New Zealand is two islands, about 1,600 kilometres of mountains, fjords, lakes and coastline, and one of the easiest countries in the world to plan badly by underestimating distance. First-timers land in Auckland, drive six hours on day one, and spend the whole trip watching the scenery through a windscreen. This guide fixes that. It … Read more
Sydney is a city that rewards getting out of it. The harbour is glorious, but some of New South Wales’ best days start with a morning drive out of the city: blue-hazed mountains two hours west, Australia’s oldest wine region to the north, and a national park of empty beaches and coastal lagoons just south … Read more
Bangkok can fill a week on its own — temples, markets, rooftop bars, more street food than anyone can finish. But some of the best days of a Thailand trip start with leaving the city. Within a few hours of the capital you can walk through the ruined temples of a former Siamese capital, watch … Read more
Marrakech rewards travellers who learn its rhythm. Sightsee in the cool of the morning, retreat to a shaded courtyard while the afternoon heat builds, then head back out as Jemaa el-Fnaa — the great square at the heart of the medina — fills with grill smoke, drum circles, and a thousand dinner stalls. Get that … Read more
Playa del Carmen might be the best day-trip base on the whole Riviera Maya. Cancun has the airport and the mega-resorts, but Playa sits in the middle of everything: Tulum is 45 minutes south, Cozumel is a ferry ride from the dock in town, the cenotes are scattered through the jungle on every side, and … Read more
The northern lights are back. Aurora season in Iceland runs from late August to mid-April, and October sits right in the sweet spot: the nights are already long and dark, the summer crowds have gone, and the Ring Road is still — weather permitting — a realistic drive. If Iceland has been sitting on your … Read more
Playa del Carmen is the Riviera Maya’s sweet spot: smaller and more walkable than Cancun, livelier than Tulum, and sitting right in the middle of the coast with the Cozumel ferry at its feet. But “Playa” is really three trips in one. Sleep in Centro and Fifth Avenue’s restaurants are your dining room. Sleep in … Read more
Tulum looks simple on a map — one beach, one town, one set of ruins — but where you sleep quietly decides what kind of trip you have. Stay on the beach road and you will fall asleep to the surf and pay for the privilege. Stay in town and you will eat better for … Read more
Tulum stacks a clifftop Maya city, swimmable jungle sinkholes, a vast wild biosphere reserve and a turtle-filled bay into one small town — and three days is exactly enough to do it justice without rushing. This itinerary sequences it the way I would for a good friend: ruins and beach first, a full cenote day … Read more
Cancun’s Hotel Zone beach is a fine home base — but the days people talk about for years are the ones spent outside it. A Wonder of the World is three hours away. So are clifftop Maya ruins above a turquoise cove, sinkholes of crystal-clear water hidden in the jungle, and an island where the … Read more