Banff, Bali, & Bahamas — My A-Z of Favorite Destinations
My birthplace just has to make the list.
Since I started out this challenge by naming 3-A’s, I now feel compelled to name three B’s.
No, I’m just joking. It just happened that way.
This is a response to a challenge started by Sam Millichap a few months back where she names a favorite destination for each letter of the alphabet. Since then many others have jumped on board. I will name them all at the end if you are interested in seeing their choices.
Technically, we are supposed to choose one destination per letter, but I was having too hard of a time picking just one, so I have decided to just write about my favorites, even if it is more than one.
So here they are, my favorite B destinations. Hope you enjoy:)
Banff, Alberta, Canada
As I was considering options for the B’s, I couldn’t help but think of Banff. Banff is the town that I was born in and the greater area around it, the spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountains, is an area of the world that I am incredibly proud to have come from. As such, I simply wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t name it as one of my favorite destinations. It’s also a place that I only go to visit these days, so I really do see it as a destination in its own right.
As much as Banff is a favorite destination to many around the world, it is a favorite to me mostly because it is the place where I was born. But, towering mountains, clear turquoise lakes and rivers, tons of wildlife, and clean mountain air are also among the reasons that I love it so much.
Banff is home to the first national park in Canada and is visited by millions of tourists each year. These days I do find it crowded and sometimes overrun, but I am so thankful for my childhood there and the way in which we were allowed to enjoy the great outdoors back in those days.
You can read more about my youth while growing up near Banff in the following post:
Bali, Indonesia
Of course, Bali is a favorite destination for many travelers. The peaceful vibe of the island leaves a mark on you that is hard to distinguish, and impossible to explain.
I first visited Bali back in 1994. Some would say it was the optimal time to be there. It was a stop on an around the world sailing trip that I did when I was 17/18. We stayed in Ubud and many of the streets were still dirt. Of course, tourism had reached Bali at that time, but it hadn’t penetrated far inland. I seem to remember most of the development was in Kuta and Denpasar, far away from the quiet village of Ubud.
I really feel like we got to experience Bali in a very raw form, not one that was geared toward tourism. The culture and traditions are so unique and my time spent there truly left a mark on me. After sailing around the world and visiting over 30 ports of call, I distinctly remember telling people that Bali was my favorite destination on the trip.
There is just something magical about the place.
Fast forward to 2008 when I again visited it with my then-husband. We went to Ubud and I was shocked to see a GUCCI shop on one of the main streets! I’m pretty sure Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love, likely had something to do with the crazy amount of development there. But it was also bound to get discovered one way or the other.
Development or not, it truly is a special destination and the culture is certainly one-of-a-kind. You just have to go and experience it yourself to fully understand it.
Bahamas
Some Globetrotters have read my story about kayaking in the Bahamas back in 2002. I’ve been a bit lazy and haven’t finished the series just yet, but if you are interested in reading about the trip, the first part can be accessed here.
As a short summary, my boyfriend and I shipped our kayak to the Bahamas from Florida. It was the beginning of 3 months of blissfully paddling around the 700+ islands that make up the island nation. I was 23 and having the time of my life without one care in the world.
We camped on the beach, cooked on fires, ate coconuts and spearfished our meals.
It was a blissful existence and it is a cherished memory.
To this day, I have had a hard time finding a place with such clear and beautiful turquoise waters. The white sand beaches and small islands make the Bahamas a true dream destination. Just make sure that you get off the main island and away from Nassau if you go.
The outer islands is truly where the good stuff is!
So there you have it! These are my favorite B destinations. There is another one that I really should add to the list and I just thought of it now. It’s the country that I am currently in, Bulgaria. However, it is cities within this country that really speak to me, so I will save them for letters later down the line.
If you are interested in reading other people's lists of favorite destinations, here are their latest:
Sam Millichap (our fearless leader)
Thanks for joining me and happy travels
xo Jill
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