I am Lost and Found’s original tagline was ‘Luxury Travel.’ Over the years my travel tastes evolved and ‘luxury travel’ felt limiting. Plus, I wasn’t only traveling to luxury hotels anymore. So I changed it to ‘Adventure and Luxury Travel.’ Eventually, even that felt limiting. I thought about the goals of my site. I am Lost and Found inspires travel—so ‘Inspiring Travel’ it is. Ready for inspiration? Follow along for five travel wish list destinations I’m dreaming about right now.
It’s another sticky, steamy day in DC. I should be doing something productive. Instead, I’m at my local coffee shop sipping an iced latte and daydreaming about future travels. I spin the globe in my mind. Green continents and blue oceans swirl together like a Van Gogh immersion experience. It takes my attention away from today’s news where most of the world is covered in a sheath of orange and red.
I pause over Norway—an appealing place right now for obvious reasons. Breathing crisp, cool, Arctic air sounds blissful. I take another sip of coffee and add it to my travel wish list, suddenly energized to write.
I keep spinning the globe. The next few hours unfold easily.
Join me as I waste time. Time that could be spent figuring out the dinner my kids will complain about least or watching the next intestine-twisting episode of The Bear. Read along for the next installment of my top five travel wish list destinations. Lord knows my husband will regret he didn’t join me this morning. This post is going to cost him.
Travel Wish List: 5 / Manshausen Island, Norway
A telling indicator a place belongs on my travel wish list is when I can’t contain my emotions after discovering it. Those times I frantically fire off picturesque screen grabs to my husband, Daniel, and impatiently wait for a thumbs-up emoji—eager to book it before he can blink. This is exactly how I feel when I look at Manshausen Island’s website. Obsessed.
Manshausen’s seven modern sea cabins and two sea towers hover over the water. Glass windows take full advantage of the spectacular views. It’s easy to see why the sea cabins have won so many design awards. They’ve adopted a ‘compact living’ mentality, focusing on comfort and ‘calm minimalism’. I’ve never heard of calm minimalism but I’d love to book a one-way ticket there and never look back.
Where is Manshausen Island?
Manshausen is a 55-acre island off the coast of northern Norway, across the fjord of the Lofoten Islands. In the late 1600s, Manhausen was a trading post. Today, it’s owned by famous polar explorer, writer, and photographer, Børge Ousland who turned Manshausen into one of the world’s best-kept secret adventure destinations.
I deep dive into Børge Ousland’s Wikipedia page. Ousland began his career as a Norwegian Special Forces Officer. In 1994, he made the first unsupported trek to the North Pole from Russia’s Arctic Cape. Then, as if that wasn’t bad-ass enough, in 1996 Børge Ousland was the first person to cross Antarctica solo. That he did it unsupported, on skis, and over 58 days makes my head spin like the globe I was daydreaming about earlier. Oh, and then he got married at the North Pole in 2012. Ok, Børge, simmer.
What to do on Manshausen Island?
Some activities on Manshausen Island abide by the seasons while others are enjoyed year-round. Sea kayaking, fishing, trekking, mountain climbing, traversing, cave touring, and eagle spotting are just a few of the Nordic adventures on hand. Add on wellness and culinary programs that touch upon all of the senses and it’s pretty clear why this island north of the Arctic Circle is so captivating.
Børge Ousland notwithstanding, visitors don’t need to be polar explorers or Special Ops to fall for Manshausen. Coastal museums, fortresses, fishing villages, and the original 1690 trading post are travel-worthy attractions nearby. Personally, I’d be content sitting at my panoramic sea cabin window with a cozy blanket, the latest Ann Patchett novel, and a glass of wine.
USP (Unique Selling Point) #1: The Northern Lights in the winter or the midnight sun in the summer? How to choose when to visit this Arctic escape from reality? Manshausen Island will just have to count as two travel wish list destinations. Do I see another thumbs-up, Daniel?
USP #2: Børge Ousland.
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Travel Wish List: 4 / Katmai National Park, Alaska
I count eight brown bears wading in the current. I see two bear cubs lumbering over slick boulders, pawing one another like feisty toddlers. A gull swoops overhead catching the attention of mama bear, who is competing with another bear for a fishing spot. The gulls’ caws, the gurgling river, and the steady gush of waterfalls are the only discernable sounds.
