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Travel Spotlight
Indagare's Travel Wish List: The Places Our Team is Dreaming of for the Future
By Elizabeth Harvey
While we stay home and practice social distancing, the Indagare staff is finding new ways to stay connected to our global community, as well as to each other. We recently spent time on Zoom sharing the destinations that are at the top of our own travel wish lists: the places that we are dreaming of returning to—and the ones that we have yet to explore—once it is safe to travel again. Here, we’ve rounded up the most popular destinations on our collective bucket list.Where are you dreaming of traveling to? Email us at content@indagare.com to share the places on your wish list—we’d love to hear about yours!In response to the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry, Indagare has launched Indagare Global Classroom, a series of group and private programs that connect Indagare members with our partners around the world. Learn more here.
What We’re Dreaming Of: Spectacular Landscapes and Wide-Open Spaces
The Places: The Galápagos; New Zealand; Chile; Iceland; Botswana; Zimbabwe; Tanzania; Alaska; the Azores“After being inside for so long, I’m craving traveling to the ends of the Earth,” says Trip Designer Lexi Polster. “I’d love to return to the Galápagos. It’s a place that remains untouched by crowds, and every day there presents a new adventure—it truly brings out the kid in everyone. One morning, our guide spotted a pod of dolphins in the distance, so we sped up in our panga boat to catch up with them, then jumped into the water so that they could all swim through us. There were dozens of them...and then, quick, back into the boat so that we could race ahead and do it again. It was such a fantastic and pure interaction with nature.”Related: 9 Untouched Places to See Right Now
What We’re Dreaming Of: Powerful Centers of Spiritual Energy
The Places: Bhutan; Ladakh, India; Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos; Cambodia; Ethiopia; Sedona, Arizona“I am in need of places that make me feel present,” says Trip Designer Steffi Fitzpatrick. “I now know how precious our ability to explore the world is, and I want the destinations that I visit to reflect that.” Few countries have made a deeper impact on the Indagare team than Bhutan; it has been unanimously described by those who have been as “powerfully transformative”—so much so that one of our team members chose to move there last year after a life-changing scouting trip. Bhutan is undeniably the most shared destination on our team’s bucket lists, with good reason. Says Trip Designer Caroline Hansen: “I have never been anywhere quite like Bhutan. It opens up your heart and soul in a way that is hard to capture. Perhaps it is because the tiny country was never colonized, so it retains many of its ancient traditions, or the fact that it didn’t open its doors to tourism until 1974...but the influence of Buddhism throughout and the majestic surroundings of the Himalayas make the experience of traveling there just magical.”Related: Travel as a Spiritual Quest: A Journey to the Himalayas
What We’re Dreaming Of: Beloved Classics, Revisited
The Places: Italy (Dolomites, Venice, Piedmont, Tuscany, Rome, Florence, Puglia, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Ischia); Provence; the French Riviera; Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Niseko, Naoshima Island, Yakushima Island); Russia (Moscow and St. Petersburg); Australia
“As soon as we can get back out on the road, I want to travel to support the places I love that have suffered the most during this time, and Italy is certainly one of them,” says Creative Director Simone Girner. “I am excited by the idea of combining a city that I love and know well, like Rome, with areas that I have yet to explore. Top of my list will be Puglia, which I know from our team members who have visited would make a wonderful road trip, with incredible fresh local seafood, charming, ancient towns and a serious olive oil scene with miles and miles of olive groves—both of which I am always very happy to discover.”Related: Indagare’s Ultimate Bucket List Hotels: The 52 Most Luxurious Hotels in the WorldWhat We’re Dreaming Of: Ultimate Adventure and New Frontiers
The Places: Antarctica; Greenland; Faroe Islands; Namibia; Egypt; Mongolia; Centers of the Ancient Silk Road (Uzbekistan, Georgia, Kazakhstan); Oman; British Columbia“I feel a new sense of urgency to get to the countries on my bucket list,” says Trip Designer Madeline Case. “Egypt is now at the very top. With the great uncertainty that we’ve lately been living with, I’ve found myself craving to reconnect with where we come from—to dive deeply into the cradle of civilization.” While places like Egypt, Mongolia and Uzbekistan have must-be-seen, man-made treasures that are a reminder of just how far back time stretches, others, like Antarctica and Namibia, impress with the sheer, untouched vastness of the natural world. Says Indagare Founder Melissa Biggs Bradley: “In Namibia, the silence isn’t just something you hear; you feel it. The open skies and unbroken horizons seem to reach into forever in a way that envelops you in a cloak of deep quiet and shifts your perspective.”Related: 9 Ultimate Wilderness Vacations
