Feel like you need something to look forward to in 2021?
We have put together a hand-picked selection of incredible tours and experiences from around the world just for you from a 9-day Ladakh Mountains adventure trek to relaxing in the tranquil Coco Bodu Hithi resort in the Maldives.
1. Two-week road trip through Alabama in an RV
Cheaha State Park Alabama (c) Chris Granger
Explore the great outdoors and discover all that Alabama has to offer on a road trip in an RV.
Discover Lookout Mountain Parkway, America’s most colourful 100-mile scenic drive with waterfalls, canyons, scenic brow vistas, unique towns and villages and national parks along the way.
Then, head towards the high-tech Rocket City of Huntsville to visit the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and learn about its part in the race to the Moon.
How much: America As You Like It has a 14-night RV package with Cruise America to Alabama from £1,249 per person based on four people sharing, and from £1,840 per person based on two people sharing.
This includes return flights from Heathrow to Nashville with BA, one night at the Nashville Airport Inn and Suites on arrival and 13 nights C25 RV rental, including insurance, unlimited mileage, vehicle kit and personal kits. Quote "TTM 2020" when you book to get this deal.
2. 6-day Safari adventure in Botswana
Observing elephants in Chobe National Park, Botswana
You will get to see an incredible variety of wildlife during a 6-night trip to Botswana in southern Africa.
The tour, run by Jumbari Family Safaris, begins at Elephant Valley Lodge, where you will spend two nights. On day one you will go on a game drive through Chobe National Park, known for its large herds of elephants. The next day you'll get the chance to go on a boat cruise along Chobe River.
You will then make your way to the Okavanga Delta, which covers a whopping 15,000 square kilometres during the wet season when the floodwaters arrive.
You'll spend your last two days at the Moremi East Camp, and you'll have the chance to see lions, leopards and rhinos at Moremi Game Reserve.
How much: Jumbari is offering a special price of $1,906 for readers of The Travel Magazine, saving more than $1,000 per person. This also includes automatic upgrades to luxury tents for all three camps (subject to availability).
3. Madagascar: Lemurs, Baobabs & Beaches
Baby lemurs (c) Mathias Appel
Madagascar offers an utterly unique experience. Having separated from mainland Africa 165 million years ago it has a fascinating mix of wildlife found nowhere else on the planet.
This guided tour with Africa & Beyond takes you to the vibrant capital, Antananarivo, to Andasibe National Park to visit the lemurs, Kirindy and the other-worldly Avenue of the Baobabs (also known as “upside down trees”), before a relaxing beach stay on Nosy Be island.
How much: Prices start from £3,646 per person for 12 nights travelling in July 2021, and includes international flights and all transfers.
4. Northern Sicily: Islands and Volcanoes
The island of Lipari in Sicily
Global tour operator G Adventures aim is to shine a light on lesser-visited areas that are often overlooked by mainstream tourism. This newly launched tour in northern Sicily delivers that.
You will get to go hiking, swimming and kayaking to get the blood pumping as well as boat trips around erupting volcanoes and visits to tiny fishing villages.
Highlights include the opportunity to see the Aeolian Islands, where locals head for their little piece of paradise - this northern Sicily tour is a window into the local way of life and the natural beauty of this Italian island.
The trip also takes in popular spots such as Taormina and Mount Etna and includes visits to charming Celafù and historic Lipari, which are rarely visited by travellers.
How much: Prices start from £977 per person if you book before December 6th, and from £1,149 thereafter. First departures start in March 2021.
5. Stay the night in a "snow globe" in Swedish Lapland
Igloo in the Ice & Light Village
You will never have to worry about social distancing here. These "snow globe" cabins cabin in Swedish Lapland are contained inside a huge, heated bubble keeping you both cosy and safe.
The cosy relaxing bubble cabins in the Ice & Light Village can be found near the Arctic Circle on the banks of the beautiful Kalix River in Swedish Lapland. And as they are built with windows in the walls and roof you can great views of its perfect setting surrounded by Arctic nature and wilderness.
