Top 20 travel experiences to have in yours 20s
It’s the time of your life when you have the freedom without the responsibilities — you’ll have a blast with these travel experiences. We promise.
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Footloose and fancy free — travelling while in your 20s is a completely different ballgame.
Newly freed from the shackles of studying, likely unburdened by the responsibilities of property, kids and a serious career, and — for the first time — in possession of a disposable income, the world is your literal oyster.
But with an uncharted map before you and a string of destinations just waiting to be explored, where do you begin? After all, there are so many amazing places to see, extraordinary experiences to have and parties in which to, well, party. Squeeze as much adventure as you can out of this decade by ticking off a few of these 20 travel experiences while you’re young, carefree and curious — your older self will thank you for it.
Sing your heart out in a Tokyo karaoke bar
In Japan, karaoke is an absolute institution, so singing in the nation’s capital city is guaranteed to be unforgettable.
Head to Shibuya’s dive bar, Smash Hits, where — unlike many other venues — you perform on stage before a random, rowdy audience and thousands of English songs are available for butchering. Cheer the drunken salarymen taking turns at the mic and they’ll reciprocate the love when it’s your turn. Promise.
Scare yourself at America’s biggest Halloween party
The second oldest settlement in New England and self-proclaimed ‘witch city’, America’s Salem is a magnet for all things macabre year-long, but it’s during Halloween when the coastal city truly ups the ante, turning itself becoming the location for the biggest Halloween party in the country.
Famous for the witch trials of 1692, these days Salem’s Festival of the Dead — spearheaded by a resident population of real-life witches — is a celebration that attracts a quarter villages each year, culminating in the Witches Halloween Ball.
Dance till dawn in the clubbing capital of the world
A hedonists playground, Ibiza has remained at the top of the global clubbing calendar for decades. Positioned off the southern coast of Spain, the tiny island attracts millions of partygoers annually with its famous DJs and over-the-top entertainment. From Pacha to Privilege (officially the largest club in the entire world), there’s an array of super clubs that entice revellers to dance till dawn to the famous Balearic Beat.
Sink a pint in America’s craft beer capital
Apt, considering its hipster associations, with more breweries than any other city the Oregon city of Portland is the unofficial microbrew capital of the world. Tasting rooms, bottle shops, beer tours, pub tours — this place is so hop-obsessed that even some hair salons have their own beer taps.
If you’re partial to a pint or two, make a beeline for Bailey’s Taproom, which has more 24 different local beers available for sampling.
Go diving in the Philippines
The waters surrounding the 7,000-plus coral-fringed islands in the Philippines can legitimately lay claim to some of the best diving on the planet, with its warm, crystal-clear seas playing home to everything from hawksbill sea turtles and stingrays, to whale and reef sharks.
Located at the centre of the ‘coral triangle’, dive sites are both unspoilt and uncrowded and scuba here is as cheap as you’ll get.
Do a group tour
A travel rite of passage, which should be done while in your 20s so you can keep up with the a) the drinking and b) the pace of sightseeing, group tours are a great way to introduce yourself to travelling and can also be a great way to see a lot of places, quickly and cheaply. Plus, given that you’re on a bus full of fellow travellers, you’ll have a ready-made bunch of potential new friends.
Celebrity-spot at Glastonbury
Is that Kate Moss frolicking in the mud? Probably. This British festival institution has become a Mecca for the A-list. As long as there’s been Glastonbury there have been celebrities who have donned their wellies and plunged into the mud pit to rub shoulders alongside ordinary festival-goers — including, potentially, you!
See glastonburyfestivals.co.uk
Study abroad
Be it for a few weeks, a few months or a year, doing a stint of studying abroad takes you beneath the surface of a destination. You’ll meet locals, build character, develop a deeper understanding of the area’s culture and create memories that’ll last a lifetime.
Not only will you grow as a person, but from a career perspective, companies increasingly prefer to hire employees who have international experience over those without.
See a ball game in New York
Watching a major league baseball game is a quintessential for New York City first-timers.
The city is divided into diehard Yankees or Mets fans, the latter seen at Citi Field in Queens, and the former at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Whichever team you go for, ensure that you have the most authentic experience by nabbing a seat in the rowdy right-field bleaches and overdosing on cheap beer and hotdogs.
