Away we go! Skiing with snow leopards and land of the pagodas, the Travel Hot List

Pack your bags, 2013 is going to be the trip of a lifetime
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Hettie Harvey23 January 2013

1 THE LANDSCAPE: BURMA

Now that tourism restrictions have been lifted and democracy is on its way, it’s unsurprising that Burma, land of golden pagodas and scenery so beautiful it’ll bring a tear to your eye, is many people’s destination of choice for 2013. But with so much to see, where to begin? Why not join Carrier’s ten-night Highlights of Burma tour, which starts with the bustling markets of Yangon before heading north to Bagan, where 3,000 pagodas crowd the plains, to begin a four-night cruise on the Irrawaddy river aboard Orient-Express’ spectacular boat Road to Mandalay. Disembark in Mandalay, Burma’s centre of Buddhist learning, and then it’s on to the calm stillness of the stunning Inle Lake. If you’re going to make the trip of a lifetime, you might as well do it in style.

From £5,210pp (carrier.co.uk)

2 THE ROAD TRIP: UTAH

When it comes to the open road, it has to be America. And when it comes to America, obviously you want a Thelma & Louise-style road trip. Put the pedal to the metal with a little help from Black Tomato, who will arrange a tailor-made nine-night trip through Utah, exploring canyons, lakes, mountains — and a stay at Amangiri, possibly the most extraordinarily positioned hotel in the world in the heart of the desert. From £2,776pp (blacktomato.com)

3 THE BIG DECISION

Once upon a time you only had to worry about whether you wanted an aisle or window seat. Now, thanks to KLM, you can prearrange who you sit next to. Log into its ‘Meet & Seat’ service and, using the magic of Facebook and LinkedIn, you can choose your neighbour by interests, occupation and so on. And all 48 hours before you board, so there’s time to get a haircut and brush up your small talk before take-off. Because although the airline suggests it’s an excellent business networking tool, we’re thinking otherwise… (klm.com)

4 THE WATCH

Tired of resetting your watch every time you travel? The Seiko Astron GPS Solar will save you from all that fiddly twiddling, forever. At the touch of a button it locates enough GPS satellites to pinpoint your exact location (it recognises all 39 global time zones) and adjusts its hands accordingly. It’s also light-powered so should never stop, has a perpetual calendar so you won’t have to reset the date manually until at least 2100, and is accurate to one second every 100,000 years. There’s no excuse ever to miss your plane again. From £1,750, at jurawatches.co.uk

5 THE WILD SIDE

Visit the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador to experience nature as nature intended. From swimming with sea lions to eyeballing iguanas, get close to all sorts of wonderful creatures. Discover what got Darwin — and David Attenborough — so excited on a tailor-made trip with Journey Latin America, aboard the MS Beagle, a brigantine schooner that sleeps 12 people in six double cabins. Eight days from £2,345pp, cruise only (020 3432 1550; journeylatinamerica.co.uk)

6 THE SKIWEAR

If your budget won’t stretch to Moncler but you want to look good on the slopes, slip into Stella McCartney’s ski range for Adidas. Her bright jackets (£210) and slim-fitting salopettes at affordable prices (go to net-a-porter.com now for sale stock) make for sexy skiers. Unless you’re a ski instructor in a resort such as Valle d’Aosta, Val Gardena or Méribel, where you’ll be wearing EA7 Emporio Armani. It’s always nice being taught to schuss in style.

7 THE KIT

For gap year travellers, backpackers and festival-goers, Intelligent Pelican has a genius kit to cover all your security, light, hygiene and power needs in one. At £125, it includes a travel lock, a portable charger for mobiles, iPads, MP3 players and cameras, an LED headlamp, a universal travel adaptor, a sleeping bag liner and a lightweight towel. Because, as all good Boy Scouts know, you should always be prepared. (intelligentpelican.com)

8 THE GOGGLES

Zeal Optics’ HD Camera Goggles not only do all the things good goggles should, they also film or photograph your mountainside antics with an in-built HD video camera and 8-megapixel camera. There’s an in-goggle viewfinder, a 170-degree lens, glove-friendly controls, a rechargeable battery, and it all syncs neatly with social media outlets so you can instantly impress your friends back home with your mastery of the moguls. £325, at Arthur Morrice Opticians (020 7584 4661)

9 THE SKI SPOT

Skiing in India? Yes, really. Thanks to the Himalayas, Kashmir offers some of the highest, hardest skiing in the world. This is not a destination for beginners: many of the slopes around Gulmarg, the main resort, are unmapped, and the highest lift takes you to 13,400ft — a helicopter even higher. If you’re keen to swap chamois for snow leopards, and chocolat chaud for hot curries, Ampersand Travel’s seven-night Unknown Kashmir ski package starts from £1,890pp, including hotels in Srinagar and Delhi (ampersandtravel.com)

