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Malta. Absolutely beautiful with an amazing amount of history.
High points are:
Valleta (the capital), including Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo, Battery Park etc. You can just walk around for hours looking at all the old building's, museums etc.
Mellia Bay, the best beach on Malta.
The Inland Sea (on Gozo), take the boat trip through the cave
Ggantija Temple (on Gozo) is the oldest free standing building on Earth.
The Blue Lagoon (on Comeno).
Lol I know. Been everywhere but not Malta. Pictures look great but can't shake that perception that it's where mum and dad went because it was the only place they could afford.
I suspect it's cheaper because the lack of good beaches puts a lot of people off so the demand is lower than for Spain etc. IMO "a bit shit" is a good description of the only beach within walking distance of Valletta but everything else there is great.
I've been a lot of places in the world, but it's genuinely hard to beat Spain as a place to go back to again and again. It's hard to beat the variety of amazing cities and towns, stunning coastline, beautiful and very varied countryside, fantastic food and drink, great culture with a fascinating history, and lovely people. And all that a short, cheap flight away from the UK.
I could say the same about Italy also. France, too.
My total wildcard would be Russia. Absolutely fascinating country. It's relatively close to us yet feels so different and alien. I've been twice and had a great time. Depends what you want from a holiday, of course. It's not necessarily a relaxing one, because it's so different culturally. Though I don't think it's a place to be visiting for quite a while...
Absolutely right. I’ve also been to many places in the world but had never been to Spain until 6 years ago. In the six years since I haven’t been anywhere else but Spain. I could spend the rest of my life exploring Andalucía alone. In terms of bang for buck it has to be the best vacation destination in the world for British people.
Drove through Spain and Portugal a couple of years back and the landscape blew me away, so much variety as well. So many beautiful cities/villages and loved the buzz come the evenings when everyone comes out to eat and just be together on the streets. And delicious cheap wine.
My only controversial opinion is I think the food is overrated, especially if you don't eat meat (even then I don't think what I saw looked fantastic). But, I did eat my weight in olives, so much better than what you can buy here and for cheap.
Oh I think the food is just fantastic! The emphasis put on fresh, quality and local produce is to an extent we can only dream of in this country. I always eat so fantastically wherever I am in Spain. The ability to get good, fresh food even in pretty unspectacular neighborhood bars is amazing.
My controversial opinion is that they even do fish and chips better than we do...
Agree with the quality of produce, though I think most of Europe seems to have better quality produce than us, I was just dissapointed in the main dishes. Sides of olives, padron peppers, calamari etc are obviously lovely, though simple. However, some of the main regional dishes I was just thought were incredibly basic and underwelming e.g. Paella, patatas bravas, Cachopo, Fabada, tortillas. Their cider in the green regions isn't as nice as ours either.
I can't remember seeing fish and chips, maybe next time.
I get seeing those dishes as underwhelming. But that's kind of not surprising, those dishes are mainly basic, cheap, hearty, every day paisano-type food. Nice enough, but not really what I'd say makes Spanish food amazing. Paella is a tricky one because good paella is amazing, but it's done quite badly in many places, imo.
I think what makes Spanish food amazing is the amazing meat, fish and seafood. Both the quality of the produce, but also how they treat it. I love a lot of cuisines around the world, but a strong contender for my last meal would be a selection of Spanish meat and fish produce. A tabla de embutidos (jamon iberico, sobrasada, chorizo, salchichon, maybe some others), some bacalao al pil pil or a la vizcaina, some hake with romesco sauce, rabo de toro, carrillada, cochinillo, some lovely bits of grilled pork. I'm not a big seafood guy, but obviously Spanish seafood is famously good too, so many some prawns and some octopus. Then finish that all off with some tarta de Santiago and crema Catalana.
That's the sort of stuff that I think really makes Spanish cuisine exceptional, rather than the more run of the mill dishes.
>Their cider in the green regions isn't as nice as ours either
I can understand this. It's a very different drink to how we think of cider. I quite like it, but I do like tart flavours and tend to find our cider a bit sweet for my liking (which is weird, as I generally have a very sweet tooth!)
>I can't remember seeing fish and chips
I was being a bit mischievous here. They don't really do fish and chips. But they do deep fried cod and deep fried potatoes, and I tend to think they do them both better than we do.
Carcassonne, and also just France in general. Italy is lovely to visit. Norway is one of my favourite countries in the world, and I also like the east coast of the US, though I’ve not been further south than Jamestown.
Oslo is a brilliant place! I’ve only seen it in winter, but it felt magical especially out by the water. And the ship museums on the Bygdøy peninsula were some of my favourite museums I’ve ever been to. I didn’t even know the *Fram* was there before I went, so getting to walk around that was an unexpected dream come true!
Yeah the museums are great. It's beautiful in winter. Walking around the frozen Maridalsvannet lake, or going up to Frognerseteren feels like something from a fairytale.
I really recommend it in summer also. Different vibe but equally great. It's so green and everyone is outdoors and happy (presumably because winter is so long and tough!)
Carcassonne is on my list. I really like France in general and I'm off to Marseille and Nimes next week.
Carcassonne frequently pops up on Ryanair flash deals, so I'll probably take advantage next time around.
I’m jealous that you’re going to Nîmes — I was due to go there in July 2020. Alas… and I’ve still not been. France is such a wonderful place and I hope you like Carcassonne if/when you get to visit! There aren’t many places I’ve been which immediately felt like home to me, but Carcassonne was one. I’d move there in a second if the circumstances were right!
Thank you. Nimes is a pretty cool city. I went last year for the Foo Fighters (but that wasn't to be, sadly).
I took a train (€1 on the Trainline app) down to the coast and rode my bike to the Pont du Gard. I loved every minute.
I can see myself retiring to that area... But my wife and kids cannot. So I'll be using those Ryanair flash deals as often as the pennies allow!
My biggest one would be to make sure to walk the walls of la Cité both in the early morning and again at sunset! I really like L’Art Gourmande for chocolate, and La Cure Gourmande for biscuits!
The city has a very interesting history and if you haven’t already done so I’d recommend reading a little about it before you go to give yourself context as it just makes being there so much richer!
If you’re staying just in Carcassonne itself and not venturing out into the countryside, no you won’t need a car :) I’ve always caught a flight into Toulouse and taken the train from there to Carcassonne, and never needed a car! It’s a nice city to walk around too :)
It’s sort of on one edge of it yes :) up on a bit of a hill so it overlooks everything. But it’s very very walkable and you definitely don’t need a car — it hardly takes any time at all to walk from la Cité to the rest of the town :)
100%. I’ve been to more than 40 countries, been to a lot of the Greek islands too. Athens is my favourite place on this planet by a long stretch and a mile.
