Some trips you can make happen at the last minute, like a weekend getaway or an impromptu road trip. But far-flung, grander adventures require a little鈥擮K, fine, a lot鈥攎ore planning. We鈥檙e talking about a once-a-year natural event听or a state-crossing bikepacking trip. So we鈥檝e curated a list of our favorite epic quests for 2020 and beyond that you鈥檒l听want to start thinking about now.
Watch a Total Solar Eclipse
The next full eclipse visible from the U.S. won鈥檛 be until 2024. If you want to see one sooner, you鈥檒l be able to spot the totality from Chile, Argentina, and parts of the South Pacific on December 14, 2020.听 is offering a 15-day sea-based expedition (from $9,495) aboard a yacht traveling between the French Polynesian islands, where you鈥檒l watch the eclipse alongside expert astronomers. Or sign up for an 8-, 11- or 13-day eclipse tour (from $2,428) with听 across Argentina, and you鈥檒l visit Buenos Aires, then enjoy the eclipse听in the dark high desert of Fort铆n Nogueira. Or go on your own, and book a stay in Chile鈥檚 Lake District鈥攖he 听(from $176) in Patagonia is a good home base for trekking and mountain biking and will have stellar views of the eclipse.
Ride Across a State
Three years ago, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the听, a new, ambitious project听that would crisscross New York state. Some 400 miles of it were already in existence, but many links had to be built. The T-shaped trail will be completed at the end of 2020, and by then, it鈥檒l be a continuous, 750-mile pathway that extends south from the Canadian border to New York City and east from Buffalo听to Albany, making it the longest multi-use statewide trail in the country. Tackle a small or a large chunk of it on foot or bike. has a self-guided, 100-mile, four-day trip (from $550) on the Erie Canalway Trail, a section of the Empire State Trail;听you鈥檒l ride on your own, but it will book accommodations and help with shuttle service.
Attend a Far-Flung Festival
Every fall, Nepal hosts , one of the longest-standing and largest festivals in the country. The two-week event is celebrated in communities across the nation from October 17 to 26. It pays tribute to the goddess Durga, who overcame evil, through sacrifices and ceremonies. You鈥檒l find sacred flowers, kite flying, family gatherings, parades, and a full-moon celebration. offers customizable festival tours of Nepal, or reach out to Kathmandu-based for private or group tours that coincide with Dashain.
Make a Pilgrimage
People have been walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain听for over a millennium. This historical, spiritual pilgrimage goes from the city of Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port to Santiago de Compostela, and the thousands听of people who now set out on the 500-mile journey do so for their own transformative reasons.听 offers an 11-day guided trek (from $6,195) of the popular Camino Franc茅s (the French Way) route with a local guide in May and October. Or听if you don鈥檛 want to tackle the whole thing,听 leads an abbreviated听six-day hike (from $4,199) on choice sections of the storied route. If you plan to do the route on your own, opt to make it in May, June, or September, when temperatures hover around 50 degrees and there鈥檚 less chance of rain.听
See a Waterfall That Looks Like It鈥檚 on Fire
鈥嬧赌嬧赌, the second-highest free-falling waterfall in Yosemite National Park, does something akin to magic in late February. Certain conditions are needed鈥攝ero clouds, the perfect angle of the setting sun, and enough snow and the right temperatures for the waterfall to run鈥攂ut when the sun glints off the water, the 1,570-foot falls look like they鈥檙e on fire. Catch the view (along with many other spectators and photographers) from the El Capitan picnic area, on the way to Yosemite Village. The whole thing happens in a limited ten-minute window, so don鈥檛 miss it. Stay in a room or two-bedroom cabin at the recently revamped听听(from $179), near the south entrance to Yosemite, and enjoy the rest of the park during its less crowded winter months.
Spot the Northern Lights
To see the northern lights (a.k.a. the听aurora borealis), you need to head north toward the Arctic Circle, ideally during the darker winter months of September through March. But even then, you鈥檙e not guaranteed a sighting. Show up at听, 25 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska, and you can sleep in a geodesic igloo (from $369) on 100 acres of boreal forest and go dog mushing and snowshoeing by day, then look out for lights dancing across the sky by night. Or book a northern-lights tour with听, and it鈥檒l arrange for all-inclusive, five-day trips to places like Norway鈥檚 (from $2,122 for five-day trip) or Finland鈥檚听听(from $3,110 for five-day trip).
Sleep in Space
OK, we know this one is over the top, but one can dream.听Although this trip听won鈥檛 take place until 2024, it may take years to prepare for鈥攏ot to mention saving up for the lofty price tag. A company called Orion Span has announced a new space hotel,听, scheduled to open in five years. Four guests at a time will be able to launch 230 miles above earth to experience zero gravity for 12 days. You鈥檒l be treated to personal sleeping quarters and tasked with various responsibilities. Before you go, though, you鈥檒l need to conduct a few months鈥 worth of training to learn how the spacecraft operates, contingency training, and the practice of weightlessness. Rates start at a whopping $9.5 million per person.