This was published 2 years ago
Best holiday tours for 2022 and beyond: The new bucket-list journeys
See fast-changing Baku in Azerbaijan, with its eye-popping architecture like the Heydar Aliyev Centre designed by Zaha Hadid.Credit: Alamy
There's much we've been denied in terms of travel over these last two years and among the aspects we've missed most are the moving moments. We refer, of course, to the thrill of hearing the sound of train wheels on a long distance rail track, the noise of rubber on a highway on an extended driving trip, the scrape of a solid walking boot on dirt on a multi-day walk.
Not all among us want to flop and drop. We've done quite enough of that on the living room sofa over the past few years. What many of us yearn for is a journey somewhere. A real journey.
But wait. There's some good news. Travel is winding back up again, with 2022 and beyond heralding a multitude of new journeys by car, coach, train, ship, bicycle and good old-fashioned shoe sole.
Here, then, is Traveller's choice of the next great journeys for your consideration and, ultimately, we hope, enjoyment.
THE JOURNEY: LAOS BY RAIL, LAOS
Credit: Alamy
THE LOWDOWN
Laos' first train line, which opened in late 2021, runs 416 kilometres between Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Boten and provides an eco-friendly alternative to tortuous bus rides. Inside Asia's 11-night cultural tour makes the most of the new railway and has a sustainable tourism focus.
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The trip includes a full day's tour of Vientiane and a half-day tour in Luang Prabang, World Heritage-listed for its Buddhist temples. A hands-on farming experience, dinner at a vocational training restaurant, a visit to an elephant sanctuary and exploration of Vang Vieng by bicycle or boat also feature.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required, entry to Laos only on pre-booked tours. From $3500 per person, daily departures year-round. See insideasiatours.com
THE JOURNEY: TREASURES OF THE INCAS TOUR, PERU
THE LOWDOWN
Luxury Gold's 12-day tour of Peru, round-trip from Lima, is anchored by keynote Machu Picchu but takes in other stunning Incan sites in the Sacred Valley, as well as Lake Titicaca and vibrant capital Lima.
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Pre-Hispanic and colonial Lima are covered, but the tour also delves into the capital's buzzing artistic and culinary scenes, including a meeting with noted contemporary artist Victor Delfin. The Sacred Valley's salt pans make for an unusual sight beyond regular ruins. A cruise on Lake Titicaca takes you to the floating reed houses of the indigenous people.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. From $8875 a person, departs April 15, May 6, May 13 and June10, 2022, luxurygold.com
THE JOURNEY: GOLDEN ALPINE TRAILS WALKING TOUR, JAPAN
THE LOWDOWN
Boutique Sydney-based tour company Riki's Tours takes you on hikes along four of central Japan's best alpine trails, including historic Nakasendo Road. The 15-day tour is timed for Japan's glorious autumn.
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The tour starts in Tokyo and finishes in Kyoto and includes temple and castle visits, meditation with monks and stays in historical inns. There are also visits to Matsumoto Castle and Kenroku-en, one of Japan's finest traditional gardens, plus two days among the highlights of Kyoto.
NEED TO KNOW
Japan is currently closed to international visitors but widely expected to reopen shortly. Cost $5930 a person, departs October 6, 2022. See rikistoursjapan.com.au
THE JOURNEY: GEORGIA, ARMENIA & AZERBAIJAN TOUR
. Credit: Alamy
THE LOWDOWN
Bunnik Tours' own Dennis Bunnik joins this new 22-day itinerary between Baku and Yerevan, which takes in the Caucasus, a region not well known to Australians but brimming with history and splendid scenery.
