Our Top Ten Travel Destinations Outside Europe
- Best 10 World By Country and Area

This may not be one of the top most popular travel magazines in the United Kingdom but in all our years of travelling we often mull over where we've been and what we've seen. If we're in the UK, at home watching TV, there probably isn't an evening goes by without us being able to say 'bin there'.

Although there are huge gaps in our travel experiences; we haven't been to Australia or New Zealand, which we plan to put right soon. We haven't seen much of South America, Argentina looks favourite there. Never been to see what was 'behind the iron curtain' or the 'bamboo curtain either, but we have been busy bees, having visited most European countries, North America, bits of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Neither of us like the cold now, even with the right clothes, so winters we head for warmer climes and we are not likely to ever enter the polar circles.

1 USA - Texas

There was so much to see and do in the 'Lone Star State'. The 'Republic of Texas' is like a separate country within the USA, with extensive deserts and dusty plains, vast hill country, huge forest regions, lakes areas, a long coast, great cities like Dallas and Austin and quaint towns like Whitney, breath taking national and state parks, and history from the dinosaurs through prehistoric native american times and conflicts with Mexico in places like The Alamo, as well as the 'wild west' of Judge Roy Bean, 'the hanging judge', modern tourist attractions and places to visit like the NASA Houston Space Centre and the Lyndon Bains Johnson Ranch. We recommend hiring a motorhome for at least a month and doing it yourself.

See the Texas section on our www.RoundTripUSA.co.uk/Texas.html

2 Thailand - Bangkok

There are so many facets to Bangkok; that makes it a real jewel. With world leading hotels like the Oriental with its Afternoon Tea in the Authors Lounge right on the Chao Phraya River, leading to the Grand Palace, Wat Po and on the opposite bank the signature Wat; Wat Arun. Modern SkyTrain and Underground systems whisk you from one end of the city to the other where you can visit street markets and visit high class restaurants. Take in Thailand's premier cultural show at Siam Niramit. Museums, Galleries and shopping malls. Eat street food and taste the Durian Fruit (if you dare!). Thailand is the home of 'Red Bull' but Bangkok gives you more than wiings!

Read more on our www.Thailand-Travel-Guide.co.uk and stay for at least two weeks.

3 USA - California, Nevada and Arizona Triangle

California with the Pacific Coast Highway, best driven south to north to keep away from the edge! See seals, sea lions and sea otters, and if you're really lucky whales too! Los Angeles with its unashamed glitz, Mohave Desert with its weird Jacob Trees. Lake Tahoe and Reno, Death Valley and Disney too! Nevada Wow! Las Vegas is an adult theme park that welcomes kids too! Play the slots or enter the gaming areas the whole 'strip' is an adventure playground. The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the Arizona / Nevada border. Arizona with historic towns like Tombstone and Bisbee. Find and follow the old Route 66 for a while one-way and the Oregon Trail another! Oops! We missed out the best of all; The Grand Canyon, it will leave you speechless too.

See the sections on our www.RoundTripUSA.co.uk again we recommend hiring a motorhome for at least a month and doing it yourself.

4 Kenya - Beach and Safari

Kenya has a great tourist infrastructure for package tours. Choose a Beach Hotel to suit your budget north or south of Mombasa and take a three or four day safari into Tsavo National Game Reserve. The beaches are soft white sand and the seas are warm and shielded from the Indian Ocean proper by a long coral reef. There are SCUBA and snorkeling opportunities, 'Dolphin' cruises in the marine reserves as well as deep sea fishing trips to try and catch a marlin, barracuda or big dorado! There are excursions into Old Mombasa and Fort Jesus an old Portuguese stronghold against the Arab slave traders. A safari is a must; with a great chance to see 'the Big Five' - The phrase Big Five game was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, the African elephant, the African Buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros, either the black rhinoceros or the white rhinoceros. The members of the big five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and not their size, which is why the leopard is on the list and the hippopotamus is not! We recommend at least two weeks in Kenya.

For more, see our www.Holiday-in-Kenya.co.uk

5 Dubai -UAE

Holidays in Dubai can be crammed with excursions and cultural trips and there are ample water sports to be enjoyed too. You can travel up Dubai Creek on a traditional wooden dhow, take a camel ride into the desert or even go to the races, camel races that is! There are 4x4 trips out into the desert sand dunes and dry, rocky river beds, called wadi bashing here. Follow scenic desert paths perfect for bird watching. When the sun goes down, you can immerse yourself in Dubai's vibrant nightlife, with a wealth of world-class restaurants, bars and clubs. As well as local Arab food there is an opportunity to get a taste of the rest of the world's cuisine. Holidays in Dubai are fresh into the 21st Century. This year-round sunny destination has transformed itself slowly over the last thirty years into a veritable playground of pleasure, to rival some of the greatest resorts in the world. Some of the hotels are truly out of this world, some make them a destination in themselves. If the idea of 6 star service and luxury is what you are looking for, it was invented here. Each new luxury hotel competes to outdo the last by a country mile. In a nutshell beach holidays in Dubai are stunningly amazing and you could easily spend your time just relaxing in that reliably dependable sunshine, but for for the fact you are in a tax-free haven and there's shopping to be done! Shopping is a hugely popular pastime, so much so there is even a yearly shopping festival. Can you believe it! There are over 20 huge, air-conditioned shopping malls awaiting the arrival of you and your desire for that tax-free bargain. In the famous souks you'll find everything under the sun, literally: gold, spices, jewellery, silks, designer clothes and more, much more. Away from the fixed price stores be prepared to get your bartering skills in order. We aren't golfers but we must mention the golf holiday opportunities as well.