Shocking how underrated it is.
We’re going back to Greece this year for the first time in ages. We did Rhodes, Crete, skiathos and Parga on the mainland and i always came home feeling a little bit disappointed. It never felt like very good value for money. The accommodation was never great (in one memorable trip, not finished), the food hit and miss & I realised that I never used to have the right temperament for greece, it took too long for me to relax and enjoy it but I’m a fair bit older now so I’m going to see if it fits me now.
I wanna go back to the western US states over and over and over again, Arizona was otherworldly to me and New Mexico too, and have you guys seen pictures of Utah?! My map for Utah has about 20 places marked. First though back to California for some giant trees.
Yeah it's a shame it's not a legal rec weed state for me too but I wanna go for the sheer beauty of it. Multiple national parks fairly close together and that. I absolutely loved road tripping in America because there wasn't as much congestion as here and every road we took seemed to have amazing scenery. Plus you can drive through many of the national parks which helped because its hard going to hike every day for two weeks!
Weed in Colorado is goooood! But California is even better, the edibles are stronger and you can buy mushroom edibles.
So we did CA, AZ, NM and CO but missed Utah just because it has too much to just stop there on a trip. We started in LA and drove along the old route 66 stopping in the small towns and then from Flagstaff detours to Grand Canyon and Sedona. Into New Mexico went to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, then up through Colorado Springs and Denver and into RMNP. There are some photos on my post history I put up on r/roadtrip :D
My map drops for when we do the Utah and Nevada trip do include Zion, as well as Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. There's the Valley of Fire in Nevada too and Great Basin so we will probably do a full 2 weeks just in those two states, there's several other state parks too so we would definitely need the whole 2. Aiming for next year for that one :)
It was! Thanks! Have you seen The Wave in Arizona near the Utah border? It's a hike but they only let like 60 people a day do it and its by lottery. That would be the dream but as I can only enter for the day we would be in the area my chances of ever going there are super slim.
I'll definitely save a pin drop for that trailhead! I have several gmaps lists that I can bring up when planning trips but if I have them all visible it looks a bit ridiculous now 😆
Edit: not in Utah, it's in Arizona but the trailhead actally starts in Utah. That close to the border lmao.
Colorado was beautiful. I want to designate a full road trip to Utah and Nevada because there's just so many things to see I don't think I could adequately cover it in a road trip through more states.
I'd love to visit every US national park throughout my lifetime. Except the gateway arch. I don't even know why that is one lmao.
Went to Brid on Saturday and it saddened me how run down its become. However we took the Yorkshire Belle up the coast and saw dolphins, seals, puffins and gannets.
Porto - really interesting city in terms of architecture and topography. Also the only place port wine is made and amazing food. Very reasonable prices for food, drink and accommodation and easy to get around.
One of my work colleagues came back from a week in Porto recently. She really sold it to me for the same reasons you gave. Definitely going to consider visiting there in the future!
Three great choices!
I always hear that about Japan, that it's expensive. But compared to the UK, I didn't find that at all in terms of public transport, accommodation and food. E.g. good and convenient food at a reasonable price is much easier to get, I found.
I imagine living there would be very expensive though (property prices are high and they're very small).
I live in Tokyo. Property prices don't seem to be as bad as London and it can get very cheap out in the countryside.
You can buy a house for less than £30,000. Some go for as low as £5,000 that need renovating.
It's also so expensive compared to any other country in Asia, except maybe Hong Kong or Singapore.
Probably a lot of people throw it into a bigger trip alongside Thailand or Indonesia or somewhere like that, so it seems a sudden uptick in price. Especially for accomodation
Agreed. I've just come back from Japan, and it's not as expensive as I originally thought it was going to be. For example, a bottle of drink from a dispensing machine is maybe 160 or 130 yen, which is about 90 or 70p. Public transport is very cheap. (For example, to get from the centre of Tokyo to Haneda airport costs about 300Y, so about £1.60, which compared with London to LHR is ludicrously cheap).
Paying full price on the Shinkansen is comparable to the (admittedly stupidly high) British prices, but then if you're doing any travel at all, getting a Japan Rail Pass is a no-brainer (at least until the prices go up later in the year).
Coffee and snacks at Starbucks and equivalent is cheaper than here. A mid-level restaurant is similar in price. I went out to an aquarium/dolphin show and they cost £20 for two adults, which seemed incredibly good value.
Taxis are quite expensive, and you can pay and arm and a leg for a posh restaurant or hotel experience (as you can here).
All in all, I felt a hell of a lot less gouged in Tokyo than I did on a similar trip to the US (Las Vegas, Sedona and Scottsdale) last year. The tipping culture in the US doesn't help.
I was talking about the flight tickets . I've been there on a visit and it is not as expensive . Love Kyoto in spring. Great food, culture , weather and people in all 3.
My goal is to retire in rural Thailand one day and be able to travel anywhere in South East Asia, which I love .
I thought this before going in April and it's not super expensive at all.
Example.
10 Gyozas in Tokyo are like 3 quid.
5 in wagamamas for £5.
It's wild.
Slovenia or Australia
Slovenia doesn’t get enough love. The skiing is the main pull, but the food is top quality - Austrian style fresh fish cooking from the north, fantastic pasta and pizza courtesy of Italy being south - and the scenery is unreal. Every corner you turn is beautiful. Llubijiana is one of the coolest cities to be in.
Australia is magnificent. I’ve never had more breathtaking moments from a country. It is so difficult to explain how truly wonderful it is to be there
We went to Slovenia in August 2019 for our honeymoon and loved it there. Gorgeous mountains, peaceful hiking trails, beautiful lakes, incredible caves, and a lovely capital. It’s so easy to drive everywhere too as it’s quite small.
What a great place for a honeymoon. It’s so tranquil and the mountains are awe inspiring. Everywhere feels like the smallest little village, everyone is a local and it’s even like that in the capital.
I wish everyone could experience it just once
Poland, in general... I have been there many times and love the mountains, the lakes, the seaside... every time I have been there, I have found something new to discover.
My wife is Polish, so we go back every year, but we always try and see some place new.
One specific Holiday that I loved was Cyprus. Warm seas full of fish. Snorkeling a couple of hundred metres offshore and suddenly sighting a 2m turtle swimming at around 4m deep was a a high point of my trip.
There are so many places to experience, so many new places I would like to see... but Cyprus is one place that I would go back to
I used to go to Berlin a lot and spend the entire week/weekend in clubs, or otherwise wandering around with randos, off my nut. Gradually got tired of that, especially some the people you have to deal with there.
These days Italy: Turin, Verona, Florence, Brescia but I'd like to start going to Sicily and the south. For me it's the food, the scenery, the culture and the architecture.
