The Itinerary Beach escapes
Trips built around the water rather than around a checklist — island hops, reef days and the kind of afternoon where the plan is a swim.
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Best for: Afro-Brazilian Salvador, then islands with no cars on them
Bahia in 9 days: Salvador, the turtles and Morro de São Paulo
Salvador → Praia do Forte → Morro de São Paulo → Boipeba → Salvador
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Best for: The best food in Mexico, then a Pacific beach to sleep it off
Oaxaca and the Pacific coast in 9 days: markets, mezcal and Mazunte
Oaxaca City → Monte Albán → Hierve el Agua → Puerto Escondido → Mazunte → Huatulco
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Best for: Three islands, two flights, one sardine run
The Visayas in 10 days: Cebu, Bohol and Siargao
Cebu → Moalboal → Kawasan → Bohol → Panglao → Siargao
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Best for: The half of Croatia that isn't the Dalmatian coast
Istria and northern Croatia in 7 days: Rovinj, Plitvice and Pula
Zagreb → Plitvice → Opatija → Rovinj → Pula → Motovun → Zagreb
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Best for: Three days of city and five on a reef, on a routing most people fly anyway
Dubai and the Maldives in 8 days: the stopover done properly
Dubai → Malé → resort island
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Best for: Three park days, then an actual holiday
Florida with kids in 8 days: Orlando, the Space Coast and the Gulf
Orlando → Kennedy Space Center → Siesta Key → the Everglades → Miami
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Best for: Greek temples, a live volcano and the best street food in Italy
Sicily in 8 days: Taormina, Etna, Syracuse and the temples
Catania → Taormina → Etna → Syracuse → Noto → Agrigento → Palermo
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Best for: Two places that are nothing like each other, two and a half hours apart
Singapore and Bali in 10 days: three days of city, seven of island
Singapore → Ubud → Uluwatu
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Best for: The safari-and-beach honeymoon, with a real city at the front of it
South Africa and Mauritius in 12 days: Cape Town, a safari and an island
Cape Town → the Cape Peninsula → the Winelands → Kruger → Mauritius
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Best for: Crossing a border by speedboat, with the best street food in Asia at the end
Thailand and Malaysia in 12 days: Bangkok, the Andaman islands, Penang and KL
Bangkok → Krabi → Koh Lipe → Langkawi → Penang → Kuala Lumpur
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Best for: Two properties instead of four, and the drives cut down to two
Bali honeymoon in 7 days: an Ubud villa and an Uluwatu cliff
Ubud → Uluwatu
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Best for: One drive instead of four, a pool at both ends, and a beach that is actually safe to swim
Bali with kids in 7 days: a villa with a pool and a Sanur beach
Ubud → Sanur
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Best for: The island at a third of the villa price, with the scooter question answered honestly
Bali on a budget in 7 days: homestays, a scooter and warung food
Ubud → Canggu → Uluwatu
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Best for: Half-price rooms, a waterfall that only exists now, and beaches you have to yourself
Goa in the monsoon: waterfalls, spice farms and an empty coast
North Goa → Dudhsagar → Ponda → Panjim
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Best for: One island, one villa, and a plan that protects the two or three things worth leaving it for
Maldives honeymoon in 5 days: overwater villa, sandbank, reef
Malé → resort island → Malé
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Best for: Two coasts with different weather, and a mountain in the sea to finish on
Mauritius honeymoon in 6 days: the north, Le Morne and a catamaran
North coast → Port Louis → Chamarel → Le Morne
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Best for: Four nights on the caldera rim, booked on the terrace rather than the postcard
Santorini honeymoon in 6 days: a caldera suite and one night in Athens
Athens → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: Granite boulders, two islands and a bicycle — the beaches that actually look like the photographs
Seychelles honeymoon in 5 days: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue
Mahé → Praslin → La Digue
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Best for: The months the south is washed out and the other coast is at its best
Sri Lanka in July: Trincomalee, Pigeon Island and Arugam Bay
Trincomalee → Nilaveli → Arugam Bay
