To celebrate NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER’s 15th anniversary, we’ve put together a landmark issue. Its contents: a roundup of the 50 greatest places of a lifetime. These are destinations we believe no curious traveler should miss.

How did we choose them? For the past 18 months we’ve canvassed our colleagues here at the National Geographic Society, perhaps the most widely traveled staff of any organization. Whittling down the globe’s greatest places isn’t easy. But we did it. And here they are—50 (well, 51) of the best urban spaces, wild places, paradises found, country unbound, and world wonders. Some places will echo your own travel passions. Others, we hope, will surprise and inspire you.

To that end, we’ve collected the best links for all 51 destinations here in our online edition. Future print and online editions will include more Places of a Lifetime.

Use these sites to plan your own travels. We’re counting on it. Drop us a postcard when you go.

Keith Bellows
Editor

Special thanks to contributing editors Kathy Douglass and Martha George for their work on the online component of this project.