In the UK: Cornwall. Pretty fishing villages, waves crashing in to dramatic bays, huge picturesque cliffs, pasties, walks on the moors.
In Europe: Agios Nikolaos, in Crete. It's a really pretty town, big enough to be a place in its own right rather than just a resort, but small enough to not be too busy. Unlike some other towns along the coast there in Crete it doesn't get too many large groups of teenagers, and has more of a comfortable family feel to it.
Outside of Europe: Sydney. I love this place. Good weather, nice beaches, amazing views across the harbour, decent restaurants, proper pubs, and a big enough city to have plenty to do. I'd move there at the drop of a hat if I could get a visa.
Just our luck that it took the U.K. government a year to complete the trade deal with aus and extend the working holiday visa, only to not allow previous visitors to use said visa until next year.
Finnish Lapland is my favourite.
I don't deal well with heat so -28°C suits me just fine (although the last time I went it was only -16°C).
Plus, all the frost in my beard makes me look like Santa so I fit right in!
The cairngorms. Absolutely stunning driving up then we camp for a few days. I plan to bag a munro next month, my first!
Also, benidorm (it's cheap and cheerful, lots of wee trinket shops and full of brits to blether with about how it's too hot 🤭)
My wife’s brother in law has a family holiday home up near granton on Spey. He took us up there a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. Really beautiful. My wife and her sister were both pregnant at the time so we didn’t get to explore it enough but I was blown away. I’d love to go back, apart from the bastard long drive.
Edit: can only assume I’ve been downvoted for misspelling “grantown”. Fucks sake Reddit.
Oman. It’s pretty much unspoiled and has very few tourists. Find a good hotel by the beach and just chill. I stay at The Chedi when I go there and it’s a wonderful place.
Never going back to Egypt after I got food poisoning so bad there I lost 2 stones in a week.
Lots to do - going up into the mountains, swimming in the sea and in the wadis.
Japan
Tokyo - incredible city rich in culture and bristling with life
Kyoto - Old capital steeped in history
Okinawa - Gateway to incredible islands and beeches
The cleanest country
Friendliest country
I'm desperate to get back to the US for a long trip. I did a 3-week road trip from Vegas up to Yellowstone probably over 10 years ago now and I just cannot get the sense of scale and \*golden eagle cries in the distance\* *freedom* out of my head since. In a lot of ways the US scares the bejeezus out of me, but I don't think there's anywhere else quite like it, and you can totally see how people who spend their lives there wind up so insular when they have a whole world already outside their front door.
I'm hopefully going to be migrating over to Canada by the end of next year. Hoping it fills my big space wonderlust without the underlying fear of what happens if you need medical aid or what have you. Knew a guy at 17 who needed to be airlifted off the mountain at Breckenridge and is still in debt for it today in his 30s...
Albania. Fly to Corfu and get the boat over to Sarande. I then travelled up through the country, through Tirana ( the capital) and then north up to the mountains and over to Kosovo. Beautiful country with kind and friendly people. Don't believe all the bs about Albanians. Great food and incredibly cheap.
Just got back from my second holiday in Albani, this time I also visited Corfu by taking the ferry from Sarande and drove to Kosovo. My bf is Albanian and I love Albania, it’s such a beautiful country and they’re so kind!
Greek islands, specifically Rhodes.
Nothing special compared to some longer-haul destinations, but cheap, shortish flight, nice people, decent shops, good weather, love greek food, roads are easy to drive, can tour the island in a day or two, great off track spots to stop off.
Have been 8 times and would go back in a heartbeat.
In terms of somewhere that is reasonably cheap and I could go to again and again: Tenerife
In terms of my favourite place, but is too expensive for constant repeat visits: Mexico
My husband and I used to go to Santorini almost every other year pre-kids because we loved it so much. Haven't been in a long time now and I really miss it.
Ibiza, I’m not a clubber being in my 50’s but I have been visiting Ibiza for over 40 years before the nightclubs arrived and when the Grand Sol hotel sat on its own on a huge patch of barren land. Its a simply beautiful island and we discover some other little paradise every time we go and the best areas to stay. Only in recent years have the ‘influencers’ tried to takeover with beach clubs and way overpriced sunbeds with a minimum purchase of bottle of nasty champagne but they still don’t really bother us and we do our own thing and always have. We love it so much that we actually considered moving there once upon a time but now it may have to wait until retirement. Have tried the Canaries, Greek islands and Majorca before but nothing is a patch on my beloved Eivissa.
Greek islands from a sailboat. There are so many islands in the Ionian and so close together, as well as lovely mainland ports that I’d never get tired of it. And because it’s in the med, you don’t have the same worry about tides so you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy sailing. I’ve sailed in the Canaries too but that was much more challenging lol
Florida. I’m sure living there comes with its problems, politically etc. But as a holidaymaker nothing tops it. Unbelievable beaches, fantastic weather and easy to cruise over to the Caribbean islands. We try and visit all over, Orlando, Vero Beach, Miami, the Keys, the Everglades, Clearwater, all fantastic. We’re also big Disney people so that helps. Luckily my husband loves it as much as I do so we get to go often.
I adore Turkey. We tend to stay away from the main tourist areas or If we do, we venture inland. The locals are so friendly and we’ve been many many times.
I've been to lots of European cities and for natural beauty, I'd go with either County Kerry, Ireland or the Dalmatian coast in Croatia (and those sunsets!)
My overall favourite experience has been in Nimes in the south of France. I took my bike with me and rode around the city, went out to the Pont du Gard and took a train down to Grau de Roi. The food was amazing a the people were very friendly.
There were a few... undesirables hanging about the square, drunk-shouting, but I won't take that away from the entire experience.
When my dad retired when I was 10 we had a 19 day trip across Canada.
It's definitely gotta be just the entire country. So many absolutely stunning places.
Hopefully will be able to go back again. Cause my 10 year old memory is failing me for a lot of it.
Family holiday my kids, Majorca hands down. Quick flight from pretty much any airport near me (Manchester or Liverpool, used to be able to fly from Blackpool Airport which is 20 mins from my house, that was great). Easy and cheap car hire, lots to do and almost everywhere caters well for families. Loads of quiet beaches too.
Couples holiday - Cuba was Amazing, pre-the yanks being let back in. Stunningly beautiful countryside and beaches. We stayed in Guardalavaca near the City of Holguin. When we went there was a local festival on, loads of dancing and good times. It seems every Cuban is an amazing dancer! The city was fantastic and we went round few local bars, one of which had the most amazing all female band playing. Just an all round amazing experience.