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Best for: Doing the standard route on roughly half the money, without pretending it is free
Thailand on a budget in 7 days: what it really costs, line by line
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Krabi
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Best for: Two bases, one flight, and an elephant sanctuary that does not let you ride
Thailand with kids in 7 days: Bangkok, a beach base and the elephants
Bangkok → Khao Lak or Krabi
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Best for: The balloon morning and then four days of doing nothing on a turquoise coast
Turkey honeymoon in 7 days: a cave suite, the balloon and the Lycian coast
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Kaş → Antalya
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Best for: A cruise suite, a lantern town and an island finish, with the sightseeing cut back
Vietnam honeymoon in 8 days: Ha Long, Hoi An and Phu Quoc
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An → Phu Quoc
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Best for: Three days with the Gaudí booked and the pickpockets anticipated
Barcelona in 3 days: Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter and Montjuïc
Sagrada Família and Gaudí → the Gothic Quarter and the beach → Montjuïc and Park Güell
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Best for: Four days that get the beach right and the day trip in the right boat
Phuket in 4 days: the beaches, Phi Phi and the old town
Kata or Karon → Phi Phi day trip → Phuket Old Town → Big Buddha and the south
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Best for: Three days on the rim, with the sunset crush planned around
Santorini in 3 days: the caldera, Oia and Akrotiri
Fira and the caldera rim → the Fira–Oia walk and sunset → Akrotiri, the wine and a black beach
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Best for: One island, three nights, and the best beach in India
Andaman in 5 days: Port Blair and Havelock
Port Blair → Havelock → Port Blair
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Best for: A long weekend in the north, without the drive south
Goa in 4 days: north beaches, Old Goa and the Latin Quarter
North Goa → Old Goa → Panjim → North Goa
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Best for: A first Bali trip with two bases and no day lost to traffic
Bali in 5 days: Ubud and the south
Ubud → Uluwatu → Seminyak
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Best for: Two bases, one island day trip, and no two-hour transfer every morning
Bali in 7 days: Ubud, Uluwatu and Nusa Penida
Ubud → Uluwatu → Seminyak → Nusa Penida
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Best for: East to west across the whole country, finishing on the Black Sea
Georgia in 10 days: Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti, Kutaisi and Batumi
Tbilisi → Kazbegi → Kakheti → Gori → Kutaisi → Batumi
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Best for: The mainland as well as the islands, which is the half most visitors never see
Greece in 14 days: Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Santorini and Crete
Athens → Delphi → Meteora → Athens → Santorini → Crete
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Best for: One city, one island, and no day lost to a second ferry
Greece in 7 days: Athens and Santorini
Athens → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: Java's temples and volcanoes first, Bali as the reward at the end
Indonesia in 14 days: Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Mount Bromo and Bali
Jakarta → Yogyakarta → Mount Bromo → Ijen → Bali
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Best for: The south as well as the centre, which is the half the classic week leaves out
Italy in 14 days: Rome, Naples, the Amalfi coast, Florence, Venice and Milan
Rome → Naples → Pompeii → Amalfi coast → Florence → Venice → Milan
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Best for: The whole peninsula plus five days in Sabah, where the orangutans are
Malaysia in 14 days: the peninsula and Borneo
Kuala Lumpur → Cameron Highlands → Penang → Langkawi → Kota Kinabalu → Sandakan
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Best for: A city and an island on a short break, with one 70-minute flight between them
Malaysia in 5 days: Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur → Langkawi → Kuala Lumpur
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Best for: A short resort stay, structured so the four days are not all the same day
The Maldives in 5 days: a resort stay, day by day
Malé → resort island → Malé
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Best for: The Maldives without a resort, which almost nobody writes about and plenty of people want
