For a lot of us, the new year brings fantasies of travel destinations. And even though your other dreams and resolutions for 2018 have fallen to the wayside, it is not too late to make this the year that your dream trip becomes a reality. Whether your ideal getaway involves sun-soaked shores, fairytale castles, epic long-distance lifts, or exclusive safaris, there’s an adventure for every taste and price range.
The Best Dream Trips for 2018
Here’s a sampling of the best dream excursions you may take in 2018–many of them recently made for the season ahead.
Visit an Exclusive Private Game Reserve in Thanda Safari in South Africa
Envision a place where Africa’s famed Big Five game animals–lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, leopards, and Cape buffalo–exist openly in a spacious all-natural habitat, protected from hunters and poachers yet readily accessible to curious travelers. Imagine yourself there in the foothills of South Africa’s Drakensburg Mountains, headed by a seasoned tracker and armed not with a hunting rifle but a camera. Now imagine you’ve got an expert wildlife photographer in your side to teach you the secrets of shooting these magnificent creatures up close in the African Bush.
In Thanda Safari, a five-star World Tourism Award-winning private game reserve in South Africa, you do not have to envision it. You are able to live it with a stay in the luxury reserve’s upscale lodge, luxury camping tents, or private villa. This African outfitter combines all of the standard components of a once-in-a-lifetime safari with a dedication to encouraging the regional Zulu culture and caring for its environment. There’s no better time to visit than in 2018, when South Africa celebrates Nelson Mandela’s centenary.
Important Information: Local staff and guides improve the experience and supply cultural immersion opportunities. Guests can opt to remain in a conventional beachfront lodge, a luxury safari camping tent, or even a private villa.
Cost: $687 to $1,389 (according to average prices for a standard room)
Sail the Coast of Sri Lanka with G Adventures
Sri Lanka, an island nation from the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean, is that the up-and-coming destination for global travelers from Southeast Asia. However, more attention obviously means bigger crowds, also, which explains why G Adventures’ romantic new seven-day sailing trip across the southern coast of this island is a perfect way to discover this climbing destination in 2018. Along with researching historical forts, remote shore towns, and tiny fishing villages, you will also have enough time to relax, surf, and snorkel.
This is a brand-new destination for G Adventures in 2018, making it a must-book dream trip for avid travelers who want to be the very first to see a popular destination that’s high on low and rewards on crowds.
Price: Beginning at $1,359 from G Adventures
Hike Japan’s Long-Distance Paths with Walk Japan
Beyond the bright lights and sensory overload of Tokyo, Japan’s rural past lives on in its own tranquil long-distance walking routes, many of which can be offered as directed excursions by tour operator Walk Japan. Nakasendo Way, among the five established routes used throughout the Edo period, after joined Edo–modern day Tokyo–to Kyoto for pedestrian travelers. Today it is possible to choose a guided walking tour of Nakasendo Way for a flavor of old Japan–while still benefitting from a few modern conveniences, like baggage transfers between ceases.
Uncover the Mysteries of Easter Island in Explora Rapa Nui
A far-flung and mystical destination countless miles from the coast of southern Chile, Easter Island (called Rapa Nui by its own indigenous people) frequently finds its way onto the bucket lists of passionate travelers. Just 63 square miles in size, Rapa Nui packs a whole lot of adventure to its small height: Believe volcanos, beaches, wild horses, and of course moai figurines–the most famous “Easter Island heads” which have confounded explorers and archeologists for centuries.
There is no better way to see all of Rapa Nui than with a stay at the famous Explora Rapa Nui lodge, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2018. At Explora, you can pick from more than 30 guided explorations of the island according to your own personal interests and fitness level. And at the close of the day, you’ll go back to the lodge for a glass of Chilean wine or a frisky pisco sour, or maybe indulge at the spa amid a luxe surroundings with panoramic perspectives.
Important Info: Local personnel and guides enhance the experience and supply cultural immersion opportunities.
Cost: $996 to $1,754 (based on average prices for a typical room)
Animate Your Summer at Disney’s New Toy Story Land in Florida
Last year it was Pandora–The World of Avatar. Next year, it will be Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. But don’t miss this summer’s big Disney Parks show: Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Featuring new rides such as the Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers, in addition to a carnival-themed 4-D arcade, Toy Story Land is regarded as the hottest ticket in Orlando this summer.
