Get off the beaten path
17 reasons why coming home is great
Backpack not required: exploring in style
Secret squats, daytime raves and crazy locals – discover the hidden Berlin
Fancy partying in a bombed-out train depot? Or getting messy with the local street artists? How about getting to know the local crazies a bit better? Then pop along to one of these free city tours, run by local lovers of Berlin, who will give you a unique and personal tour of the wonderful German city – but not the usual tourists sights – there are no big walls, shiny gates or boring museums here. The tours focus on the music, art, shops, skate parks abandoned areas and party spots that only the locals know about.
Get to know the real Turkey in Patara
Set in the foothills of the imposing, thickly forested Taurus mountains, Patara is a small, friendly village, untouched by mass tourism and a place where time stands still. Its unspoilt 18 kilometre sandy beach has won awards for its beauty, and the crumbling ancient city it lies next to tells a story 2,000 years old.
Hiking in Amalfi, Italy
The Amalfi Coast in Italy is an idyllic area and popular with the rich and famous. As such, even a short trip there requires a remortgage on your house – but you don’t need to be Tom Cruise or Oprah to be able to enjoy the region. If you venture further afield (which most people don’t – walking isn’t good for the Jimmy Choos) you’ll come across tiny villages hewn out of craggy cliffs that drop into the clear, turquoise sea, with views that cannot be rivalled and locals who don’t speak English. Bliss.
16 ways to get off the tourist trail
Tamarama Beach, best beach in Sydney
Like London with a beach, it can be difficult to get a square inch of space to yourself in Sydney, but while Bondi Beach is stuffed fulls of locals and tourists, there is a beach just around the corner that no one seems to realise is there…
Back to nature in Cairns, Australia
Cairns, North Queensland, doesn’t have to be a blur of alcohol and muddy beaches, you just have to look a little further afield.
Koh Yao Noi – Thailand’s hidden isle
This small island just an hour away from Phuket offers a rare taste of the real Thailand, with perfect beaches, cheap food, abundant wildlife, lots of peace and quiet – and no other tourists.