If not now, when? Whether you like the phrase or not, everyone has some sort of notional bucket list. It might be scribbled in a notebook, pinned on a map or simply floating free-form in the back of your mind, but there are some things we’d all love to experience. The problem? Many of those experiences don’t have a deadline attached, so it’s tempting to put them off. But no longer. In 2024 some of the world’s most amazing experiences are, as the French say, à point. Thanks to climactic coincidence, new flight routes and more, for these trips there will simply never be a better time than now. Read on for the lowdown.
- See the Northern Lights in all their splendour
- Visit Angkor Wat without the crowds
- Fly direct to southern Morocco
- Take part in a quirky cultural tradition
See the Northern Lights in all their splendour
The Northern Lights are a dictionary definition ‘must-see’, but as a natural phenomenon there are, of course, no guarantees. That said (and here comes the science bit), the aurora borealis ebb and flow on an 11-year cycle and 2024 is what’s called a ‘solar maximum’, when the chances of seeing this most magical of phenomena are at their highest. Stay in a remote lodge in Lapland, mush a team of huskies by day and keep an eye on the sky come bedtime.
Visit Angkor Wat without the crowds
Cambodia’s Angkor Wat (meaning ‘City of Temples’) is quite the sight to behold. Spread over 400 acres, it’s the largest religious monument on the planet and took approximately 30 years, 300,000 labourers and 6,000 elephants to build. With visitor levels still below where they were pre-pandemic, 2024 is the year to visit to avoid the crowds.
Fly direct to Morocco’s magical south
This year, British Airways is operating new direct flights from London to Agadir, opening up Morocco’s south. It’s a part of the country we’ve long loved, and the rest of the world is starting to catch on. Expect arid mountains, dreamy desert oases, some beautiful boutique properties and (for now, anyway) fewer visitors than other parts of this special country.
Take part in a quirky cultural tradition
Head to Santa Fe at the end of August to take part in the Burning of the Zozobra. This year marks the 100th anniversary of this beloved cultural tradition which sees a 50ft effigy known as Old Man Gloom stuffed with paper ‘glooms’ (such as old love letters, speeding tickets and divorce summons) and dramatically set ablaze after dark.
Written by Ella Mawson