There are plenty of opportunities to try winter activities including snowshoeing, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.
How much: The cabins cost between SEK 1,690 (c.£150) and SEK 2,690 (c.£240) per night for two people sharing. The price includes breakfast inside the cabin. Winter activities can be booked at an additional cost.
6. Camino del Norte - San Sebastián to Oviedo
Camino del Norte
Often overshadowed by its more famous ramble, the Camino Frances, the Camino del Norte pilgrimage is stunning.
Stretching through the Basque and Asturias regions of Spain between San Sebastian and Oviedo you pass through famous towns and cities such as Gernika, Bilbao, Ribadesella and Santander with its palaces, cathedrals and beaches and famous for being where the old Spanish family had a holiday home.
In Oviedo, you can pick up a glass of their famous hard cider poured from nearly two feet above your glass.
Fuel up with delicious pintxos (the region’s version of tapas) along the way and soak up the culture in Bilbao - home to the Guggenheim Museum.
Of course, the adventure doesn’t have to stop there. If you have time for a longer getaway the trail continues all the way to the heart of Galicia - Santiago de Compostela.
Each day is different, with manageable walking distances and plenty of breaks. This holiday is suitable for all fitness levels and can be tailored to your personal needs.
How much: The trip costs from €2,320/person (two sharing) with One Foot Abroad including 23 nights’ B&B in comfortable hotels and guesthouses, luggage transfers, 24/7 customer support, maps and holiday packs.
7. India: Ladakh Mountains Adventure
Ladakh: the "Land of the High Passes" (c) YellowWood Adventures
The Ladakh region, known as “Little Tibet”, is one of the most remote areas of India, lying to the north of the Himalaya on the Tibetan Plateau.
On this incredible trip with YellowWood Adventures, you will visit many of the Tibetan monasteries, palaces and local people’s homes in the region.
Ladakh is far removed from the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan and is a fantastic opportunity to experience the area and its peaceful way of life beneath the snow-capped mountains.
Beginning the tour in Leh, you will visit several centuries-old functioning monasteries and the monks, before setting out on the trek from Ridzong.
It is a short and easy route that seldom goes over 4000m altitudes. You will pass through many medieval villages on the way, experiencing their temples, libraries and the unchanged lifestyle of the locals in their fields and homes.
This high mountain region has remained isolated for centuries to the outside world due to its inaccessibility. From high altitude lakes, you will head down into remote valleys dotted with lush meadows and spectacular ochre-coloured rocky landscape that changes its mood along with the light.
How much: Prices start from £1,450 per person, departing July 31st – August 8th 2021 (9 days).
8. Spend a week in Lanzarote - Canary Island
Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote
When Lanzarote offers so much more than just sun, sea and sands, why not turn your holiday up a notch? Tour amongst 32 volcanoes and moon-like landscapes, from the Green Lagoon to the rolling vineyards of La Geria and everything in between.
Red lava fields, green caves and orange-tinged sands… it’s easy to take in the beauty of Lanzarote with a visit to Timanfaya National Park.
Covering an impressive quarter of the island and boasting a jaw-dropping landscape defined by years and years of volcanic activity, Timanfaya is more than worth the hike. From challenging walking tours to fun camel rides, you can take on this huge terrain any way you like for an experience to remember.
For this otherworldly experience, you’ll need a holiday package to match.
How much: Make your base in Lanzarote with loveholidays from just £172 per person. Price includes a 7-night hotel stay plus return flights and ATOL protection.
9. 10-Day Uganda Ultimate Primate Safari
Chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda (c) Kagera Safaris
Uganda is home to about 20 primate species that enjoy the habitats of rain forests, savannahs and mountainous areas.
On this 10-day trip in Uganda with Kagera Safaris, you will have the opportunity to experience chimpanzee trekking in Kibale national park and gorilla trekking in either Bwindi impenetrable national park or Mgahinga gorilla national park.
