TRAVEL GUIDE 2020 YOUR TOP SOLO TRAVEL DESTINATIONS FOR 2020 EDITOR’S PICKS From Ecuador to India, our trip experts have rounded up their favourite destinations. Could one of them be yours too? Here at Flash Pack HQ, we’ve curated a series of adventures that allow you to travel like you, whenever you want. Gone are the days of waiting around for friends who may never join. Find an adventure that suits you, with like-minded solo travellers in their 30s and 40s who are ready to go. SPAIN COUNTRY PROFILE WHEN TO GO? HISTORICAL CITIES, High season runs Spain is one of the most EPIC MOUNTAINS – throughout the summer AND THE FOOD! diverse countries in months, bringing hot SPAIN IS ONE OF THOSE Europe, both in terms of its temperatures in central COUNTRIES I KEEP landscapes and cities. The and southern Spain. RETURNING TO, Pyrenees is a lush terrain The shoulder seasons TIME AND TIME AGAIN. popular with hikers and of spring and autumn Lucy, trip expert skiers alike, while Montserrat offer milder weather with in Catalonia attracts rock- fewer tourists. climbers from far and wide. TOP ATTRACTIONS Nearby, the Mediterranean Coast offers some of Spain’s 1. The Alhambra, Granada most beautiful and serene 2. La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona beaches. 3. Moorish heritage in Andalusia 4. Hike the Camino de Santiago If you’re looking for a cultured 5. Camping in the Pyrenees escape, head to Andalusia to encounter Spain’s Moorish heritage, Seville for passionate flamenco and Madrid for characterful, tapas-filled streets. Travel with us in Spain, and we’ll FOOD & DRINK show you the very best of 1. Seafood paella Andalusia and Madrid in just 2. Chocolate y churros in Madrid over a week. 3. Pintxos in San Sebastian 4. Wine-tasting in La Rioja 5. Sherry in Jerez de la Frontera RWANDA COUNTRY PROFILE TOP ATTRACTIONS Wildlife-lover? Our trip to 1. Gorilla trekking in the Virungas Rwanda will delight you. The 2. Camping on an island in Lake Kivu Virunga Mountains, spread 3. Hiking in Nyungwe National Park across five volcanoes, offer a 4. Safari in Akagera National Park rich ecosystem utterly unique 5. Rwandan heritage in Kigali to East Africa. Crossing the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, this is the only place in the world where you’ll encounter the endangered WILDLIFE mountain gorilla. Majestic, gentle and surprisingly 1. Mountain gorillas in the Virungas human-like, observing 2. Chimpanzees in Nyungwe National Park these creatures in their 3. Lions, elephants, hippos, zebras natural habitat is a special and giraffes in Akagera National Park experience. 4. 700 rare bird species across the country WHEN TO GO? 5. Golden monkeys in the Virunga Head to Nyungwe National Rwanda has a highland Park, and you’ll encounter tropical climate. Dry chimpanzees swinging season runs from June through the canopy; in to September and FOLLOWING THE TRAILS OF Akagera, you’ll find lions, December to February, MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AT DAWN elephants, zebras and making this the ideal WAS A MOMENT UNLIKE ANYTHING giraffes roaming the time to visit. Wet season ELSE I’VE EXPERIENCED. savannah, many of which occurs from March to IT WAS TRULY UNIQUE. have been recently May, and October to David, trip expert re-introduced to Rwanda. November. JORDAN COUNTRY PROFILE WHEN TO GO? FEW EXPERIENCES ARE AS Between March and From Petra to Wadi Rum, SPECIAL AS SEEING PETRA May, Jordan enjoys mild Jordan’s landscapes evoke a LIT UP BY CANDLELIGHT. weather with warm sense of mystery and wonder IT REALLY TAKES days and cooler nights, - and our popular Jordan YOUR BREATH AWAY making this the best time adventure will introduce you to Jessie, trip expert to visit. The weather from the country’s best experiences. June to August can be Think red rolling dunes and salt- unbearably hot, and the rich seas, Biblical mountains TOP ATTRACTIONS winter months bring rain and Roman ruins. To travel in 1. The Rose City of Petra and snow. Jordan is to uncover an ancient 2. Floating in the Dead Sea frontier land where east meets 3. Wadi Rum Desert west. 4. Ancient heritage in Amman 5. Diving in the Red Sea Jordan’s top sight is undoubtedly Petra, an ancient Nabatean city carved into the pink sandstone cliffs. One of the most magical travel moments out there, in our opinion, is uncovering the ancient city by candlelight, with the atmospheric strings of live FOOD & DRINK Bedouin music providing the 1. Mansaf perfect soundtrack. Floating 2. Fresh falafel in the Dead Sea is also a must, 3. Kunafa as is canyoning through the 4. Mujadara ravines of Wadi Mujib. 