Beyond the Usual: Holiday Ideas to Inspire Your 2027 Travels
When it comes to holidays, it’s easy to stick with the destinations we know and love: Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Florida, California … maybe a city break in Rome, Amsterdam or New York. These and many others are hugely popular for good reasons. But what if 2027 was the year you went somewhere that made your friends and family ask: “Where on earth is that? It looks incredible.” In my recent article, “Why Coolcations Are the Hottest New Way to Holiday”, I talked about escaping the rising temperatures and crowds. Building on that, this article is all about destinations that people don’t usually think of first, yet are surprisingly do‑able for a range of travellers … some suited to solo adults or couples, others ideal for families and multi‑generationals. These ideas range from short-haul to long-haul, and from modest budgets upward. The common thread is that they offer something a little different, and a lot more memorable.
Short-Haul & Mid-Haul Surprises...
ALBANIA: The Adriatic Secret Hiding in Plain Sight
If you like the idea of Croatia or Greece but fancy somewhere fresher and often better value, Albania is seriously exciting. Still relatively new on the tourism map, Albania combines turquoise bays, rugged mountains and characterful historic towns, giving you that rare feeling of exploring somewhere that most people are only just starting to talk about.
Why go: Wild beaches along the “Albanian Riviera”, clear turquoise water, dramatic mountain scenery and UNESCO-listed historic towns like Berat and Gjirokastër
Who it suits: Couples or friends who want sun, sea and a sense of discovery, young families happy with a slightly more adventurous feel and simple, friendly hospitality
Holiday flavour: Coastal hotels, agritourism stays and small guesthouses, grilled seafood, road trips over mountain passes, boat trips, canyon rafting and that “we’ve discovered somewhere before everyone else” feeling
Did You Know? Albania’s famous Blue Eye spring is an intensely blue natural water source where divers have descended to more than 50 metres, yet its full depth remains uncertain.
SLOVENIA & NORTHERN ITALY: Lake and Mountain Coolcation
For anyone who read my coolcations blog and thought “that sounds like me”, this corner of Europe is a dream: café‑lined rivers, storybook lakes and cool mountain air, all within easy travelling distance of one another.
Why go: Combine Ljubljana and Lake Bled with nearby Austrian or Italian Alps for a mix of café culture, emerald lakes and cooler mountain air
Who it suits: Couples and solo travellers of all ages, and families with older children who love walking, cycling, lakes and pretty towns
Holiday flavour: Scenic drives, alpine meadows, boat trips on mirror-calm lakes, riverside dinners and maybe a couple of nights in a spa hotel
Did You Know? Slovenia is one of the world’s bee‑friendliest countries, with more than one in every 200 people keeping bees. Traditional painted beehive panels are a Slovenian folk art in their own right, and you can even try “apitherapy” experiences that combine honey tasting with relaxing in wooden huts filled with the gentle hum of bees.
THE BALTICS: Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius
If you love the atmosphere of a European city but prefer places that still feel lived‑in rather than overrun, the Baltic capitals offer a refreshing mix of history, creativity and everyday local life.
Why go: Storybook Old Towns, cobbled streets, pastel façades, a growing food scene and a fraction of the crowds of Western Europe
Who it suits: Singles and couples of any age, groups of friends, and parents with older teens who enjoy exploring on foot
Holiday flavour: Twin or triple city itineraries over 4–6 nights, rooftop bars, independent cafés, local markets and easy day trips to beaches or forests
Did You Know? Vilnius has a neighbourhood called Užupis that declared itself an independent republic in 1997. It has its own flag, president and constitution, displayed on a wall in multiple languages. One of its best-known constitutional rights is the right for a dog to be a dog.
Big-Adventure Long-Haul...
MONGOLIA: Wide-Open Skies and Nomad Life
Mongolia is for travellers who feel most at home with a big horizon in front of them. It is a place of huge spaces, deep silence and genuine encounters, where the journey itself is as memorable as the sights.
Why go: Endless steppe landscapes, staying in traditional gers (Mongolian yurts), learning about nomadic culture, and some of the clearest night skies you will ever see, in the world’s least densely populated country. As TV presenter and adventurer Simon Reeve said, “it is as vast a wilderness as any I have encountered on the planet.”
Who it suits: Adventurous couples, nature and wildlife lovers, small groups of friends, or families with older teens who are happy off the beaten track
Holiday flavour: Off‑road journeys, mountains, vast wilderness, deserts, horse‑riding, hikes, campfires, stargazing, warm welcomes from local families and a complete digital detox
Did You Know? Mongolia's Gobi Desert is famous not just for its dunes and dramatic landscapes, but also for dinosaur fossils. The Flaming Cliffs at Bayanzag became world-famous after major discoveries of dinosaur eggs and fossils there in the 1920s.
BHUTAN: Happiness in the Himalayas
Bhutan measures success not just in GDP, but in Gross National Happiness, and you feel it everywhere: in prayer flags fluttering on high passes, incense drifting from temple doorways, misty green valleys and the easy, unhurried smiles of the people you meet.
Why go: Dramatic Himalayan scenery, cliff-hugging monasteries like Tiger’s Nest, and a gentle, deeply spiritual culture that takes sustainability seriously
Who it suits: Couples and solo travellers looking for a meaningful trip rather than a quick “tick-box” holiday
Holiday flavour: Guided journeys, scenic drives, day hikes, temple visits and boutique lodges, with a slower, reflective pace that encourages you to breathe out
Did You Know? Bhutan's national animal is the takin, a rather unusual-looking creature that appears to be part goat and part cow. Local legend says it was created by a Buddhist saint, Drukpa Kunley, giving this curious animal a special place in Bhutanese folklore.
