The Itinerary Multi-country
Routes that cross a border partway through: separate entry rules to read, but a single run of nights rather than two holidays stitched together.
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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: Four cities, one visa, no hire car and no internal flights
France and Italy in 12 days: Paris, the Riviera, Florence and Rome
Paris → Nice → Florence → Rome
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Best for: Two separate chances at the aurora, from two countries, in one trip
Iceland and Norway in 10 days: the south coast, and the lights from Tromsø
Reykjavík → the Golden Circle → Vík → Jökulsárlón → Oslo → Tromsø
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Best for: The two subcontinental classics in one trip, at a pace that survives both
India and Sri Lanka in 12 days: the Golden Triangle, then the hill country
Delhi → Agra → Jaipur → Sigiriya → Kandy → Ella → Galle
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Best for: Lakes then mountains, entirely by train, on one Schengen visa
Italy and Switzerland in 10 days: Milan, Lake Como, Zermatt and Lucerne
Milan → Lake Como → Zermatt → Lucerne
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Best for: Two of Asia's best food countries, three hours apart, at half the cost people expect
Japan and Taiwan in 12 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Taipei and Taroko
Tokyo → Kyoto → Taipei → Hualien → Taipei
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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: Two ruined capitals and one living one, in the order that makes sense
Thailand and Cambodia in 12 days: Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Angkor and Phnom Penh
Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Siem Reap → Phnom Penh
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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 of Southeast Asia's best countries without the Cambodia detour everyone else makes
Thailand and Vietnam in 14 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Ha Long and Hoi An
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An
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Best for: Two empires and one skyline, on a four-hour flight
Istanbul, Cappadocia and Dubai in 9 days
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Dubai
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Best for: The newest skyline in the world and the oldest monuments in it, three hours apart
Dubai and Egypt in 9 days: the skyline, the pyramids and a Nile cruise
Dubai → Cairo → Luxor → Edfu → Kom Ombo → Aswan
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Best for: The shortest two-country trip in Europe, and the one most people get slightly wrong
London and Paris in 7 days: two capitals, one train
London → Windsor → Paris → Versailles
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Best for: Mountains first, then the Silk Road, on one flight and two fast trains
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in 10 days: Almaty, Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara
Almaty → Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara
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Best for: Three great cities, two long bus rides and a fortnight on about fifty-five euros a day
Eastern Europe on a budget in 14 days: Prague, Kraków and Budapest
Prague → Kraków → Budapest
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Best for: The falls from both banks, which are two completely different sights
Argentina and Brazil in 13 days: Buenos Aires, Iguazú from both sides, and Rio
Buenos Aires → Iguazú → Foz do Iguaçu → Rio de Janeiro → Paraty
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Best for: Orangutans from both sides of one island, and the difference between them
Borneo in 12 days: Sepilok, the Kinabatangan, Danum and Tanjung Puting
Kota Kinabalu → Sepilok → the Kinabatangan → Danum Valley → Pangkalan Bun → Tanjung Puting
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Best for: Two islands, three countries, one trip, and a ferry in the middle
Britain and Ireland in 14 days: London, the Highlands, the Causeway and the Wild Atlantic Way
London → Bath → Edinburgh → the Highlands → Skye → Belfast → the Causeway → Dublin → Galway
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Best for: A thirty-hour train from one of the world's densest cities to one of its emptiest countries
China and Mongolia in 14 days: Beijing, the Trans-Mongolian and the Gobi
Beijing → the Great Wall → Trans-Mongolian railway → Ulaanbaatar → Terelj → the Gobi
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Best for: The driest desert on earth, crossed into the largest salt flat
Chile and Bolivia in 11 days: the Atacama, the lagoon route and Uyuni
Santiago → San Pedro de Atacama → the Eduardo Avaroa lagoons → Uyuni → La Paz
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Best for: Cloud forest and volcanoes, then the canal and an autonomous archipelago
Costa Rica and Panama in 12 days: Arenal, Monteverde, Boquete and the Canal
San José → Arenal → Monteverde → Manuel Antonio → Boquete → Panama City → San Blas
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Best for: Two countries, four hundred years of North America, and a waterfall in the middle