5. Maqluba INDIA WHEN TO GO? COUNTRY PROFILE India has a tropical I’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED From the northern reaches of climate, alternating A COUNTRY AS CAPTIVATING the Himalayas to the shores between dry and monsoon AS INDIA. ITS RANGE of Kerala, India’s landscapes season. From November OF CUISINE, CHARMING are vast, diverse and rich. Its to March, the weather is PEOPLE AND SPECTACULAR cities offer just as much to warm and pleasant, and LANDSCAPES MAKE IT AN be savoured, too, whether this is also high season. UNRIVALLED DESTINATION. Liam, trip expert you’re diving into the vibrant From April to June, chaos of Delhi or admiring the India reaches scorching colonial grandeur of Kolkata. temperatures, before the monsoon rains of July TOP ATTRACTIONS Yes, India is energetic, exciting to October. 1. Taj Mahal and (at times) maddening. But 2. The backwaters of Kerala you’ll also find areas where 3. Beach life in Goa it’s remarkably serene, like 4. Historical sightseeing in Delhi the southern state of Kerala, 5. Tiger safaris in Ranthambore the location of one of our most chilled adventures. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, Kerala is home to golden beaches, lush mangroves and enchanting backwaters which host a secluded world of their FOOD & DRINK own. This is a place to immerse 1. Fish molee in Kerala yourself in yoga and relaxed 2. Appam and stew coastal living; where city life 3. Dhansak will soon seem like a distant 4. Rogan Josh in Kashmir dream. 5. Aloo paratha in Punjab CALIFORNIA TOP ATTRACTIONS COUNTRY PROFILE 1. Yosemite National Park California is all about nature 2. San Francisco on a breathtaking scale, and 3. Wine-tasting in Sonoma whether it’s wine or wilderness 4. Sequoia National Park you’re after, our trips to the 5. Lake Tahoe region offer something for everyone. From the giant redwoods and colossal waterfalls of Yosemite National Park, to the world- famous vineyards of Sonoma and Napa, this is a landscape that just keeps giving. BEST VINEYARDS TO VISIT If it’s urban energy and 1. Ram’s Gate Winery innovation you’re after, you’ll 2. Chateau Montelena WHEN TO GO? find it in generous measure in 3. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars High season in California San Francisco. A city that has 4. Martinelli Winery runs from June to August made a tradition of shaking 5. Hanzell Vineyards during the summer up conventions, SF has been months. Spring is also a a pioneer on everything from fantastic time to visit, social movements to tech. YOSEMITE IS INCREDIBLE. with milder but pleasant Its location on the Pacific weather. Autumn / Fall YOU CAN’T IMAGINE HOW VAST Coast, just a short drive EVERYTHING IS UNTIL YOU GET is the best time to visit from Yosemite and Sequoia California’s vineyards, THERE, FROM THE TREES TO THE National Park, offer yet more coinciding with harvest WATERFALLS. adventures to be had. season. Tiffany, trip expert BEST VINEYARDS TO VISIT 1. Ram’s Gate Winery 2. Chateau Montelena ECUADOR 3. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 4. Martinelli Winery 5. Hanzell Vineyards COUNTRY PROFILE WHEN TO GO? THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS High season runs from With three trips to Ecuador, ARE LIKE NOWHERE ELSE June to September, with we’ve got something to suit I’D EVER BEEN TO. warm temperatures that you whatever your style of IMAGINE WALKING UP vary depending on where adventure. TO GIANT TORTOISES AND you are in the country. SWIMMING WITH SEA October and November Few countries offer the kind of LIONS, SURROUNDED BY see temperatures cool natural diversity you’ll find in INCREDIBLE LANDSCAPES. off, and December to Stefano, trip expert Ecuador. The tropical Amazon May coincides with the Rainforest, an ecosystem like no wet season. other; pristine Andean highlands with snowfall all year round; the TOP ATTRACTIONS Galapagos Islands, home to a 1. The Galapagos Islands range of species you won’t see 2. Cotopaxi National Park anywhere else in the world. 3. Trekking in the Amazon Basin 4. Explore Quito Old Town The beautifully-preserved cities 5. Cuenca’s historical sights of Quito and Cuenca recall Ecuador’s Spanish heritage, with their 17th-century cathedrals and monasteries. Yet travel deeper into the Andes and you’ll find yourself in a world of WILDLIFE pre-Colombian traditions and 1. Giant tortoises indigenous heritage; a far cry 2. Marine iguanas from the colonial legacy but just 3. Galapagos sea lion as enduring. 4. Galapagos penguin 5. Darwin’s finch FIND YOUR ADVENTURE AT FLASHPACK.COM.