The Maldives on a budget in 4 days: Maafushi and the local islands
Malé → Maafushi → Gulhi or Fulidhoo → Malé
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Best for: Hill country and the south coast, with the train ride that is the point of the trip
Sri Lanka in 7 days: Colombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella and Galle
Colombo → Kandy → Nuwara Eliya → Ella → Galle → Colombo
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Best for: North and south in one trip, with enough nights in each to stop moving
Thailand in 14 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and the Andaman coast
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Chiang Rai → Krabi → Koh Lanta
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Best for: One city, one ruined capital and one beach, without a domestic flight every other day
Thailand in 7 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya and Krabi
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Krabi
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Best for: Four Andaman stops by ferry, with no backtracking and no Bangkok
Thailand island hopping in 8 days: Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Koh Lanta
Phuket → Phi Phi → Krabi → Koh Lanta
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Best for: The classical coast added to Istanbul and Cappadocia, without doubling back
Turkey in 14 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Antalya, Pamukkale and Ephesus
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Antalya → Pamukkale → Ephesus → Izmir
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Best for: All seven emirates' worth of country, including the mountains and the east coast nobody visits
The UAE in 10 days: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah
Dubai → Abu Dhabi → Al Ain → Ras Al Khaimah → Fujairah → Dubai
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Best for: The whole country north to south, with the rice terraces and the delta that shorter trips cut
Vietnam in 14 days: Hanoi, Sapa, Ha Long, Hue, Hoi An and the Mekong
Hanoi → Sapa → Ha Long → Hue → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Mekong Delta
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Best for: The south on its own, with a beach at the end instead of a flight north
Southern Vietnam in 6 days: Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc
Ho Chi Minh City → Cu Chi → Mekong Delta → Phu Quoc
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Best for: Three island nations, and the one place you can legally swim with humpbacks
The South Pacific in 13 days: Fiji's Yasawas, Samoa's To Sua and whales in Tonga
Nadi → the Yasawas → Apia → Savai'i → Vava'u → Nadi
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Best for: Eight days of everything, then four of nothing at all
Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 12 days: Sigiriya, the hill country, Yala and an atoll
Colombo → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella → Yala → Galle → Malé → an atoll
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Best for: A Georgian naval dockyard still in use, and a frigate bird colony of five thousand
Antigua and Barbuda in 7 days: Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights and pink sand
St John's → English Harbour → Shirley Heights → Barbuda → Devil's Bridge
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Best for: Water that does not look real, and the deepest blue hole in the world
Bahamas in 8 days: the Exumas, Dean's Blue Hole and pink sand
Nassau → Exumas → Thunderball Grotto → Eleuthera → Harbour Island
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Best for: Two coasts that behave like different islands, and rum made since 1703
Barbados in 7 days: Bathsheba's surf, the Garrison and the oldest rum
Bridgetown → Garrison → West coast → Bathsheba → Scotland District
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Best for: One of the largest active volcanic craters on earth, and turtles nesting every night of the year
Comoros in 6 days: Karthala's crater, Mohéli's turtles and the perfume islands
Moroni → Mount Karthala → Lac Salé → Mohéli → Nioumachoua → Moroni
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Best for: The world's first underwater sculpture park, and rum made by water wheel since 1785
Grenada in 7 days: the underwater sculptures, nutmeg and Carriacou
St George's → Grand Anse → Grand Etang → River Antoine → Carriacou
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Best for: Hippos that swim in the sea, and an archipelago run by its women
Guinea-Bissau in 7 days: the Bijagós islands, saltwater hippos and Bissau
Bissau → Bubaque → Orango → João Vieira → Bolama → Bissau
