Planning a bucket list trip in 2024? You’re in just the right place; we have all the recommendations you need to decide on your next once-in-a-lifetime holiday.
We know just how popular bucket list travel is across the UK, but we wanted to find out a little more about exactly where Brits are travelling to. We’ve carried out some research, looking at monthly searches, Google Trends and social media impressions to work out which bucket list items prove the most popular.
If you’re looking for bucket list inspiration, here are the UKs top experiences.
1. Go on safari
Top of the bucket list for Brits is going on safari, with almost 8.5k people looking up ‘safari holidays’ each month – and an incredible 8.6B views for the hashtag ‘safari’ on TikTok. Africa is the most renowned continent for safari adventures, with popular destinations including the Amboseli National Park in Kenya and Kruger National Park in South Africa.
2. Ride a hot air balloon
Brits looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience are looking to the skies – riding a hot air balloon is the second most popular bucket list item, with over 7.3k people a month looking to book a balloon experience. Cappadocia in Turkey is a highlight for hot air balloon enthusiasts, offering breathtaking views of the region’s unique rock formations and distinct fairy chimneys.
3. See the Northern Lights
The awe-inspiring Northern Lights rank third for the UK’s top bucket list destinations. 7.1k people search for ‘Northern Lights holidays’ each month, and the TikTok hashtag has over 995M views. The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are best seen from destinations around the Arctic Circle, with Tromsø, Norway, a hotspot for visitors looking to witness this natural phenomenon.
4. Go white water rafting
The research uncovered Brits are looking for adrenaline experiences, with white water rafting making the top five list. 6.5k people a month search for this white-knuckle activity. Luckily for Brits, rivers in Scotland and Wales, such as the River Tay or River Dee, offer opportunities for white water rafting. The Colorado River in the USA and the Futaleufú River in Chile are popular destinations for more extreme rapids.
5. Fly first-class
It’s not just where to travel that’s making Brits bucket lists, but also how to travel: taking a first-class flight comes in fifth in the ranking with over 6.5k people a month searching for first-class airline options. From fine dining and exclusive service to luxurious surroundings, opting for a first-class flight allows many Brits to tick off a bucket list experience even before touching down at their destination.
6. Go parasailing
Adrenaline experiences also scored highly on our list, with parasailing coming in as the sixth most popular bucket list experience. 5.7k people each month search for the activity, with the parasailing hashtag on TikTok having over 627 million views!
7. Go hang gliding
Similarly, for number seven, we saw Brits want to push their boundaries and experience something totally different – like hang gliding. This thrilling activity is searched for almost 3k times a month and has over 142 million views on the TikTok hashtag.
8. Visit Alcatraz
With almost 3k people a month in the UK looking up Alcatraz tours, this iconic destination comes in eighth on the UK’s bucket list. The hashtag for the San Francisco former penitentiary sees over 1.1 billion views on TikTok, reflecting the unique pull it continues to hold today.
9. Visit Pompeii
Continuing the historic trend, the ancient city of Pompeii in southern Italy places ninth on the UK’s bucket list. 2.4k people a month search for tickets to this bucket list destination, with TikToks showing the destination pulling in almost 749 million views.
10. Skydive
Finally, Brits proved they’re all about unique, exciting experiences, as skydiving finishes up the top ten bucket list. 1.8k people each month search for skydiving experiences, and TikTok’s showing skydives have an incredible 3.3B views – making skydiving the second most popular experience on social media!
As well as analysing the top bucket list experience, we also wanted to look into which experiences are increasing – and decreasing – in popularity.
We found unique, extreme, and adrenaline experiences are increasingly popular options, with visiting an active volcano, cave diving, visiting Alcatraz, cliff diving and glacier hiking all appearing in the full top 30 list. Swimming with sharks ranked 19th, with the nail-biting activity doubling in interest over the last year.
This is in stark comparison to previously popular bucket list activities such as riding elephants and swimming with dolphins. Searches for swimming with dolphins have declined over the last five years, while searches for riding elephants have halved since their peak in July 2021.
When it comes to animal and wildlife experiences, we can see more and more people opting for experiences where they can witness wildlife in their natural habitat, rather than previously popular activities like riding elephants, which raise ethical issues.
Overall, it’s clear Brits want travel experiences beyond the ordinary. As a country, we’re seeking adrenaline adventures such as skydiving or exploring iconic sites like Alcatraz, showing a growing appetite for unforgettable travel experiences that create lifelong memories.
