Bucket List Bookings: Where Broadsheet Writers Want to Travel in 2024

They say change is as good as a holiday. But we reckon a holiday is as good as a holiday. And while we’re all for staycations and nearby weekenders, nothing beats escaping to bucket list-worthy destinations. Food is always a draw for a Broadsheet er, but getting lost in rambling streets and filling our suitcases with local finds is all part of the adventure too.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration before booking your next trip, here’s where we’re heading in 2024.

Tokyo, Japan

While the world is focused on Euro summers and the Paris Olympics, I hope to slip out to Tokyo. This time, I want to graduate from the capsule hotels of trips past and stay at the Trunk Hotel in Tomigaya. It’s 10 minutes from Shibuya Station and has a rooftop bar and infinity pool that spills onto a forest-like canopy (not the usual Tokyo outlook), but is less than a 15-minute walk from Takeshita Street in Harajuku and Shibuya Scramble Crossing. I have a growing list of cocktail bars to check out in Shibuya. At the top of the list are A10, Record Bar Analog and Sugahara. There’s also a bunch of vinyl stores and fashion boutiques, so I think I’ll take an empty suitcase. James Williams, creative solutions manager

Vietnam

2024 marks 10 years since I’ve been to Vietnam. That trip changed everything. Suddenly Asia – not Europe or the Americas – became the dream for me. The heat, the chaos, the food. My god, the food. Suffice to say, I wouldn’t be in this job if it wasn’t for Vietnam. A decade later, it’s calling me back. And the times have changed – Airbnb is now very much a thing. As is the shiny, new-ish Capella in Hanoi. I think I’ll skip the hostels this time. Dan Cunningham, directory editor

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The nuptials of loved-up pals are taking me to Argentinian springtime, and I’m in full planning mode to ensure I soak up every second of Buenos Aires’s buzz. I’m hoping our days are filled with staggering architecture and tango in the streets – with endless empanadas and faguazzeta (Argentinian pizza). And a daily vermuteria stop, where herby-sweet shots of fernet come with a seltzer service. The Parisian-esque streets of Recoleta will be our base – in an apartment with charm or maybe even a pool. Grace MacKenzie, Sydney food and drink editor

Maria Island, Tasmania

I’ve declared 2024 a year of domestic exploring. And top of my list is Tassie. My sister and I have been scheming a four-day hike on Maria Island to see the wombats and soak in the general great outdoorsiness – we did the Three Capes track a couple of years ago and it’s one of my favourite family holidays. I think the perfect post-walk recovery is a few nights at Provider House on the outskirts of Hobart – the wooden soaking tub is already calling my name. This Japanese-inspired cabin is the work of Tara Bennett, who also runs Provider Store, one of my favourite boutiques for bits and bobs in Sydney. Alice Jeffery, shopping editor

Oaxaca, Mexico

Travelling South America as a 20-something backpacker, I often wished I could visit an alternate-reality version, where Spain and Portugal never colonised. Machu Picchu and countless other lost cities would still be inhabited. There’d be culture and customs as foreign to the West as many of Africa’s still are today. Alas. Oaxaca (pronounced “wa-ha-ka”), a coastal state in the south of Mexico, seems to me to have kept its indigenous traditions alive better than most. I’m desperate to get there and grind corn on a metate with an abuelita, eat complex and earthy moles, drink smoky hand-made mezcal, et cetera – before it changes forever. (Just in the past 70 years, industrial corn flour has all but destroyed a likely 12,000-year-old tradition of tortilla-making, as central to Mesoamerican cultures as rice is to Asian cultures.) Nick Connellan, publications director

Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen combines all of the microtrends that I (and the world of Tiktok) have been obsessed with lately – quiet luxury, Scandi hairlines, Danish bakeries and unique thrift shops. Iris Bakery in Brunswick actually sparked my initial longing to visit the Danish capital – Juno Bakery is at the top of my list once I’m there. I want to explore stores like sustainably-minded Res-Res (short for Respected Resources) and design store Stilleben. But dreamy design doesn’t stop at the stores – the accommodation in Copenhagen is equally stunning. I’m thinking of booking this loft to live like a local, or checking into the trendy Villa Copenhagen. I’m most excited to swim in the canals at Island Brygges, grab a wine and pastry at La Banchina, and soak in the sun on those long Nordic days. Vanessa Fichera, sales and partnerships manager

South Korea and Taiwan

I just got back from a few days in Vietnam, which was my first trip overseas since March 2020. I’ve had a block about flying internationally since the Covid Troubles but this was a reminder that you really can just find a cheap flight and GO. It was exhilarating to be back on the road among the honking scooters and pungent street-food, where the only thing on the day’s itinerary was to discover something delicious to eat. Now I’m planning my next adventure, and have Seoul and Taipei on the mood board for spicy soups, delicate dumplings and other delicious snacks. In an ideal world I’d go large, fly business, and stay at the Park Hyatt Seoul and the Mandarin Oriental Taipei. But realistically I’ll fly Jetstar and hunt for a bargain on Airbnb. Michael Harry, national editor

Kangaroo Island, South Australia

I consider myself fairly well travelled but, when it comes to domestic islands I’m sorely behind the curve. I’ve never been to Lord Howe; I’ve never been to Rottnest; hell, I’ve never been to Tasmania. But in 2024 Kangaroo Island is at the top of my list. KI has everything I’m looking for in a holiday spot: fresh seafood, top-shelf gin (courtesy of Kangaroo Island Spirits), gorgeous scenery and local fauna. Plus, I’ve heard the mobile coverage is pretty spotty out there and I’m dying for a holiday that’ll force me to really switch off. Southern Ocean Lodge is an absolute dream location for me. I stalk its Instagram and website embarrassingly often. If I can’t quite swing the price tag this one-bedroom cabin with an outdoor bathtub among the hills overlooking the sea also looks pretty spectacular. Lucy Bell Bird, national assistant editor

Cala Santanyi, Mallorca

I’m making it my mission for 2024 to travel to Mallorca for a summer getaway. This has been on my bucket list for oh so long and my friends have nothing but praise for this beautiful Spanish island. The vision I have for myself is lounging around Cala Santanyi beach, book in one hand, cocktail in the other, embracing the warm rays. It seems only right to finish a long beach day at this coastal flat overlooking a gorgeous golden sunset. Tilly Christie, campaign coordinator

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