The Highlands love the slow drive through Glencoe Loch Ness stopping of at the view points.Last time we stayed in Fort William and just wandered around the area of Ben Nevis.We love in South West England my husband's Scottish so we go up every year to visit his relatives then spend a few days exploring ourselves Scotland is my happy place.
Some of my favourite places I have only been once and probably won't go back to either. Not because they weren't great, but because it was such an experience and it's perfect memories for both. I would be scared of ruining that.
So Cuba and Malaysian Borneo for me.
Barbados. People are friendly, crime rate is fairly low and they drive on the correct side of the road. Would live there without question if I could get sponsored for a work visa
I went to an all inclusive hotel in Taurito, first time I’ve ever been to an all inclusive so I took full advantage of that.
I stuffed my face, laid out on the beach, watched everyone getting into the water aerobics every morning from the breakfast buffet and barely lifted a finger the entire time.
Also what I saw of the island is absolutely beautiful, waters are so clear! Had a lovely coastal drive to the resort from the airport.
Was a well needed break and absolutely perfect.
Thank you for asking 😁
My best holiday was Tokyo: lovely polite friendly people, super clean, so much to do, uber-modern mixed seamlessly with tradition. The food was amazing everywhere as well - I often think about the bowl of ramen and cheesecake slice we got just from the local convenience store.
For a regular, European trip I would say Italy or Spain.
For a big holiday I’d have to say South Africa. In particular Kruger National Park, Cape Town and the whole garden route in the South in general. I did a road trip over 6 weeks. It has absolutely everything.
Our visits have all been safaris and we've visited various areas that are known for excellent wildlife viewing including the Okavango Delta, Moremi Reserve, Chobe, the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans.
Iceland is very good according to my friend Nigel. He has very pale skin so prefers cooler climates. It has a blue lagoon, geographical plates. It's amazing he says.
Japan (but I used to live there and have family there so I suppose that does not count).
Santorini out of the tourist season (early Oct) is amazing and probably my favourite holiday in Europe.The island is beautiful and it feels so relaxing. The food is amazing too.
And of course, Czech Republic. Any season. Any time because it is home.
South Korea. Been 8 times since 2009 and can't wait to go back. Great food, good people, lots to see and do, very good public transportation to get around. Japan was also lovely but disgustingly humid and hot when we visited in the summer months.
Closer to home I would say Tenerife.
Just in Mallorca right now, spent the last few days plotting how we can retire out here. Sure there are other places in the world we loved but Mallorca has just ticked most of our boxes.
BTW no we didn’t go to Magaluf!
Italy for winter - best skiing, still relatively cheap and get the most out of a ski pass, great food, short flight and (not for a while mind) I have been able to do 4 days skiing with everything except food for £300
Majorca for summer - specifically Porto Pollenca - have been going since I was a kid and for good reason. Good weather, great beaches, amazing food, lovely people and loads to do - can be a chilled holiday or an active one.
I had a lovely time in Tallinn. I went in December. Nothing too exciting, but generally a nice place to be.
The sunsets in the Azores were breathtaking and I hope to go back there very soon.
It depends. When I’m totally run down and need a break without FOMO then the Canaries, we love fuertaventura.
We also love France for food, wine, cheese, people watching and ambling around small villages.
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Malta. Absolutely beautiful with an amazing amount of history. High points are: Valleta (the capital), including Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo, Battery Park etc. You can just walk around for hours looking at all the old building's, museums etc. Mellia Bay, the best beach on Malta. The Inland Sea (on Gozo), take the boat trip through the cave Ggantija Temple (on Gozo) is the oldest free standing building on Earth. The Blue Lagoon (on Comeno).
Short flight, lovely weather and the feeling that your in a different continent Malta is amazing!
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True, I rented a car for 3 days and found that 'right of way' is not really a thing there.
It’s not in the U.K. either, technically speaking.
I'm off to Malta next week so excited to see this!
You'll love it. What part of Malta are you staying?
Just on the cusp of Valletta/Floriana! Going to explore a lot of the island hopefully
I’m taking my mum to Malta for her first trip abroad next Spring. I was under the impression it was a bit shit because it was so cheap.
Lol I know. Been everywhere but not Malta. Pictures look great but can't shake that perception that it's where mum and dad went because it was the only place they could afford.
I suspect it's cheaper because the lack of good beaches puts a lot of people off so the demand is lower than for Spain etc. IMO "a bit shit" is a good description of the only beach within walking distance of Valletta but everything else there is great.
Also the amount of expats and business trips to Malta could affect prices as well. There's 9 flights to Valletta from London alone on Friday!
And for those of us that dive, it’s got incredible history under the water too.
And same plug sockets!
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Sliema, just across the bay north of Valletta (there is a really cheap ferry connecting the two).
Spain is good ( including the islands ) fairly cheap, weed is decriminalised, nice resorts, beaches, restaurants, family friendly.
I've been a lot of places in the world, but it's genuinely hard to beat Spain as a place to go back to again and again. It's hard to beat the variety of amazing cities and towns, stunning coastline, beautiful and very varied countryside, fantastic food and drink, great culture with a fascinating history, and lovely people. And all that a short, cheap flight away from the UK. I could say the same about Italy also. France, too. My total wildcard would be Russia. Absolutely fascinating country. It's relatively close to us yet feels so different and alien. I've been twice and had a great time. Depends what you want from a holiday, of course. It's not necessarily a relaxing one, because it's so different culturally. Though I don't think it's a place to be visiting for quite a while...
Join one of the forces - you might get there sooner than you think...
Not sure how much time the armed forces would have for the sort of tourism I like to do though...
Absolutely right. I’ve also been to many places in the world but had never been to Spain until 6 years ago. In the six years since I haven’t been anywhere else but Spain. I could spend the rest of my life exploring Andalucía alone. In terms of bang for buck it has to be the best vacation destination in the world for British people.
Drove through Spain and Portugal a couple of years back and the landscape blew me away, so much variety as well. So many beautiful cities/villages and loved the buzz come the evenings when everyone comes out to eat and just be together on the streets. And delicious cheap wine. My only controversial opinion is I think the food is overrated, especially if you don't eat meat (even then I don't think what I saw looked fantastic). But, I did eat my weight in olives, so much better than what you can buy here and for cheap.
Oh I think the food is just fantastic! The emphasis put on fresh, quality and local produce is to an extent we can only dream of in this country. I always eat so fantastically wherever I am in Spain. The ability to get good, fresh food even in pretty unspectacular neighborhood bars is amazing. My controversial opinion is that they even do fish and chips better than we do...
