Alaska Tops Travel Bucket List for 2011, Oprah Makes Dream Companion

Princess Cruises polled Facebook to determine what destination travelers resolve to visit in 2011, and Alaska dominated with an impressive one-fourth of the votes. The 49th state led over other traditionally popular destinations such as the Caribbean, which garnered 15% of votes, and Europe, which gathered 14%.

Princess executive vice president, Jan Swartz, explained the motivation behind the poll:

Most people have a travel bucket list, and with New Year’s resolutions top-of-mind right now, we wanted to learn which destinations and experiences our fans are most excited about this year.

Bucket list experiences were also popular in Alaska, with dog mushing on an Alaskan glacier selected by 17% of voters for things they would like to do before they die. 17% also responded they’d like to discover the lost city of Machu Picchu in Peru and a further 17% responded they’d like to tour old castles in Scotland. Not far behind with 14% of votes was climbing the cliffs of Santorini in Greece.

68% of respondents said they’d take their significant others on their 2011 bucket list vacation, with 15% opting to travel with good friends. But outranking 11 other noteworthy celebrities with 19% of the vote for celebrity travel companion was Oprah. 17% wanted to travel with Jack Black, and 14% with Tina Fey. Teen heartthrob Justin Bieber trailed far behind at only 1%.

Relaxation topped the list of concerns for travelers planning their 2011 bucket list, with 50% of respondents citing it as their main motive. 19% made their bucket list selections based on adventure, 17% based on entertainment, 12% based on culture, and 12% based on romance.