The mid-life bucket list: 20 extraordinary trips to do after 50

Last year, I marked my 50th birthday by going on my first safari. It was up there with my other most extraordinary trips, such as riding the Trans-Siberian Railway, galloping a Marwari horse across Rajasthan, diving in Indonesia’s Banda Sea and watching the Northern Lights after a spectacular day’s heli-skiing in Iceland.

Hitting mid-life has brought into focus an urgency to travel and experience those “always wanted to” moments. Yet by 50, we often have increased demands – from ageing parents and tricky teenagers, to big mortgages and busy careers. It makes getting on a plane and leaving the house, for even a week, more heavily weighted than ever before.

At this stage of life, the way we travel has begun to shift. We might, if we’re lucky, have more to spend than when we were young, and while seeking adventure, are less inclined to want to rough it. Some of us might not be as fit as before (hampered by five knee operations, in my case). We’ve also started to ponder our heritage and, perhaps, a deeper meaning of life.

With all this in mind, here is my pick of the best travel experiences to have after reaching mid-life.

JOIN A VOYAGE TO ANTARCTICA

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An expedition to one of the most remote and wildest regions on Earth is one of the ultimate wish-list experiences, whether you want to see emperor penguins and leopard seals in their natural habitat, send a letter from Port Lockroy – the world’s southernmost post office – or follow in the footsteps of adventurers such as Ernest Shackleton. If none of these blow your mind, simply seeing Antarctica’s sheer cliffs of ice is enough to make any mid-lifer feel small.

How to do it Silversea has a nine-night cruise, Antarctica: Sail & Fly the Drake Passage, from Puerto Williams to King George Island onboard Silver Wind from $37,450 a person with pre- and post-cruise stays at Silversea’s new hotel, The Cormorant at 55 South, in Chile. Departs January 23, 2027. See silversea.com

WALK THE CAMINO DE SANTIAGO

Want a walking holiday with soul? The Way of St James (aka Camino de Santiago) is Europe’s most famous pilgrimage and one of the most enriching and spiritual ways to experience the countryside and culture of northern Spain. Whatever your motivation, there are multiple routes starting in Spain, France and Portugal. A plethora of tour companies offer walking packages long and short, with accommodation from tents to five-star hotels, depending on your fitness, budget, time and hiking experience. All conclude at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, said to be the burial site of James the Great, one of Jesus Christ’s 12 apostles.

How to do it UTracks’ Camino Sarria to Santiago Classic takes eight days and covers the final 115 kilometres required to qualify for the official Compostela certificate. Departures from February 1 to November 15, now on early bird sale from $1282 a person. See utracks.com

RIDE A TRAIN THROUGH THE ROCKIES

With turquoise-blue, glacier-fed lakes scattered among dramatic mountain peaks and abundant wildlife, from bald eagles to grizzly bears, Canada’s Rocky Mountains are a trip of a lifetime for anyone who finds solace in nature and big skies. There’s no better way to experience it all than from the comfort of the century-old Rocky Mountaineer train, with 360-degree views from its glass-domed carriages, travelling between Vancouver and either Banff/Lake Louise or Jasper, with overnight hotel stops in Kamloops.

How to do it APT’s 22-day Rockies Odyssey and Alaska Cruise is a return journey from Vancouver, combining a Gold Leaf journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies with an Alaska cruise through the Inside Passage. Departures in 2027 run from April to September. From $17,695 a person, twin share. See aptouring.com

HOLIDAY WHERE YOU SPENT CHILDHOOD BREAKS

Returning to where you spent your holidays as a child can be fraught – a place can change a lot in 40-odd years. My family spent two weeks every summer in a delightful guesthouse in Coverack, Cornwall in the UK. Taking packed lunches to the beach and fishing with bright orange floats from the rocks, we’d return home sandy and happy with the day’s catch. I did revisit Coverack a few years ago and found it changed, but also much the same. More tourists, inevitably, but the same coastline and harbour walls protecting its small fleet of fishing boats. It made me feel whole.