I’m not at Katmai National Park, but oh how I wish I was. Instead, I’m one of 2393 wildlife geeks enthusiasts simultaneously viewing Alaskan brown bears on the Brooks Falls bear cam. I’ve been watching them for longer than you’d imagine possible and have even started giving names to my faves.
Where is Katmai National Park?
Located on the Alaskan peninsula across from Kodiak Island, Katmai National Park and Preserve is 300 miles south of Anchorage. Katmai was designated a national monument in 1918 in order to protect it after a volcanic eruption in 1912. The area, 18 volcanoes strong (seven active), is also known as the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Whoever’s in charge of Katmai’s branding deserves a raise. I’d visit based on the name of that valley alone.
What to do at Katmai National Park?
The bears are the main attraction in this incredibly remote and untamed part of the American wilderness. That’s why I want to go. I want a front-row seat to see Yogi, Baloo, and Teddy catch sockeye salmon in real-time. The grainy webcam footage, while highly addictive, just isn’t cutting it.
Katmai is one of the top ten least visited national parks in the United States with just under 25,000 tourists last year. Compare that to Yellowstone’s 3 million and I’ve easily uncovered another great reason to visit.
The park is home to more than 2000 Alaskan brown bears. Grizzlies are the smaller species of brown bears and live further inland. If bears aren’t your thing, feel free to move on to my next travel wish list entry. But, if bears aren’t your thing, we should reconsider our friendship. Just kidding, I have lots of friends who don’t like bears.
Flightseeing, boating, catch-and-release fishing, backcountry hiking, and camping make Katmai National Park a haven for adventure seekers. There aren’t enough luxury hotel products on Earth to get me to camp in the backcountry though. That’s where the grizzlies are! My adventure mindset has limits.
USP: Grizzly bears, Alaskan brown bears, bear cubs, bears catching sockeye salmon, bears swimming, bears frolicking beneath waterfalls, Yogi, Baloo, and Teddy…
Travel Wish List: 3 / Wildflower Farms, New York
Built in 2022, Wildflower Farms is a modern ode to the Hudson Valley. Its tranquil and serene landscape seems to have sprouted up like the wildflowers for which it is named. An all-season boutique property, Wildflower Farms has an epicurean program that celebrates the region and a wellness program that celebrates healthy living. It’s clear there is much to celebrate at Wildflower Farms.
Where is Wildflower Farms?
Those who hail from the East Coast will have likely heard of the Hudson Valley. Just 90 miles north of New York City, the Hudson Valley is so renowned for natural beauty, it inspired an artistic movement. In the 19th century, the Hudson River School was founded by Thomas Cole and other landscape artists who were influenced by Romanticism.
The Hudson River School’s realistic paintings depict a pastoral world where humans and nature coexist in harmony. A romantic notion indeed! With 65 free-standing cabins and cottages set on 140 secluded acres, Wildflower Farms, an Auberge property, artfully continues the movement’s philosophy of awe and wonder.
What to do at Wildflower Farms?
The valley’s Hudson School may have been heavily influenced by romance but Wildflower Farms appeals to both couples and families alike. There are so many activities I want to take part in I’m considering asking if I can be a summer intern. Fall intern? Carrot peeler?
I can tell that a weekend at Wildflower Farms won’t be enough time for me to express my inner artist. Do I take a class in Botanical Mixology or Botanical Baking? Should I make pressed flower pottery or bake floral focaccia?
How do I choose the best ways to activate my sporty side (yes, Daniel, I have a sporty side)? Do I fly fish or forage, e-bike, or wine taste? Wine tasting is a sport, right? I scan the wellness menu. What if I can’t fit in Mountain Mat Pilates or a Sound Bath? Champagne problems at Wildflower Farms abound.
USP: Ridge Suites have views of the Shawangunk Mountain Range interrupted only by fields of wildflowers. We can either climb the rugged Shawangunks, admire them from the suite’s floor-to-ceiling windows, or grab a brush and start painting. Given enough time, I would happily do all three.
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Travel Wish List: 2 / ULUM Moab, Utah
Some of our favorite vacations have been to national parks located in desert locations: Joshua Tree, Canyonlands, and Arches, among them. We’ve stayed at AirBNBs, rustic lodges, and super swanky hotels. But glamping at ULUM Moab is a class of accommodation all its own.
