Destinations

Walk barefoot across the sand of a bay with nothing but turquoise water in front of you. Sit in a village in the evening, where island life carries on long after the resorts have shut for the night. Or walk Havana’s colonial streets, where the history meets you on every façade. Barbados and Cuba are the start, more islands are on the way — with the beaches, how to reach them and what waits beyond the resorts.

Germany is the one destination here I can show you from the inside — I live in Munich. From there it is an hour to the Bavarian Alps, a few more to Berlin, Cologne or the Baltic coast. Distances are short and the trains are quick, so you can cover a lot without rushing. These are the places worth two or three days each, not a line on a checklist.

Set off and leave the border behind you. London to begin with, then Cornwall with St Ives, Penzance and Tintagel Castle in the picturesque southwest. Or a road trip through Ireland, or right across Scotland — on coastal roads that tempt you to stop every ten minutes. Here are the routes, the stops, and an honest answer to how long it all really takes.

Walk through ancient Rome in the morning, before the heat arrives. Stand on a Dolomite pass in South Tyrol, or sit by Lake Garda in the evening. Or look out over the Bay of Naples from Vesuvius before heading down to the Amalfi Coast. Whatever you are after, you will find the route, the stages and an honest answer to how much time to set aside.

Your first trip to Japan raises more questions than any guidebook answers. How do you get a Suica card onto your phone? Is the Japan Rail Pass still worth it? And where does your suitcase go when a whole day in Tokyo sits between check-out and your Shinkansen? You will find the answers here — worked out on the ground, not copied from somewhere else. Plus the onsen, the day trips and the food worth a detour.

Do you want the sea, the mountains or a city? Spain gives you all three. The beaches and coves of the Balearics and the Canaries, if the sea is what you are after. The interior with Andalusia’s white villages, Moorish architecture and the mountains behind them, if you are taking a rental car. Or Madrid, Barcelona and Seville for a few days of city. For each one you will find how to get there and the details that save the day.

Drive the bridges from the Everglades all the way down to Key West — swamp on one side, ocean on the other, alligators included. Or stand on Broadway in the evening and let New York go past you. Whichever you pick, you will find the route, the stops and what to know before you set off.