10 THE SPRITZ

When it comes to the wear and tear of long journeys, one product is an instant saviour: Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir facial spritz. Extremely refreshing, it gives your skin a lift with essential oils and water. It smells delicious and acts like a vitamin boost for your face, almost miraculously erasing any signs of dehydration and general airborne misery. £11, at cultbeauty.co.uk

11 THE HOT SPOT: INDONESIA

Travel insiders are tipping Indonesia to receive a big tourism boost this year. It offers more than 17,000 islands (including Bali and Lombok), eight World Heritage Sites, national parks, lost royal kingdoms, and rare orangutans — not to mention award-winning golf courses and spas. There’s also some of the finest diving in the world, including the chance to spot a rare and wonderful dugong.

12 THE BIKER’S CHOICE: CORSICA

With bicycle fever continuing to grip us in 2013, following Bradley Wiggins’ successes at the Olympics and the Tour de France, cycling holidays are big news. But where to go? Our choice is Corsica, on the Tour map for the first time this summer, and one of our favourite Mediterranean islands. It’s beautiful, uncrowded, and the food is fantastic. And for cyclists, the winding mountain roads should prove satisfyingly challenging.

13 THE FOODIES’ TRAVEL BOOK

For anyone whose idea of a good holiday is exploring a destination one meal at a time, Phaidon’s Where Chefs Eat is the ultimate travel tome. More than 400 of the world’s best chefs, from Ferran Adrià to René Redzepi, have contributed their favourite restaurants around the world and the 2,000 recommendations cover everything from Shanghai’s best dim sum places to Chicago’s BBQ joints. Keep a copy at home for armchair travelling, or buy the iPhone or iPad editions (available from next month) to take with you wherever you go. (Phaidon, £14.95)

14 THE CAMERA

Who wants to lug a heavy camera bag around on holiday? Not us. Changeable lenses and detachable flashes are all well and good but we’d rather have something that slips neatly into our pocket and doesn’t give us neckache by noon. The Sony RX100 is a compact digital camera that boasts 20.2 megapixels, a 3.6x optical zoom, HD and a large LCD screen so you can actually see what you’re shooting. It takes fantastic, sharp images, has no flash but works beautifully in low light — and, of course, it looks snappy. £549 (sony.co.uk)

15 THE NEW ROUTE

British Airways has selected Sri Lanka as its top destination for 2013 — and not only because it is launching direct flights from London to Colombo this April. The ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean’ offers everything from beaches to elephant treks and Unesco World Heritage Sites, as well as stunning hotels and villas. Flights from £721 return (ba.com)

16 THE HITCHHIKERS’GUIDE

If rising rail fares give you nightmares, try car sharing. Sign up to BlaBlaCar and offer or find a ride to the destination of your choice. Passengers pay reasonable petrol costs and both drivers and riders are rigorously vetted by the site (and rated by fellow users) to ensure that everyone is who they say they are, insurance is up to date, the cars are in good nick and the drivers reliable. (blablacar.com)

17 THE COURSE

One way to keep the children entertained over the summer is to take them on TV survival expert Bear Grylls’ 24-hour survival course. It’s fun as well as educational, as they hone their skills navigating at night, foraging for grubs and rodents, building shelters and lighting fires. £398 for an adult and child aged 10-17. Adults-only courses are also available. (beargryllssurvivalacademy.com)

18 THE SPECTACULAR SETTING

For a holiday in nature’s embrace but with all modern comforts, see Norway’s Juvet Landscape Hotel. The ‘boxes’ that make up the hotel are minimalist to the point of being spartan, but each has at least one glass wall so the outdoors seems very nearly indoors. And what an outdoors it is — river, trees, mountains; green and lush in summer, blanketed in snow in winter. And when you do step outside, you can join in all sorts of hearty Nordic fun, from hikes to rafting to skiing. Rooms from £160pp, per night (juvet.com)

19 THE HOTEL

Capri’s JK Place has long been the discerning Mediterranean traveller’s favourite hotel and, for cultural tourists, its sister property in Florence is just as well-loved. Comfortable, boutique and very exclusive, a JK hotel feels like staying in the home of a fabulously wealthy and impossibly stylish friend. So it’s Rome’s gain that a third outpost will be opening there this summer. Perfectly central, the 30-room hotel will doubtless be as fabulous as its sisters and attract a beautiful crowd to match. Rooms from about £550 (jkroma.com)

20 THE ULTIMATE ESCAPE: BHUTAN

Bhutan is one of the most pristine and unspoilt countries on Earth. Como’s second hotel in the country, at Punakha, opened last autumn and its setting in the lush Punakha Valley, overlooking the Mo Chu river, is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen. If a stay there doesn’t get you away from it all, nothing will. Rooms from £250 (comohotels.com)

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