I think we can all agree that our passports will remain firmly within Australian borders for the foreseeable 2020 – at least under the current circumstances. And while Australia certainly needs a bit of tourism love from other Aussies, it’s hard not to dream and fantasise about long overhaul flights, visa arrival cards and hotel rooms far, far away. There’s a bit of truth in the need to dream anyway – with bookings being transferred over to 2021, spots are filling fast and there’s already limited availability for plenty of destinations and experiences next year. Here’s six holidays you need to start planning now.
White Christmas
A white Christmas is on every Aussie’s bucket list – whether it’s in a glass igloo in Norway, visiting Santa’s village in Lapland or skiing in Whistler. It’s a far cry from the warm, beachy Christmas we’re all in for in 2020. With the demand for big and memorable holidays post-COVID plus the backlog of postponed 2020 adventures, you’ll want to get booking ASAP!
See Bears in the Wild
If you’re wanting to swap koala bear sightings for something a little more fierce in 2021, you best get booking! Brown bear populations can be spotted right across the far North of North America, from Canada through to Alaska. They’re best seen during wild salmon season, which is July in Alaska and August/September in Canada. We’re predicting a demand for these destinations in 2021, and the best lodges to spot bears, like Knight Inlet, are small and book out well in advance. Book now and you’ll have time to knit yourself a new beanie. P.S. We know koalas aren’t really a kind of bear, but it worked with the metaphor.
African Safari
Many African nations are no stranger to a pandemic, after the Ebola outbreak in 2014 meant travel to Africa ground to a halt. This means they’re also ready for the massive bounce-back that comes when pent-up travel plans are given the go-ahead. Many of the popular camps and lodges in key destinations like the migration path in Kenya and Tanzania book out months, often years, in advance.
Sub-Antarctic Islands
Often called the Galapagos of the Southern Ocean, the Sub-Antarctic Islands are a collection of barely-touched, UNESCO-protected islands off the south coast of New Zealand. These islands are so well protected that only a small number of visitors are permitted to step foot on them every year, so if you make it there you should count yourself lucky! The islands, including Macquarie Island, Auckland Islands, Enderby Island, Campbell Island and more, are filled to the brim with amazingly adaptive flora and fauna, including seals, penguins and other birds, plants and invertebrates found nowhere else in the world. For those wanting to experience something unique and incredible without travelling too far away from Aussie shores, this should be on your radar.
Solar Eclipse
On the 4th of December 2021, there is a total solar eclipse that will be best visible from the Southern Atlantic Ocean, just to the south-east of Patagonia. The place to get the best view of this eclipse – where the moon will completely block the sun for the better part of an hour – is aboard one of the special Antarctic charters. How often do you have the opportunity to see two incredible natural phenomena – a total solar eclipse AND the Antarctic continent? Finding a spot on a cruise might be tricky unless you know someone in the know (hint: it’s us, we’re in the know).
Australian Desert Expeditions
If your 2021 adventure doesn’t involve a passport but does involve adventure and something a little different, then an Australian Desert Expedition sounds like the perfect trip for you. Get to know our backyard in a way that many Aussies don’t often see, by traversing our wide-open deserts with the smallest environmental footprint possible. Assist scientists and ecologists in documenting botanical specimens, assisting with marsupial trapping surveys or anthropological, archaeological & palaeontological documentation and recovery. And best of all – you do this while travelling in the grand tradition of the early explorers and pioneering Afghan cameleers.
