Your favorite cites, countries, monuments and natural wonders go head-to-head in Lonely Planet's first travel "bucket" list bracket. We know international travel may be on the distant horizon for many of us, but we can still dream.
Here's how it works: we've broken up the most popular lifetime bucket list destinations (selected by Lonely Planet digital editors) into four categories. Each category (cities, countries, monuments and natural wonders) has eight ranked entries that have been pitted against one another. Your weekly votes will determine which spots advance to the next round (there are five rounds), plus what bucket list items will represent the entire category and what country, monument, city or natural wonder will be named champion.
Round 3 winners will go on to represent their respective category and then the fun really begins. City vs. Country and monument vs. natural wonder.
How we got here: Round 1, Round 2.
Round 3 voting ends April 1.
COUNTRIES: ROUND 3
We are down to the final two! The Kiwi nation of New Zealand is still going strong after beating No. 7 Iceland to advance. No. 6 New Zealand, a country known for beaches, lakes and mountains will square off against those never-say-die Canadians who came from behind to stun No. 5 Japan. (There's still some maple syrup left, right?)
No. 8 Canada (the lowest seed left in the challenge) will face New Zealand in what many are calling "The Nicest Showdown of the Century."
CITIES: ROUND 3
And another No. 1 seed bites the dust. No. 4 Tokyo topped No. 1 Istanbul in the second round. (This almost makes up for Japan's loss to New Zealand in the country category).
Cue the Frank Sinatra! The city that never sleeps earned some serious bragging rights when it beat that big city from across the pond – No. 3 London. The drama doesn’t end as No. 2 New York with look for ultimate city supremacy when it faces No. 4 Tokyo in Round 3. Hope Lady Liberty is ready for a fight!
MONUMENTS: ROUND 3
The wonder that is Angkor Wat (the fifth seed) continues to gain favor after a big victory over No. 8 Machu Picchu. The famous Cambodian site, will face No. 3 Great Wall of China – which slipped past No. 2 Petra on the final day of voting.
NATURAL WONDERS: ROUND 3
The No. 1 Northern Lights is starting to look unstoppable after a big triumph over No. 5 Galapagos. The last natural wonder standing in its way is No. 2 seed Great Barrier Reef, which beat No. 3 Amazon to advance. Can the bucket list’s last remaining No. 1 seed make it out of the category? or will the Notorious GBR be named the best natural wonder in the world?
