Meh. Anyone else getting a serious case of S.A.D in this weather? Honestly I’m counting down the days until my next sunshine-filled trip. So how about a quick game of ‘Places I’d Rather Be’? Think warm and relaxing with some new, fun experiences… I’m particularly focusing on the underrated / out of the ordinary destinations today because we’d all rather be in the Maldives but it doesn’t make for a particularly interesting blog post to be quite honest with you. Here’s what I’m eyeing up…
1) The Azores, Portugal
A little slice of eden in Europe, I’ve been perving on The Azores for a while now. Despite being part of Portugal they’re way out in the Atlantic Ocean and have some really beaut landscapes. This is where I’d like to hike through mountains, discover some hot springs and do a spot of whale-watching.
The Azores have warm weather all year round which is a massive draw right now. There’s also a ton of diving opps and adventure sports if that’s your jam.
2) Batu Malang, Indonesia
Since visiting Bali and Lombok earlier in the year, I’m determined to see more of Indonesia. And one of the more underrated destinations is Batu in the Malang region of East Java. Here is where I’d love to walk through the apple orchards, go on the ferris wheel in the city centre, visit the Batu Secret Zoo and be surrounded by beautiful mountains. I’ve also been recommended to stay at Amartahills Hotel and Resort Batu (take a look at Traveloka.com).
3) Hoi An, Vietnam
This is the only one of this list I’ve visited but I would go back to Hoi An in a heartbeat. A beautiful town full of cute shops and restaurants with a heavy Chinese culture and lanterns everywhere! It’s also a short drive to a beautiful beach. All the best things! I would 37465% recommend it if you’re thinking of visiting Vietnam.
4) Vieques, Puerto Rico
This is what we all want right now, right? A bit of Caribbean sun in our lives. And Puerto Rico is for sure on my list. Vieques in particular has really beautiful beaches, those cool microorganisms that glow neon blue in the sea and wild horses that roam the island! There are also US Navy underground bunkers to explore which sounds pretty cool. Did I mention it’s 30 degrees everyday? Where do I sign up?
5) The Wave, Arizona, USA
I’ve travelled quite a bit of Arizona, but still have not visited “The Wave”, a sandstone rock formation near it’s Utah border. I really just want to hike there and take beautiful photographs and then chill out in Arizona with a beer. Is that so much to ask?
There you go, a bit random but a few places that have cropped up on my Pinterest feed and thought, yeah I’d rather be there and not in this downpour…
What do you think of these underrated destinations? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @HeelsInBackpack!
Total Blogger Transparency: This post is sponsored by Traveloka but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I wouldn’t play you like that, shorty.