How to do it A five-night stay at Compass Point in Coverack, costs from £2850 ($5371). It sleeps eight. See perfectstays.co.uk

HIKE IN THE HIMALAYAS

Not every trip to the Himalayas must involve Mount Everest. With the mountain range stretching across northern India, you can take a gentler approach and join some of the region’s last remaining migrating shepherds, the Anwals, as they herd their flocks from lower-altitude villages to higher alpine pastures. Walk through the Saryu and Pindar valleys in Uttarakhand in the company of guides. Stay in village guesthouses or camp beneath the stars surrounded by Himalayan peaks, terraced fields and rhododendron forests.

How to do it Responsible tourism organisation Village Ways offers an 11-night In the Footsteps of the Anwals trip including accommodation, all meals, transfers and guiding. The trip operates from April 15 to May 15, 2027 and prices are yet to be released. See villageways.com

EXPERIENCE DAY OF THE DEAD

Mexico’s Dia de Muertos is one of the most extraordinary celebrations you’ll experience. While it coincides with Halloween and is themed around death and spirits, Day of the Dead – celebrated from late October into early November – is a joyous commemoration of lost loved ones. Mexican families welcome the souls of their deceased back to Earth with food, music and celebrations. Oaxaca is one of the most atmospheric places to experience it. You’ll find street-corner altars, marigolds, candles, copal incense, face paint, costumes, sugar skulls and dancing – an all-out riot for the senses.

How to do it Bunnik Tours offers a special departure of its 19-day escorted small-group (maximum 20 guests) Viva Mexico tour, timed to coincide with Day of the Dead festivities. The 2027 trip departs Australia on October 28 and costs from $13,995 a person twin-share, including international flights, accommodation, most meals, sightseeing and special experiences. See bunniktours.com

SADDLE UP IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

The impossibly romantic notion of galloping a horse across rolling grasslands beneath wide-open skies is every bit as good as it sounds in real life.

Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort and Ranch in British Columbia’s Cariboo region is a raw wilderness hideaway offering a wonderful experience for beginner and experienced riders alike. Head to a comfortable lodge or tented luxury camp at the end of the day, where guests can sit by the campfire and contemplate life.

How to do it Rates in 2026 started at $CAD1550 ($1575) a night for adults (2027 tariffs available on application) at Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort and Ranch. See siwashlake.com

SLOW DOWN ON A CANAL BOAT

With so much to juggle in day-to-day life, slow down by navigating some of Britain’s 3200 kilometres of waterways on a canal boat. Travelling at just five or six kilometres an hour, narrowboats are a balm for the soul, with time on the water proven to reduce stress and relax the mind and body. The floating holiday cottage allows you to journey to a different place every day without needing to repack your bags. The canal network across England and Wales intersects nearly 3000 county wildlife sites, offering boaters the chance to spot water voles and kingfishers from the comfort of the deck. It’s a sociable holiday, too, with friendly canal-side pubs or queues for locks, where no one is in a hurry.

How to do it The Llangollen Canal is a beginner-friendly choice which winds through Welsh border country and across the UNESCO-listed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the highest canal aqueduct in Britain. Victorian-based Outdoor Travel offers self-skippered narrowboat holidays on the canal, with boats sleeping from two to 12 people and no previous boating experience or licence required. Seven-night hires are available in 2027. See outdoortravel.com.au

TOUR THE D-DAY BEACHES

By mid-life, many of us start to soak up history in a way we never wished to at school. We seek out poignant trips such as to Auschwitz, Cambodia’s Killing Fields or the site of the 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy, where Allied troops changed the course of the last century. Visiting Normandy, taking in some of the region’s finest food and drink, is a befitting way for any active mid-lifer to learn about Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in history.

How to do it Australian specialist DND Battle Tours offers a three-day Normandy tour exploring the D-Day landing beaches and battlefields, with two nights’ accommodation and expert guides, at $1490 a person. See dndbattletours.com.au

TAKE IN A WORLD-FAMOUS OPERA FESTIVAL

Dramatic, emotional, sumptuous ... if you’ve never been to an opera festival, turning 50 might be the perfect time to try. A feast for the senses, opera is an art form guaranteed to move even the hardiest of souls and a suitably grand way to mark mid-life. Head to Italy, the birthplace of opera, where a performance might mean an evening at Milan’s legendary La Scala, Parma’s annual Verdi Festival or Venice’s gilded La Fenice.

