Described by many people as one of the most beautiful places on earth. From art to food, from stunning and varied countryside Italy has so much to offer. This is the country that brought us Slow Food, devoted to the promotion of fresh products and fine traditional, cooking.

With 44 sites, Italy has more Unesco World Heritage sites than any other country on earth. Its great cities of art, like Rome, Venice and Florence, have been attracting visitors for centuries. Milan is up and coming creating one of Europe’s  biggest and most modern trade fairs and is planning a major residential development, the CityLife complex, in the heart of the city. Venice, the city of romance, is possibly the city that has, in appearance, changed least down the decades but it has recently opened a sleek new bridge over the Grand Canal.

Alongside Italy’s art treasures, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy in the countryside. You can ski in the Alps and hike the Dolomites. But as much as all of this, a trip to Italy is about lapping up the lifestyle. Taking a moment with a coffee and people watching is all you need on a bright sunny afternoon.

You just can’t escape the beauty in Peru between the desert and the lush expanse of the Amazon rainforest, it can’t help but surprise you. Peruvians honor gods both Christian and indigenous. Ancient ruins let you in on prehistoric secrets. There are stunning lakes to stare into, waves to surf, and cities to get lost in.

It’s a place continuously energized by fresh influences. In Peru, you can find yourself dancing to African music, admire impressive Catholic churches and be amazed indigenous textiles.

Meanwhile, prepare to send your vision into overdrive. Peru is home to snow-capped mountains, giant sand dunes, magestic volcanoes and rocky Pacific outcroppings inhabited by grumpy sea lions.

And let’s not forget the food, a bounty of sublime concoctions made freash and fast. You’ll need weeks to savor the vast selection of delicacies: from rare strains of potato to tasty guinea pig.

Peru will not let your taste buds down.

Laos is holds one of Southeast Asia’s most untouched landscape, intact cultures and lovely people on earth. It’s developing quickly but still has much of the tradition that has sadly disappeared elsewhere in the region. Village life is refreshingly simple and you could find yourself merging into the culture quite nicely. Then, of course, there is the historic royal city of Luang Prabang, where you will find plenty of things that will make you want to stay.

The forested mountains of Northern Laos, the gothic limestone karsts around the backpacker-haven Vang Vieng. The Lao wilderness is drawing travellers looking for nature. The adventourous souls out there will enjoy kayaking, rafting, rock-climbing and biking. It’s the community-based trekking that is most popular because it combines spectacular natural attractions with the chance to experience the ‘real Laos’ with a village homestay – while spending your money where it’s needed most.

There is a growing interest in Laos, but that just means there’s plenty of roads off Rte 13 where you can make your own trail.  It’s the same the world over the travelling here is the most important part of the process – the people you meet, pigs you share seats with, wrong turns you take and lào-láo you drink. Like most people after a while you will fall in love with it all.

Inspiration -

Cooking

Lao cooking courses are available in Luang Prabang and Vientiane.

Meditation

If you can speak Lao or Thai, or can arrange an interpreter, you may be able to study vipassana (insight meditation) at Wat Sok Pa Luang in Vientiane.

Living in the Philippines will always be an strong memory to me. The one memory that stands out to me is the kindness shown by the Filipino people. So get on a plane and share some lumpia with a local.

The second-largest archipelago in the world, with over 7000 tropical islands, the Philippines is one of the great treasures of Southeast Asia. Often overlooked by travellers because of its location on the ‘wrong’ side of the South China Sea, the Philippines rewards those who go the extra distance to reach it.

And because it’s off the beaten path, the Philippines is a great place to escape the hordes who descend on other parts of Southeast Asia. First and foremost, the Philippines is a place of natural wonders – a string of coral-fringed islands strewn across a vast expanse of the western Pacific. Below sea level, the Philippines boasts some of the world’s best diving and snorkelling, including wreck divingand swimming with the whale sharks off Donsol. Above sea level, it has a fantastic landscape with wonders enough to stagger even the most jaded traveller: the Chocolate Hills of Bohol, Banaue & the Rice Terraces and fascinating reminders of the islands’ history. And if you’re after palm-fringed, white-sand beaches, try Boracay.

Of course, any traveller who has been here will tell you that it’s the people and their culture that makes the Philippines unique. Long poised at the centre of Southeast Asian trade, colonised by a succession of world powers, the Philippines is a vivid tapestry that reflects its varied cultural inheritance. And despite the poverty that afflicts much of the nation, the Filipinos themselves are among the most ebullient and easygoing people anywhere. The Philippines truly qualifies as one of the last great frontiers in Southeast Asian travel. Cross whichever ocean you need to and see for yourself.

After years of war and isolation, Southeast Asia’s most pristine environment, intact cultures and quite possibly the most chilled-out people on earth mean destination Laos is fast earning cult status among travellers. It is developing quickly but still has much of the tradition that has sadly disappeared elsewhere in the region. Village life is refreshingly simple  it’s hard to believe this sort of languid riverfront life exists in a national capital. Then, of course, there is the historic royal city of Luang Prabang, where watching as hundreds of saffron-robed monks move silently among centuries-old monasteries is as romantic a scene as you’ll experience anywhere in Asia.