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From prehistoric rock engravings in Gobustan National Park to the World Heritage-listed Gelati Monastery and fast-changing Baku with its eye-popping architecture, this tour takes in millennia of history and culture, all set against green valleys and the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains. Local interaction is emphasised: take tea in a family home, create handicrafts with nuns, learn to make dumplings and listen to music by polyphonic singers.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. From $9495 a person, departs August 20, 2022. See bunniktours.com.au
THE JOURNEY: PATAGONIAN SHORES & CHILEAN FIORDS EXPEDITION CRUISE, CHILE AND ARGENTINA
THE LOWDOWN
Viking Polaris is part of Viking's all-new expedition-cruise venture. Sail from Valparaiso in Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina, and soak up the glacier-encrusted beauty of the mountainous southern tip of South America. Excursions by Zodiac with an expedition team immerse you in the landscapes.
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The fiords will have you glued to the deck and you'll be able to spot wildlife, hike on glaciers and kayak. Chiloé Island is World Heritage-listed for its wooden church architecture, while Punta Arenas has penguins and an interesting history as a former penal colony.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination and daily PCR tests required. From $15,995 a person, departs March 6 and October 28, 2023. See vikingcruises.com.au
THE JOURNEY: THE STORY OF AOTEAROA TOUR, NEW ZEALAND
Credit: Alamy
THE LOWDOWN
Arcadia Expeditions' first foray into New Zealand offers a 13-day exploration of history and Indigenous culture led by an archaeologist and a Maori guide to Northland, Auckland, Rotorua, Wanaka and Queenstown.
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Heli-walking in the wilderness, a full-day private cruise through the Bay of Islands, a Maori forest food trail and an exclusive evening opening of the sacred Waitangi Treaty Grounds are among the highlights. You'll also enjoy wine tasting in Otago and storytelling with a Maori author, stays at luxury lodges and two wilderness nights at Tipi Pioneers Camp.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required to enter New Zealand. Cost $28,450 a person, departs October 6, 2022, and March 26, 2023. See arcadiaexpeditions.com
THE JOURNEY: LA DOLCE VITA TRAIN, ITALY
THE LOWDOWN
Luxury train company Orient Express launches in Italy (and on international European routes) in 2023 with various itineraries across 14 regions. This exclusive train's style is a tribute to the 1960s, with five-star service and upmarket Italian cuisine and wines.
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The precise journeys have yet to be revealed but will operate across Italy, with immersive stops at cities of culture such as Milan, Florence and Venice. All will begin at Rome Termini station. Southern itineraries will take in destinations such as Naples, Pompeii and Sicily.
NEED TO KNOW
Italy requires proof of vaccination to enter public places. Fares are yet to be finalised but expect around $3000 a person per night with departures from 2023. Even at these giddy prices this new train is sure to be popular. See orient-express.com
THE JOURNEY: CIRCLE TAIWAN TOUR, TAIWAN
THE LOWDOWN
Scenic's new 12-day tour by train and coach, round-trip from Taipei, is a great overview of Taiwan's chief destinations and some of its lesser-known pleasures with a good balance of country and urban experiences.
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Rugged, gorge-split Taroko National Park and Sun Moon Lake amid mountains and tea plantations provide scenic highlights, while Taipei, cultural Tainan and Kaohsiung offer buzzing urban sights, night markets, temples and Buddha statues. The National Palace Museum holds the world's best collection of Chinese arts. Take a class in dumpling making, and learn about sutra-writing from monks.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. From $9890 a person, departing October 21, 2022, February 24 and March 24, 2023. See scenic.com.au
THE JOURNEY: RAINFOREST, REEF & RED CENTRE BY ROYAL JET, AUSTRALIA
THE LOWDOWN
Visit three contrasting Australian landscapes and stay at luxury lodges on this new and considerably stylish seven-day tour with Captain's Choice aboard the former official plane of the Dutch government.
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First stop is Uluru and then Far North Queensland with a choice of either Mount Mulligan for a stay on a cattle station and a spot of barramundi fishing or the Daintree rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. Then indulge in a finale in the Whitsundays for a cruise among the islands and a gourmet lunch on Whitehaven where white sands and sapphire seas meet.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. Cost $24,950 a person, departs August 18, 2022. See captainschoice.com.au
THE JOURNEY: GRAND JOURNEY CRUISE, ROME TO SYDNEY
THE LOWDOWN
Celebrity Cruises has linked three itineraries that provide a 40-day cruise between Rome and Sydney. You sail board Celebrity Edge, one of the world's most advanced cruise ships, and a destination in itself.
