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When planning when to tick off your bucket list, there is really no better time to start than immediately. The Covid pandemic showed us that even the best-laid plans don’t always run smoothly and that the world can change in an instant. That’s why here at Not In The Guidebooks, when it comes to your bucket list holidays, we encourage people to grasp the moment, push the boat out, and any other cliche that means you simply just go for it.

Whether it’s fulfilling a lifelong dream to see the Northern Lights, a once in a lifetime trip to a far-flung destination you may never visit again like Namibia, Greenland or Sri Lanka, or any other travelling experience that’s been sitting on your bucket list for just a little too long, we hope we have the bucket list travel experiences that will help you tick a couple more items.

Some may be on the hunt for a more active adventure, some for an unforgettable local, cultural experience, and many for incredible natural landscapes they’ve read so much about but never seen in person. With Not In The Guidebooks, we hope we can enrich your bucket list travel experience even further by showing you the highlights you have your heart set on, but in a unique way that makes for some of the most unforgettable travel memories you will ever create.

Popular Bucket List Experiences

Longer Adventures

Off the Beaten Track Holidays / Local Exploring

From £2013 pp*
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Longer Adventures

Local Exploring / Off the Beaten Track Holidays

From £2678 pp*
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Mini-Breaks

Off the Beaten Track Holidays

From £3351 for a family of four
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Longer Adventures

Wildlife Holidays

From £6966 pp
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Longer Adventures

Off the Beaten Track Holidays

£6744 *per person
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Longer Adventures

Local Exploring / Off the Beaten Track Holidays

From £2737 pp
Take me there

Bucket List Destination Ideas

Bucket List Experiences in Iceland

Whether it's a cruise to see the northern lights, an unforgettable hike to an active volcano. walking on a glacier, soaking in geothermally heated lagoons or doing it all on a once-in-a-lifetime trip around Route 1, Iceland has no shortage of bucket list experiences to tick off.

Bucket List Experiences in Costa Rica

Boasting pristine, white-sand beaches, towering volcanoes, steamy jungles filled with spectacular wildlife and otherworldly cloud forest, Costa Rica is the perfect country to get lost in and experience the deliciously slow pace of life enjoyed by some of the most hospitable locals in the world.

Bucket List Experiences in Morocco

As soon as you set foot in Morocco, you get a sense of a country with an incredibly rich history and culture to explore. Ancient universities, lonely abandoned fortresses overlooking winding mountain paths, blue-washed coastal towns and Berber camps under the starry Sahara sky, prepare to be enchanted by Morocco.

Bucket List Experiences in Greenland

They say that when you've run out of places to travel, go to Greenland. One of the most off the beaten track destinations on earth, Greenland offers some of the most remote and dramatic mountains and fjords on earth, and will provide you with everlasting memories of your time in true wilderness.

Bucket List Experiences in Cambodia

Cambodia often isn't the first country travellers think of when heading to South East Asia, but for that very reason it is one of the most rewarding countries to visit. World-class food, unbelievably warm welcomes, some of the most iconic ancient sites on earth and hidden gems around every corner await.

Bucket List Experiences in Greece

At some point or another on a cold January day, we've all dreamt of cruising the sapphire blue Mediterranean, basking in the sunshine and stopping at hidden coves with white-sand beaches and authentic little tavernas to drink incredible wine and gorge on exquisite seafood. What is a bucket list if island hopping in Greece isn't on there?

Bucket List Holidays all over the globe

At Not In The Guidebooks, we believe that your travel time is precious, and that when you explore the world, you need to ensure you use that time in the very best way possible. That’s why we’ve curated bucket list holidays, travel experiences you’ll remember for a lifetime, and packaged them together so that you can easily enjoy the very best a destination has to offer.

We’ve done the research for you. With the help of our amazing local hosts, we have put together once-in-a-lifetime itineraries that get you off the beaten track and to the beating heart of a country, so that you don’t have your average tourist experience, but one that takes you to the hidden gems only the locals know about, gets you eating the best food, and enjoying the best activities on offer.

Meticulously crafted itineraries that make the most of your time

Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the luxury of taking months off at a time to travel and discover new countries and cultures at our own pace. With Not In The Guidebooks’ bucket list holidays, you will make the very most of all your time thanks to itineraries that make each day unique and memorable.

Whether that’s swimming with sea turtles on a wildlife holiday in Costa Rica, trekking through epic mountain scenery in Northern Vietnam, taking one of the world’s most spectacular train rides in Peru, or seeking out mountain gorillas in Uganda, there are days on offer here that are epic beyond belief.

You’re saved the pain of finding the best guides and the best places to do the activities you want, as our local hosts take care of you and remove the burden of that time-consuming admin. And with plenty of free time built in to your itinerary to either explore independently or relax on the beach or by the pool, you can be guaranteed that you’ll return home from your bucket list holiday feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.

Get to the beating heart of a country and culture

On so may package holidays around the world, you may find yourself hopping quickly from place to place in big tour buses, without much time to really appreciate the most important aspect of a nation – it’s people.

With Not In The Guidebooks, we put you in touch with local hosts who are passionate about showing off the very best of their home country. This means you’ll get insight only granted to travellers who spend enough time in a country to virtually become a local, as you understand the cuisine, the culture and the history of places like never before.

You might be invited to a family home to cook up an authentic dish, to a market to understand how this central hub operates for the regulars, or entirely off the beaten track to a hidden gem most tourists would miss. We find it’s these kind of experiences that really stay with our travellers, and mean that they come away with a real affinity to their new-found favourite country.

Why choose Not In The Guidebooks?

We’re passionate about helping people find the most amazing experiences on their travels, through meeting local people, exploring new places, and discovering alternative activities that make holidays special. We do this by carefully selecting partners in countries around the world who are experts in their local area, sourcing interesting people who can guide you through immersive experiences.

We’ve got local partners all across the world, from Norway to Namibia, Scotland to Sri Lanka, Portugal to Peru. Choosing a Not In The Guidebooks holiday means you don’t have to choose between a beach holiday or an activity-filled break, you can get the best of both worlds with a unique trip.

More Inspiration

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Not In The Guidebooks’ Most Inspirational Itineraries
No Fly Holidays with Not In The Guidebooks

We source the best authentic, local experiences

  • Explore the country and places that most tourists don’t see
  • Find hidden gems & activities that really interest you

We are a global cooperative of the best local operators

  • Our local partners have a share in the success of our business
  • All our experiences support local communities, wildlife and environment

Private modular experiences to build your own itinerary

  • Create your own itinerary with as much or as little activity and relaxation as you want
  • There are some options for you to join a group for part of your trip

Book with complete confidence from start to finish

  • Fully ABTA bonded
  • Secure payment system & 24/7 emergency support

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