Away from the cities, there is so much more to see; the Plain of Jars in Xieng Khuang Province, the forested mountains of Northern Laos, the gothic limestone karsts around the backpacker-haven Vang Vieng and in the deep south, past the market town Pakse, is Si Phan Don, where the mighty Mekong spreads out and all the hammocks are taken.The Lao wilderness is drawing travellers looking for nature, adventure or both. Kayaking, rafting, rock-climbing and biking are all available, but it’s the community-based trekking that is most popular because it combines spectacular natural attractions with the chance to experience the ‘real Laos’ with a village homestay – while spending your money where it’s needed most.

There is undoubtedly a growing tourist trail in Laos. After all, half the fun of travelling here is in the travel itself – the people you meet, chickens you share seats with, wrong turns you take and lào-láo you drink with the smiling family at the end of the road less travelled.

YW Laos top five

1 Vieng Xai

Historic former Pathet Lao headquarters, housed in huge caverns in a hidden valley

2 Phu Khao Khuay Npa

Forested nature reserve with waterfalls and a herd of wild elephants Phonsavan

3 Phonsavan

Mysterious Indochina War relics Luang Prabang

4 Luang Prabang

World Heritage–listed former royal capital with 32 temples

5 Nam Ha Npa

Nature reserve specialising in cultural and environmental tourism

There’s a beauty about Cambodia that will take a hold and never let you go. Ascend to the realm of the gods at the mother of all temples, Angkor Wat, a spectacular fusion of symbolism, symmetry and spirituality. Visit Tuol Sleng and come face to face with the Khmer Rouge. Welcome to Cambodia a country where the future is waiting to be shaped.

Just as Angkor is more than its wat, so too is Cambodia more than its temples. The chaotic yet charismatic capital of Phnom Penh is a hub of political intrigue, economic vitality and intellectual debate. All too often overlooked by hit-and-run tourists ticking off Angkor on a regional tour, the revitalised city of Siem Reap is finally earning plaudits in its own right thanks to a gorgeous riverside location, a cultural renaissance, and a dining and drinking scene to rival the best in the region.

Tourism has brought many benefits to Cambodia: it provides opportunity and employment for a new generation of Khmers, has helped to spark a rebirth of the traditional arts, and has given the country a renewed sense of pride and optimism as it recovers from the dark decades of war and genocide. Cambodia is in a great position to benefit from the mistakes of other countries in the region and follow a sustainable road to tourism development. Can Cambodia be all things to all visitors? So far, so good, but a new era is about to begin and the beaches are the next battleground.

Simply superlative – this is Bolivia. It’s the hemisphere’s highest, most isolated and most rugged nation. It’s among the earth’s coldest, warmest, windiest and steamiest spots. It boasts among the driest, saltiest and swampiest natural landscapes in the world. Although the poorest country in South America (and boy do Bolivians get tired of hearing that), it’s also one of the richest in terms of natural resources. It’s also South America’s most indigenous country, with over 60% of the population claiming indigenous heritage, including Aymará, Quechua, Guaraní and over 30 other ethnic groups. Bolivia has it all.

This landlocked country boasts the soaring peaks of the Cordillera Real and the hallucinogenic salt flats of Uyuni, the steamy jungles of the Amazon Basin and wildlife-rich grasslands of the Southeast. Unparalleled beauty is also reflected in its vibrant indigenous cultures, colonial cities such as Sucre and Potosi, and whispers of ancient civilizations. Bolivia is now well and truly on travellers’ radars; there are even opportunities to teach yoga out there, to find out more click.

Bolivia’s social and political fronts have been in flux since the appointment of the country’s first indigenous president. Optimism is generally high, especially among the indigenous majority, although many changes are afoot. Protests, marches and demonstrations are a part of the country’s landscape. This is a truly extraordinary place.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Laura and Paul with a group of Cholitas

Just wait till you get to Argentina. Arriving in Buenos Aires is like jumping aboard a moving train. Outside the taxi window, a blurred mosaic of apartment blocks and haphazard architecture whizzes by as you shoot along the freeway toward the centre of town. Then the real city appears, the cafés, the purple jacaranda flowers draped over the sidewalks, stylish porteños (residents of BA) walking purposefully past the newspaper stands.

Wall mural in Buenos Aires

Get people free-associating on the word ‘Argentina,’ and it’s quickly apparent why the country has long held travelers in awe: tango, Patagonia, beef, soccer, Tierra del Fuego, passion, Mendoza wine country.

The crackling advance of the Perito Moreno Glacier in the south, Argentina’s natural attractions was a place that you will never forget. It’s the most amazing experience when you hear the first crash of a part of the ice falling into the water.

The view from our boat

The country beholds some of the Andes’ highest peaks. It’s home to massive ice fields in Patagonia, a vast, sweltering, thorn-riddled wilderness known as the Impenetrable, glacial lakes, deserts, Andean salt flats, a spectacular Lake District and more.

Travellers will also experience a country at a crossroads – an Argentina emerging from its worst economic crisis ever with a renewed, forward-looking sense of self. Cristina Kirchner, the country’s first elected female president, took office in 2007, following in the footsteps of her husband, Nestor Kirchner, who enjoyed higher approval ratings than any other president in recent years. There’s a palpable optimism in the air.

Travelers who dig beneath the tourist-office version of Argentina will find a beauty like no other. Argentina is in being reinvented. More than ever, Argentines have a lot to argue about. Spend any amount of time here, and you’ll find yourself wrapped up in the discussion too, hopefully with a couple of locals. It’s important to remember when travelling always take some time to out to sit, chat to the locals and have a hot cup of tea (mate in Argentina.)

Until next week,

Namastex