Top Trips for Getting Off the Beaten Track

While the rest of the world plans busy city breaks to Barcelona and Berlin, you’ll find a smaller crowd in Georgia’s rural heartland. Allow your hiking boots to conquer the Caucasus Mountains and your palate to revel in one of the oldest wine-making cultures on earth. Even in the capital city of Tbilisi, visits to the Old Quarter and farmers’ market will feel like you’ve stepped back in time – and far from the typical tourist track.

It doesn’t get more far-flung than the Galápagos. Off the distant Pacific coast of Ecuador, you’ll hop a yacht and wander the waters of this animal kingdom, keeping your eyes peeled for the spectacular species found nowhere else on Earth. You’ll have ample time to mingle with the locals, with days spent snorkelling with sea lions, penguins and marine iguanas, and hours shooting the breeze with giant Galápagos tortoises, who’ll teach you a thing or two about slow travel.

When you’re traversing the seemingly endless rocky, dusty expanse of Wadi Rum in Jordan, it feels like you’re the first person on the planet to do so, at least until you stumble upon a luxury desert camp. That’s exactly what you’ll do on our eight-day adventure in Hollywood’s favourite playground. On top of Wadi Rum, you’ll explore ancient Petra, dine on street food in Amman, snorkel in the Red Sea and float in the Dead Sea.