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Sicily, Athens, the Suez Canal and Petra in Jordan are contrasted with the ultra-modernity of Dubai and Abu Dhabi – and that's just for openers. Then it's onwards to Mumbai, the spice port of Cochin and Colombo before heading to Southeast Asia. Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach and the Great Barrier Reef feature on the Australian leg of the itinerary.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination and pre-boarding PCR test required. Magic Suite from $22,499 a person, departs October 30, 2023. See celebritycruises.com/au
THE JOURNEY: EXPLORING BIG SKY COUNTRY TOUR, MONTANA, US
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THE LOWDOWN
This 10-day Colette coach tour hits some of America's iconic landscapes in one of its most magnificently scenic states. Part of the journey follows in the footsteps of explorers Lewis and Clark.
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Both the Northern and Southern Loops of Yellowstone National Park, Mammoth Hot Springs, the Rocky Mountains and Glacier National Park are on the itinerary, along with a cruise on the Missouri River, white-water rafting on the Flathead River, and a drive in a 1930s coach along Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of America's most scenic tourist routes.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required to enter the US with mask-wearing encouraged. From $6949 a person with multiple departures July-Sept 2022. See gocollette.com
THE JOURNEY: TOP END KAKADU CYCLE, AUSTRALIA
THE LOWDOWN
World Expeditions' new five-day adventure in Kakadu and Litchfield national parks, round-trip from Darwin, is aimed at travellers looking for a physical challenge and to explore the sustainable way; the tour is fully carbon offset.
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A short ferry ride from Darwin and you're on your bike, swimming at Berri Springs and sunset cruising on Corroboree Billabong. Next day you're on northern Kakadu's floodplains admiring birds and rock art, then taking an indigenous tour along East Alligator River. Then leave lookouts and waterfalls behind and continue to Adelaide River and Litchfield National Park for a well-deserved soak in waterholes.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. Cost $2890 a person with multiple departures June to August, 2022. See australiancycletours.com.au
THE JOURNEY: COUNTRY ROADS OF THE DEEP SOUTH TOUR, US
THE LOWDOWN
This 12-day guided tour through Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana starts in Nashville and visits Memphis, Greenwood, Natchez and Lafayette, and concludes in New Orleans. Southern food, music and the civil rights movement are a big focus.
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Visits to a recording studio, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music and Graceland (former home of Elvis Presley) are among musical highlights. Other interesting cultural insights are provided on visits to a crawfish farm, tabasco factory, historical cotton plantation and Acadian Cultural Centre for a look at French-speaking Cajun society.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination (and booster when appropriate) required. From $6262 a person with monthly departures April to June and September 2022. See insightvacations.com
THE JOURNEY: CYCLE THE VICTORIAN HIGH COUNTRY, AUSTRALIA
THE LOWDOWN
This new four-day Intrepid tour takes you on a pedal from Beechworth to Bright along the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. Relatively short distances and flatness make this journey accessible to those of reasonable fitness.
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Explore gold-rush and Ned Kelly history in Beechworth and sample gins or beers at Billson's Brewery. A ghost tour of Beechworth Asylum is an optional add-on. Then cycle out – with a stop at a winery – to Myrtleford and onwards along the Ovens River through small farming communities overlooked by Mount Buffalo. From Bright, a final morning ride takes you through farmland to tiny Germantown.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. From $1065 a person with departures April-May and August-December, 2022. See intrepidtravel.com
THE JOURNEY: GULF SAVANNAH DISCOVERY BY FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE, AUSTRALIA
THE LOWDOWN
This eight-day Travelmarvel adventure takes you return from Cairns to the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland following the dirt-road Savannah Way across grassland, cattle stations and rust-red outback with travel on a custom-designed four-wheel drive vehicle.
