10 Lesser Known Destinations to Add to Your Travel Bucket List
I have a plethora of countries and exotic locations on my travel bucket list, as most people do. Many of them are the places that everyone wants to visit: Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan…just to name a few. But there are a handful of places on my travel bucket list that I would consider somewhat obscure locations since not many other people I talk to also have them on their bucket list.
Inspired by my Utah bucket list written a decade ago (I’ve checked some of those places off the list since then!) and my Idaho bucket list I shared more recently, here is a random list of 10 lesser-known destinations I want to visit in Idaho and around the world. I have a weird fascination with these places and figured I’d share them to maybe inspire you to add them to your own travel bucket list!
This post was updated and recirculated on June 5, 2026.
10 Lesser Known Destinations to Add to Your Travel Bucket List
1. Big Idaho Potato Hotel
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is at the top of my list of places to stay! It’s the perfect kitschy Airbnb located in the middle of nowhere about 30 minutes south of Boise, and it’s basically my dream—it’s literally A GIANT POTATO MADE INTO A HOTEL!!! (Kinda, it’s just one room, haha.) Plus, there’s a luxurious bathroom (not in the potato) and a cute, friendly lil cow named Dolly that lives on site.
I’m dying to do a staycation here but Korri isn’t convinced…yet. Working on it. 😉 (The host also converted an old fire lookout in the mountains of north Idaho into an Airbnb!)
2. Wallace, Idaho
The town of Wallace might be the most random location on my bucket list and yet is one of the places I want to visit most! (I actually got to visit Wallace on work trips but didn’t get to stay, so it’s still on my list.)
Wallace is located in the Silver Valley of north Idaho, east of Coeur d’Alene along I-90. The entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places! I mainly want to visit because Wallace is the self-proclaimed center of the universe. Other things to do in Wallace include silver mine tours, visiting mining museums, checking out local breweries, and many outdoor activities, including biking the Route of the Hiawatha trail.
3. Point Roberts, Washington
In all of my random Google Mapping (wherein I zoom in on Google Maps and find cool places to visit), I stumbled across a small piece of land in northwest Washington state that is bordered on 3 sides by water and 1 side by Canada: Point Roberts. That’s right, the only way into Point Roberts by land is through Canada.
It’s a tiny piece of land with only around permanent 1,000 residents that was not known when the border between Canada and the U.S. was made in the 1800s. It’s so random that I must visit someday! (It’s a short detour from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in British Columbia, and I’m disappointed my parents didn’t take us when we were there many years ago, haha.) This article (via Slate) goes more in depth about the town’s history and the nuances of living there!
4. Utqiagvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow)
I’ve had a weird fascination with Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow) for years—mostly because it’s the northernmost point in the entire U.S.! Korri thinks it’s very strange that I want to visit, and I don’t just want to fly up there and fly back: I’d like to stay at least a night up there. Winters are brutal, as you probably expect (no sun and freezing weather!), but I don’t think summers would be too bad? You wouldn’t see the northern lights in the summer, though, as the sun is up all day long!
5. Azores
The Azores are a volcanic archipelago of nine Portuguese islands located in the north Atlantic! I’m obsessed with its geography: stunning, lush foliage with huge cliffs that end right at the ocean. Plus hydrangeas for as far as the eye can see. It really looks so idyllic. It doesn’t even seem to be that bad of a haul from the U.S., as there are direct flights from Boston and Newark.
6. Montenegro
Croatia might be on your bucket list if you haven’t already gone, and it’s definitely on my bucket list, but have you considered its neighbor, Montenegro? Even since I saw photos when a friend visited many years ago, I’ve been wanting to visit myself! You might be able to tell by now that I’m a sucker for beautiful scenery and breathtaking cliffs/mountains nestled right up against bodies of water. Montenegro has all of that and more!
7. Tallinn, Estonia
I can’t remember how I found out about Estonia and specifically Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, but I’ve been enthralled by it ever since. Tallinn is across the Baltic Sea from Helsinki, Finland—a relatively short ferry ride away. The cityscape is absolutely GORGEOUS with its Nordic and Russian influences.
8. Réunion Island
Korri and I found out about Réunion Island from his time spent flying around the world on Microsoft Flight Simulator. He likes to pick relatively random locations and fly around, which is great for finding cool places to visit! Réunion Island is located east of Madagascar and south of Mauritius and is a French territory. You can fly direct from Paris. This island is on an active volcano, and the varying landscapes are absolutely stunning.
9. Gibraltar
Gibraltar captured my attention similarly to Point Roberts. Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located at the southern end of Spain. You can fly direct via British Airways from London into the airport that is known to be a bit terrifying to land at or fly into southern Spain and drive. The coolest part of Gibraltar other than the airport is the giant limestone Rock of Gibraltar. Can you tell I love cool geology?!
10. Liechtenstein
I love the tiny countries scattered throughout Europe, and Liechtenstein is another one on my travel bucket list. I’m planning to visit during my big 40th birthday trip in a few years! You don’t need a lot of time to explore this country, and it’s the perfect stop between Switzerland and Austria.