Been anywhere nice lately? Most of us haven’t travelled much since the pandemic hit. But less travelling leaves more time for daydreaming – and sharing our own personal bucket lists of must-visit destinations.
Instagram is the place to post those #bucketlists. Nothing catches a memory – or a dream of what’s to come – like an Instagram picture. So that’s where Budget Direct looked to compile our ultimate world bucket list: the cities, landmarks, and attractions that Instagram users want to visit the most.
We used location data to figure out which locations Instagram users are tagging with #bucketlist. And then we made a series of maps to show the top dream destinations across categories including natural wonders, hotels, and islands.
Image Credit: Byrdyak / iStock.
Instagram bucket list
Been anywhere nice lately? Most of us haven’t travelled much since the pandemic hit. But less travelling leaves more time for daydreaming – and sharing our own personal bucket lists of must-visit destinations.
Instagram is the place to post those #bucketlists. Nothing catches a memory – or a dream of what’s to come – like an Instagram picture. So that’s where Budget Direct looked to compile our ultimate world bucket list: the cities, landmarks, and attractions that Instagram users want to visit the most.
We used location data to figure out which locations Instagram users are tagging with #bucketlist. And then we made a series of maps to show the top dream destinations across categories including natural wonders, hotels, and islands.
Image Credit: Byrdyak / iStock.
Most Popular Destinations
A certain Central Turkish region dominates the world map of Instagram bucket lists. Not only does it lend itself to photography (and wanderlust) thanks to a fantasy landscape of “fairy chimneys” – protruding rock formations with a 60-million-year history — but you’ll also find underground cities dug into the soft rock over a thousand years ago.
The remainder of the world’s top 10 is filled with celebrated sights and paradisal landscapes. You may want to consider adding some of these to your own travel bucket list.
Image Credit: JandaliPhoto / iStock.
Most Popular Destinations
A certain Central Turkish region dominates the world map of Instagram bucket lists. Not only does it lend itself to photography (and wanderlust) thanks to a fantasy landscape of “fairy chimneys” – protruding rock formations with a 60-million-year history — but you’ll also find underground cities dug into the soft rock over a thousand years ago.
The remainder of the world’s top 10 is filled with celebrated sights and paradisal landscapes. You may want to consider adding some of these to your own travel bucket list.
Image Credit: JandaliPhoto / iStock.
Cities
It’s no wonder Dubai tops the list of cities that Instagrammers want to visit in their lifetime: it’s a regular destination for influencers and Love Islanders alike, even during lockdown. New York, Paris and London are the familiar dream destinations in the runner-up spots. Malé, the blue-skied capital of the Maldives, takes fifth place.
Image Credit: neirfy / iStock.
Cities
It’s no wonder Dubai tops the list of cities that Instagrammers want to visit in their lifetime: it’s a regular destination for influencers and Love Islanders alike, even during lockdown. New York, Paris and London are the familiar dream destinations in the runner-up spots. Malé, the blue-skied capital of the Maldives, takes fifth place.
Image Credit: neirfy / iStock.
5. Male, Maldives
Number of bucket list tags: 46,898
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Male, Maldives
Number of bucket list tags: 46,898
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. London
Number of bucket list tags: 46,122
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. London
Number of bucket list tags: 46,122
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Paris
Number of bucket list tags: 52,608
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Paris
Number of bucket list tags: 52,608
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. New York City
Number of bucket list tags: 79,115
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. New York City
Number of bucket list tags: 79,115
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 82,785
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 82,785
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Natural Wonders
“I know that I must do what’s right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti,” sang Toto, and two generations later everyone started singing along (and questioning Toto’s sense of geography, since Africa’s highest mountain is 200 miles from the Serengeti.). Anyway, the imagery seems to have worked, as Tanzania has five destinations in the overall top 100 on Instagram.
Image Credit: Byrdyak / iStock.
Natural Wonders
“I know that I must do what’s right, as sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti,” sang Toto, and two generations later everyone started singing along (and questioning Toto’s sense of geography, since Africa’s highest mountain is 200 miles from the Serengeti.). Anyway, the imagery seems to have worked, as Tanzania has five destinations in the overall top 100 on Instagram.
Image Credit: Byrdyak / iStock.
5. Monument Valley – Utah
Number of bucket list tags: 3,670
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Monument Valley – Utah
Number of bucket list tags: 3,670
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Great Barrier Reef – Queensland, Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 4,078
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Great Barrier Reef – Queensland, Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 4,078
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Number of bucket list tags: 4,486
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Number of bucket list tags: 4,486
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
Number of bucket list tags: 5,302
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Horseshoe Bend, Arizona
Number of bucket list tags: 5,302
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 7,341
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 7,341
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Landmarks
Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys are the top landmark and top overall destination in our study. The second most desired landmark is Machu Picchu, an abandoned (but not lost) Incan city in the south of Peru. Both of these locations are picturesque, but both also have a ‘hidden’ side – the underground cities of Cappadocia, and the underground architectural engineering of Machu Picchu.