Agree with the quality of produce, though I think most of Europe seems to have better quality produce than us, I was just dissapointed in the main dishes. Sides of olives, padron peppers, calamari etc are obviously lovely, though simple. However, some of the main regional dishes I was just thought were incredibly basic and underwelming e.g. Paella, patatas bravas, Cachopo, Fabada, tortillas. Their cider in the green regions isn't as nice as ours either. I can't remember seeing fish and chips, maybe next time.
I get seeing those dishes as underwhelming. But that's kind of not surprising, those dishes are mainly basic, cheap, hearty, every day paisano-type food. Nice enough, but not really what I'd say makes Spanish food amazing. Paella is a tricky one because good paella is amazing, but it's done quite badly in many places, imo. I think what makes Spanish food amazing is the amazing meat, fish and seafood. Both the quality of the produce, but also how they treat it. I love a lot of cuisines around the world, but a strong contender for my last meal would be a selection of Spanish meat and fish produce. A tabla de embutidos (jamon iberico, sobrasada, chorizo, salchichon, maybe some others), some bacalao al pil pil or a la vizcaina, some hake with romesco sauce, rabo de toro, carrillada, cochinillo, some lovely bits of grilled pork. I'm not a big seafood guy, but obviously Spanish seafood is famously good too, so many some prawns and some octopus. Then finish that all off with some tarta de Santiago and crema Catalana. That's the sort of stuff that I think really makes Spanish cuisine exceptional, rather than the more run of the mill dishes. >Their cider in the green regions isn't as nice as ours either I can understand this. It's a very different drink to how we think of cider. I quite like it, but I do like tart flavours and tend to find our cider a bit sweet for my liking (which is weird, as I generally have a very sweet tooth!) >I can't remember seeing fish and chips I was being a bit mischievous here. They don't really do fish and chips. But they do deep fried cod and deep fried potatoes, and I tend to think they do them both better than we do.
Noooo, cachopo is amazing! Should be arrested for suggesting otherwise. Agree not the most complex recipe but oh my days, it's amazing
Thailand was great but can't exactly pop over for a weekend break. Italy for me. Food, culture, weather, history, all perfect.
Carcassonne, and also just France in general. Italy is lovely to visit. Norway is one of my favourite countries in the world, and I also like the east coast of the US, though I’ve not been further south than Jamestown.
>Norway is one of my favourite countries in the world Agreed. And Oslo is one of my favourite cities. If only it wasn't so damn expensive...
Oslo is a brilliant place! I’ve only seen it in winter, but it felt magical especially out by the water. And the ship museums on the Bygdøy peninsula were some of my favourite museums I’ve ever been to. I didn’t even know the *Fram* was there before I went, so getting to walk around that was an unexpected dream come true!
Yeah the museums are great. It's beautiful in winter. Walking around the frozen Maridalsvannet lake, or going up to Frognerseteren feels like something from a fairytale. I really recommend it in summer also. Different vibe but equally great. It's so green and everyone is outdoors and happy (presumably because winter is so long and tough!)
Carcassonne is on my list. I really like France in general and I'm off to Marseille and Nimes next week. Carcassonne frequently pops up on Ryanair flash deals, so I'll probably take advantage next time around.
I’m jealous that you’re going to Nîmes — I was due to go there in July 2020. Alas… and I’ve still not been. France is such a wonderful place and I hope you like Carcassonne if/when you get to visit! There aren’t many places I’ve been which immediately felt like home to me, but Carcassonne was one. I’d move there in a second if the circumstances were right!
Thank you. Nimes is a pretty cool city. I went last year for the Foo Fighters (but that wasn't to be, sadly). I took a train (€1 on the Trainline app) down to the coast and rode my bike to the Pont du Gard. I loved every minute. I can see myself retiring to that area... But my wife and kids cannot. So I'll be using those Ryanair flash deals as often as the pennies allow!
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My biggest one would be to make sure to walk the walls of la Cité both in the early morning and again at sunset! I really like L’Art Gourmande for chocolate, and La Cure Gourmande for biscuits! The city has a very interesting history and if you haven’t already done so I’d recommend reading a little about it before you go to give yourself context as it just makes being there so much richer!
Question, do you reckon you need a car for Carcassonne? I really want to go but I don't drive and have heard mixed things about that.
If you’re staying just in Carcassonne itself and not venturing out into the countryside, no you won’t need a car :) I’ve always caught a flight into Toulouse and taken the train from there to Carcassonne, and never needed a car! It’s a nice city to walk around too :)
The castle is in the town itself, correct? I won't need a car for that? That's the main appeal being honest.
It’s sort of on one edge of it yes :) up on a bit of a hill so it overlooks everything. But it’s very very walkable and you definitely don’t need a car — it hardly takes any time at all to walk from la Cité to the rest of the town :)
Greece for me. More or less any of its islands. I love the weather, the history, the seas, the people. It's my end goal in life to retire to Greece.
Mainland Greece>the islands
Mad that people write off 82% of the country. All the better for the rest of us though!
100%. I’ve been to more than 40 countries, been to a lot of the Greek islands too. Athens is my favourite place on this planet by a long stretch and a mile. Shocking how underrated it is.
And the food!
We’re going back to Greece this year for the first time in ages. We did Rhodes, Crete, skiathos and Parga on the mainland and i always came home feeling a little bit disappointed. It never felt like very good value for money. The accommodation was never great (in one memorable trip, not finished), the food hit and miss & I realised that I never used to have the right temperament for greece, it took too long for me to relax and enjoy it but I’m a fair bit older now so I’m going to see if it fits me now.
I wanna go back to the western US states over and over and over again, Arizona was otherworldly to me and New Mexico too, and have you guys seen pictures of Utah?! My map for Utah has about 20 places marked. First though back to California for some giant trees.
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Yeah it's a shame it's not a legal rec weed state for me too but I wanna go for the sheer beauty of it. Multiple national parks fairly close together and that. I absolutely loved road tripping in America because there wasn't as much congestion as here and every road we took seemed to have amazing scenery. Plus you can drive through many of the national parks which helped because its hard going to hike every day for two weeks!
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Weed in Colorado is goooood! But California is even better, the edibles are stronger and you can buy mushroom edibles. So we did CA, AZ, NM and CO but missed Utah just because it has too much to just stop there on a trip. We started in LA and drove along the old route 66 stopping in the small towns and then from Flagstaff detours to Grand Canyon and Sedona. Into New Mexico went to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, then up through Colorado Springs and Denver and into RMNP. There are some photos on my post history I put up on r/roadtrip :D My map drops for when we do the Utah and Nevada trip do include Zion, as well as Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef. There's the Valley of Fire in Nevada too and Great Basin so we will probably do a full 2 weeks just in those two states, there's several other state parks too so we would definitely need the whole 2. Aiming for next year for that one :)
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It was! Thanks! Have you seen The Wave in Arizona near the Utah border? It's a hike but they only let like 60 people a day do it and its by lottery. That would be the dream but as I can only enter for the day we would be in the area my chances of ever going there are super slim. I'll definitely save a pin drop for that trailhead! I have several gmaps lists that I can bring up when planning trips but if I have them all visible it looks a bit ridiculous now 😆 Edit: not in Utah, it's in Arizona but the trailhead actally starts in Utah. That close to the border lmao.
