By ROBERTA FIORITO, PureWow
If you can’t stop thinking about amazing food, exciting
excursions and Insta-worthy pics, then you’re probably craving a
vacation. Badly. But if tourists, crowds and lines make you anxious, why
not take the road less traveled? (You are a trendsetter, after all.)
Here, the best destinations, according Lonely Planet, for an off-the-beaten-path vacay.
Indonesia
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| ErmakovaElena/Getty Images |
[post_ads]While everyone’s trying to ride elephants in Thailand, you’ll be
sprawled out with all the room in the world on a pink-colored beach on
Lombok Island (we also hear you should rent a motorbike to get to
Tanjung Aan beach, which is especially gorgeous and super secluded),
taking a private hike up a volcanic peak in Bali, freaking out over
komodo dragons in Flores or exploring the 14th-century Hindu temples of the Sacred Monkey Forest of Ubud.
Travel tip: Fly into Jakarta or Bali by way of
Singapore, then take budget flights or local ferries to any of the
surrounding 13,000 islands.
The Balkans
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| Grisha Shoolepoff/Getty Images |
Game of Thrones fans can keep their Dubrovnik.
The less-touristed ancient cobblestone village of Mostar in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the medieval castle of Bran in Romania and the Accursed
Mountains of Albania (yes, that’s their real name) feel just as steeped
in history as King’s Landing
Croatia. Yep, these Eastern European countries on the Balkan Peninsula
have all the old-world charm and breathtaking scenery of a fairy-tale,
but with fewer tourists than their Western counterparts (no offense,
Italy).
Travel tip: Skip the slow-moving trains and
commit to the widely used bus system, which connects many of the bigger
towns as well as the smaller villages.
Taiwan
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| HXDYL/GETTY IMAGESHXDYL/GETTY IMAGES |
The tiny island just east of China is largely underrated by
travelers, but don’t be fooled: The place is the perfect surf and turf,
so to speak, for folks who can’t make up their minds. It’s got the
beauty of the lush, green landscape of Yangmingshan National Park to the
north, and the serene and placid waters of the more tropical Fulong
Beach in the south stand in stark contrast to the cosmopolitan and
skyscraper-filled city of Taipei.
Travel tip: Avoid going from June to August
during the height of typhoon season. Instead, the best months for travel
are October to February.
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Jordan
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Floating in the Dead Sea, exploring the ancient stone ruins of the
“Rose City” of Petra and temple ruins of Jerash and riding on camels in
the desert oasis of Wadi Rum are not to be missed. But travelers hoping
for a more tropical vacay won’t be disappointed by the luxurious seaside
resorts of the port town of Aqaba and the world-class snorkeling of the
crystal-clear Red Sea.
Travel tip: Head to the world-wonder Petra, the
ancient city that’s built into the canyon walls, as early as possible
(it opens at 6 a.m.) to avoid the scorching heat of the afternoon.
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Panama
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Cancun and Cabo can keep their spring breakers and crowded beaches.
We’ll just be over here learning to surf on Starfish Beach in gorgeous
Bocas del Toro; touring the coffee
farms, volcanoes and cloud forests of Chiriquí; and exploring the
cobblestone plazas and historic cathedrals of the Old City while dining
on local fare of empanadas and ceviche.
Travel tip: Try to avoid the extensive rainy season, which can last from April to December.
