We’re 5 years until retirement and just paid off the mortgage (no other debt), so starting our “bucket list” too. I work for the school board so only get 6 weeks off in the summer, so trips have to fit in that time frame.
We also want to do the more far-away and active ones while we’re the healthiest. Australia is this summer, we’ll see how we are with the long flights, if it goes well we might do New Zealand next summer. Egypt and the Mediterranean are definitely on the list too but not somewhere I would want to go in July/August.
I would also love to do the Northwest Passage. So much to see!
Sounds like an awesome plan! One quick question, though, is which "summer" are you planning to travel? July and August in New Zealand is actually winter, and since most of the country has a temperate climate, it can be quite cold in those months. My dad was in Napier once in July and it was 6-8 degrees and raining the entire week.
The northern (tropical and subtropical) parts of Australia can be lovely in our summer because it's the drier season, but southern cities like Melbourne can be cool as well. We've found that the best months to visit those countries are Feb-May, which is late summer to mid autumn in the southern hemisphere.
I've actually found that for warm weather travel, I prefer going to a temperate climate in their summer than a tropical climate. When you go to a place where it's 20-25 degrees and sunny every day, most people don't seem to appreciate or take advantage of it. When we arrive in New Zealand in January or February, it feels just like summer at home. Everyone is out in their gardens, or having friends over for barbeques. Kids are riding their bikes in the streets, the sun sets late and seasonal summer fruit is for sale in the farm stands. In other words, it's like a Canadian summer; all the better because we know it will end in a few months and we need to get out and enjoy it.
