20 Best travel experiences in 2024

Cicchetti are Venetian tapas, traditionally served in a bacaro (wine bar), and often eaten by the Venetians before lunch or dinner. Take a cicchetti tour – guided or independent –  and sample these weird and wonderful dishes.

This ancient Mayan purification ceremony is designed to cause intense physical, emotional and mental release – and a transformative feeling of rebirth by cleansing and reuniting the physical, mental and spiritual forms. The ceremony, led by a shaman, takes place in a small, circular ‘steam house’, made of rocks and mud.

Portugal’s only current tourist train, the ‘El Presidente’ uses 19th-century historic vehicles of exceptional quality to transport passengers through the Douro Valley for a gastronomic lunch and port and wine tasting at a family-owned private lodge.

Swim (cage-free) with American crocodiles in glassy-clear water in a pristine biosphere reserve on these 3-day adventures. Crocs aside, this wreck-scattered atoll on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera teems with sea life – so superb diving and snorkelling too.

One of the world’s great hot-air balloon flights, over a moonscape-esque landscape of arches, caverns, striking spires and eye-popping, giant protuberances resembling gigantic mushrooms.

Learn about these extraordinary tubers – the most highly prized of Tuscany’s rich food harvest – on an expert-led truffle hunt in traditional Tuscan countryside. Hunts are often combined with truffle-based lunches or cooking lessons with truffles.

The ‘World’s Most Dangerous Walkway’ is this vertiginous walkway, pinned 100m above ground to the walls of the narrow gorge in Malaga’s mountains. The 1.5 km-long boardwalk hike promises thrills, chills and hopefully no spills.

A once-in-a-lifetime experience: the chance to travel down inside the dormant Thrihnukagigur volcano, the only place in the world where it’s possible to do so. Tours last 4-5 hours, and see visitors descend by lift into the massive, hollow cone.

The 7.5-km trail takes you from the ghost village of Aradena, along very old, cobbled mule tracks (called kalderimia), criss-crossing the riverbed and climbing up and down the sheer cliffs. The route ends at the pebble cove of Marmara, home to a fantastic authentic Greek taverna where you can lunch overlooking the beach.

The world’s only natural sand bath sees participants buried up to their neck in the black sands of Ibusuki Beach for 15 minutes. Naturally occurring, geothermally-heated spring water flows under the beach, infusing the sand with 55°C steam. Benefits include improved blood circulation, elimination of toxins, reduced respiratory problems and relief from rheumatism.

Japan oozes tradition and there’s no better way to immerse yourself in it than a night at a ryokan, a traditional inn, in Kyoto. Stays often include a 12-course kaiseki-ryori dinner. You can also sign up for a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, and you may spot a geisha or two.

Built in 1746, this stunning marble palace (and famous Octopussy cult hideout) was the winter palace of Maharana Jagat Singh II of the royal dynasty of Mewar. Mesmerising from the outside, inside it houses a peacock-filled central garden, with fountains, pillared terraces and shady courtyards. It’s now a five star hotel, under the Taj Hotels brand. If that’s too far, why not stay in one of these other 14 great palaces?

For an unforgettable dinner in the desert under a carpet of a billion twinkling stars – that includes a fascinating lesson in astronomy – head for the ‘Sounds of Silence’ experience at Australia’s Uluru. While you’re there, walk around this magnificent, enigmatic ochre monolith (or fly over it by helicopter), try some ‘bush tucker’ and stay the night in a luxury tent at the incredible Longitude 131.