As you may have noticed, we’ve been running a mini-series called “Our Editors’ Favourite Destinations” these past few weeks. Today, this series comes to an end. If you were having a beer or a coffee with me and asked me about where to go on vacation, here are six options I’d suggest, depending on your time and budget for your next trip.
Table of contents
Puglia
It’s a shame that most people think about a trip to Italy as just having to visit Rome, Florence, and Venice. When I tell people to go to Puglia, they look at me like I’m speaking another language. Even though it’s a fairly popular region among Italians, it’s largely unknown to many foreigners. While having a car or scooter is ideal for exploring, it’s possible to get around using public transportation. A good itinerary could include visiting Alberobello and staying in one of its trulli (traditional houses in the area), exploring charming towns like Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Ostuni, and ending in Lecce to enjoy the city at night. Further south, beaches like Torre di Orso look like the Caribbean.
While technically part of Basilicata and not Puglia, a visit to the area isn’t complete without seeing the UNESCO World Heritage stone city of Matera, where the opening sequence of the latest James Bond movie was filmed.
Cape Town & Garden Route
Although I’ve only been to Cape Town three times, it’s possibly one of my favourite destinations in the world. I don’t know if it’s the meat, the wine, or escaping the European cold in winter, but whenever I think about returning to Cape Town, I can’t help but smile. While it’s not the safest city in the world, neither is Barcelona and if you stick to the right areas, you’ll be fine. If I had to leave next week, I know exactly what itinerary I’d follow:
I’d arrive in Cape Town and spend two or three nights exploring the surrounding areas. After that, I’d take a flight to Port Elizabeth and rent a car to return to Cape Town. I’d go at my own pace, starting with a visit to Addo National Park, then Jeffreys Bay, Tsitsikamma National Park, Mosselbaai (where you can sleep in a train hostel if you’re a train enthusiast), and finally ending in Stellenbosch, visiting some of the local wineries. If you’re on a work trip and have limited time for a safari, the Aquila Reserve on the outskirts of the city is a good option for a day trip.
Asian Disney Parks
Although I’ve never been to Disneyland in Anaheim, I’ve been to Tokyo Disneyland six times (my seventh trip is next month). Travelling to Disney parks in Asia is one of my favourite kinds of trips because, besides going to Disney, it gives me the chance to revisit three Asian cities and it costs less than what you’d spend going to Disneyland Paris with a travel agency package.
Tickets to the Asian parks are around 60 euros on average, and nearby accommodations offer better value for money than going to Orlando or Paris. I could easily recommend only Tokyo Disneyland, but I believe that a visit to Shanghai Disneyland is worth it, if only for their version of Pirates of the Caribbean. For lunch, I recommend going to the Cheesecake Factory, where the portions are American-sized. In my case, a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland is worth it just to ride Mystic Manor, and since last year, the Frozen area with its incredible theming is also a must-see.
Nevertheless, the crown jewel of the Asian parks is Tokyo Disneyland. If you only have one day during your trip to Japan, I recommend going to Tokyo DisneySea. For accommodation, I recommend looking for a hotel near Hatchobori Station so you can get to the parks directly with the Keio Line. When you come back from spending 12-14 hours at the park and arrive at your hotel in 15 minutes, you’ll thank me. And if you want to explore Tokyo, it’s a well-located area.
Cruises
Cruises may not be a destination in themselves, but they are one of my favourite ways to travel. And with a little flexibility, you can find amazing deals, especially with open-jaw cruises where you start in one destination and end in another. In June, for instance, I took a cruise from Mallorca to Rome on the Costa Pacifica, stopping in Valencia, Marseille, and Savona, paying €150 for four nights in a single cabin. When I arrived in Rome, I wanted to stay one night, but a bunk bed in a hostel was €60 per night, so I decided to fly home on the last flight from Fiumicino that day. For many destinations like the Caribbean or the Norwegian fjords, cruises are the unbeatable option. Many people will say that you don’t have the opportunity to explore like you would if you were staying overnight, but you can always come back if you like the port of call.
If you’ve never taken a cruise, both MSC and Costa Cruises usually have short cruises in April, May, October, and November during the seasonal changes. They are a good opportunity to see if you like it or not without spending thousands of euros.
New York City
I’m lucky enough to have a place to stay for free in New York, so I try to go at least once a year. My friends ask me why I keep going back, especially since I’ve been eight times already. Half-jokingly, I tell them I go for the coffee and the pizza.
Many travel bloggers try to convince you to buy a city pass to enjoy New York, but while there aren’t as many free things to do as there used to be, almost all the museums have free days. If you go in the summer, you can catch a Yankees game for US$5 (~€4) or a Brooklyn Nets game for US$20 (~€17), or you can use Broadwayforbrokepeople.com to find musicals for a fraction of the price.
If you have money, New York is a wonderful city to eat out, but you can also eat well without spending a fortune. That said, it might not be the best place in the world to find a Spanish omelette and Mahou beer, as I’ve seen some Spaniards do in Little Spain in Hudson Yards.
My recommendation is to combine it with another destination. For instance, you could buy an open-jaw ticket, flying into New York from Europe and then back to Europe from a Latin American destination. Flights from New York to Latin America are often cheaper than those coming from Latin America to New York.
Mexico City
Mexico City is a great place to spend a few days at the beginning or end of your trip to Mexico. Speaking Spanish might make me enjoy the city more because I speak the same language, but even if you don’t speak Spanish, it’s still a pleasant city for a few days. In fact, I’m going back in March for the third time in ten years.
Just like Cape Town, it’s not the safest city in the world, but with a bit of common sense, you shouldn’t have any problems. I think that without rushing, you can cover the basics in four days, including visiting the pyramids. Try to avoid the restaurants that are featured on Netflix shows and ask locals where to eat – e.g. instead of going to the Panadería Rosetta, where all the Instagrammers go, I recommend buying some sweets from the Pastelería Suiza in the same neighbourhood.
Honourable mentions
Penang, Malaysia: I’d go back to Georgetown every year just for the food and to escape the winter.
Singapore: After spending a lot of time in Asia, you really appreciate going to the city-state and enjoying the “Switzerland of Asia” where everything runs smoothly.
Crete: Even though I’m from the Canary Islands, I almost prefer the Greek island for a summer vacation. It’s like if Gran Canaria and Mallorca had a child.
Melbourne: The Barcelona of the Southern Hemisphere and one of the cradles of speciality coffee. I still need to visit the Great Ocean Road with the Twelve Apostles.
Budapest: Whenever I’m on a trip through Eastern Central Europe, I like to spend a day or two in the Hungarian capital.
Georgia, the country, not the state: One of my favourite, not-so-typical countries. If you don’t like cheese, bread, and meat, don’t go.
Comment (1)
Great! Keep going, dear Carlos!