Short Trips Worth Taking in 2024

If you love dramatic landscapes, you’ll love the contrast between black volcanic beaches, white-peaked mountains and vertiginous waterfalls on this five-day getaway to Iceland. Scooting through the frozen wilderness on a snowmobile, soaking in a natural hot spring, and keeping an eye out for the Northern Lights are just a few of the highlights. Get a true taste of Iceland by breaking geothermally baked bread and downing shots of brennivín with your new-found friends and Local Insider guide. A private trip around the Golden Circle – southern Iceland’s hat-trick of scenic sights – will be the icing on the cake.

Looking for a culturally invigorating city break? Look no further than our five-day trip in Mexico City. Expect a whirlwind of colourful experiences, from the fabulous floating gardens of Xochimilco to the fresh food markets of Mercado de San Juan and Mercado de la Artesanías Ciudadela. You’ll get your fair share of history on a locally led tour of the city, and go way back in time at the Aztec pyramids of Teotihuacán, but you’ll also get a taste for contemporary Mexico by watching a lucha libre wrestling match and devouring the best tacos you’ve ever had.

There aren’t many places on Earth that, in just five days, allow you to explore an incredible major city, hike high in a huge mountain range and spend the night gazing at stars in the desert, but Morocco is not any old country. Our trip starts in the chaotic streets of Marrakech, as our Local Insider guides you down narrow alleyways and the vibrant market stalls of the Old Medina. After getting a taste of the city, and Moroccan cuisine, we’ll head out into the nearby Atlas Mountains and stay in a rural Berber village. Lunch with locals and hike past epic gorges as you take in the serenity of mountain life, before heading down to the Agafay Desert, for a sunset camel ride and traditional desert dinner around the campfire.