What We’re Dreaming Of: Culture Hubs and Human Connection
The Places: Cities of India (Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Agra, Mumbai); Sri Lanka; Morocco (Marrakech and Fez); Budapest; Paris; Mexico City; Brazil“While the stillness of this time has in many ways been a gift, when we’re on the other side of this, I’m craving sensory overload,” says Senior Director of Membership Elise Bronzo. “I want to be saturated in color, to break bread with my fellow humans, to be reminded of our coexistence...so my mind is going to India, where I’ve witnessed coexistence in ways I’ve never seen before. I’m dreaming of people-watching in the markets and outdoor cafés of Delhi and Jaipur.” For other members of our team, the stimulation they seek is not that of the subcontinent, but rather of North Africa. Says Sales Manager Sasha Feldman: “I am hoping to return to Marrakech as soon as I can. I miss the sound of the call to prayer, the hustle and bustle of the souk and the intricate Moorish architecture lining winding alleyways whose doors might contain a simple bakery or perhaps an opulent palace—there, you never know.”Related: Indagare Picks: The One Place in Paris Where I Always Return
What We’re Dreaming Of: Relaxation and Places of Peace
The Places: The Maldives; the Seychelles; Indonesia; Mexico (Tulum and Cabo); Costa Rica; Papua New Guinea; St. Barth’s; Bora Bora; Turks & Caicos; Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal; Ananda Spa in the Himalayas; Cal-a-Vie, California; Amanemu, Japan; Les Sources de Caudalie, France; Lake Como, Italy; Greece (Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Sifnos)“I don’t usually gravitate towards beach destinations, but lately I have been daydreaming of Tulum, where I traveled exactly one year ago to review Casa Pueblo, a new boutique hotel in town that feels like an incredibly cool friend’s private home,” says Associate Editor Elizabeth Harvey. “Upon arrival, I was immediately swept up in the bohemian magic of Tulum, with its white-sand beaches and aqua-blue waters, effortlessly chic hangouts, beautiful people, dense jungles and a pervasive sense of being somewhere that’s rooted in the Earth. I discovered that many of the travelers who fall in love with this place make annual pilgrimages back to reconnect and restore, and this is a tradition that I hope to begin for myself, when we can travel again. Plus, I’m dying to check out Casa Pueblo’s new sister property, Boca Paila, which recently opened on the beach road and has the most fabulous red-and-white-checkered-tile pool.” Related: Ultimate Exotic Beach Vacations: Indagare Matchmaker
What We’re Dreaming Of: Our Own Backyards
The Places: Alaska; Hawaii; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Montana; California; Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Utah; the Grand Canyon; Texas (Marfa, Big Bend National Park, Palo Duro Canyon)“We so often take our own backyard for granted, but the temporary closing of borders around the world has made me realize that there are equally amazing trips that we can be organizing to destinations within the United States,” says Trip Designer Ried Stelly. “Being back in Austin, Texas, I've never had a stronger desire to witness the natural wonders here. From Marfa, which is known for its top-notch contemporary art scene, as well as unparalleled stargazing, one can reach Big Bend National Park, which is often referred to as the “Little Grand Canyon,” and has thrilling kayaking and white-water rafting, with shorter wait times and fewer crowds; and hiking through the Palo Duro Canyon. All of these places are easily accessible by car or private plane from Texas’ major cities, and there are some wonderful luxury properties where you can relax after a day of outdoor activities, such as Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa and Cibolo Creek Ranch. For my next travel adventure, I want to rent an Airstream caravan and embark on a road trip through the American Southwest, experiencing the majestic landscapes so eloquently depicted by the great westward explorers.”Related: East Coast Vacations from New York and BostonWhere are you dreaming of traveling to? Email us at content@indagare.com to share the places on your wish list—we’d love to hear about yours!In response to the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry, Indagare has launched Indagare Global Classroom, a series of group and private programs that connect Indagare members with our partners around the world. Learn more here.
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