Image Credit: sorincolac/istockphoto.
Landmarks
Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys are the top landmark and top overall destination in our study. The second most desired landmark is Machu Picchu, an abandoned (but not lost) Incan city in the south of Peru. Both of these locations are picturesque, but both also have a ‘hidden’ side – the underground cities of Cappadocia, and the underground architectural engineering of Machu Picchu.
Image Credit: sorincolac/istockphoto.
5. Taj Mahal – India
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Taj Mahal – India
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Eiffel Tower – France
Number of bucket list tags: 9,380
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Eiffel Tower – France
Number of bucket list tags: 9,380
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Giza Pyramid Complex – Egypt
Number of bucket list tags: 10,195
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Giza Pyramid Complex – Egypt
Number of bucket list tags: 10,195
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Machu Picchu – Peru
Number of bucket list tags: 11,826
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Machu Picchu – Peru
Number of bucket list tags: 11,826
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Cappadocia – Turkey
Number of bucket list tags: 30,994
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Cappadocia – Turkey
Number of bucket list tags: 30,994
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Beaches
Tanzania tops the list of #bucketlist beaches, with the white sands of Nungwi Beach in the Mjini Magharibi Region taking the title. The second most sought-after oceanfront destination is an oddity: Pig Beach, in the Exuma region of the Bahamas, gets its name from the feral pigs that roam the sands and paddle the waters.
Image Credit: rchphoto / iStock.
Beaches
Tanzania tops the list of #bucketlist beaches, with the white sands of Nungwi Beach in the Mjini Magharibi Region taking the title. The second most sought-after oceanfront destination is an oddity: Pig Beach, in the Exuma region of the Bahamas, gets its name from the feral pigs that roam the sands and paddle the waters.
Image Credit: rchphoto / iStock.
5. Crystal Bay Nusa Penida – Indonesia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Crystal Bay Nusa Penida – Indonesia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Bondi Beach – Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Bondi Beach – Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Waikiki Beach – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Waikiki Beach – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Pig Beach – The Bahamas
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Pig Beach – The Bahamas
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Nungwi Beach – Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Nungwi Beach – Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Attractions
Theme parks and park parks dominate the top of our attractions category. The exception is second-placed Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The legendary stadium of the Green Bay Packers is known for being a chilly proposition: three hours of standing in an open-air stadium in Wisconsin? Wrap up warm!
Image Credit: Keith Homan/shutterstock.
Attractions
Theme parks and park parks dominate the top of our attractions category. The exception is second-placed Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The legendary stadium of the Green Bay Packers is known for being a chilly proposition: three hours of standing in an open-air stadium in Wisconsin? Wrap up warm!
Image Credit: Keith Homan/shutterstock.
5. Disneyland Park – California
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Disneyland Park – California
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Crocosaurus Cove, Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Crocosaurus Cove, Australia
Number of bucket list tags: 1,631
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Walk Disney World Resort – Florida
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Walk Disney World Resort – Florida
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Lambeau Field – Wisconsin
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Lambeau Field – Wisconsin
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Central Park – New York
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Central Park – New York
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Nature Parks & Reserves
The Grand Canyon tops Instagram’s bucket list of nature parks by a country mile, with more tags than runners-up Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park combined. The 12 top nature parks and reserves in our study are all in the US or Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa).
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Nature Parks & Reserves
The Grand Canyon tops Instagram’s bucket list of nature parks by a country mile, with more tags than runners-up Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park combined. The 12 top nature parks and reserves in our study are all in the US or Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa).
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
5. Joshua Tree National Park – California
Number of bucket list tags: 4,894
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Joshua Tree National Park – California
Number of bucket list tags: 4,894
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Zion National Park – Utah
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Zion National Park – Utah
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Serengeti National Park – Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 6,117
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Serengeti National Park – Tanzania
Number of bucket list tags: 6,117
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Maasai Mara National Reserve – Kenya
Number of bucket list tags: 6,117
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Maasai Mara National Reserve – Kenya
Number of bucket list tags: 6,117
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Grand Canyon National Park – U.S.
Number of bucket list tags: 14,274
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Grand Canyon National Park – U.S.
Number of bucket list tags: 14,274
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Islands
The Mediterranean, Hawaii, Polynesia… northern Norway? The Lofoten archipelago is the outlier among Instagram’s most-dreamt-of islands. But while it may not be balmy coconut country, the remote Scandi islands of Lofoten have beaches, Viking history, unrivalled natural vistas, and the Northern Lights.