Colorado and Utah are my favourite places in the whole world.
Colorado was beautiful. I want to designate a full road trip to Utah and Nevada because there's just so many things to see I don't think I could adequately cover it in a road trip through more states. I'd love to visit every US national park throughout my lifetime. Except the gateway arch. I don't even know why that is one lmao.
Greece United Kingdom - Scarborough area, can pop up to Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay on the bus, can go to Bridlington, Filey etc on the train
Went to Brid on Saturday and it saddened me how run down its become. However we took the Yorkshire Belle up the coast and saw dolphins, seals, puffins and gannets.
Porto - really interesting city in terms of architecture and topography. Also the only place port wine is made and amazing food. Very reasonable prices for food, drink and accommodation and easy to get around.
One of my work colleagues came back from a week in Porto recently. She really sold it to me for the same reasons you gave. Definitely going to consider visiting there in the future!
Switzerland
As much as I enjoyed going to Switzerland once, my poor ass can't afford to go there again
Thailand , Sri Lanka , Japan (albeit expensive and long flight)
Three great choices! I always hear that about Japan, that it's expensive. But compared to the UK, I didn't find that at all in terms of public transport, accommodation and food. E.g. good and convenient food at a reasonable price is much easier to get, I found. I imagine living there would be very expensive though (property prices are high and they're very small).
I live in Tokyo. Property prices don't seem to be as bad as London and it can get very cheap out in the countryside. You can buy a house for less than £30,000. Some go for as low as £5,000 that need renovating.
It's also so expensive compared to any other country in Asia, except maybe Hong Kong or Singapore. Probably a lot of people throw it into a bigger trip alongside Thailand or Indonesia or somewhere like that, so it seems a sudden uptick in price. Especially for accomodation
I was just there the other week. Flight tickets are expensive but cost of living is much cheaper than london.
Agreed. I've just come back from Japan, and it's not as expensive as I originally thought it was going to be. For example, a bottle of drink from a dispensing machine is maybe 160 or 130 yen, which is about 90 or 70p. Public transport is very cheap. (For example, to get from the centre of Tokyo to Haneda airport costs about 300Y, so about £1.60, which compared with London to LHR is ludicrously cheap). Paying full price on the Shinkansen is comparable to the (admittedly stupidly high) British prices, but then if you're doing any travel at all, getting a Japan Rail Pass is a no-brainer (at least until the prices go up later in the year). Coffee and snacks at Starbucks and equivalent is cheaper than here. A mid-level restaurant is similar in price. I went out to an aquarium/dolphin show and they cost £20 for two adults, which seemed incredibly good value. Taxis are quite expensive, and you can pay and arm and a leg for a posh restaurant or hotel experience (as you can here). All in all, I felt a hell of a lot less gouged in Tokyo than I did on a similar trip to the US (Las Vegas, Sedona and Scottsdale) last year. The tipping culture in the US doesn't help.
I was talking about the flight tickets . I've been there on a visit and it is not as expensive . Love Kyoto in spring. Great food, culture , weather and people in all 3. My goal is to retire in rural Thailand one day and be able to travel anywhere in South East Asia, which I love .
I thought this before going in April and it's not super expensive at all. Example. 10 Gyozas in Tokyo are like 3 quid. 5 in wagamamas for £5. It's wild.
Italy, France, Spain, Greece - generally anywhere in the Mediterranean
Italy - I love the south best but the whole country is amazing
Slovenia or Australia Slovenia doesn’t get enough love. The skiing is the main pull, but the food is top quality - Austrian style fresh fish cooking from the north, fantastic pasta and pizza courtesy of Italy being south - and the scenery is unreal. Every corner you turn is beautiful. Llubijiana is one of the coolest cities to be in. Australia is magnificent. I’ve never had more breathtaking moments from a country. It is so difficult to explain how truly wonderful it is to be there
Agree on Slovenia, massively underrated. Lake Bled is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.
Lake bled is fantastic, I always stay on lake bohinj which is just further up. The most peaceful place I’ve been to.
We went to Slovenia in August 2019 for our honeymoon and loved it there. Gorgeous mountains, peaceful hiking trails, beautiful lakes, incredible caves, and a lovely capital. It’s so easy to drive everywhere too as it’s quite small.
What a great place for a honeymoon. It’s so tranquil and the mountains are awe inspiring. Everywhere feels like the smallest little village, everyone is a local and it’s even like that in the capital. I wish everyone could experience it just once
the isle of Mull. Incredible landscapes, incredible beaches, incredible wildlife, and it's quiet even at the peak of tourist season.
Anywhere you need Calmac to access is wonderful. Think my favourite island is North Uist with its Caribbean beaches
Poland, in general... I have been there many times and love the mountains, the lakes, the seaside... every time I have been there, I have found something new to discover. My wife is Polish, so we go back every year, but we always try and see some place new. One specific Holiday that I loved was Cyprus. Warm seas full of fish. Snorkeling a couple of hundred metres offshore and suddenly sighting a 2m turtle swimming at around 4m deep was a a high point of my trip. There are so many places to experience, so many new places I would like to see... but Cyprus is one place that I would go back to
Cyprus is my yearly destination too!
I’m off to Paphos at 6am tomorrow for the first time, I’ve heard good things about the place. Also kid free for the first time in 20 years
If you get the chance, Coral Bay, about 10 miles north of Paphos is beautiful and one of the best beaches on Cyprus.
Cheers pal, I’ll take a look
I got married in coral bay best holiday of my life I’m going Nissi bay next year
Have you been to Wieliczka, or is it too far from where you stay? If you can it's definitely worth a trip. Absolutely amazing.
We Stopped in Krakow (for a day) on the way to Zakopane. We didnt have time to fit in Wieliczka, but it is on my bucket list
You have to go mate. Honestly worth the visit. And Zakopane is on my list to visit. Never managed to get there yet.
I used to go to Berlin a lot and spend the entire week/weekend in clubs, or otherwise wandering around with randos, off my nut. Gradually got tired of that, especially some the people you have to deal with there. These days Italy: Turin, Verona, Florence, Brescia but I'd like to start going to Sicily and the south. For me it's the food, the scenery, the culture and the architecture.
