Top 5 Places to travel in your 20s that will inspire wanderlust

Here is a bucket list of 5 places you should travel in your 20s. These adventures will surely last you a lifetime.

Traveling in your 20s is incredibly exciting! Whether you’ve already looped around the world once or twice, or you’re someone who has never left your own hometown, booking a trip for an adventure of a lifetime is always a good idea.  Live it up. Go with a friend. Travel solo. Be budget-friendly if you need to, but get out there and travel in your 20s before life gets too serious!

1.) Travel in your 20s to Gili Islands in Indonesia

Yes—islands. Gili Islands is plural, which is exactly why this Indonesian destination is at the top of our list and the best alternative if you don’t want to go to Bali like everyone else. On Gili, lounging on white sandy beaches and swimming in the crystal clear water is a perfectly acceptable way to spend time abroad. If you’re looking for an adventure, the coastal Gili Islands pack a punch. Dive. Snorkel with sea turtles. Hit the beach bars. Ride a horse. Bike the island. Surf the waves. Sit and swing on the beach. Hike Gili Trawangan and uncover the mysterious shrines, a WWII Japanese machine gun bunker, and sunsets you won’t need a filter for when you post them on Instagram. On Gili Trawangan, daytime if for fun in the sun, but as soon as darkness envelopes the island, it’s time to party like it’s 1999.

2.) Travel in your 20s to Phuket, Thailand

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and considered to be party central. If you’d rather wake up without a hangover, Phuket offers other options too. Phuket is a picturesque paradise, think salmon sunsets and deep blue lagoons. Strangely, travelers often say their trip to Phuket was completely surreal. Want to know what all the fuss is about? Explore Phuket’s aquariums, gardens, Buddhist temples, or find a club off Bangla Road, take a shot at the ice bar and rave all night to the hottest EDM tracks.

3.) Travel in your 20s to Cancun, Mexico

Finding your way to Mexico is an easy escape to paradise, as long as you’ve got your passport. Cancun is the city on the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, which means the atmosphere is always tropical, and the temperature will warm you up in no time. Right on the Caribbean Sea, Cancun is a coastal city full or resorts, vistas, history, and beauty. Explore significant Mayan ruins here like El Rey and the Yamil Lu’um and savor the sunshine on Cancun’s white sandy beaches with a tropical foo-foo drink in hand.

4.) Travel in your 20s to New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is a bucket list city for sure! One of the world’s most fascinating cities, New Orleans is a melting pot of culture, history, music, and food. Whether you visit during Mardi Gras or not, New Orleans will be a trip you will remember for the rest of your life. Eat beignets, cheers a stranger in the streets, and explore nightlife that will inevitably include live music by New Orleans musicians who are the best in the business. In New Orleans the party never stops, it’s part of the culture, so blend in and have a good time.

5.) Travel in your 20s to Lake Havasu, Arizona

Rather stay close to home? You don’t have to leave the country to find a location that’s worthy of being a destination to travel in your 20s to. Either way, if you’re local to the United States, Lake Havasu is worth a visit. A large reservoir creates an oasis amidst the desert landscape (Lake Havasu was created when Parker Dam was built back in 1938). Don’t expect to just gaze out at a dam though. Lake Havasu is an ideal location to explore what else Arizona has to offer. Walk the United States’ own Lake Havasu London Bridge, explore the nearby city, and take an Arizona hike. If you have access to a boat, you can tie up with other water crafts where the parties are known to become legendary.

Use your youth wisely and try and travel in your 20s as you might not have time until you’re much older. You won’t get this time back, so have some fun, explore new places, and indulge in adventures that might only happen once in your life.

If you have a suggestion for other places you must travel in your 20s, please leave a comment below.