One of the best things about travel is immersing yourself in a different culture. Getting up close and personal with new cuisines, rituals, religions, artistic expressions and ways of life is a great way to reinvigorate the senses.
If you consider yourself something of a culture vulture, you will find a bit of inspiration for your next overseas adventure below.
The best festivals and attractions
It seems every country has one major event on the annual calendar that claims to trump all others. But with almost 200 countries across the globe, experiencing every single one is near impossible for most of us – despite how much we’d like to go. Lucky for you, we’ve boiled down the options to the absolute top 20 events to add to your bucket list.
The best historical places to visit
Why not visit some of the places you learned about in history classes all those years ago? You might like to explore fairytale castles in Germany or the ancient landscapes in Jordan.
Other unforgettable experiences include learning about geisha culture in Japan, commemorating Remembrance Day in France, visiting Chernobyl, taking a river cruise and learning about the architecture in Paris or losing yourself in the temples of Asia.
For those who like to get hands-on, you could learn a new skill from another culture that you can bring home with you – sign up for yoga training in India or learn to cook traditional dishes in Laos.
The best places to experience the arts
Marvelling at world-class art around the globe can be a fabulously stimulating experience.
Whether it be through exploring the renowned galleries and museums of Europe, taking in some theatre on Broadway in New York, or hitting a jazz bar in Harlem.
Joining a pub sing-along in Ireland, buying handmade crafts in Africa or catching some live music and street art in Berlin, the world is full of beautiful art just waiting to be discovered.
The best places for food and wine
Ask many people about their favourite travel memories and it will often involve some incredible thing they ate or drank.
Sampling cider in Spain in a cobbled laneway, eating mind-blowing street food in Tokyo, soaking up the nightlife in Hoi An, learning about the wine culture of Bordeaux and consuming your body weight in tacos and tequila in Mexico are all mouth-watering experiences that should be on your bucket list.
Unique cultural rituals to experience
There’s nothing like getting out of your comfort zone to remind yourself you’re alive. So why not get involved with some foreign rituals that will make for great travel stories when you get back home?
Perhaps you could cleanse yourself with a visit to a Finnish sauna, a thermal spa in Switzerland or a Japanese onsen, watch land diving in Vanuatu, haggle for bargains at the markets of Morocco, experience farm life by spending the night in a yurt in Mongolia, spend time at a countryside dairy farm in Chile or marvel at the peace and serenity as you offer daily alms to monks each morning in Laos.