How to do it Sydney-based cultural tour specialist Renaissance Tours’ 12-day Opera Bellissima tour in October 2027 takes in Milan, Parma and Venice, with performances including The Barber of Seville at La Scala, four days at Parma’s Verdi Festival and Adriana Lecouvreur at La Fenice. Prices yet to be released. See renaissancetours.com.au

CONTEMPLATE LIFE IN THE SAHARA

Sometimes it takes going somewhere big and dramatic to put life into perspective, and for that, there’s nowhere better than the desert. Head into the Moroccan Sahara, where immense dunes rise from a landscape that seems to stretch forever. Spend a night in a desert camp under a vast, star-filled sky, watch the changing light turn the sand from gold to deep red and experience the extraordinary stillness that descends after dark. It’s a chance to leave the noise and distractions of everyday life behind and contemplate just how small we really are.

How to do it Intrepid’s 15-day Premium Morocco in Depth tour includes an overnight stay in a remote desert camp among the dunes of the Sahara, as well as visits to Fes, Chefchaouen, the Dades Valley, Ait Benhaddou and Marrakesh. From $6895 a person in 2027. See intrepidtravel.com

TRACE YOUR ROOTS

At 50, many of us start to wonder about our ancestry, and lately, genealogy tourism has been on the rise as travellers set out to trace their family histories in the places they began. Some hotels offer assisted research, such as Dromoland Castle in County Clare, Ireland, but due to each person’s individual heritage, many genealogy-focused trips are self-planned, beginning with research at home before following the trail overseas.

How to do it Find help through the Australasian Association of Genealogists and Record Agents, a nearly 50-year-old member organisation for professionals working in family history, genealogy and record research. Its members can undertake research in Australia, New Zealand and overseas, helping travellers trace their ancestry before planning a trip around what they discover. See aagra.asn.au

EXPLORE MYSTICAL BHUTAN

Spiritual, uncrowded, peaceful and with extraordinary landscapes, Bhutan is a place that remains steeped in mystery. You need to really want to visit to stump up the $142 daily Sustainable Development Fee, but you’ll be rewarded with extraordinary cultural immersion in a Himalayan kingdom that famously measures its progress through Gross National Happiness. Buddhism is the prevailing religion, and no visit would be complete without a trip to Taktsang Monastery (aka the Tiger’s Nest).

How to do it Wendy Wu Tours’ 18-day Wonders of Nepal & Bhutan includes seven nights in Bhutan, visiting Thimphu, the remote Phobjikha Valley, Punakha and Paro, with a hike to the cliffside Tiger’s Nest Monastery. The tour costs from $9390 a person in 2027, including international airfares, accommodation, most meals, touring and guides. See wendywutours.com.au

GO WILD IN THE GLORIOUS GALAPAGOS

This remote archipelago, renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity, is perfect for mid-lifers, not least because it takes 50 years to save up to get here. Sitting about 1000 kilometres west of mainland Ecuador, the islands are so isolated that much of the wildlife, from blue-footed boobies to giant tortoises, shows remarkably little fear of humans. Strict conservation measures and controls on tourism help protect the archipelago’s extraordinary ecosystems.

How to do it Captain’s Choice’s 26-day Epic Discovery of the Galapagos, Easter Island & Antarctica travels from Quito to Santiago. The journey includes a seven-night Galapagos expedition aboard Silversea’s Silver Origin, three nights on Easter Island and an Antarctic expedition aboard Silver Endeavour, with time in Chile’s Colchagua Valley in between. Departing November 4, 2027, it costs from $41,100 a person. See captains-choice.com

BE IN JAPAN FOR CHERRY BLOSSOM

Year on year, the number of tourists visiting Japan climbs, helped by favourable exchange rates, and springtime brings one of the country’s most iconic sights. Cherry blossom, or sakura, has been woven into Japanese culture for centuries, with the delicate flowers appearing fleetingly across the country as spring arrives. Join the locals in hanami, the centuries-old custom of gathering beneath the blossoms to appreciate their short-lived beauty.