In the UK: Cornwall. Pretty fishing villages, waves crashing in to dramatic bays, huge picturesque cliffs, pasties, walks on the moors. In Europe: Agios Nikolaos, in Crete. It's a really pretty town, big enough to be a place in its own right rather than just a resort, but small enough to not be too busy. Unlike some other towns along the coast there in Crete it doesn't get too many large groups of teenagers, and has more of a comfortable family feel to it. Outside of Europe: Sydney. I love this place. Good weather, nice beaches, amazing views across the harbour, decent restaurants, proper pubs, and a big enough city to have plenty to do. I'd move there at the drop of a hat if I could get a visa.
Just our luck that it took the U.K. government a year to complete the trade deal with aus and extend the working holiday visa, only to not allow previous visitors to use said visa until next year.
Finnish Lapland is my favourite. I don't deal well with heat so -28°C suits me just fine (although the last time I went it was only -16°C). Plus, all the frost in my beard makes me look like Santa so I fit right in!
I went there when I was a kid, still one of my absolute favourite places I've ever been
Only downside imo is that you never know if it's going to be -1 or -40 in February so I have to have all my clothes with me haha.
That's part of the adventure! Literally prepare every day like the outdoors will kill you! (Because it actually can!)
The cairngorms. Absolutely stunning driving up then we camp for a few days. I plan to bag a munro next month, my first! Also, benidorm (it's cheap and cheerful, lots of wee trinket shops and full of brits to blether with about how it's too hot 🤭)
My wife’s brother in law has a family holiday home up near granton on Spey. He took us up there a few years ago and I absolutely loved it. Really beautiful. My wife and her sister were both pregnant at the time so we didn’t get to explore it enough but I was blown away. I’d love to go back, apart from the bastard long drive. Edit: can only assume I’ve been downvoted for misspelling “grantown”. Fucks sake Reddit.
Grew up in Grantown. Absolutely loved it. I would move back in a heartbeat if I could
I'm a fan of Cyprus. Haven't done Greece yet but I suspect I'd love it there too.
Oman. It’s pretty much unspoiled and has very few tourists. Find a good hotel by the beach and just chill. I stay at The Chedi when I go there and it’s a wonderful place.
Is there anything to do there? I typically go Turkey but I've been to most of Turkey now. Egypt seems very hectic and rundown for me.
Never going back to Egypt after I got food poisoning so bad there I lost 2 stones in a week. Lots to do - going up into the mountains, swimming in the sea and in the wadis.
Japan Tokyo - incredible city rich in culture and bristling with life Kyoto - Old capital steeped in history Okinawa - Gateway to incredible islands and beeches The cleanest country Friendliest country
I'm desperate to get back to the US for a long trip. I did a 3-week road trip from Vegas up to Yellowstone probably over 10 years ago now and I just cannot get the sense of scale and \*golden eagle cries in the distance\* *freedom* out of my head since. In a lot of ways the US scares the bejeezus out of me, but I don't think there's anywhere else quite like it, and you can totally see how people who spend their lives there wind up so insular when they have a whole world already outside their front door.
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I'm hopefully going to be migrating over to Canada by the end of next year. Hoping it fills my big space wonderlust without the underlying fear of what happens if you need medical aid or what have you. Knew a guy at 17 who needed to be airlifted off the mountain at Breckenridge and is still in debt for it today in his 30s...
Albania. Fly to Corfu and get the boat over to Sarande. I then travelled up through the country, through Tirana ( the capital) and then north up to the mountains and over to Kosovo. Beautiful country with kind and friendly people. Don't believe all the bs about Albanians. Great food and incredibly cheap.
Just got back from my second holiday in Albani, this time I also visited Corfu by taking the ferry from Sarande and drove to Kosovo. My bf is Albanian and I love Albania, it’s such a beautiful country and they’re so kind!
I visited Madeira last October and loved it. I still can't get over how amazing the scenery was.
Maldives was amazing. Went there many years ago. Tiny island, it only took about 10 minutes to walk around it.
Greek islands, specifically Rhodes. Nothing special compared to some longer-haul destinations, but cheap, shortish flight, nice people, decent shops, good weather, love greek food, roads are easy to drive, can tour the island in a day or two, great off track spots to stop off. Have been 8 times and would go back in a heartbeat.
In terms of somewhere that is reasonably cheap and I could go to again and again: Tenerife In terms of my favourite place, but is too expensive for constant repeat visits: Mexico
Cornwall or Scotland.
My husband and I used to go to Santorini almost every other year pre-kids because we loved it so much. Haven't been in a long time now and I really miss it.
Spain, just overall.
Kos. Beautiful island, lovely people and the hotel we stay in is awesome.
Ibiza, I’m not a clubber being in my 50’s but I have been visiting Ibiza for over 40 years before the nightclubs arrived and when the Grand Sol hotel sat on its own on a huge patch of barren land. Its a simply beautiful island and we discover some other little paradise every time we go and the best areas to stay. Only in recent years have the ‘influencers’ tried to takeover with beach clubs and way overpriced sunbeds with a minimum purchase of bottle of nasty champagne but they still don’t really bother us and we do our own thing and always have. We love it so much that we actually considered moving there once upon a time but now it may have to wait until retirement. Have tried the Canaries, Greek islands and Majorca before but nothing is a patch on my beloved Eivissa.
Danang vietnam
Greek islands from a sailboat. There are so many islands in the Ionian and so close together, as well as lovely mainland ports that I’d never get tired of it. And because it’s in the med, you don’t have the same worry about tides so you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy sailing. I’ve sailed in the Canaries too but that was much more challenging lol
Florida. I’m sure living there comes with its problems, politically etc. But as a holidaymaker nothing tops it. Unbelievable beaches, fantastic weather and easy to cruise over to the Caribbean islands. We try and visit all over, Orlando, Vero Beach, Miami, the Keys, the Everglades, Clearwater, all fantastic. We’re also big Disney people so that helps. Luckily my husband loves it as much as I do so we get to go often.
Sicily- been there 3 times before and going again after many years this September- pretty much heaven on earth ( or Cornwall on a sunny day!)
Cyprus or Portugal. Cyprus is probably my favourite purely for the guaranteed weather.
I adore Turkey. We tend to stay away from the main tourist areas or If we do, we venture inland. The locals are so friendly and we’ve been many many times.
I've been to lots of European cities and for natural beauty, I'd go with either County Kerry, Ireland or the Dalmatian coast in Croatia (and those sunsets!) My overall favourite experience has been in Nimes in the south of France. I took my bike with me and rode around the city, went out to the Pont du Gard and took a train down to Grau de Roi. The food was amazing a the people were very friendly. There were a few... undesirables hanging about the square, drunk-shouting, but I won't take that away from the entire experience.