Observe big mammals while on a game drive in Queen Elizabeth national park and Lake Mburo national park, and take part in a boat safari on the Kazinga Channel connecting Lake George and Lake Edward.
In Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth national park, you might be lucky and watch the spectacular tree climbing lions. All this will be topped off with the beautiful landscape of Uganda and the friendly people who live there.
How much: prices start from $3,800 per person based on two sharing. Included in the price are all the tour highlights, full board accommodation, airport transfers and necessary permits.
10. Luxurious week-long stay in the Maldives at Coco Bodu Hithi
Coco Residence at the Coco Bodu Hithi Resort
It only takes 15 minutes to walk the length of the tiny but lush Coco Bodu Hithi resort island in the North Male Atoll in the Maldives. Part of the Coco collection and owned by four locally-based brothers, the resort is just 18 miles from the capital, Malé, by speed boat.
It’s a totally tropical approach; met by gorgeous white sands dotted with palm trees followed by a walk along a pathway that takes you into the dense canopy of the forest.
Wherever you are at Coco Bodu Hithi you are never far away from the view of the water; imagine running on a treadmill inside a gym that’s suspended over the ocean.
The hotel has top-notch sustainability credentials with a regime of monthly coastal clearups ensuring a plastic-free zone and a clean environment.
How much: Pprices start at £2,649 (saving 50%) per person for 7 nights based on 2 adults sharing with tropicalsky.co.uk. Price includes flights from London Heathrow via Dubai on a Half Board basis staying in an Escape Water Villa (free upgrade from Water Villa). This deal is available until December 20th for stays taking place from now until October 31st 2021.
11. Two-week cultural journey through Peru
The Moche complex of El Brujo
Next year will see Peru celebrate 200 years since it declared independence from Spanish rule, and there’s no better time to visit according to Latin America operator Pura Aventura.
Take part in the Pacific & Andes: A Cultural Journey Through Peru holiday that explores the country’s fascinating past.
The adventure begins in the Sacred Valley with time to absorb the way of life here. Meet Emma and her three daughters who warmly welcome guests into their home for dinner, and Nilda who displays immense pride in showcasing her weaving co-operative. There are also encounters with market traders and shepherds.
Among the Incan ruins that feature here is the mighty hilltop citadel of Pisac, and the fortress of Pumamarca, where guests are likely to have the site to themselves. The finale is a stay on the lesser-visited north coast to sample the freshest ceviche and to discover the pre-Incan ruins of Chan Chan, the world’s largest adobe city, as well as the Moche pyramids and the archaeological site of El Brujo.
How much: Pura Aventura offers a 13-night Pacific & Andes trip from £4,950pp sharing, including B&B accommodation, some meals, all internal travel and some guiding.
12. High Paths of Northern Portugal
The beauty of northern Portugal
The views are so big and panoramic on this new self-guided walking holiday to Portugal that they are bound to stop walkers in their tracks. The route spans the country’s only National Park, Peneda-Gerês NP in the remote north which will be marking its 50th anniversary in May 2021.
It is a wild, mountainous landscape, carved and created by ice but which today is all about water, with cascading rivers, wide lagoons and waterfall pools for wild swimming. While walkers may not see another soul, there are wild horses, cachena cattle, myriad flowers, butterflies and beautiful insects galore, even the Iberian wolf.
Over 7 nights, stay in six very different places: from a charming village house to a 12th-century monastery through to a smart spa hotel. This is surely Portugal’s best walking with wow features in every "leg" and, combined with Portugal offering some of the best value in Western Europe, this new journey by foot is certainly tipped to be a popular choice for keen walkers.
How much: Inntravel offers a week’s walking along the High Paths of Portugal from £830pp sharing, including 7 nights’ B&B, 4 dinners, 5 picnics, luggage transfers, route notes and maps. Available April 1st to July 14th and August 20th to October 31st 2021.