When my kids were little, the 100th day of school was a very big deal. In the days leading up to the 100th day, the excitement was exponential. There were 100th-day projects, 100th-day activities, and 100th-day surprises—all culminating in a 100th-day celebration with a guest appearance by Zero the Hero (a masked superhero played by their teacher’s fiancé).
I never questioned why the 100th day of school was such a big deal. I was knee-deep in 100 Honey Nut Cheerios, 100 LifeSavers, and 100 cotton balls—all glued to neon construction paper courtesy of Elmer. Elementary school was a blur of sticky little fingers wreaking havoc on our black labs and white sofas.
The 100th day of school. For teachers—a way to nurture a love of math. For parents—a categorical mess.
This is my 100th post. I’m as excited by this number as any 1st-grader about to meet their first superhero. To mark the occasion, I won’t abuse processed oats or hard candy. I won’t use glue. Instead, I’ll list 100 places I want to go.
As a point of clarification, these are not 100 places to visit before you die, not the top 100 places to visit in 2025, and definitely not 100 places to see after you die (wow, sometimes Google suggestions are entirely off the mark).
Just 100 (amazing) places.
Lists of lists
My travel wish list has lived in my phone’s Notes App for years, quietly snowballing with conversations overheard in coffee shops, inspiring Instagram posts, friend recommendations, and sidebars in Travel + Leisure magazines. I’ve grouped them into a few broad categories to add structure. But that’s about it. A random, cobbled assortment of (amazing) places to go. 100 places to inspire your next trip. 100 places to add to your travel wish list.
Do you have a travel wish list?
It’s time to create one.
Counting to 100
Listing these 100 places was an interesting exercise—sort of like time travel. I thought back to how, years ago, my list was filled with fancy beach hotels in Mexico—places with kids’ clubs so I could have lunch with my husband without cutting quesadillas into poquito pieces. Back then, Caribbean resorts mesmerized me with miles of pristine coastline where my kids would argue over one square foot of sand.
Later, my list included glamorous city hotels so Daniel and I could dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and sit for hours at sidewalk cafés. The kids were the ideal ages to stay with grandparents. Grandparents who thought sno-cones for lunch was perfectly acceptable.
As the kids got older, we found places with activities we could do as a family—adventurous spots that didn’t solely revolve around the beach or pool. Our kids will deny it, but they hated hiking from the ages of 8-18. Daniel and I selfishly marched them up mountains, forcing them to admire views in places like Montenegro, Mallorca, and Montana. The only times our kids got along was when they were lagging fifty feet behind, complaining about these (their words) god-awful, miserable hikes. They cried child abuse. We hiked faster.
Now, they act like they invented hiking. Jimmy Chin is Ella’s idol. Chase races us to the summit. Parenting is a thankless job.
100 (Amazing) Places To Go
It’s worth mentioning this list is aspirational. If you hope to find budget-friendly and easy-to-get-to destinations, you’re reading the wrong blog. But—if you’re hoping to get inspired and find a few splurge-worthy vacation spots, read on—100 very expensive ideas await!
And lastly, those marked ( * ) are currently at the tippy top of my list.