How to do it Distant Journeys’ 19-day Very Best of Japan tour has special departures throughout the 2027 cherry blossom season, taking in Tokyo, the Fuji Five Lakes, Takayama, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Nara. Late-March and early-April departures cost from $13,595 a person, including return flights from Australia, accommodation, breakfast and other meals, sightseeing and experiences. See distantjourneys.com

FOLLOW THE TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU

A hike across the eastern slopes of the Andes to Machu Picchu, at 2430 metres in a tropical mountain forest, is a mesmerising mix of Inca history, Peruvian culture and captivating scenery. Take the pathway most well-trodden, the Inca Trail, and camping is part of the experience, but for mid-lifers there is another way. The Salkantay Trail is more challenging and longer, but travellers can rest tired legs each night in a comfortable mountain lodge, leaving energy to explore the mysterious World Heritage-listed site.

How to do it Adventure World’s seven-day Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu is a lodge-to-lodge hike through the Andes and cloud forest, with five nights in mountain lodges and one in a hotel. Meals, transfers and the return train from Machu Picchu to Cusco are included. It costs from $5829 a person. See adventureworld.com

EXPERIENCE MONGOLIA’S NAADAM FESTIVAL

The centuries-old Naadam Festival is at the heart of Mongolia’s cultural calendar and is often referred to as the Olympic Games of Nomads. Each July, it brings together the traditional sports of horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, with its roots stretching back more than 800 years. It’s a spectacular celebration of Mongolian culture, sporting prowess and tradition. Events range from the great national festival in Ulaanbaatar to more intimate celebrations in rural communities.

How to do it Wendy Wu Tours’ 22-day Mongolia & Naadam Festival tour takes in the Gobi Desert, Khongoryn Els dunes, Lake Khovsgol and Terelj National Park before culminating in Ulaanbaatar for the Naadam Festival. The fully inclusive tour costs from $18,480 a person. See wendywutours.com.au

DRIVE ROUTE 66

Route 66, which stretches across eight US states, is filled with breathtaking desert and mountain views. This year the “Mother Road” of America celebrates its centenary. Stitched together from different sections of wagon roads and early highways, the almost 4000-kilometre route has guided romantics and adventurers and inspired books, songs and movies since its inauguration in 1926.

How to do it Adventure World’s 23-day Road Trippin’ Route 66 self-drive travels from Chicago to Santa Monica, with stops including St Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon. It costs from $8125 a person twin-share, including 22 days’ car hire, 21 nights in hotels, one night in an Airstream and selected sightseeing and experiences. See adventureworld.com

TRY HELI-SKIING IN NEW ZEALAND

For skiers looking for the ultimate adventure, heli-skiing is hard to beat. Instead of queuing for a chairlift, you’ll be whisked by helicopter to an isolated peak, before skiing through fresh powder far from the marked runs and crowds of a resort.

New Zealand’s Southern Alps provide a spectacular setting, with vast back country terrain, dramatic mountain scenery and runs suitable for different levels of experienced skier.

How to do it Australian operator Legendary Trips offers a three-night Luxury NZ Heli-Ski Holiday at Minaret Station Alpine Lodge near Wanaka, including accommodation in a private chalet, return helicopter transfers from Queenstown, all meals and drinks and a private full-day Southern Lakes heli-skiing adventure with an alpine picnic. The package operates from July to September 2027 and costs from $8899 a person. See legendarytrips.com.au

GO ON AFRICA’S ULTIMATE SAFARI

If you’re going to do one safari in a lifetime, make it Botswana’s Okavango, one of the world’s largest inland deltas and home to a phenomenal abundance of wildlife, from more than 500 species of bird to the big five animals. Diverse habitats, from thick forests and lagoons to winding river channels, create scenes that could be lifted straight from The Jungle Book, with wildlife viewed from the water as well as on land. Exclusivity makes a safari all the more special and Botswana’s government controls tourism numbers tightly, focusing on low-volume, high-quality experiences.

How to do it Scenic’s six-day Best of Botswana extension combines two nights in Chobe National Park with three nights in the Okavango Delta, travelling between the two by light aircraft and exploring the wildlife-rich wilderness on land and by water. The extension can be added to selected Scenic Southern Africa journeys. See scenic.com.au