Japan: The cherry blossom is in full bloom in most of Japan. Japan holidays are an intriguing combination of calm, cool and just a little bit bonkers, all against a picture-book backdrop of mountains, volcano lakes and coastal expanses. The rituals the locals observe today are what underpin one of the world’s best-maintained cultures, and you can truly lose yourself in everyday life. Speedy trains and insane efficiency make travelling out to hikes and islands easy too.
Andalucía: The aromatic orange blossom is out in Andalucía. Andalucía has been imprinted with Arab influence over five centuries of Moorish rule, which once made it Europe’s centre of learning. Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians and Byzantines left even earlier cultural marks, whilst atmospheric ancient ports like Cadiz drew influences from the Americas, and arid Almeria stood in for a filmic Wild West. It may be part of Spain, but Andalucía holidays reveal a region revelling in a world very much its own.
Greece: Greece has great weather for cycling, hiking or water-based activities, and you’ll avoid the summer crowds. Greece exists between its wonderfully diverse physical reality and a lovingly imagined vision conjured from multiple sources: ancient classics, timeless novels and old movies, from Never On A Sunday to Shirley Valentine. Choose from undiscovered islands like Syros or Amorgos, the mountains of Meteora or the gorges of Crete, mainland national parks like Parnassos or the marine sanctuary of Alonissos.
India and Nepal: This is peak season for tiger safaris in India and Nepal. The climate may be unpleasantly hot, but this is the key – as the tigers have to come out in search of water. Tiger safari holidays can touch the psyche in multi-dimensional ways – discovering something precious you feared was lost, being transported back to your childhood dreams, witnessing poetry in motion or, for some, simply a deeply spiritual moment.
