Featured Travel Destinations

San Jose (Costa Rica)

San José is the capital and largest city in Costa Rica. It has a total population of about 1.7 million inhabitants living in the metropolitan area, although the city itself is much smaller with around 400,000 people. It is located in the central part of the country in the Central Valley at an elevation of about 1,200 metres above sea level. San José is the administrative, political and economic centre of the country and functions as the main transportation hub of Costa Rica. The city was founded in the 18th century and became the capital in 1823. It has seen massive growth during the last decades and now is a sprawling urban area full of attractions for travellers. A visit to San José before travelling onwards to explore the great nature is highly recommended.

Read more in our guide to San Jose (Costa Rica)

Brussels

Brussels, Belgium's capital without doubt and capital of the European Union in the minds of many, is a popular destination of diplomats and business people. But don't let that lead you to believe there is nothing more to Brussels than a cluster of office blocks, because you would be mistaken. Brussels is a historic city with a beautiful city centre, impressive museums, 19th century palaces, fine cuisine and chocolates and some of the best beer in the world. And who wouldn't want to visit a city where one of it's main claims to fame is 'Manneken Pis', a tiny peeing statue with a wardrobe of some 725 outfits.

Read more in our guide to Brussels

Turkey

Mardin Mosque

© All Rights Reserved Ken Webb

With one foot in Asia and one foot (a smaller foot, granted) in Europe, Turkey emerges on the tourist map as a fascinating cultural mystery, with ancient cities and towns as frequent as freckles and a history that's as long as it is complicated. Istanbul's pronounced prominence in the ancient world made it and Turkey the center of numerous great civilizations. As it passed through Byzantine and Roman hands, it sported the names Byzantine and Constantinople, eventually adopting its current name under Ottoman rule. The city is the country's tourist center, but Turkey is certainly no one-hit wonder. Mount Ararat, the ancient Biblical towns of Ephesus and Antakya (Antioch), the fairy tale formations of Cappadocia and the cultured beach towns along the Mediterranean coast make up further ammo for the Turkish arsenal of touristy delights.

Read more in our guide to Turkey

Solomon Islands

Rain over Lughu Bay

© All Rights Reserved dadmin

Until a century back, Solomon Islanders were about as fond of foreigners as cats of dogs. Well-meaning missionaries had a habit of ending up dead, regularly in the stomachs of the islanders. Thankfully, fear of foreigners has subsided and Solomon Islanders are a lot more open and a lot less human-hungry. Granted, ancient traditions still persist, particularly in the form of taboo, so a certain amount of cultural sensitivity is required.

WWII played out in the Solomon Islands in a particularly bloody manner, as Guadalcanal was deemed strategic by both Japanese and Allied forces. WWII wreckages are common, both on land and submerged. This is the primary reason for the Solomon Islands' status as one of the best diving grounds in the world. But for those less aquatically-inclined, local culture and gorgeous scenery are sufficient incentive for enjoying a holiday here.

Read more in our guide to Solomon Islands

Bali

Bali is the western most island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. The island is located west of Java and east of Lombok. With a population of over 3 million with the vast majority of the island's population, 93.18%, being Hindu makes this place very different from the rest of Indonesia. Bali is one of the largest tourist destinations in Asia and the largest tourist spot in Indonesia.

Read more in our guide to Bali

Monaco

A hearty little pin-prick on France's Mediterranean coast, Monaco measures up to be less than 2 square kilometres. But, with its primary industry being tourism, this has proven to have hardly any effect on the hordes of tourists who charge to Monaco's beaches and cultured night life. Owing much of its fame to Monte Carlo's casino, Monaco is a place geared towards people with lots of cash to burn. Of course, if you're not one of those people, there's still a heck of a lot of fun to be had. The country enjoys prime summer weather year-round (it is estimated that only 65 days a year see poor weather), so settling down on the beach is the most obvious activity. Don't expect seclusion - Monaco is a place for those who like a crowd.

Monaco is surrounded by the country of France on three sides and on the fourth the Mediterranean Sea.

Read more in our guide to Monaco

Tilburg

Tilburg is the sixth largest city of the Netherlands, and behind Eindhoven the second largest in North Brabant. It used to be one of the big textile producing cities in the Netherlands, but with the disappearance of this kind of industry to cheap-labour countries, Tilburg needed to modernise its industries. The last couple of years a lot of work has been done to clean up the city center, and to modernise this area.

Read more in our guide to Tilburg

Berlin

Berlin, the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany, was first mentioned in the 13th century. It has been the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich, but was divided after World War II. East Berlin became the capital of the German Democratic Republic while West Berlin remained part of West Germany surrounded by the Berlin Wall. This lasted from 1961 until 9 november 1989, when the Berlin wall came down, and the communist regime was ousted. A year later Germany was reunited and Berlin once again was the nation’s capital.

Read more in our guide to Berlin

Fiji

They used to practice cannibalism and, more recently, they've been embroiled in bitter ethnic tension, but Fijians are a friendly people. Seriously. Missionary influence has seen the tide of popular opinion turn man-eating; and while the problems between the Indian and native Fijian communities are deep and far from being sorted out, they don't really tend to affect visitors.

Fiji is a fascinating destination. Fijians are Melanesians, but their islands were invaded by Polynesians from Samoa and Tonga. Upon European discovery, matters were complicated further, as the British turned it into a colony and brought in thousands of Indians to work on plantations. Fijian cuisine represents the diversity of modern Fiji's demographic makeup, with flavours from India and Europe mixed with the local dishes.

Read more in our guide to Fiji

Egypt

As ancient as it is mysterious, Egypt's wonders are many. Most obviously, the complex pyramid structures have long been Egypt's hallmark. Indeed, it is testament to their brilliance that today, in a time of such modernity, visitors still flock to Egypt to marvel at the pyramids and the Sphinx.

Egyptian tourism is abundantly blessed: beyond the remains of the ancient Egyptian civilization, visitors can also enjoy remnants of Greek and Roman influence on the land, as well as centuries-old Christian churches and equally impressive Islamic mosques. The Red Sea and its stunning coral formation have long been considered by divers as one of the world's best spots. And even if you're not all too keen on diving, the Egyptian underwater world may soon interest you: there have been hints of development making it possible to view the submerged palace of Cleopatra.

Read more in our guide to Egypt