The Sorrento Peninsular, which includes the Amalfi Coast part of the Bay of Naples is, in my opinion, in the top 5 most beautiful places in the world. The dramatic cliffs, turquoise clear waters and idyllic islands that look like something from an AI-generated image are even further enhanced by the exquisite Italian villages that hug the impossibly dramatic mountain sides. It really is wow, and you find yourself often stopping and just gawping at the beauty.
The problem though is the crowds and general mass tourism of it all – the queues along some of the narrow roads are some of the worst I’ve seen anywhere in the world, and the prices are utterly, utterly mental (think €2,000+ a night in summer). The experience is still wow . . . but the crowds diminish it.
If you tweak it a bit, primarily with staying in the small towns to the west of Sorrento Town itself, you can quickly change this from a basic Wow to a max Wow-factor experience. See below for the tips to help you do this.
Bologna is, quite simply, one of the best food cities on the planet.
The city somehow flies under the radar on many Italian itineraries – which is odd when you consider that it is widely regarded as Italy’s gastronomic capital. The medieval streets are packed with restaurants, trattorias, markets and delicatessens, all fiercely competing to produce the best versions of the country’s most famous dishes.
Spend a couple of days wandering the portico-lined streets, stopping frequently for plates of tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo and mortadella, and it quickly becomes clear why locals take their food so seriously here.
Beyond the food, Bologna is also one of Italy’s most attractive historic cities. The old town is full of terracotta buildings, leaning medieval towers, more than 60km of covered porticoes, many of which are UNESCO listed, and buzzing with the world’s oldest university at its heart.
But the food is the real draw.
In my view, Bologna ranks as the #2 food experience in the world, second only to San Sebastián. It beats other famous culinary cities because the quality is exceptional, the prices remain reasonable, and the whole thing still feels authentic rather than just curated for tourists.
The further east you go through Indonesia, the less developed everything becomes. You go Java → Bali → Lombok → Komodo… and then suddenly you’re properly off the beaten track.
The vast majority of people haven’t heard of the likes of Western Nusa Tengara, Flores (Eastern Nusa Tengara), Sumba or the Alor Archipelago that continue far to the east … which of course makes it all that much more appealing for a real adventure.
In March 2025 we hired a driver and headed from Komodo along the Trans Flores highway seeing volcanos, lush jungle, empty roads, traditional villages and the extraordinary Seventeen Islands Marine Park along the way
But the real highlight was just how unspoilt it all felt. Travelling through South East Asia can feel like a tourism conveyor belt at times, but this was proper travelling again.
South Lombok has some of the best beaches in Indonesia, and the best way to explore them is by scooter from Kuta Lombok. The south coast is full of white sand bays, surf beaches, dramatic cliffs and quiet viewpoints, and you can easily spend several days exploring different beaches along this stretch of coastline.
Lombok tends to take something like the third visit to this part of SE Asia for it to make it onto an itinerary, with Bali being people’s natural focus. But it’s development is in that nice sweet spot between Bali’s-uber-chic-meets-terrible-traffic-and-overly-commercialised point, and real Indonesia.
You’ve got cracking restaurants, nice villas, a genuinely chilled out surfer vibe. Plus a string of beaches nearby that are more stunning than anything in Bali – Bali, contrary to popular belief, doesn’t have great beaches – and far, far quieter.
The simple drive along the road was one of my favourite experiences in all of Indonesia.
I’d suggest avoiding Delhi. Whilst it has a few interesting spots such as the Red Fort and the Old Town, it has the negatives so typical with most of the giant Indian cities:
❌ Vast population struggling with rapid development – bear in mind Delhi is the 2nd most populated city in the world.
❌ Terrible traffic – no where does traffic quite like India.
❌ Overly commercialised – get ready to be nagged.
❌ And some of the worst air pollution in the world – it makes China seem like the Antarctic.
With a few exceptions, you don’t come to India for the big cities – you come for the forts, palaces, deserts, mountains and history. Delhi is mainly the place you fly into before heading to the good stuff – Golden Triangle and Rajasthan, which hold India’s highlights such as The Lakeside and Palaces of Udaipur, The Taj Mahal and Jodphur’s Blue City and the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort. Focus on them, not Delhi.
The journey from the small town of Morondava north into the wilderness towards Bemaraha National Park and the Tsingy is a real adventure, and the highlight of a trip to Madagascar.
You crawl along some of the worst roads in the country – sometimes in the world – cross wide tropical rivers on small ferries, and slowly make your way deeper and deeper into one of the least developed and most remote parts of Africa. Along the way you see the famous baobabs, remote villages, and some of the best places in Madagascar to see lemurs. And at the end of it all, you reach the extraordinary Tsingy – vast forests of sharp limestone pinnacles and a UNESCO World Heritage site that looks like nowhere else on Earth.
This is not easy travel. Transport takes forever, plans change, you are heavily reliant on local guides, and there is often no WiFi, limited electricity and very little sense of control over the schedule. It really does feel like stepping back in time.
But that’s exactly what makes it so good. This is proper adventure travel. If you are willing to put up with the discomfort and the long days of travel, this is 100% worth it and is, in my view, the best and most memorable part of Madagascar.