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Take in the Atherton Tablelands, wallow in Talaroo Hot Springs and savour both a sunset and nature cruise on the Gulf of Carpentaria, where you can spot crocodiles. Cobbold Gorge may prove the scenic highlight although the Undara Lava Tubes are one of Australia's unsung wonders. In Normanton, you'll travel on a 1931 rail motor car to inspect other vintage locomotives and carriages.
NEED TO KNOW
Vaccination required. From $3995 a person, departures May to September 2022. See travelmarvel.com.au
FIVE AMAZING DO-IT-YOURSELF JOURNEYS
E-GRAND TOUR, SWITZERLAND
The world's first road trip for electric vehicles, with a dense network of charging stations, extends more than 1600 kilometres and connects Alps with culture-dense cities. Few countries combine such ease of driving with spectacular scenery. Zurich or Geneva are the best starting points, April to October the best time. See myswitzerland.com
PAPAROA TRACK, NEW ZEALAND
Opened just before the advent of the pandemic and the first new Great Walks trail of New Zealand for 25 years, the Paparoa Track is a 55-kilometre one-way track for hikers and mountain bikers with two overnight huts along the way. It features river gorges, rainforest and coastal scenery north of Greymouth on South Island. See doc.govt.nz
BALTIC SEA CYCLE ROUTE, DENMARK
This 810-kilometre route connects the countryside, islands, historic towns and castles of this mostly flat country, divided into 14 sections for those not up for the whole hog. Cycle-mad Denmark has another 4000 kilometres of national cycle routes, and this year the Tour de France begins in Copenhagen. See visitdenmark.com
TRANS-CAUCASIAN TRAIL, ARMENIA
One of the world's newest tourism hotspots is about to see the completion of a world-class, 1500-kilometre hiking trail between the Black and Caspian seas through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with many multi-day sections already operating in Armenia. Parts are magnificently remote and wild. See transcaucasiantrail.org
NORTH COAST FLAVOUR TRAIL, NSW
Much closer to home, this food-focused itinerary allows you to drive at your own pace along the NSW coast between Newcastle and the Queensland border. Farm gates, oyster producers, restaurants, distilleries, breweries and local food tours all feature, enlivened by the new North Coast Festival of Flavour from March 26-27, 2022. See visitnsw.com
FIVE EVERGREEN JOURNEYS TO CONSIDER
INDIAN PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA
Western Australia has delayed its border reopening so perhaps lock in a booking for 2023 to make the legendary rail trek from Sydney to Perth which encapsulates the enormity and orange-soaked beauty of our outback. Stops are made at Broken Hill, Adelaide and middle-of-nowhere Rawlinna for dinner beneath star-spangled desert skies. See journeybeyondrail.com.au
SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARI
Wild creatures still roam and luxury lodges are open. So is do-it-yourself Kruger National Park, where the Mafunyan 4 x 4 Eco-Trail is a four-day self-catering camping journey amid giraffes, elephants and antelope. Few travel moments beat spotting lions. See southafrica.net
CAPE YORK BY FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE, AUSTRALIA
With Queensland back in business, the 1000-kilometre scenic coastal track from Cairns to Cape York is one of our great four-wheel drive routes with the challenges including rainforest, red dirt, crocodile-infested river crossings and tropical downpours. The reward is the Daintree, ancient rock, World War II relics, wildlife encounters and a sense of adventure. See tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
NILE RIVER CRUISE, EGYPT
Egypt has relaunched to tourism and opened the Grand Egyptian Museum. New river ships are setting sail. A Nile cruise is hands-down one of the greatest travel experiences as you sail through desert scenery that sprouts temples, tombs, mud-brick villages and skyscrapers. See egypt.travel
BIG SUR DRIVE, US
With the US reopened to vaccinated visitors and COVID-19 measures eased in California, hit this famous road that snakes between mountains and the Pacific Ocean and showcases redwood forest, surf beaches and pretty towns such as Carmel-by-the-Sea. It's only 114 kilometres, but part of Highway 1, which tempts you to keep heading north. See visitcalifornia.com
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