North America

Canada is a combination of modern urban living and natural splendour the likes of which can be found nowhere else on Earth. The country’s famously liveable and dynamic cities, like Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, are exciting and pleasant in equal measure, while the country’s national parks offer pristine encounters with the natural world. Most travelers will understandably head for Banff National Park, a place of unreal beauty with rocky precipices, evergreen forests and translucent turquoise lakes, but it would be a mistake to neglect the island-dotted waterscapes of the Thousand Islands National Park or the rugged wonder of Nahanni National Park Reserve, to name but a few. There really has been no better time than this to visit the world’s second largest country.

Mexico is about as exciting, layered and rewarding a travel destination as can be found anywhere. Home of ancient civilisations and remarkable archaeological sites, world-famous spicy cuisine, incredibly welcoming and charming people, and an astounding range of natural wonders, spanning deserts, jungles, mountains, volcanoes and seemingly endless kilometres of pristine beaches. And then there’s Mexico City, the largest metropolitan area in the Western hemisphere (a megalopolis of over 20 million people) and a swirling vortex of culture, innovation and synergy. Its beautifully preserved colonial buildings surround reinvigorated public spaces alive with street art and food, and cutting edge culinary and arts scenes thrive thanks to an enterprising generation of young creatives.

Few countries manage to conjure up such vivid images in the imaginations of travelers from around the world, and fewer still manage both to exceed and shatter those images, surprising visitors at every turn. Encompassing landscapes, cuisine, cultures and experiences as diverse as its people, there is no end to the possibilities in this limitless nation. Discover some of the world’s most dynamic cities, or escape into the country’s vast and varied wilderness – crowned with snow-capped mountains, picture-perfect desert sceneries and ancient redwood forests – and dare to live your very own American experience.