Price: Starting at $99 for a one-day pass to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Relax at a Floating Resort off the Coast of British Columbia
Located from the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of British Columbia, the spectacular Ocean House floating resort offers isolation-seekers the greatest chance to experience a distant portion of the planet in virtual solitude.
Newly opened in 2018, the Ocean House offers three-, four-, and seven-night adventure travel packages highlighting the culture and natural environs of their local Haida people–all with unexpectedly luxurious touches. Activities include guided rainforest hikes amongst old-growth forests and up-close explorations of ancient Haida villages now returning to wilderness. Pair a stay at the Ocean House with the floating resort’s sister property, the Haida House, situated in the village of Tlell around Haida Gwaii’s west shore, for even more opportunities to explore and unwind.
Important Info: Packages include return flights to Vancouver, as well as helicopter transports to and from Ocean House. Snacks, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, and experience activities are also included.
Provider: Ocean House in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
Price: Beginning at $4,410 per guest
Discover Cyprus, a Mediterranean Alternative to Croatia, together with Intrepid Travel
Tourists love the Mediterranean Sea so much that Europe’s most popular coastal countries turned into a sea unto themselves every summer–a sea of tourists, that is. But that’s not true in sunny Northern Cyprus, a dream trip candidate who stays gloriously unspoiled by mass tourism. One of the best kept secrets in the area, Northern Cyprus delivers peaceful beaches and plenty of sunshine, sans audiences.
Intrepid Travel’s new eight-day Northern Cyprus guided trip lets you explore ancient monasteries and fairytale castles (like Saint Hilarion Castle, said to be the inspiration for the castle in Disney’s Snow White and Seven Dwarfs), swim across the coast, and unwind against an idyllic Mediterranean backdrop. It’s relatively cheap, too–especially considering what you get for your price: personal transport, seven nights’ lodging, bread and cheese making experiences, a day cruise, along with multiple castle and monastery visits.
Cost: Starting at $1,054 from Intrepid Travel
Witness Iceland’s Northern Lights with Wilderness Travel
Once dismissed considered more of a stopover in relation to a destination in and of itself, Iceland is currently among the best dream excursions for adventure seekers and casual vacationers alike. Yet even with its recent surge in traffic, the nation shows no hint of being loathed by its popularity. Maybe that is because the best parts of this sparsely populated island nation stay inaccessible except to the hardy few who venture to its vast and arctic wilderness.
New for 2018, upscale adventure outfitter Wilderness Travel has assembled what might be the greatest Icelandic experience: eight days of hiking, snowshoeing, and star gazing during the darkest months of this year looking for the elusive Northern Lights. If snowshoeing across lava fields and spelunking through lava tubes is the jam, this is the trip for you.
Price: Beginning at $7895 from Wilderness Travel
Explore the Galapagos by Catamaran with Exodus Travel
The Galapagos Islands require no introduction, but this new-for-2018 dream excursion offers a completely new way to see that this remote archipelago with popular adventure travel company Exodus Travel: onboard the Nemo II, a First Class Motor Sail Catamaran with room for the whole family.
This brand-new itinerary is the perfect trip for those looking to bring a fantasy family holiday to life. The itinerary includes snorkeling, guided walks through the islands, and plenty of up-close photo opportunities in Exodus Travel’s signature accountable travel fashion.
Important Info: That is a relaxing excursion appropriate for most fitness levels. The minimum age for participants is eight years old. Maximum group size is 14 individuals. Departures are available in April, July, and August 2018. A local leader exerts traveling parties on their adventure.
Experience Europe’s Last Great Adventure with Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel
You have to be a particular kind of traveler to listen about a place called the “Accursed Mountains” and think to yourself, “Yes, that appears to be a dream trip for me personally” If you’re just such a traveler, then a) we’re kindred spirits, and b) get yourself into the Albanian Alps–that the so-called Accursed Mountains–to detect a seemingly endless jungle of alpine lakes, rugged river valleys, secluded villages, and staggering limestone gorges.
That is, in most respects, the last underexplored wilderness in Europe, and Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel’s eight-day guided trip takes you there for a week’s worth of hardcore hiking against an indescribably spectacular backdrop.
Important Information: This trip requires a high degree of physical fitness center. All meals, lunches, and dinners are also included. You may spend five nights at two and hotels in guesthouses. Departures are available in September 2018 and June.
Provider: Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel
Cost: Starting at $1,349 from Wild Frontiers Adventure Travel