Our planet is home to incredible natural beauty, but the race is on to visit some of these amazing sites before they vanish, putting these destinations at the top of many bucket lists. From our own Florida Everglades and Glacier National Park in Montana to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you don’t have to go far to catch a glimpse of endangered destinations before it’s too late.

In Europe, Venice has been sinking under relentless flooding which has contributed to the disappearance of this Italian masterpiece. Due to the low altitude of the Alps, there could be no more glacier ice in Switzerland by 2050.

South America’s Machu Picchu, the ruins of the Incan Empire in Peru, are at risk of collapse from over-tourism, erosion and natural landslides. Patagonia’s beautiful Glaciers are shrinking from rainfall and higher temperature. The unique eco-system of the Galapagos Islands is being threatened by the introduction of foreign species. While Brazil’s Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, could disappear due to expanded agriculture.

Due to agricultural demand and diversion for drinking water, the Dead Sea has evaporated down to 1,300 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the world. Pollution is the culprit threatening collapse of Egypt’s Pyramids and India’s Taj Mahal, which may

be closed to the public within only five years. The Great Wall of China could be reduced to ruins within 20 years due to over-farming. The Maldives are sinking due to climate change and are expected to be completely submerged within 100 years.

For 20 million years Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has been the only living thing visible from space. In only 30 years, half of the reef has vanished and is expected to be extinct within our lifetime.

In Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro may lose its iconic snow-top, which has already shrunk 85 percent since 1912. Madagascar’s Forests are expected to exist only 35 more years due to deforestation and fires. One of the world’s most bio-diverse areas, the Congo Basin, may be completely gone by 2040.

There is no time to waste. Visit these beautiful endangered areas before it is too late.

Reserve your dream vacations by contacting Lainey Melnick, the owner of the Westlake-area branch of Dream Vacations, 855-GR8-TRIP, www.855GR8TRIP.com, lmelnick@dreamvacations.com. Lainey has been a part of the Westlake community and an Eanes ISD parent for over 20 years. She is the 2017 recipient of the OPAL Award for Women for outstanding performance and leadership, and leads the Westlake Chamber of Commerce Humanitarian Committee.