It started with the Grand Tour. Way back in the 17th century, upper-class British kids would complete their education by heading over to parts of Europe to experience museums, paintings and, more importantly, wines that they’d only studied or read about in school.

For a few months they’d tour the continent, though most only went as far as Italy (probably something to do with the wine). All of them returned with enough stories, souvenirs and sores to last a lifetime.

Fast-forward a couple of hundred years. Cheap flights have meant that even more people are taking a year off and seeing a world outside of school books and dull history lessons.

Whether it’s a gap year, an overseas experience (OE), and exchange program, a working holiday, a sabbatical, a year out or a year off, people want to head off to India, Italy, Israel or a thousand places in between to see what the world is really like.

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So why go? Isn’t it pretty easy nowadays just to see all that on TV or find out everything you’d ever need to know on wikipedia? But, hey where’s the fun in that?

There’s absolutely no substitute for getting out there seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling what the world is. Some of the smells and tastes won’t be good, but at least you’ll have done it and at the end of it all, you’ll be able to shut the most boring book-smart expert up at parties just by saying ‘Have you actually been there?’

Here are Lonely Planet’s top 20 Big Trip experiences hand-picked by our authors:

Scaling the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
The famous snows may be thinning, but the rooftop of Africa still affords stunning views, probably because it’s the highest peak on the continent.

Having a royal kilted knees-up at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland
Imagine the maddest Scots getting all their friends over for a week of comedy and kooky arts. That’s what you get with Fringe – the wild and weird all crammed into a medieval city that never sleeps.

Donkey trekking into the Grand Canyon, USA
With only the slap of saddlebags and your own footsteps you could be fooled into thinking you’re starring in a Spaghetti Western, not at the biggest and busiest canyon the world has to offer.

Coming to the chilled oasis of the Taj Mahal, India
Even the bustling touts hold this ancient mausoleum in awe and as you get closer, the lotus design, the gold spire and sacred Muslim moon are all drawn in detail.

Inventing new colours in the corals of Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world’s largest coral reef can be explored by glass-bottomed boat, but if you strap on the snorkel you’ll see the colours up close and feel the tickle as rare fish get friendly.

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