Best Solo Travel Planning Tip for an Unforgettable Trip

It’s fair to say, sometimes all we want are a few days spent lounging someplace with a view, sipping cocktails, eating deliciously, and (hopefully) being pampered at the spa to recharge the body back to 100%. An island, beach or mountain resort works for that – OR – a luxury hotel or boutique heritage property close by for a fabulous stay-cation.

BE AN EXPLORER
Then there are the other times, when the soul craves a raw adventure to feel re-connected to our inner child or to feel “ourselves” again. Those are the times we generally need an exotic destination abroad full of hidden gem spots to discover.

Moments spent as a true explorer feel most authentic when we’re seeing things that only a lucky few have before us. For me, I’m happiest exploring heritage sites like the Great Wall of China or Roman ruins in Tunisia. My other favourite spots to explore are protected environmental sites like the Maldives’ Baa Atoll or Pakistan’s Astola Island.

MY #1 TIP >> Look at 2 UNESCO Lists
The best of the BEST of these are UNESCO Sites. Anytime I’m researching a new country or region, I visit the UNESCO website to check which sites are either worth planning travel around or close to where I’ll be.

1. World Heritage (Sites & Biospheres): country-by-country list of top, well-maintained sites. Places like Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Petra, the Great Barrier Reef, and the historic centres of Bruges and Havana.
2. Tentative: sites submitted for designation but not yet approved. Sometimes it’s outdated with sites that’ve been destroyed so Google well once you have your top pick of places you might wish to include in your trip.

MY ❤️ FOR UNESCO
Back in the early 1990s when I started solo travelling, we had to buy books to research a country and paper maps to navigate, there was no Internet 😉 Since I was 22, I respect UNESCO for funding the restoration & maintenance of important historic sites.

Today, take a moment to learn the UNESCO Sites closest to you and Google the most beautiful UNESCO Sites in the world. It’s pure travel inspiration ❤️

📸 Lahore Fort, Pakistan [Dec ’20]: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981