Culture

There’s nothing more miserable than winter. Actually, there is. Winter in the UK. When it’s raining and cold and grey and everyone’s grumpy. Bah humbug, indeed.

So what if we told you there was a way to escape the winter months? Not just for a few weeks, oh no. We can get you a round the world ticket that’s valid for 12 months, so you could enjoy a whole year of summery goodness, my friend.

Yep, with a bit of careful planning, and a helping hand from our Travel Experts, eternal sunshine could all be yours.

So pack your sunnies and slap on the sun cream – we’re going to show you just how you can enjoy 12 months of summer lovin’.

You're 365 sunsets away from a year-long summer

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I first ventured to Hanoi last January, and was greeted by some pretty chilly weather. “It’s so cold, even water buffalo are freezing”, the lady at my hostel told me. That’s pretty damn cold, let me tell you.

Cold? In Southeast Asia? It wasn’t meant to be like this! I whimpered to myself.

So it was with reluctant feet and a several layers of clothing that I set off to explore Hanoi. Within 10 minutes, I was so glad that I did.

Before I knew it, I’d been wandering for hours, happily lost in the backstreets and marvelling at the masses of motorbikes, breathing in the scent of scrumptious street food and overwhelmed by the beauty of the French architecture.

Hanoi is a truly wonderful city. In fact, it deserves a big High Five! So here are five of our favourite things to do in the City of the Soaring Dragon.

Jump into beautiful and bustling Hanoi

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A round the world trip should be an adventure. It’s a time to do things you’ve never done before, and see sights you never dreamed of seeing. It’s a time to be daring. To take risks. To be courageous. To go… wild.

Here at STA Travel, we know all this. So we got our thinking caps on. Then we put our travel planning hats on. And finally, we put ourselves in your place. And we came up with our wildest round the world route yet. It’s called (funnily enough) Wild at Heart.

Nairobi. Johannesburg. Bangkok. Hanoi. Hong Kong. Beijing. Amazing destinations in their own right. But they’re also all gateways to some of the world’s most unexplored territories.

Take Wild at Heart on our Tripline below, and see for yourself what an adventure this round the world trip can be.

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Our Aussie road trip rolls on, over the border from Western Australia and into the country’s most enigmatic region, the Northern Territory.

Often described as “real Australia”, the Territory provides travellers with some of the the nation’s most iconic sights, many of which we’ll pass by on this episode of our great Australia road trip.

Canoe the Katherine Gorge in Australia's Northern Territory

Whatever season you visit NT, you’re sure to be face to face with some raw adventure. The deep red deserts of the Outback fall away to the lush Top End; a carpet of wetlands that breathe life into the national parks of Kakadu and Litchfield, and beyond the border to the truly amazing landscapes and aboriginal cultures of Arnhem Land.

Follow the Stuart Highway south, via the mysterious Devil’s Marbles and character-filled stations, before arriving in Alice Springs, and looping west, to the undeniable allure of the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park.

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There are some countries where getting around is half the fun of being there. Where sitting on a beach for two weeks just won’t cut it when you could be out experiencing the real hustle and bustle of a place through its transport system.

The mighty India is definitely one of those countries.

There, you can soak up the atmosphere, get to know the locals, and immerse yourself in the culture in a way that only travelling around the country will let you do. Hitting the road is an experience in itself.

It’s safe to say that we think the art of getting around India deserves a massive High Five of its own, so, let’s give it one!

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