Eastern USA and Canada in 13 days: New York, Niagara, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec
New York → Boston → Niagara Falls → Toronto → Ottawa → Montreal → Quebec City
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Best for: The two things everyone wants from South America, in one trip
Ecuador and Peru in 14 days: the Galápagos, Quito and Machu Picchu
Quito → the Galápagos → Lima → Cusco → the Sacred Valley → Machu Picchu
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Best for: Churches cut downwards into rock, and the savanna an hour's flight south
Ethiopia and Kenya in 14 days: Lalibela, the Omo valley and the Masai Mara
Addis Ababa → Lalibela → the Omo valley → Addis → Nairobi → the Masai Mara → Amboseli
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Best for: The city and the mountains, joined by a three-hour train
France and Switzerland in 11 days: Paris, the Jungfrau and the Matterhorn
Paris → Annecy → Zermatt → Interlaken → Lucerne → Zurich
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Best for: Bavaria, the Tyrol and the Salzkammergut, ending in the city that ran an empire
Germany and Austria in 12 days: Munich, Neuschwanstein, the Tyrol, Salzburg and Vienna
Munich → Neuschwanstein → Innsbruck → Salzburg → Hallstatt → Vienna
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Best for: Three countries, the largest religious monument on earth, and a bay full of limestone
Indochina in 16 days: Bangkok, Angkor, Hoi An and Ha Long Bay
Bangkok → Siem Reap → Ho Chi Minh City → Hoi An → Hanoi → Ha Long Bay
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Best for: The two halves of the Holy Land, a Nabataean city cut into a cliff, and a desert you can sleep in
Israel and Jordan in 12 days: Jerusalem, Masada, the Dead Sea, Petra and Wadi Rum
Tel Aviv → Jerusalem → Masada → the Dead Sea → Madaba → Petra → Wadi Rum → Amman → Jerash
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Best for: The classical world in the order it actually happened
Italy and Greece in 14 days: Rome, Pompeii, Matera and the ferry to Meteora
Rome → Pompeii → Matera → Bari → ferry → Meteora → Delphi → Athens
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Best for: The three Lapplands in one winter, and four separate chances at the lights
Lapland in 10 days: Rovaniemi, the aurora, Tromsø and the Icehotel
Rovaniemi → Saariselkä → Tromsø → Abisko → Kiruna → Jukkasjärvi
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Best for: One civilisation, two continents, and fourteen kilometres of water between them
Morocco and Andalusia in 13 days: the Alhambra, the Mezquita, Fez and Marrakech
Seville → Córdoba → Granada → Tarifa → Tangier → Chefchaouen → Fez → Marrakech
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Best for: One civilisation, three modern borders, and a reef at the end of it
Mundo Maya in 14 days: Tikal, Copán and the Belize barrier reef
Antigua → Lake Atitlán → Copán → Tikal → San Ignacio → Caye Caulker
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Best for: Two Himalayan kingdoms that answered modernity in opposite ways
Nepal and Bhutan in 12 days: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Punakha and Tiger's Nest
Kathmandu → Pokhara → Paro → Thimphu → Punakha → Paro
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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: Two countries that have argued over one sea for three thousand years
Turkey and Greece in 14 days: Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and the Aegean islands
Istanbul → Cappadocia → Kuşadası → Samos → Santorini → Athens
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Best for: One mountain range, one road, two park systems and a border in the middle
USA and Canada in 12 days: Banff, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper and Glacier
Calgary → Banff → Lake Louise → the Icefields Parkway → Jasper → Waterton → Glacier
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Best for: The three countries the transatlantic slave trade ran through, and the religion that survived it
West Africa in 12 days: Ghana's forts, Togo's hills and the Vodun coast of Benin
Accra → Cape Coast → Kumasi → Lomé → Togoville → Ouidah → Ganvié → Abomey
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Best for: The two countries everyone combines, done in the order that actually works
Australia and New Zealand in 16 days: Sydney, Uluru, the Reef and the South Island
Sydney → Uluru → Cairns → Queenstown → Milford Sound → Mount Cook → Christchurch
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Best for: Three countries in one hire car, and the only coast in Europe with a fjord in it
The Balkans in 12 days: Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro by road
Zagreb → Plitvice → Split → Mostar → Sarajevo → Kotor → Dubrovnik
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Best for: Three countries in nine days, and no journey longer than three hours
Benelux in 9 days: Amsterdam, Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Luxembourg
Amsterdam → Delft → Bruges → Ghent → Brussels → Luxembourg
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Best for: Three countries, three alphabets, and one border you cannot cross
The Caucasus in 12 days: Baku, Tbilisi and Yerevan, with the closed border worked around
