8 places you want to see before you turn 30
We millennials are a quirky generation. We don't live to work, we work to live. We are entrepreneurial, creating our own jobs. Why choose to read a page from a book when the globe is your magazine and you are a bookworm? Take one good trip and you will realize that – no matter how cliché it sounds – you haven't truly lived until you have traveled.
We want to peek over the fence to see what the neighbors have to offer, experience other cultures, ‘wanderlust’, get lost, taste new dishes, and smell unique scents. We want so much. We want it so badly. Once the contagious travel gene flows through your veins, there is no other option than surrender. These are the 8 places you want to see before you turn thirty.
1. Bangkok
A serious rival to all your previous warm vacation memories. You will be amazed by the temples, the tuktuks, the food, the cheap massages, the incredibly beautiful hotel rooms, and above all: the friendliness of the Thai. The smell, the people, the warmth, the hustle and bustle… I now understand why so many backpackers start their journey in Bangkok the city truly buzzes on all sides.
2. Paris
The fact that the most romantic destination in the world is just a six-hour drive away is a stroke of luck. The warm, freshly baked croissants, the arrondissements, the beautiful architecture, the lights at the Eiffel in the evening, the most inventive haute cuisine on earth… The ’je ne sais quoi‘ vibe. Paris can hardly not become your happy place.
3. Hong Kong
Don't be put off by the sea of office buildings that forms the skyline of Hong Kong: the city is so much more than that and there is so much more to see just behind the concrete and glass. Hit the streets, make your way through the markets, enjoy the scents, and marvel at the dishes and nightlife. In Hong Kong, you feel that you are alive.
4. Los Angeles
Lights, camera, action, Hollywood! The city of the film industry, roller skates, and beautiful palm trees. You won't forget it. The Ferris wheel at Venice Beach, the stars at the Walk of Fame, picnicking in Griffith Park, shopping at The Grove… The most expensive cars, the biggest houses, and the greenest parks. Indulge in the luxury of Beverly Hills and then take a look at Rodeo Drive, the P.C. Hooftstraat of Los Angeles.
5. London
Because it's only a forty-minute flight to London City. Because you just want to feel that whole Love Actually vibe like a blanket around you. All day long. That wonderfully traditional, cozy city. Stroll past Big Ben, Tower Bridge, or Buckingham Palace. So much atmosphere, so many lights, and such lovely people everywhere on the street. Everything, and I mean everything, smells like delicious food. You have breakfast with scones and clotted cream, lunch with a high tea, and I haven't even mentioned the Yorkshire pudding yet...
6. Sydney/Melbourne
True, it's a long flight, but so is Bali and we also go there en masse. If you are even considering going Down Under, then before you turn thirty is the time. Australia = travel paradise. And then Sydney and Melbourne are the places to be. The weather, the people, the beaches, the hikes; everything is incredibly well organized. You can drink tap water, everything is clean, and you find friends in no time. ‘Awesome’ is not without reason the most used word by the Aussies.
7. Machu Picchu
Peru is the ideal entry country for South America. The nature is incredibly beautiful, the people are particularly friendly, and traveling is very easy. One day you are standing in the desert, the next you are lying on the beach, and the following day you are standing with your feet on the ice at almost five thousand meters high: in Peru, it is all possible. Machu Picchu is probably the highlight of your trip through Peru and hello: not for nothing one of the seven wonders of the world.
8. Tokyo
The skyscrapers and bright lights in the capital of Japan may remind you of NYC, but the orderliness and respectful culture feel almost science fiction-like. Get up early to visit the fish markets, taste the best sushi of your life, take a walk through the blossom gardens, hit the karaoke bar at night, and top off the day with a fresh ramen bowl: Japan has it all and more.
