site www.seamountaininn.com

Italy

A friend took a cruise through the Northewest Passage. Arctic adventure and an ecological eye-opener.

The NY Times had an amazing article on a man's trip to Easter Island. It was his lifetime dream, and he finally got to go at the age of 78. Here is the link - it's really well-written and beautiful article, regardless of whether or not you plan to go.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/04/3.../30easter.html

Not that I have been to any of these, they are on "my" list for "once in a lifetime" trips!
South Africa
New Zealand

My dream trips, which will happen someday, are Antarctica, Macchu Picchu (ha, ha no idea how to spell it), and a few months just bumming around all of Europe. Oh, add Easter Island and the Galapagos.

Nicely written article, but I'm not so sure I would agree with the writer about the length of stay. It is a small island. The people are very friendly but 3 days is about right, IMHO. I had a great time and saw and explored just about every corner of the island, but it is only 10x15 miles, so you can only do so much sightseeing. Met some wonderful people, actually went out with the hotel people to celebrate the Assistant's to the Minister of Culture of Chile birthday on the last evening. He was staying at the same motel, so I got lucky as every morning at breakfast he would tell me about some out of the way places that the normal tourist wouldn't usually get to see. I would go off sightseeing and he would go to work. He is a regular at the motel as the Chile Ministry of Culture is overseeing all the statues and antiquities on the island. The only thing I did not do was to get to the quary before sunrise to take pictures of the 15 moai statues at Aha Tongariki with the sun rising behind.... I planned it for the last morning and as luck would have it, it was raining all morning

It is a great place to visit if one wants to find some solitude and/or is trying to write the next big novel.

Some trivia about Easter Island:

All the statues by the seashore face inland, not out..

NASA has a post on the island and they also paid for the runway extension. The airport is suited for the NASA shuttle landing in case of emergency.

There are only 2 flights a day, LAN Chile coming from Tahiti and LAN Chile going to Tahiti... to/from Santiago about 3-4 days a week.

There are 3 or 4 different and unique shapes of the statues as each was made by different clans. Eyes, no eyes and hats and no hats.

Loved the South Island of New Zealand, leisurely, much to see, stayed in the McSweeney lodges at two locations, their sheep station at Arthurs Pass and their cottages on Lake Moeraki -and hotels in Christchurch and Queenstown -
great sights, mountains, walking on the glaciers, rain forests, winery, night walks with glo worms,.....easy, beautiful driving, great food and wine. So far, my all time favorite trip.

New Years Eve in Basel, Switzerland following a story book Christmas in Lauterbrunnen and Bern

Rome, Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Ravello

Australia and the Great Barrier Reef

Paris, the coast of Brittany and Normandy- Mont St.Michel at night time.

Stockholm and the archipelagos

I have been surprised recently about how many US destinations that aren't too difficult to get to are pretty fantastic.

Taking the ferries around the SAn Juans.

Driving around rte 1 in N. Calif, many places.

sunset at Monument Valley

Yosemite valley.

Yellowstone Park early in the morning.

Zion in the fall.

sleeping in the Grand Canyon.

My dream trip was a safari in Kenya. It was worth dreaming about. Hopefully I'll go back some day.

Antarctica is my dream destination. I WILL go someday.

I'd also like to do an African safari. But maybe that's because I saw "Mogambo" on TCM the other day and have visions of running into a shirtless Clark Gable in the bush. LOL