Trip ideas for 10–14 days · no car needed
Each destination has itineraries for 10 to 14 days, an honest scorecard, flights from Geneva, the best season, and every way to get around without driving.
Two Dutch Caribbean islands (+ Bonaire on longer trips)
Sunny, dry and outside the hurricane belt: Aruba's white beaches and desert national park, then colourful Willemstad, turtle beaches and Klein Curaçao, with a hop to Bonaire on longer trips.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Sydney, Great Barrier Reef, Uluru & Melbourne
The Sydney harbour and the Bondi cliff walk, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree rainforest, Uluru at sunset and the Great Ocean Road.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Okavango Delta, Chobe & Victoria Falls
Glide by mokoro through the Okavango Delta, camp among lions in Moremi, watch elephants swim across the Chobe River, and finish at Victoria Falls.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Island-hopping: beaches, hikes & volcanoes
White beaches on Sal, spectacular cliff hikes on Santo Antão, live morna in Mindelo and a village inside the Fogo volcano, only 6–9 hours away.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin karst & Shanghai
The Forbidden City and the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, pandas in Chengdu, bamboo rafts among the karst peaks of Yangshuo and the Shanghai skyline, by bullet train.
Bogotá, the Coffee Region, Medellín & the Caribbean
Mountain capital, giant wax palms in the coffee country, reborn Medellín, and colonial Cartagena on the Caribbean, linked by cheap domestic flights.
Tortuguero, Arenal, Monteverde & Manuel Antonio
Jungle canals full of caimans and turtles, an active volcano with hot springs, cloud forest and ziplines, and sloths on Pacific beaches, all connected by door-to-door shuttles.
Havana, Viñales, Trinidad & the beaches
Vintage cars and live music in Havana, tobacco farms in the Viñales valley, the pastel colonial town of Trinidad and white Caribbean beaches.
⛔ Official travel warning, see page
🚗 Hard without a car: driver or tours needed
Mamanuca & Yasawa islands, sharks & Taveuni
Island-hop by catamaran through the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands, snorkel with manta rays, swim in the Blue Lagoon caves, dive with bull sharks and explore Taveuni's waterfalls.
Moorea, Huahine, Bora Bora & Rangiroa
Swim with rays and sharks in Moorea's lagoon, bike past ancient temples on Huahine, snorkel with mantas in Bora Bora and drift-dive with dolphins at Rangiroa.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Island-hopping by boat: Grande-Terre, Les Saintes & Martinique
White beaches and Creole food on Grande-Terre, the car-free Les Saintes islands, rainforest waterfalls, then a ferry to Martinique to snorkel with turtles and taste rum.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
South coast & the north without a car (tours + domestic flight)
Waterfalls, black-sand beaches, glacier lagoons and hot springs, plus the whales and volcanic landscapes of the north. Reykjavík-based tours and a short flight replace the rental car.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Komodo, Lombok & Flores (no Bali): dragons, mantas, turtles & beaches
Empty beaches in southern Lombok, turtles around the Gili Islands, three days sailing through Komodo National Park, and a road trip across Flores to the three-coloured Kelimutu lakes. Bali is skipped entirely.
Sumatra: orangutans, Lake Toba & Pulau Weh
Trek to wild orangutans in the Leuser rainforest, climb a steaming volcano, swim in the world's largest crater lake, and dive off Pulau Weh.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Safari & beach: Maasai Mara, Amboseli & Diani
Big cats in the Maasai Mara, elephants under Kilimanjaro, then white sand and dolphins on the Indian Ocean.
Yucatán: Maya ruins, cenotes & Caribbean lagoons
Maya pyramids, colonial towns, swimming in cenotes and the seven-colour lagoon of Bacalar, all connected by first-class buses and the new Maya Train.
Classic circuit with a private guide: dunes, coast, Damaraland & Etosha
The red dunes of Sossusvlei, the desert coast of Swakopmund, desert elephants in Damaraland and the waterholes of Etosha, driven by your own guide.
🚗 Hard without a car: driver or tours needed
Volcanoes, Hobbiton, fjords & the Southern Alps
Geysers and Māori culture in Rotorua, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a scenic train to Wellington, Milford Sound and the lakes and peaks around Queenstown.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Fjords, Bergen & the Lofoten Islands
Scenic railways, electric boats through UNESCO fjords, colourful Bergen, and red fishing cabins under the midnight sun in Lofoten.
Muscat, mountains, desert & turtle coast
Forts and mountain villages, turquoise wadis to swim in, a night in the dunes of Wahiba Sands and nesting turtles, with a driver-guide at the wheel.
🚗 Hard without a car: driver or tours needed
Lima, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu & Lake Titicaca
World-class food in Lima, Inca terraces in the Sacred Valley, sunrise at Machu Picchu, colonial Cusco and the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, by train, bus and plane.
Old San Juan, El Yunque & the islands of Culebra and Vieques
Colourful colonial San Juan and its forts, the El Yunque rainforest, one of the world's best beaches on Culebra, and a glowing bioluminescent bay on Vieques.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Singapore, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang & Langkawi
From Singapore's gardens and hawker centres to Malacca's heritage, KL's towers, Penang's street food and the beaches of Langkawi, with modern trains and cheap flights.
Cape Town, Winelands & Kruger safari
Table Mountain, penguins and the Cape of Good Hope, wine estates in Franschhoek, whales in Hermanus, then a fly-in safari in the Kruger area.
⚠️ Possible without a car, with planning
Seoul, Silla temples, Busan & Jeju
Palaces and night markets in Seoul, bibimbap in a hanok village, the Silla temples of Gyeongju, the beaches of Busan and the volcanic island of Jeju, all by bullet train.
Classic loop: ancient cities, tea country, safari & south coast
Climb the Sigiriya rock fortress, ride the tea-country train to Ella, spot leopards in Yala and finish on palm-fringed southern beaches.
Taipei & round-the-island by train
Night markets and temples in Taipei, the marble cliffs of the east coast, rice fields by bike, Tainan's old-town food and Sun Moon Lake, all by train.
Classic: Bangkok, the north & the islands
Temples, night trains, jungle lakes and limestone islands — the easiest long-haul trip without a car.
South: Bangkok, jungle & Andaman islands
Skip the north and go all-in on the south: Bangkok, a rainforest lake, then island-hopping between Railay, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta.
North & Centre: Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Hue & Hoi An
Street food in Hanoi, a night on a junk in Ha Long Bay, karst rivers in Ninh Binh, a sleeper train south, and lantern-lit Hoi An.
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