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Best for: Empty point breaks, and a country founded by freed American slaves
Liberia in 7 days: Robertsport's surf, Monrovia and the Sapo rainforest
Monrovia → Robertsport → Lake Piso → Monrovia → Harper or Sapo
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Best for: A freshwater lake with more fish species than any other, and parks brought back from nothing
Malawi in 9 days: Liwonde's elephants, Mount Mulanje and the lake
Lilongwe → Liwonde → Zomba → Mulanje → Cape Maclear → Lilongwe
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Best for: Whale sharks and manta rays off a beach you can walk to
Mozambique in 9 days: Tofo's whale sharks, Bazaruto's dunes and Maputo
Maputo → Tofo → Inhambane → Vilankulo → Bazaruto → Maputo
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Best for: Arguably the best diving on earth, and a lake full of stingless jellyfish
Palau in 8 days: Blue Corner, the Rock Islands and Jellyfish Lake
Koror → Rock Islands → Blue Corner → Peleliu → Babeldaob
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Best for: A fortress called the Gibraltar of the West Indies, and the last railway in the Caribbean
Saint Kitts and Nevis in 7 days: Brimstone Hill, the sugar train and Nevis Peak
Basseterre → Brimstone Hill → the scenic railway → Nevis → Pinney's Beach
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Best for: Sailing a chain of 32 islands, and swimming with turtles inside a horseshoe reef
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 8 days: Tobago Cays, Bequia and La Soufrière
Kingstown → La Soufrière → Bequia → Mustique → Tobago Cays → Union Island
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Best for: A volcanic needle in rainforest, and the plantation where relativity was proved
São Tomé and Príncipe in 7 days: Pico Cão Grande, the roças and Príncipe
São Tomé → Roça Bombaim → Praia Jalé → Príncipe → Roça Sundy
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Best for: Empty white-sand beaches an hour from a capital, and eleven primate species on one island
Sierra Leone in 8 days: the peninsula beaches, Tiwai Island and Freetown
Freetown → Tacugama → River No. 2 → Banana Islands → Tiwai → Freetown
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Best for: Wreck diving over a 1942 battlefield, and the largest saltwater lagoon on earth
Solomon Islands in 9 days: Iron Bottom Sound, Marovo Lagoon and Tetepare
Honiara → Guadalcanal → Munda → Marovo Lagoon → Tetepare → Honiara
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Best for: The richest reef fish counts ever surveyed, and Asia's newest country
Timor-Leste in 7 days: Atauro's reefs, Dili and the Ramelau highlands
Dili → Atauro Island → Maubisse → Mount Ramelau → Dili
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Best for: One of the few countries where you may legally swim with humpback whales
Tonga in 8 days: swimming with humpbacks in Vava'u, 'Eua and Tongatapu
Tongatapu → 'Eua → Tongatapu → Vava'u
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Best for: Central America's smallest country, done properly
El Salvador in 6 days: volcanoes, coffee towns and surf
San Salvador → Ruta de las Flores → Santa Ana → Suchitoto → El Tunco
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Best for: Maya carving, then the world's second-largest reef
Honduras in 7 days: Copán's Maya city and Roatán's reef
Copán Ruinas → San Pedro Sula → Roatán
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Best for: Reef + Maya caves
Belize in 8 days: the barrier reef, the ATM cave and the Cayo
Caye Caulker → San Ignacio → Hopkins
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Best for: Hiking and morna, not resorts
Cape Verde in 9 days: Mindelo, Santo Antão and Cidade Velha
São Vicente → Santo Antão → Santiago
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Best for: The Pacific's best lagoon
Cook Islands in 8 days: Rarotonga and the Aitutaki lagoon
Rarotonga → Aitutaki → Rarotonga
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Best for: Ruins, mountains, both sides
Cyprus in 8 days: Paphos mosaics, the Troodos and a divided capital
Paphos → Troodos → Nicosia → Famagusta → Larnaca
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Best for: Colonial city + whales
Dominican Republic in 9 days: Santo Domingo, Samaná and the mountains
Santo Domingo → Samaná → Jarabacoa → Punta Cana
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Best for: The island behind the resorts
Jamaica in 8 days: Kingston, the Blue Mountains and Port Antonio
Kingston → Blue Mountains → Port Antonio → Treasure Beach
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Best for: Deep history, short distances
Malta in 7 days: Valletta, the megalithic temples and Gozo
