You open the app, you look at Globeasy's 7 destinations, and you think: "okay, where am I going?". Fair question, and a deeper one than it looks. Because choosing a destination is rarely about choosing a spot on a map. It's about choosing a version of yourself on the road.
We all have a type. The person who wants to go wild in the dunes and the one who wants to swim with turtles aren't after the same thing, even if both are travelling "on the Red Sea". Here's our honest take on the 7 destinations, to help you find yours without being sold a generic dream.
Dubai, for the big-and-curious
You like things big. You think sunsets beside an infinity pool are objectively more beautiful than the ones on a regular beach, and you're not ashamed to say it. You want contrast: impossible skyscrapers in the morning, silent dunes in the afternoon, dinner under a Bedouin tent in the evening while a djembe plays. The trip should feel a bit like a film.
For you: a 4×4 safari at sunset, the Burj Khalifa at dawn, a dhow cruise at the Marina by night. Dubai in all its range.
Morocco, for senses wide awake
You travel with your nose first. You can spot the smell of Fès tanned leather from ten metres away, you'll happily spend an hour choosing a tagine, and you hate minute-by-minute schedules. You want to get lost in a medina and let yourself be surprised by whatever turns up around the corner of an alley. The "plan" is a suggestion.
Your thing: a home-cooked meal with locals in a Berber village in the Atlas, mint tea on a rooftop above the Koutoubia, the Agafay desert at sunset with a traditional dinner under a tent. Marrakech isn't a destination, it's a density.
Egypt, for the contemplative water-lover
You don't need adrenaline. You want to sit on a beach with a mask, a snorkel and a book, and rotate between the three. Your fantasy is the moment you put your head underwater and a clownfish looks back at you. Pharaonic culture interests you, but without the crowds. You love long days on a boat where you do "nothing" but watch the sea change colour.
For you: Mahmya Beach and its turquoise lagoon, snorkelling over the Giftun reefs, the Eastern Desert by quad bike at dusk for the days you feel like getting off the sun lounger. Hurghada is an honest playground, no showing off.
Thailand, for the laid-back tropical type
You've been dreaming of the Phi Phi islands ever since you saw that photo of Maya Bay in a magazine back in 2014. You want water in a shade of green that doesn't exist in Europe, white sand beaches that squeak under your feet, and street food in the old towns at night. You're not the type to rush from one temple to the next. You'd rather rent a scooter and spend half a day discovering some random spot.
Your itinerary: a catamaran to Koh Phi Phi (early morning, before the tour buses), kayaking through the caves of Phang Nga, and an evening in old Sino-Portuguese Phuket sampling every stall at the night market. Phuket knows how to be calm if you know where to go.
Tanzania, for the gentle-and-wild
You want both extremes in one week: a nap on a deserted Zanzibar beach, and a safari where you watch an elephant cross the road ten metres away. You read Karen Blixen before you leave. You're not afraid to get up at 5am for the morning game drive because you know that's where it all happens.
For you: Mnemba Island and its snorkelling (probably the best day at sea of your life), Stone Town for the history, and 2 days of safari in Mikumi or Selous for the big thrill. Zanzibar is heavenly + raw, at the same time.
Jordan, for the romantic adventurer
You like landscapes that look like they're from another planet. Wadi Rum has drawn you in ever since you saw Lawrence of Arabia (or Dune, depending on your age). You want to sleep a night under the stars in a Bedouin camp, eat a zarb cooked in the sand, and wake up at dawn when the light turns the sandstone arches golden. You accept that it's dusty. You even reckon that's part of the deal.
Your trip: Wadi Rum by 4×4 for a full day, a night with the Bedouins and a zarb dinner, a camel trek at dusk for the feel of a caravan from a bygone era. You come home with sand everywhere and a story to tell for the next ten years.
Mexico, for the Caribbean party-goer
You travel for the shared moments. The sailboat with an open bar, the loud Mexican lunch with your feet in the sand, the beach where everyone dances at sunset: that's exactly your tempo. You can do a bit of snorkelling in the morning and cycle around a colourful island in the afternoon, with no guilt about not having "visited a museum".
For you: a catamaran to Isla Mujeres with snorkelling and lunch, cycling the island from Playa Norte to Punta Sur, and the MUSA reef for its offbeat underwater-museum twist. Caribbean Mexico is easygoing, bright, and a little flamboyant in the best sense.
Three questions to ask yourself before choosing
If you're still torn between 2 or 3 destinations, here are the questions we ask internally when we give advice:
- What are you travelling for this time? To unwind, to feel alive, to soak up culture, or to make memories with a group? None of the 4 is "better". But they don't point you to the same places.
- Can you handle crowds? If the answer is no, we avoid the high seasons (Easter for Morocco, February for Phuket). And we favour destinations where nature absorbs the visitors (Wadi Rum, Selous), not the ones where they all pack onto the same 200 m of beach.
- Is this your first long-haul trip or your tenth? For a first, we go for comfort (Egypt, Mexico). For a tenth, you can afford rawer destinations (Tanzania, Jordan) where the unexpected is part of the journey.
The best trip is the one you come home from feeling like you were yourself, rather than having "done" a place.
Over to you. And if you're still unsure, talk to a human. It's free, we don't bite, and we've all done at least 3 of the 7.
Wadi Rum