Where will 2017 take me?

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Jesse Jia
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Here is a breakdown of my top 10 most wished for destinations in 2017. Please note that this list is in no particular order. At the end of the day, I’m willing to go anywhere and everywhere. There is just so many places everybody has to visit in their lifetime and here are 10 that stands out the most!

10. Thailand

Well to start off, Thailand is usually where most travellers begin. There’s just so much to do and see while maintaining a budget friendly experience. Thailand is just bursting with culture and traditional foods that you’ll never find anyplace else. You can find extraordinary temples and monasteries scattered all across the country!

Thailand

Whether you enjoy the city life of Bangkok, or a city bursting with history like Chiang Mai. There is definitely something for EVERYONE!

Chiang Mai

Be sure not to miss the islands of Thailand. Some of the most popular destinations are on Phuket Island and Phi Phi Island. At the end of the day, Thailand would a wonderful experience for any traveler and would definitely hope to squeeze this destination into my 2017!

9. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai is truly a growing mecca in today’s society. After completely blowing the world away with its recent record setting architecture, such as the Burj Khalifa. They aren’t stopping anytime soon with plans to shatter its own record!

Dubai

Other than the tallest tower in the world, Dubai is a striving tourist paradise. I was certainly hooked when they started building their own man made islands known as the Palm Islands. These man made islands were created to increase the city’s coastline! That’s crazy, isn’t it?

Palm Jumeirah

On the other hand, Dubai is certainly no place for the budget traveller. So this destination is best enjoyed with some financial stability so you can explore everything the city has to offers. It would definitely be a dream to stay at the world famous Burj Al Arab hotel which can range anywhere from $2,000-$24,000 a night! At this rate, I’d be glad to spend a night at any hotel on the Palm Jumeirah; the first fully completed island. This is certainly a place you will have to visit in the future.

8. Maldives

Just like Dubai, the Maldives don’t come any cheaper. This is unquestionably a luxury destination for the few. To start off, the Maldives are a bunch of small islands located in the Indian Ocean. They can be compared to Hawaii but much more exclusive and less residential. This is truly a tourist destination that thrives on their natural beauty. You’ve probably all came across pictures of this exotic destination but haven’t realized. Just look below. The Maldives is absolutely stunning and I hope to make it one of my stops this year!

7. Tokyo, Japan

I’m sure this is a destination that will eventually end up on everybody’s travel list. No matter what age, eventually you’ll find an inner desire to visit the capital of Japan. There’s just something special about this Japanese mecca that makes one want to experience it in person. Everything is just so vibrant and full of life. In addition, Japan has an extremely deep culture that could be eye opening to the outside world. Plus, who doesn’t want to eat traditional sushi?

It also doesn’t hurt that Tokyo happens to house a Disney theme park. Currently, I am only missing 2 Disney Theme parks in the world, with this being one of the last ones. A visit to Tokyo’s DisneySea theme park would certainly be one of my must dos.

6. Hong Kong

Well… my reason may be different than most people. Once again, I really just want come here so that I could check Disneyland Hong Kong off my Disney list! But I’m sure the city looks beautiful as well?

Hong Kong

5. Singapore

Singapore, Singapore, Singapore… what more can I say? There’s actually not much I could say about this place besides the fact that it’s a destination I’d love to visit. If that does happen, I’d love to stop by the famous infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. You know, the one picture you see on Instagram all the time that shows somebody swimming at the edge of a building.

Infinity Pool Singapore

Other than that, there's just so much more to love about Singapore! I’m a huge fan of a tropical climate and being right on top of the equation definitely helps out that clause. It is also a very multicultural English speaking Asian country due to their English roots. If I’m ever in the area, I’d definitely make Singapore one of my top priorities!

Singapore

4. Bali, Indonesia

Once again another destination in Southeast Asia, starting to see a trend? Anyways, Bali is just beautiful, as with most places on this list, but this place is certainly special. With a great range of affordable hospitality to extremely luxurious hotels, it’s surely a destination anybody can visit. They have some of the most unique experiences while maintaining an extremely cultured inland environment. This is definitely one stop I do not want to miss in 2017.

Bali

3. Peru

Out of all the places I’ve been, I have never visited South America before. This is surely one country I’d be thrilled to explore. Just Machu Picchu alone would make gravitate to this country. Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca city located high in the Andes Mountains. It is one of the 7 wonders of the world!

Overall Peru, would make a great South American Destination that I cannot wait to explore one day!

2. Galapagos, Ecuador

I have always been thrilled with the sights of animals and rare wildlife. The Galapagos Islands just off the coast of Ecuador are a nature fanatic’s paradise. This is the same place Charles Darwin first developed his theory of natural selection. The Islands have many species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world which makes it so unique in itself. Currently the Galapagos has more tourists visiting than they can sustain. This is definitely once place to visit before mass tourism takes over indefinitely!

1. Iceland

Iceland seems to a very popular destination in recent years and I can definitely see why. So… I’ve actually been to Iceland, twice to be exact, but only enough to do a quick excursion each time as I was there just to catch a connecting flight. Check out my time at the Blue Lagoon over here!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to spend much time exploring the whole island, which is an adventure in itself. From whale watching to waterfall hunting, there’s something unique about Iceland. Maybe it’s the fact that it was forged from volcanoes long ago and beautiful black beaches can be found all around the coast. Iceland is definitely a natural paradise. Also a great place to take pictures of beautiful landscapes and breathtaking mountains that could not be found anywhere else.

iceland

If you’re going to Iceland between the months of September to April, you might be lucky enough to catch the Northern Lights also known as the Aurora Borealis. It’s a spectacular natural light show that is caused by disruptions of solar winds in our atmosphere. This is truly something you would have to experience first-hand!

Aurora Borealis

So where will 2017 take me? Who knows.

Maybe I’ll be fortunate enough to visit every place on this list or maybe things don’t turn out as planned and I go a completely different route. Only time will tell.

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