See newyork.yankees.mlb.com and newyork.mets.mlb.com
Camp on Fraser Island
Boasting ancient, rare rainforests, more than 100 freshwater lakes, kilometres of undulating sand dunes and masses of wildlife; Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and one of Australia’s true travel gems.
Pitch a tent at the bottom of the dunes and explore the array of natural wonders that this World Heritage-listed island has to offer.
See fraserisland.net
Take the plunge from one of the highest jumping points in the world
Embrace the fear factor and bungee jump from the 134-metre Nevis Highwire drop in New Zealand’s Queenstown.
The highest bungee in NZ and the third highest in the world, it’s definitely not for the faint of heart, though anyone that does conquer it will earn serious bragging rights.
See bungy.co.nz
Adventure in Costa Rica
Recently named the ‘happiest’ place on earth by the annual Happy Planet Index report, the tiny Central American republic of Costa Rica is also one of the best places in the world to get your adrenaline pumping. From zip-lining and whitewater rafting, to surfing and hiking up volcanoes, it’s a bona fide adventure-seekers paradise.
Drink your body weight in German beer
The 16-day-long Oktoberfest is the biggest beer festival in the world. Staged annually in Munich from late-September to the first weekend in October, it’s one of the largest parties in the world where world class beer meets a melting pot of travellers. Lederhosen costume optional.
See oktoberfest.de
Welcome in 2017 by kissing a Scot
Named as one of the ‘top 100 things to do before you die’ Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party remains one of the best New Year celebrations around.
As the bells strike midnight, join hundreds of thousands of local and visiting revellers on the city streets to sing Auld lang syne and grab a Scot for the obligatory New Year’s Eve kiss. Buoyed by the free-flow of alcohol during the night, it’s very likely that they’ll happily oblige.
Get an introduction to Europe by rail
Australian’s who haven’t been to Europe will be blown away by the ease of hopping from one country to the next by train. Amsterdam to Paris, Paris to Rome — the classic European rail trip remains one of the greatest ways to explore the continent.
A Eurail Global Pass and you will have 23 countries at your fingertips. All aboard!
Lose your inhibitions at a Full Moon Party in Thailand
Regarded as one of the wildest parties around, the monthly Full Moon party on Thailand’s Koh Phangan island has become an essential pit stop for those on the backpacker or ‘banana pancake’ trail.
Attracting between upwards of 20,000 footloose tourists, expect dubious ‘bucket’ cocktails, magic mushroom shakes and all-night raving until the sun comes up.
Go to a game of AFL at the MCG
Officially one of the seven wonders of the sporting world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground — also known as the MCG or ‘the G’ to locals — is a must-visit for any sporting fan.
During the summer months, Melbourne hosts various cricket matches, leading up to the famous Boxing Day Test Match, while in September the Melbourne landmark plays home to the mother of all Aussie football matches, the AFL Grand Final. On non-event days backstage tours allow visitors to walk on the hallowed turf and take a sneak peak into the changing rooms of Australia’s largest stadium.
See mcg.org.au
Couch surf
In your 20s roughing it on a couch is infinitely more bearable than when you’re in your 30s, so while your body is able to readily bounce back from a night spent contorted on a strangers couch, make sure to sign up to website, CouchSurfing.
Comprising a network of some 12 million members, the site allows travellers to save serious cash (you don’t pay a cent) by staying with a local for a truly immersive experience. Obviously, caution needs to be exercised, but this networking site will both restore your faith in humanity through the kindness of strangers and allow you to garner a much more authentic experience of the destination you’re visiting.
Make sure to pay it forward and host travellers when you’re back in your home city to ensure good travel karma.
Travel in South America for next to nix
Saving pennies means extending your travel time, and by far the cheapest place in South America in which to do this is Bolivia. Not only is it easy on the wallet, but it also boats some of the continent’s most impressive sights, including the world’s highest lake, Titicaca, and the seemingly endless salt flats of Salar de Uyuni.
Paint the town red at the annual La Tomatina festival
The unassuming small Spanish town of Bunol on the west of Valencia turns into a venue for the country’s messiest food fight for one hour on the last Wednesday of August each year.
A fixture on the village calendar since its origins at the end of World War II, these days its popularity sees more than 20,000 participants — locals and tourists alike — descend on the streets to hurl 150,000 kilos of ripe, red tomatoes. Swim goggles are pretty much a necessity.
Originally published as Top 20 travel experiences to have in yours 20s
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