If you’re considering a bucket list holiday, why not create your own unique itinerary with eShores? From island hopping and relaxation to city breaks and cultural exploration, we have a huge range of experiences and luxury holidays just waiting to be explored.
Our experienced personal travel consultants will ensure you find the most suitable holiday, whilst taking care of every last detail. Everything from start to finish will be effortless.
We can use any hotel, in any destination, so we will craft an itinerary to suit your exact needs. Also, as we can provide any itinerary, the only holiday we'll offer, is the one that's right for you.
Our ATOL bonding provides you with the financial protection you need and as a member of the Travel Trust Association, you'll have 100% financial protection. Covering you for any eventuality.
As a tour operator & travel agent, we'll search the market to ensure that we find you the best price. Also as an online business, we can ensure our prices are as competitive as possible.
Have used eshores for over 12 years for bespoke holidays and can honestly say every single holiday has been faultless.. we have had the pleasure of assistance from Emma since 2014 and will continue to use them for our holiday needs.. Emma has recently just booked us flights and a car to Florida as we…
Have used EShores on 6 major holiday trips since 2023 and wouldn’t dream of using anyone else. Our travel consultant (Emma) is amazing. Nothing is too much trouble to her and she is a pleasure to deal with.
I am so pleased I found this company. I was struggling to book a touring holiday myself. Rob has been very helpful and we have now planned and booked our holiday. Thoroughly recommend.
We have just booked a twin centre trip for 2027 with eShores, we had a quick response to all our planning queries, booking was professional and friendly. Thank you
Great service by Zack, listened to what we wanted, not pushy, accommodation suggestions were realistically priced, made any changes we wanted until we got the perfect package. Very pleased!
Helpful, flexible and not pre-packaged! Holidays arranged how they should be. Matt is always super sensible to do business with and is part of a well run team.
Dealing with Michelle, she was patient polite and nothing too much trouble. All question and adapting our holiday she never appeared phased . Mixhelle is the reason I booked with Eshores she isca star and is customer aware . Brilliant Service
Very iffcient and professional
Claire at eShores has been so helpful in researching for us to ba able to book a tailor made holiday to Thailand for Jan 2027. We were looking for a bit of everything from a few days in fast paced Bangkok,sightseeing for a few days in Chiang Mai followed by a week in Phuket for…
We have used Eshores for the past 15 months since we have started travelling again and booked several holidays with them. We feel that we have our own personal travel agent ie Chris who has got to know us snd our needs. I would highly recommend this company for their personal touch, advice and excellent…
So far so good excellent service on point and fast. Delivered what we needed. Prices climbed due to flight availability so no fault of the operator. We are happy we found eshores. Booking the holiday of a lifetime 3 weeks in Mexico and Matt understood exactly what we wanted and fixed it fast. Very pleased…
Megan is 100% patient and helpful but I can't write a proper review till after our trip.
Kelly, our trip advisor was very good in changing anything we suggested to make our trip special, replied to any questions in a very short time after requesting them and always polite with any queries.
Michelle at Eshores was incredibly patient with us while we went through different options. She was very informative with different suggestions and managed to find us a holiday within our price range.
This is the first time ive used eshores and Daves help was great. We gave him an idea of our itinerary and he pulled something together really quickly. The cost was considerably cheaper than a quote we received from another company so we were delighted. Roll on June 2027
We have recently booked our third trip with eShores having used them for the first time last year to organise a mini Greek Island hopping holiday - we had a wonderful time and things went very smoothly. The Travel Consultant we were fortunate enough to first contact is Kadie and she has assisted us with…
Over the last 3 years, Kadie has booked our Thailand and Australia trips and now our New Zealand trip for 2027. She has been absolutely amazing putting together our itinerary (for 4 people with different requirements) and booking all 3 trips. She has taken all the stress out of booking flights, accommodation, transfers, car hire…
We have dealt with dave felton on many occasions, he has always been extremey helpful, giving us several choices of hotels and destinations. He will always make sure you are happy with everthing. Would highly recomend him and his team.
Recently had to cancel a holiday I had booked with Eshores. The whole process was dealt with quickly and professionally. I had my refund within 2 days. I then booked another holiday which was very last minute. Michelle found me exactly what I wanted for a very good price and I had my ticket package…
Many thanks to Emma at eshores ,her knowledge and very helpful manner were a big part of us using them as our holiday consultants.