Baku → Sheki → Tbilisi → Kazbegi → Yerevan → Tatev
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Best for: The subcontinent's three great cities and then the mountains above them
India and Nepal in 13 days: the Golden Triangle, Varanasi and the Himalaya
Delhi → Agra → Jaipur → Varanasi → Kathmandu → Pokhara
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Best for: Two countries people assume are similar, which is the reason to do them together
Japan and South Korea in 14 days: Tokyo, Kyoto, Busan and Seoul
Tokyo → Kyoto → Osaka → Busan → Gyeongju → Seoul
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Best for: Two of the ancient world's great sites, and a river between them
Jordan and Egypt in 12 days: Petra, Wadi Rum, the Pyramids and the Nile
Amman → Jerash → Petra → Wadi Rum → Aqaba → Cairo → Luxor → Aswan
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Best for: Both halves of the same migration, then a week's worth of beach in three days
Kenya and Tanzania in 12 days: the Mara, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar
Nairobi → Masai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Zanzibar
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Best for: A glacier that calves while you watch it, and the two best trekking massifs in the Americas
Patagonia in 13 days: Perito Moreno, Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine
El Calafate → El Chaltén → Torres del Paine → Puerto Natales → Punta Arenas
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Best for: The two great Andean sights, joined by the highest navigable lake in the world
Peru and Bolivia in 13 days: Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and the Uyuni salt flat
Lima → Cusco → Sacred Valley → Machu Picchu → Puno → La Paz → Uyuni
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Best for: Two gorilla treks in two countries, and the price difference that explains the route
Rwanda and Uganda in 10 days: gorillas twice, chimpanzees and the Rift Valley
Kigali → Volcanoes → Lake Bunyonyi → Bwindi → Queen Elizabeth → Entebbe
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Best for: Three capitals and the best railway journey in Europe, with no flights needed
Scandinavia in 12 days: Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and the Norway fjords by train
Copenhagen → Stockholm → Oslo → Flåm → Bergen
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Best for: Three blue-tiled cities and then the high pastures the caravans crossed to reach them
The Silk Road in 13 days: Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and the Kyrgyz jailoo
Tashkent → Samarkand → Bukhara → Khiva → Osh → Song-Köl → Bishkek
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Best for: The self-drive circuit, which is a different trip from a fly-in camp
Southern Africa in 18 days: Cape Town, Sossusvlei, Etosha and the Okavango by road
Cape Town → the Garden Route → Fish River Canyon → Sossusvlei → Swakopmund → Etosha → the Okavango → Chobe
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Best for: Five cities, four high-speed trains and one short flight
Spain and Portugal in 12 days: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and Porto
Barcelona → Madrid → Seville → Lisbon → Porto
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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: Two days drifting down the Mekong, with a border crossing you do by boat
Thailand and Laos in 11 days: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and the Mekong slow boat to Luang Prabang
Bangkok → Chiang Mai → Chiang Rai → Huay Xai → Mekong slow boat → Luang Prabang
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Best for: The Gulf's two opposite answers to the same desert, a two-hour flight apart
UAE and Oman in 9 days: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and the Wahiba Sands
Dubai → Abu Dhabi → Muscat → Nizwa → Wahiba Sands → Muscat
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Best for: The classic Indochina run, with the temples at the end rather than the start
Vietnam and Cambodia in 12 days: Hanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Saigon and Angkor
Hanoi → Ha Long → Hoi An → Ho Chi Minh City → Siem Reap
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Best for: The waterfall from both banks, and the country that invented the walking safari
Zambia and Zimbabwe in 10 days: both sides of Victoria Falls, Hwange and South Luangwa
Livingstone → Victoria Falls → Chobe → Hwange → South Luangwa
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Best for: Old towns + value
The Baltics in 8 days: Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius
Tallinn → Riga → Vilnius → Trakai
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Best for: Three capitals, one visa
Central Europe in 10 days: Prague, Vienna and Budapest
Prague → Vienna → Budapest
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Best for: First-time Southeast Asia
Singapore and Malaysia in 10 days: two countries, one easy border
Singapore → Melaka → Kuala Lumpur → Penang
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Other ways to travel
- Beach escapes Sand, snorkelling and somewhere to do nothing.
- 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.
- Budget-friendly Great trips under $100 a day.