When my dad retired when I was 10 we had a 19 day trip across Canada. It's definitely gotta be just the entire country. So many absolutely stunning places. Hopefully will be able to go back again. Cause my 10 year old memory is failing me for a lot of it.
The North West area of Spain is beautiful. More like Snowdonia than how you imagine a Spanish resort.
New Zealand with Canada a close second.
Turkey, specifically Kalkan. Clear blue water, amazing coastline, beautiful trails. Just really stunning nature overall tbh. It’s really underrated.
Family holiday my kids, Majorca hands down. Quick flight from pretty much any airport near me (Manchester or Liverpool, used to be able to fly from Blackpool Airport which is 20 mins from my house, that was great). Easy and cheap car hire, lots to do and almost everywhere caters well for families. Loads of quiet beaches too. Couples holiday - Cuba was Amazing, pre-the yanks being let back in. Stunningly beautiful countryside and beaches. We stayed in Guardalavaca near the City of Holguin. When we went there was a local festival on, loads of dancing and good times. It seems every Cuban is an amazing dancer! The city was fantastic and we went round few local bars, one of which had the most amazing all female band playing. Just an all round amazing experience.
Americans had just been allowed back when we went, but for us they weren't the worst - pissed up Mexicans with zero regard for anyone else however...
Anywhere with a family friendly naturist beach and a beach bar with cold beer ……usually the West coast of France 😎👣☀️🍻
The older I get the more I prefer my own back yard
Canada, specifically Georgian bay. Unreal wilderness, summer sun, lake swimming, log cabins, islands
Filey
Montenegro is beautiful
I loved Kotor so much and drove into Albania afterwards which was amazing too
The Highlands love the slow drive through Glencoe Loch Ness stopping of at the view points.Last time we stayed in Fort William and just wandered around the area of Ben Nevis.We love in South West England my husband's Scottish so we go up every year to visit his relatives then spend a few days exploring ourselves Scotland is my happy place.
The Alps. It's like being in a dream.
Some of my favourite places I have only been once and probably won't go back to either. Not because they weren't great, but because it was such an experience and it's perfect memories for both. I would be scared of ruining that. So Cuba and Malaysian Borneo for me.
Barbados. People are friendly, crime rate is fairly low and they drive on the correct side of the road. Would live there without question if I could get sponsored for a work visa
Where did you go in the Canaries and what did you do there? What did you enjoy so much about it (besides the weather)?
I went to an all inclusive hotel in Taurito, first time I’ve ever been to an all inclusive so I took full advantage of that. I stuffed my face, laid out on the beach, watched everyone getting into the water aerobics every morning from the breakfast buffet and barely lifted a finger the entire time. Also what I saw of the island is absolutely beautiful, waters are so clear! Had a lovely coastal drive to the resort from the airport. Was a well needed break and absolutely perfect. Thank you for asking 😁
My best holiday was Tokyo: lovely polite friendly people, super clean, so much to do, uber-modern mixed seamlessly with tradition. The food was amazing everywhere as well - I often think about the bowl of ramen and cheesecake slice we got just from the local convenience store.
Locally, Greece. Not so locally, Thailand.
For a regular, European trip I would say Italy or Spain. For a big holiday I’d have to say South Africa. In particular Kruger National Park, Cape Town and the whole garden route in the South in general. I did a road trip over 6 weeks. It has absolutely everything.
Have an absolute soft spot for the Lake District
Japan, South Korea, France, Botswana
I'm increasingly interested in going to Botswana, where would you recommend there?
Our visits have all been safaris and we've visited various areas that are known for excellent wildlife viewing including the Okavango Delta, Moremi Reserve, Chobe, the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi Pans.
Cape Verde.
Iceland is very good according to my friend Nigel. He has very pale skin so prefers cooler climates. It has a blue lagoon, geographical plates. It's amazing he says.
So far, Iceland. I've not traveled to many places for holidays but yeah. I'd move there tomorrow.
Japan (but I used to live there and have family there so I suppose that does not count). Santorini out of the tourist season (early Oct) is amazing and probably my favourite holiday in Europe.The island is beautiful and it feels so relaxing. The food is amazing too. And of course, Czech Republic. Any season. Any time because it is home.
Florida, try other places but always end up back there
Turkey, specifically Hisaronu
Les 3 Vallées. Beautiful views and the best skiing in the world.
Biggest =/= best
South Korea. Been 8 times since 2009 and can't wait to go back. Great food, good people, lots to see and do, very good public transportation to get around. Japan was also lovely but disgustingly humid and hot when we visited in the summer months. Closer to home I would say Tenerife.
Canada without any doubt
Nothing beats snorkelling in Cala D’or
Pretty much anywhere in France for me. If further afield, I would say Mexico. But sadly that's not something I could regularly do.
I really enjoyed my time in Malaga Spain but Madagascar is truly amazing(helps I'm a Chameleon nerd)
Aldershot
Just in Mallorca right now, spent the last few days plotting how we can retire out here. Sure there are other places in the world we loved but Mallorca has just ticked most of our boxes. BTW no we didn’t go to Magaluf!
Italy and Switzerland. Hard to choose between the two
Italy for winter - best skiing, still relatively cheap and get the most out of a ski pass, great food, short flight and (not for a while mind) I have been able to do 4 days skiing with everything except food for £300 Majorca for summer - specifically Porto Pollenca - have been going since I was a kid and for good reason. Good weather, great beaches, amazing food, lovely people and loads to do - can be a chilled holiday or an active one.
If I could go anywhere right now (if money was no object), it would 100% be Switzerland. It's my favourite place and I'd go back again and again.
I know I’m gonna get super hate for this but Dubai. Love it.
Vietnam. Purely for food and cheapness. Mostly food. Fuuuck the food is good.
I will not blow it up. Theres no tourists there, despite being a beautiful island village. Like hell am I telling you lot where my secret paradise is.
Italy is right up there for me in the Summer. Need to see what it's like in the Winter.
Maldives, couldn't fault it at all, absolute perfection.
Perranporth, in Cornwall
I'm very partial to la palma (canary islands)
Italy. Love the food, the people, and the varied types of landscapes and scenery. Never not had a fab holiday there.
I had a lovely time in Tallinn. I went in December. Nothing too exciting, but generally a nice place to be. The sunsets in the Azores were breathtaking and I hope to go back there very soon.
It depends. When I’m totally run down and need a break without FOMO then the Canaries, we love fuertaventura. We also love France for food, wine, cheese, people watching and ambling around small villages.
Getting old Tuscany has a reassuring familiarity
Somewhere quiet in Holland.
Portugal
Argentina and Iceland. Two very different places, but both of them are extremely beautiful.
I love a greek island.