Valletta → the south → Mdina → Gozo → Comino
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Best for: Rainforest + bioluminescence
Puerto Rico in 8 days: Old San Juan, El Yunque and the glowing bay
San Juan → El Yunque → Vieques → Ponce → Rincón
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Best for: Fa'a Samoa, and beach fales
Samoa in 8 days: To Sua, the lava coast and Savai'i
Upolu → Lalomanu → Savai'i → Apia
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Best for: Slow coast + Tannat
Uruguay in 8 days: Montevideo, Colonia and the wild east coast
Montevideo → Colonia → Punta del Este → Cabo Polonio
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Best for: Standing on a volcano rim
Vanuatu in 9 days: Mount Yasur, blue holes and the Coolidge
Port Vila → Tanna → Espiritu Santo
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Best for: Mediterranean on a budget
Albania in 9 days: the Riviera, Berat and the Accursed Mountains
Tirana → Shkodër → Theth → Berat → Albanian Riviera
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Best for: Beaches + waterfalls
Brazil in 10 days: Rio, Iguaçu and Paraty
Rio de Janeiro → Paraty → Iguaçu
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Best for: Islands + reefs
Fiji in 9 days: the Yasawas, Viti Levu and a village stay
Nadi → Yasawa Islands → Coral Coast → Nadi
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Best for: Island-hopping, not one resort
French Polynesia in 10 days: Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine and Bora Bora
Tahiti → Moorea → Huahine → Taha'a → Bora Bora
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Best for: Two oceans + islands
Panama in 9 days: the Canal, Bocas del Toro and San Blas
Panama City → San Blas → Bocas del Toro
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Best for: Roman sites + desert
Tunisia in 9 days: Carthage, the Sahara and the coast
Tunis → Dougga → Tozeur → Matmata → Djerba
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Best for: Coast + old towns
Croatia in 8 days: Dubrovnik, Split and the islands
Dubrovnik → Split → Hvar → Krka
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Best for: Couples + first-timers
Greece in 10 days: Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
Athens → Mykonos → Santorini
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Best for: First-time visitors
Bali in 10 days: Ubud, Uluwatu and the islands
Ubud → Nusa Penida → Uluwatu
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Best for: Food + beach
Malaysia in 10 days: Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi
Kuala Lumpur → Penang → Langkawi
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Best for: Three nights in a local guesthouse and three in a water villa, which is why a week costs less than the resort five
Maldives in 7 days: the split-stay that beats the price myth
Beach island → water villa
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Best for: Beaches + road trip
Mauritius in 8 days: the two-base island loop
North coast → Port Louis → Chamarel → Le Morne
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Best for: Beaches + island-hopping
Seychelles in 8 days: Mahé, Praslin and La Digue
Mahé → Praslin → La Digue
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Best for: First-time visitors
Sri Lanka in 10 days: the classic island loop
Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella → Galle
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Best for: Safari + beach
Tanzania in 9 days: Serengeti safari and Zanzibar
Arusha → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Zanzibar
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Best for: First-time visitors
Thailand in 10 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Phuket
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Best for: Culture + beach
Mexico in 10 days: Mexico City and the Yucatán
Mexico City → Chichén Itzá → Tulum → Cozumel
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Best for: Beach and diving travellers
Andaman Islands in 7 days: Port Blair, Havelock and Neil
Port Blair → Havelock → Neil
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Best for: Beach + culture travellers
Goa in 7 days: both Goas, done honestly
North Goa → Old Goa → Palolem
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Other ways to travel
- Mountains & nature Peaks, parks, deserts and the long views.
- Culture & history Old cities, great museums, food worth travelling for.
- Couples & honeymoon Slower days, better dinners, a view worth the detour.
- Family travel Short hops, real breaks, nothing that needs queueing for an hour.
- Multi-country Several countries, one trip — and one set of paperwork.
- Budget-friendly Great trips under $100 a day.