Need to do a bit of prep before you go, so I’ve listed out key tips in the section below.
South Africa’s Winelands have a magnificent setting with the nearby mountain ranges, stunning picture-perfect white-washed old Dutch wineries to explore, and some of the best (if under appreciated) wines in the world. I’d put South Africa’s winelands in the top 3 globally for overall experience (alongside the Bordeaux region in France and the Duoro Valley in Portugal), and a must, even as only a day trip, if visiting the Western Cape.
We loved it so much we spent 10 days there, so keen to share a few tips.
Hard not to be blown away by a first time visit to Cape Town – it just has so much going for it.
✅ The setting is gob-smackingly beautiful – Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Sydney are the only cities that come close.
✅ The cultural-significance of places like Robben Island.
✅ World-class outdoor activities like hiking up Table Mountain and Kelp Diving.
✅ Drives to the Cape of Good Hope and experiencing the nearby stunning winelands are world-class experiences on their own.
✅ The people are some of the friendliest (and cheekiest!) you will meet.
✅ And the food might just be up there with France and Japan as the best in the world.
Even with all of the wonders that South Africa has to offer, Cape Town and its surrounding area is still the jewel in the crown and gets the highest Wow Factor score ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Macau is a wonderful day trip from Hong Kong with the combination of China’s boom on display as you wander through the lavish mega casinos, plus the Portuguese culture shinning through in the architecture, food and even street signs in Portuguese in the various spots that justify its UNESCO World Heritage status.
Top 3 tips:
#1 Experiencing the Portuguese feel – there are various places which are great for getting your fix. Taipa Village is lovely and well located next to the main casinos. The area around the Ruins of the Church of Saint Paul is the symbol of Macau and does feel a bit like being in Lisbon around there. But my main tip is to head to the south of Taipa Island to either the South West for the classic restaurant of Fernando’s that is a bit of an institution in Macau, or to the South West in the area around the Chapel of Saint Francis Xavier which is far less busy and you’re able to sit having Portuguese food in the courtyard looking across the water.
#2 Enjoying the Casinos – whilst Macau sees x6 the revenue of Las Vegas passing across its tables, that doesn’t necessarily equate to the entertainment. Its more a reflection of the Chinese love / obsession of gambling and this is the only spot in all of China to do it – for example, you’ll typically see a minimum bet of around Macau $200 (USD25) on the tables in Macau combined with little entertainment. That being said, the entertainment that is on offer is great and “the strip” has massively upper its game in recent years to hit “wow” levels, so much so that a walk from Studio City to the Venetian via the Parisian, the Londoner and the insane Morpheus (take the interior lift for the wow) is now a must. If you can time it right and keen for the lash / partying, the Hard Rock Pool Party is also a must.
#3 Transport – getting to Macau from Hong Kong is super simple. There are ferries leaving every 30mins or so from 3 spots across Hong Kong and it only takes an hour. Most realistically, you’ll aim to leave from the Shun Tak Centre on Hong Kong island. Just be aware though that there are two ferry spots in Macau – Macau Outer Harbour which is for the Macau Peninsular (the northern half) and Taipa (the southern half). Getting around though is a bit harder than Hong Kong as there isn’t the subway / MTR equivalent. Easiest to just get taxis.
Overall, its a very easy and great experience from Hong Kong.
I love the centre and north of Bali – yes the south is to an extent now “ruined” via the overcrowding and commercialisation – but the rest is a different story . . . and I dare suggest “what Bali used to be”.
Dense jungle hiding vibrantly green rice terraces, old Hindu temples, a chilled out Balinese hippy-yoga-heart-rate-so-low-you’re practically-dead vibe. Yet all coupled with world class restaurants and accommodation. Closest thing you can get to the (sophisticated) Jungle Book, and Ubud is the centre of it.
I’ve been 4 times now, far from an expert, but a few basic tips:
- Don’t try to squeeze Ubud into a day of a Bali itinerary – you need to at least overnight. Its about the relaxed vibe, not a car ride 2 hours there and 2 hours back from Denpasar and cramming in some rice terrace views.
- Ubud Town itself’s main street (Jl Raya Ubud) can be Denpasar-style busy – avoid by either branching down the side streets such as Jl Goutama Sel asap (just 20m / 50ft or so can make a huge difference) or just avoiding Ubud Town altogether.
- For walks to see the jungle and grab food – the Campuhan Ridge Walk is worth doing and easily walked from Ubud main town; the paddy fields to the west of the area by the Huma Cafe is a fun walk; probably the classic one is the Tegalalang Rice Terrace but can be busy.
- Some restaurant recommendations – the Herb Library was great for healthy lunch; Nusantara by Locavore Group for wow; Huma Cafe for something easy out of town; Sayan House for amazing location with views over the valley
- For something special – visit Locavore NXT. 20 course tasting menu, all locally sourced, all housed within their labyrinth grounds, and one of the most wow food experiences I’ve had. US$120 for the menu, plus US$40-US$90 for drinks pairing
- Where to stay – loved Villa Kalisha, but its completely villa availability-dependant and you need to do a bit of scanning
- Also consider a bit further away in somewhere like Sideman – greener, quieter.
