
One of the best parts of the holiday season is taking the time to visit family and friends, far and wide, that you may be unable to see at any other time of year. But with the price of airline tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars at a premium, and long lines, delayed flights, and cancellations plaguing travelers during the busiest travel season of the year, contemplating leaving home, even to see loved ones that have long been absent, can be the furthest thing from your mind.

There’s an entire world out there waiting to be explored by adventurous souls, but you can’t expect to see all of it (at least not in depth) in one short lifetime (and on a limited budget). Instead, you should endeavor to see some of the biggest and best that the world has to offer before you kick the bucket. To that end, here are just a few of the diamonds in the rough that are worth seeing before you shuffle off this mortal coil.