See our www.Holidays-in-Dubai.co.uk

6 Egypt - Nile Cruise with Luxor and Cairo Stay

If you like it hot, then it doesn't get much hotter than this! A week's Nile cruising, will give you the opportunity to make new acquaintances, be entertained, try new foods, see some great sunsets and with all the excursions will leave you all templed out too. The people here are so friendly and you are in another world altogether. See ancient temples, art and crafts along side farming in the rich Nile flood plain. Spend time in Luxor, visit Karnak and the souk and get into haggling for whatever takes your fancy. Stay in Cairo and visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, check out the Cairo Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. And there's more, much more. Minimum of two weeks: One week cruising and 3 / 4 days each in Cairo and Luxor, not forgetting to go that extra yard and visit Abu Simbel.

See our www.Holiday-in-Egypt.co.uk

7 Canada - Alberta and The Calgary Stampede

Canada in the summer is OK with us and the Calgary Stampede is one of the best reasons to go. This is the biggest rodeo in the world and you'll be entertained every step you take. The Stampede brings competitors from around the world, taking part in everything competitive and anything to do with cattle ranching, country pursuits, trades and skills.

See the sections on our www.RoundTripUSA.co.uk again we recommend hiring a motorhome for at least a month and doing it yourself but book your RV Park well in advance.

8 USA - Florida

Florida tourism probably makes up the largest sector of the state's economy. With almost guaranteed warm weather and hundreds of miles of fine beaches. Florida attract about 60 million visitors each year. Amusement parks, especially in the Orlando area, make up a significant portion of tourism. The Walt Disney World Resort is known to be the largest vacation resort in the world, consisting of four theme parks each represented by an iconic structure: Magic Kingdom - Cinderella Castle, Epcot - Spaceship Earth, Disney's Hollywood Studios - The Sorcerer's Hat, Disney's Animal Kingdom - The Tree of Life. If you spend a day in each of the four theme parks, which in our opinion is not long enough, and have a day off between each visit, then it will take a week just to do Disney! The resort has more than 20 hotels in Lake Buena Vista, Florida; it, and Universal Orlando Resort, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, and other major parks also drive state tourism. Many beach towns are also popular tourist destinations, particularly in the winter months. Miami is not particularly cheap but it is good value.

See our: www.RoundTripUSA.co.uk/Florida.html

9 Mexico - Cancun

There are over 140 hotels in Cancun adding up to more than 24,000 rooms, with almost400 restaurants. Over four million visitors arrive each year on an average of 190 flights daily. The Hotel Zone of Cancun is a land spit shaped like a 7 with bridges on each end connecting to the mainland. Hotels on the vertical or long side of the 7 tend to have rougher beaches where seasonal beach erosion and riptides can be a problem. Resorts on the horizontal or short end of the seven tend to have more gentle surf because the waves here are blocked by the Island of Maidens or Isla Mujeres which lies just off shore. The Hotel Zone offers a broad price range and standard of accommodations, ranging from relatively inexpensive motel-style facilities in the older section closest to the mainland, to high-priced luxury hotels in the later sections. The excursions from Cancun actually made our two week holiday very interesting.

See our: www.Holiday-in-Mexico.co.uk

10 Tunisia - Sousse and Djerba

Sun drenched Tunisia is probably North Africa's most western looking country. With more than 1000km of Mediterranean coastline, Tunisia is a natural sun trap backing onto the Sahara Desert. The Romans, Phoenicians and of course the Berber Arabs and French have all left their marks on the country. Besides the white sandy beaches Tunisia has plenty to see and do. Resort areas include the Carthage Coast near Tunis, Hammamet; probably the first tourist development in Tunisia with nearby Yasmine, the newest development. Further south; Port el Kantaoui together with its close neighbour Sousse and finally the island of Djerba on the very southernmost coastal reaches. These resorts have or are all now developing Golf courses, perfect for an early or late season golf break. We have spent a total of a month in Tunisia. Two weeks in Port el Kantaoui and Sousse and two weeks on Djerba.

See our: www.Tunisian-Holidays.co.uk