NAMIBIA: An Alternative Safari With Room To Breathe
If you are drawn to Africa but want something different to the classic Kenya–Tanzania–South Africa route, Namibia delivers a quieter, more elemental safari experience,where the drama lies in the scale of the rust red desert dunes, salt pans that shimmer to the horizon and wildlife gathering at lonely waterholes under huge open skies.
Why go: The towering red dunes of Sossusvlei, the eerie shipwreck-strewn Skeleton Coast, Etosha National Park for wildlife in a stark, cinematic landscape
Who it suits: Couples, friends and families with teens who love photography, star-gazing and a sense of wilderness
Holiday flavour: A mix of lodges and guest farms, self-drive or guided, with big open spaces, huge skies and fewer crowds at the waterholes
Did You Know? Namibia is home to the Hoba meteorite, estimated to weigh more than 60 tonnes and composed mainly of iron and nickel. It is the largest known intact meteorite on Earth and remains where it landed, near Grootfontein due to its size and weight.
THE DEEP SOUTH USA: Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana & Tennessee
For anyone who has ‘done’ New York, California or Florida and is curious about what lies beyond, the Deep South feels like a different America: one shaped by music, food and history, best explored with a car, a playlist and plenty of time to wander.
Why go: This is road‑trip country, rich with music, food and history, from Tennessee’s live music in Nashville and blues and rock ’n’ roll in Memphis, to Mississippi’s blues trails, writers’ towns and slow‑paced river life, Alabama’s civil rights history and surprisingly pristine Gulf Coast beaches, and Louisiana’s New Orleans jazz, Creole cuisine and hauntingly beautiful bayous
Who it suits: Couples, groups of friends, and families with older teens who enjoy music, culture and driving trips
Holiday flavour: Fly into one city, pick up a car, and follow your ears and tastebuds through small towns, diners, music bars and historic districts. You can do this in 10-14 days, staying in a mix of heritage inns, simple motels and characterful city hotels depending on your budget
Did You Know? The small Alabama town of Muscle Shoals became one of America’s most influential recording destinations, attracting artists including the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett. Its distinctive sound helped shape soul, rock and R&B far beyond the Deep South.
More “I’d Never Have Thought Of That” Ideas…
GEORGIA & ARMENIA:Wine, Mountains and Monasteries
Part crossroads, part hidden corner of Europe, Georgia and Armenia mix church spires and mountain ridges with family‑run wineries and long, lazy meals, creating that lovely feeling of having arrived somewhere most people have only vaguely heard of.
Why go: The Caucasus region offers dramatic landscapes, ancient monasteries perched on hillsides and some of the oldest wine-making traditions in the world
Who it suits: Curious travellers who love food, history and scenery
Holiday flavour: Time in Tbilisi or Yerevan, then escapes to wine regions and mountain villages. Once you arrive, day-to-day costs are often surprisingly reasonable
Did You Know? Archaeological evidence suggests winemaking in Georgia dates back around 8,000 years. Traditional wine is still made in qvevri - large clay vessels buried underground; a method recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
AZORES: Green Islands At The Edge Of Europe
Set in the middle of the Atlantic, the Azores feel like a secret garden of volcanic peaks, green hills and ocean mist, with a gentle, slow‑travel pace that is perfect for anyone who prefers fresh air and wild landscapes to crowded beaches.
Why go: Volcanic lakes, hot springs, hydrangea-lined roads and superb whale and dolphin watching
Who it suits: Couples, solo travellers and families with older kids who prefer hiking boots and kayaks to sun-loungers
Holiday flavour: Stay on one island or hop between a couple, mixing gentle adventure with slow evenings in local restaurants and village cafés
Did You Know? The Azores are one of the world's major whale-watching destinations, with more than 20 types of whales and dolphins recorded in the surrounding waters. Sperm whales can be seen throughout the year, while other species pass through on seasonal migrations.
SOUTH KOREA: High‑Tech Streets, K‑Culture And Temple Trails
Rather than being “Japan‑lite”, South Korea has a character all of its own: neon‑lit cityscapes and cutting‑edge tech, K‑pop and skincare boutiques, food markets that run late into the night, plus tranquil temple stays and misty mountain trails only a train ride away.
Why go: Buzzing Seoul, coastal cities like Busan, mountain temples and an incredible street-food and café scene
Who it suits: Culture-lovers, K-drama and K-pop fans, and families with older teens who enjoy cities and tech as much as temples
Holiday flavour: A mix of modern hotels and hanok guesthouses, ultra‑comfy long‑distance buses and high speed trains, buzzing markets, coastal walks and lantern‑lit temples
Did You Know? South Korea’s soju brand Jinro has been the world’s best-selling spirit brand for 25 consecutive years. In 2025 alone, it sold 94.5 million nine-litre cases … equivalent to around 77 bottles every second.
What Next For Your 2027 Holiday?
If any of these ideas have made you think, “I’d never have thought of that, but it sounds amazing”, or you have something completely different in mind, the important thing is that your next trip reflects you and what you want from your time away. It’s about finding the right balance of experiences, pace, budget and comfort to make your 2027 escape your own.
That’s where I come in. I’ll take the time to understand what you’re looking for and what matters most to you, then take care of the planning and details to bring it all together.
There’s no extra cost for my service. As your personal Travel Counsellor, I’ll save you the time and effort of researching, comparing and coordinating everything yourself … no more endless scrolling or second-guessing! With complete financial protection through ATOL and the Travel Counsellors Travel Trust, plus support from me and our 24/7 UK Duty Office, you can also travel with added peace of mind.
So, if 2027 is the year you want to go somewhere different, try something new, or simply make more of your time away, let’s have a conversation. You never know where it might take you.
