Southampton is the cruise capital of Northern Europe. With a cosmopolitan atmosphere borne from centuries of international trade, Southampton is one of the UK’s leading ports and liveliest cities, combining medieval walls and buildings, modern shopping and entertainment complexes, marinas, culture and nightlife. Explore the city’s rich culture and long history and try the wide range of leisure activities in the surrounding countryside before relaxing to recount the day in one of Southampton’s many harbour-side restaurants, cafés and bars.

Framed by clear blue sea and desert mountains, Sharm El-Sheikh is one of Egypt’s top spots for sun, diving, and downtime. Resorts stretch along the coast, but there’s more to Sharm than just beaches—coral reefs, boat trips, Bedouin dinners, and day tours to Mount Sinai. Whether you're here to dive, relax, or explore, Sharm is an easy base with a bit of everything.

Sylt, often referred to as the 'German Hamptons’, has been a longstanding playground for Germany's rich and famous. Pronounced 'Zoolt,' Sylt is a stunning 40-km-long island on Germany’s North Sea coast, which has one of the longest unbroken stretches of immaculate sandy beach in all of Europe. Apart from the sparkling sea, Sylt is celebrated for its invigorating sea air, idyllic Frisian houses, and endless fields of bright-yellow flowering rapeseed.

Like so many of the towns and cities of Egypt, Hurghada, Luxor and Marsa Alam are living history museums. The three cities are positioned as corners of a triangle in the Eastern Desert. Hurghada, a former fishing harbour, stretches 24 kilometres along the waterfront and is the perfect area for water sports. Marsa Alam is found by the Red Sea coast and tourism is just starting to make an impact. The city of Luxor, with its jaw-droppingly beautiful monuments built by the hands of ancient craftsmen, lies 240 kilometres inland on the banks of the River Nile.

It is easy to overlook this small island nation, having, as it does, such powerful and flashy neighbours like Qatar and the Emirates. However, ignoring Bahrain would be a huge mistake. It is an emerging power in the region, with all the luxury and worldliness of a cosmopolitan destination and all the charm and personality of a small island. Add to this the growing art scene and burgeoning international cuisine in the country, and you have the newest prime travel destination in the region, and the most socially liberal one.