Image Credit: TriggerPhoto/istockphoto.
Islands
The Mediterranean, Hawaii, Polynesia… northern Norway? The Lofoten archipelago is the outlier among Instagram’s most-dreamt-of islands. But while it may not be balmy coconut country, the remote Scandi islands of Lofoten have beaches, Viking history, unrivalled natural vistas, and the Northern Lights.
Image Credit: TriggerPhoto/istockphoto.
5. Maui – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 5,302
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Maui – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 5,302
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Lofoten – Norway
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Lofoten – Norway
Number of bucket list tags: 5,709
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. O’ahu – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 8,156
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. O’ahu – Hawaii
Number of bucket list tags: 8,156
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Bora Bora – French Polynesia
Number of bucket list tags: 14,681
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Bora Bora – French Polynesia
Number of bucket list tags: 14,681
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Santorini – Greece
Number of bucket list tags: 19,167
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Santorini – Greece
Number of bucket list tags: 19,167
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Hotels
Instagram’s #bucketlist hotels are destinations in themselves. Top of the list is Giraffe Manor, “one of the most instagrammed properties in the world.” If you’ve read about Pig Beach, you know what to expect from Giraffe Manor: free-roaming giraffes, not averse to poking their heads into the hotel windows.
Travel may be limited for a while yet, but you’ve got to have a dream to have a dream come true. As these destinations show, Instagrammers have plenty of ideas about must-visit places to reach in their lifetime. What locations are on your #bucketlist?
Image Credit: Giraffe Manor/facebook.com.
Hotels
Instagram’s #bucketlist hotels are destinations in themselves. Top of the list is Giraffe Manor, “one of the most instagrammed properties in the world.” If you’ve read about Pig Beach, you know what to expect from Giraffe Manor: free-roaming giraffes, not averse to poking their heads into the hotel windows.
Travel may be limited for a while yet, but you’ve got to have a dream to have a dream come true. As these destinations show, Instagrammers have plenty of ideas about must-visit places to reach in their lifetime. What locations are on your #bucketlist?
Image Credit: Giraffe Manor/facebook.com.
5. Borealis Basecamp – Alaska
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
5. Borealis Basecamp – Alaska
Number of bucket list tags: 2,039
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
4. Atlantis, The Palm – Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 2,447
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Burj Al Arab – Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 2,855
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
3. Burj Al Arab – Dubai
Number of bucket list tags: 2,855
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Chalet Al Foss Alp Resort – Italy
Number of bucket list tags: 3,262
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
2. Chalet Al Foss Alp Resort – Italy
Number of bucket list tags: 3,262
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Giraffe Manor
Number of bucket list tags: 7,748
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
1. Giraffe Manor
Number of bucket list tags: 7,748
Image Credit: BudgetDirect.com.
Methodology & Sources
We extracted location data from a sample of 26,072 Instagram posts tagged with the #bucketlist hashtag. We then extrapolated this data to estimate destination counts across all 10.6 million posts.
The data was gathered and compiled in February 2021.
Notes: We used Google Places API to normalize places names. For example, the Instagram tag name can be ‘Eiffel Tower’ or ‘Tour Eiffel’ or ‘La Tour Eiffel’ or ‘eiffel tower’ or ‘エッフェル塔’. It’s close to impossible to merge all these items by hand, so we used the Google Places API to normalise all names.
- EA Given. (2017). Crocosaurus Cove.shutterstock.com
- Hotel Chalet Al Foss. (2021). Chalet Al Foss Alp Resort. hotelchaletalfoss.it
- Borealis Base Camp. (2021). Borealis Basecamp. borealisbasecamp.net
Related:
This article
originally appeared on BudgetDirect.com and was
syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: Biletskiy_Evgeniy / iStock.
Methodology & Sources
We extracted location data from a sample of 26,072 Instagram posts tagged with the #bucketlist hashtag. We then extrapolated this data to estimate destination counts across all 10.6 million posts.
The data was gathered and compiled in February 2021.
Notes: We used Google Places API to normalize places names. For example, the Instagram tag name can be ‘Eiffel Tower’ or ‘Tour Eiffel’ or ‘La Tour Eiffel’ or ‘eiffel tower’ or ‘エッフェル塔’. It’s close to impossible to merge all these items by hand, so we used the Google Places API to normalise all names.
- EA Given. (2017). Crocosaurus Cove.shutterstock.com
- Hotel Chalet Al Foss. (2021). Chalet Al Foss Alp Resort. hotelchaletalfoss.it
- Borealis Base Camp. (2021). Borealis Basecamp. borealisbasecamp.net
Related:
This article
originally appeared on BudgetDirect.com and was
syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: Biletskiy_Evgeniy / iStock.
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