Resorts
Six Senses Duoro Valley, Portugal
Our Habitas Atacama, Chile
Amangalla, Sri Lanka
Passalacqua, Lake Como, Italy
*Rosewood Kona Village, Hawaii
Susafa, Italy
Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman
Kachi Lodge, Bolivia
NIHI Sumba, Indonesia
Hotel Esencia, Mexico
Paradero Todos Santos, Mexico
Sublime Comporta, Portugal
Eteréo, Mexico
Rosewood Vienna, Austria
Adventure Hotels and Lodges
Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, Alaska
The Three Chimneys, Isle of Skye
Highland Base, Iceland
Nekupe, Nicaragua
Puquio, Peru
Wilderness Mombo Camp, Botswana
Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand
Kisawa Sanctuary, Mozambique
Ilmanaq Lodge, Iceland
Maroma, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Cheetah Plains Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Taylor River Lodge, Colorado, USA
Shangri La Muscat Canyon Wadi Rum, Jordan
Tierra Patagonia, Chile
Jack’s Camp, Botswana
Hotel Foroyar, Faroe Islands
Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland
The Omnia, Zermatt, Switzerland
One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, Rwanda
Al Maha, Dubai
Boutique Hotels
Farmhouse Inn, CA
The Ned Hotel, London
Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany, Italy
Son Blanc Farmhouse, Menorca, Spain
Ellerman House, CapeTown
Venice Venice Hotel, Italy
Single Thread Farm, CA
Aman Rosa Alpina, Dolomites, Italy
Piaule Catskill, NY
The Ned NoMad, NY
The Tokyo EDITION, Tokyo
Hasbrouck House, NY
La Samanna, A Belmond Hotel, St. Martin
Dawn Ranch, CA
Silversands Beach House, Grenada
Casa Polanco, Mexico City
Bishop’s Lodge, Auberge Resorts Collection, Santa Fe, NM
Hotel Sanders, Copenhagen
Post Ranch Inn, CA
The Rooster Antiparos, Greece
*Eleven Rio Palena Lodge, Chile
TRUNK, Tokyo
Palazzo Margherita, Italy
Lime Wood, UK
Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy
White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection, Kennebunk, Maine
Private Islands
Miavana, Madagascar
Bawah Reserve, Indonesia
Kokomo Private Island Resort, Fiji
Kudadoo Maldives Private Island
Destinations
*Alaska
Sardinia, Italy
*Svalbard, Norway
Namibia
Galapagos Islands
Gstaad, Switzerland
Nepal
Jordan
Malta
*Faroe Islands
Aselund, Norway
Kerala, India
South Georgia Island
Saxony, Germany
*Oaxaca, Mexico
Alternative Travel
*The Venice-Simplon Orient Express, A Belmond Train
Nour El Nil, The Nile River Boat, Egypt
Koks, Faroe Islands
Restaurants
Den, Tokyo
Quince, San Francisco
Cosme, New York City
Alinea, Chicago
Florilége, Tokyo
Funke, Los Angeles
*The top of my wish list (subject to change)
100, and counting
I started this blog, (I mean, website), in 2018 with a handful of subscribers and even fewer Instagram followers. Today, I’ve reached my 100th post, have several thousand subscribers, and over 10K Instagram followers. No one is more surprised by these stats than me—and probably my daughter.
I love this blog website blog. It’s given me a creative outlet beyond helping my kids find 100-round things to glue to construction paper. It’s taken my travels to new levels, as I’m constantly thinking about how to best describe what I’m seeing and experiencing, which, in turn, helps me see and experience things differently. 100 posts (often with suspect grammar and incorrect punctuation) about travel.
What’s the point?
I think about this list. What’s the point? I won’t get through 10% of it in my lifetime. But that’s precisely the point. The list will change as I change. Some places will fall off my radar as others replace them. Some will make no sense—did I really want to go to Easter Island??? Others will attempt to recapture those years when my kids waddled along the beach in saggy, swimmy diapers.
I’ll never finish my list. I’ll never win. The hard-core list makers of the world might have trouble with this concept. I know I do. Or, I did. Until I realized that’s the best part: adding, subtracting, and multiplying (the math metaphors are neverending!) destinations. It’s ok to lose.
My kids are adults now. They stopped believing in Zero the Hero around the same time they found out about the tooth fairy. But I thank the teachers, especially Mrs. Haese and her long-suffering husband Derek (aka Zero the Hero), for doing their job. My kids can count. And because they can count, they have lists of their own. Lists that will expand and change as their lives expand and change.
Those elementary school years are a sticky, messy blur. My clearest memories are from our family vacations. So, I’ll keep adding.
Will my list look completely different in ten years? Or even five?
I’m counting on it.