For anyone not familiar with glamping, it means ‘glamourous camping’, a term open to wide interpretation. I’ve glamped in places that were a far cry from the ‘glamour’ advertised. ULUM Moab appears to have found the sweet spot for adventure and luxury to coexist.
Its 50 safari-styled tent suites have private viewing decks. There are three dipping pools, a yoga deck, and modern common spaces that embrace indoor/outdoor life. Add in Parachute Linens, Aesop products, and bespoke Pendleton wool blankets, and this glamping destination offers better amenities than most traditional hotels.
Where is ULUM Moab?
Located 25 miles south of Moab and within reach of multiple national and state parks, ULUM Moab is a secluded desert paradise. The camp is set on 200 acres of red rock formations and mesas and is just steps from Looking Glass Arch. ULUM Moab is the ultimate introduction to the beauty of the American Southwest.
What to do at ULUM Moab?
On-site activities at ULUM Moab range from relaxing guided nature walks, sound bath meditations, yoga, and stargazing. Your Adventure Concierge (yes, that’s a thing) will help curate off-site excursions like white-water river rafting, kayaking, paddleboarding, National Park tours, and canyoneering. If you haven’t canyoneered, you haven’t lived. It’s one of the funnest activities of all time (and yes, I’m aware funnest isn’t a real word).
At night, as you prepare to stargaze, sit by the bonfire and make polite chit-chat with other like-minded adventurers. Swap stories about the slot canyons you discovered while canyoneering or how you snored through the sound bath. Then grab your Pendleton blanket, a bottle of wine, and settle into the dark skies and constellations above.
USP: With 360 mountain views by day and starry skies by night, ULUM Moab has perfected glamping—the ultimate way to get comfortable in nature.
Travel Wish List: 1 / Dolomites, Italy
The last time my insides physically ached from witnessing natural beauty was a few summers ago in Jackson, Wyoming. The Tetons were so striking, so unbelievably scenic in their razor-cut jaggedness, that I was compelled to photograph them for hours each day. By day three, my husband wanted to feed me to the bears. If the Italian Dolomites are making my insides ache just from my Instagram feed, I can’t imagine what would happen if I saw them in real life.
Where are the Dolomites?
The Dolomites are a mountain range in northeastern Italy. They are sometimes referred to as the ‘Pale Mountains’ due to the carbonate minerals in the rocks. In 2009, they were officially named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Dolomites have been around for millennia. Why it took so long for UNESCO to recognize them is a mystery.
The Dolomites boast some of the most unique and beautiful hotels in the world. Many of them have won awards for design and architecture. The hotels are so swoon-worthy, I wouldn’t know how to choose one without having FOMO about the others.
What to do in the Dolomites?
While renowned for winter skiing, there is much to do in the Dolomites in the summer months, too. This mesmerizing mountain range is the center of the region’s universe. It’s where the luckiest hotels face and the point from which many adventure activities revolve.
Some of the hotels in the Dolomites defy gravity, like the ultra-modern Alpin Panorama Hotel Hubertus. Others, like Forestis, have mountain-facing private pools that make it impossible to leave the room. Aman’s Rosa Alpina (soon to reopen) embraces traditional alpine architecture and has a restaurant with three Michelin stars.
Climbing, hiking, waterfall chasing, rafting, and mountain biking will appease those with an adventurous spirit. Wellness retreats, spas, and woodland walks will satisfy those looking to reset and recharge.
USP: With over 20 Michelin-starred restaurants in the region, the Dolomites are a wish list destination for foodies, too.
Wasting Time
It’s hot in DC, and just about everywhere else in the world right now. I’m sure the oppressive heat has much to do with how these travel wish list destinations came about. Fresh, crisp, mountain air, fields of wildflowers, calm desert-scapes, and bear-filled streams are all pretty enticing right now.
I imagine myself sitting here next January—cupping my latte, complaining about the cold, and daydreaming about warmer climes. I’ll once again spin the globe in my mind, excited to see where I land, and ready to write another batch of travel wish list destinations.
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Author’s Note: I am grateful to the hotels who kindly gave me high-res photos for use in this post. I’m also using Unsplash for the first time, and praise the photographers who are giving away their gorgeous photos for free. Typically, I only feature my own photos. But alas, if I had my own pictures of these wish list destinations, they wouldn’t be on my wish list.
