Chris Santella‘s  Once in a Lifetime Trips is a full-colour non-fiction work in which 50 travel experts were asked what their dream holiday destinations would be if time and money were not a factor. Some of their answers were downright extraordinary! There are experiences in this list that I would never have thought of, but now find myself dreaming about when I’m not paying attention. If you like to read about amazing travel destinations (and let’s face it, if you’re reading travel blogs you do!), this book comes highly recommended.

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about my dream holiday. It involved exploring Europe in a camper-car, an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Although this vacation will forever remain special to me, I realise that three weeks of (almost) roughing it and visiting overcrowded tourist destinations may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And that is one of the reasons why I found this book so exciting.

The trips are divided into seven categories: on the ocean, on an island, in the jungle, in the mountains and the desert, in the country, in the city, and in the sky. There is literally something for everyone – from riding the Orient Express to Istanbul, to swimming with great white sharks in Mexico, to wine tasting in South Africa, to great ape safaris in Rwanda, to visiting the world’s greatest opera houses by private jet. Some of the more fantastical ideas include diving to the Titanic and visiting the International Space Station! Each entry is accompanied by at least one stunning picture that will make you want to get up and go pack your suitcase so long.

At the back of the book there is also a section that gives the contact details and website addresses of the tour operators that can make these dream holidays a reality. Although no pricing is provided, it’s probably safe to say that these are not called ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trips for nothing!

Even though I know that I will probably never be able to afford the excursions described in this wonderful book, it is still nice to read about them and let my imagination do the rest…

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