A few months ago I set out to write a “30 Before 30” “bucket list” travel guide. Thirty things that every traveler should do before they turn thirty. I quickly realized that was a ridiculous idea, as it would take a pretty broad stretch of the imagination to identify thirty different things that would appeal to any and every twenty-something traveler. Plus, assuming that eighteen is the age of majority in your region, that really only gives you twelve years of independent adulthood to work your way through thirty different travel challenges. Who’s got time for that?
I knew I had to shift my thinking. I started to wonder why we focus so much on the years between eighteen and thirty, when it’s actually the years after that when we’re more likely to have the ability, time, money, knowledge, skills and confidence to embark on life-changing travel adventures. Screw “thirty before thirty” (in the nicest way possible, of course)… I wanted to make a “thirty after thirty” list of the destinations around the world that are truly worth waiting for.