Trip Tips & Insights
Practical, route-specific advice for the routes we cover — when to go, getting there, gear, water, permits and local know-how.
-
7 tips ItalyAlta Via 1 — The Classic Dolomites High Route
A six-day rifugio-to-rifugio highlights traverse of the Dolomites, from the emerald water of Lago di Braies over WWI passes and beneath the great walls of Civetta and Pelmo down towards Belluno.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Distance
- 120 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
8 tips NepalAnnapurna Base Camp — the Sanctuary Trek
Seven days from terraced Gurung villages up a hidden gorge into the Annapurna Sanctuary, an amphitheatre of 7,000-metre peaks closing a full circle around base camp at 4,130 m.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Distance
- 90 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
9 tips USAEpic Universe: Five Worlds Through the Portals
Universal's newest Orlando park — a garden hub world with four themed universes opening off it through portals: wizarding Paris, Super Nintendo World, the Isle of Berk and the monsters of Dark Universe.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 10 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
7 tips NepalEverest Base Camp Trek: The 8-Day Highlights
An accelerated highlights version of the classic trek through the Khumbu — from the airstrip at Lukla up the Sherpa valleys to the foot of the world's highest mountain at 5,364 m.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Distance
- 110 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
7 tips USAGrand Canyon Rim-to-Rim — North Kaibab to Bright Angel
The classic crossing of the Grand Canyon: down the North Kaibab Trail from the cool, forested North Rim to the Colorado River at Phantom Ranch, then up the Bright Angel Trail to the South Rim.
- Duration
- 3 days
- Distance
- 38 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
7 tips IsraelIsrael National Trail: Five-Day Highlights
The most beautiful five days of the 1,100 km Israel National Trail — the Galilee ridges, Mount Carmel, the Wilderness of Zin, the Ramon Crater and the Eilat Mountains down to the Red Sea.
- Duration
- 5 days
- Distance
- 92 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
7 tips TanzaniaKilimanjaro: The Machame Route to Uhuru Peak
Six days from rainforest to glaciers on the 'Whiskey Route', the most scenic way up Kilimanjaro, camping from gate to gate and topping out at Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the roof of Africa.
- Duration
- 6 days
- Distance
- 62 km
- Difficulty
- Expert
-
9 tips USAMagic Kingdom: The Castle Park, Done Properly
One full day through all six lands of the most-visited theme park in the world — from the rope drop on Main Street to fireworks over Cinderella Castle.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 10 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
7 tips JapanMount Fuji by the Yoshida Trail
Two days up Japan's sacred volcano on its most popular route, sleeping in a mountain hut near the eighth station to catch the goraiko sunrise from the 3,776 m summit.
- Duration
- 2 days
- Distance
- 15 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
10 tips USAOrlando in 11 Days
The full sweep at a humane pace: four Disney parks, a real rest day, all three Universal parks including Epic Universe, then SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, and a water-park finale.
- Duration
- 11 days
- Distance
- 95 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
10 tips USAOrlando in 14 Days
Two full weeks, nothing skipped: every Disney and Universal park, two water parks, Discovery Cove or SeaWorld, Kennedy Space Center, a kids-or-gators day, and a slow Winter Park finale.
- Duration
- 14 days
- Distance
- 110 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USAOrlando in 7 Days
One tight, well-ordered week: the four Walt Disney World parks first, then Universal's two classic parks, and a slow Disney Springs morning before the flight home.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Distance
- 65 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
7 tips JordanPetra on Foot: The Siq, the Treasury and the Monastery
A long, rewarding day walking into the Nabataean rose-red city — through the Siq to the Treasury, past the Royal Tombs, and up 800 steps to the Monastery.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 14 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
-
6 tips ItalyThe Blue Trail (Sentiero Azzurro) — Five Villages of the Cinque Terre
A coastal footpath threading the five cliff-clinging villages of the Cinque Terre — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore — above terraced vineyards and the Ligurian Sea.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 12 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
-
7 tips France&SpainThe Camino Francés: Seven Iconic Stages to Santiago
A highlights walk along the famous French Way, from crossing the Pyrenees to the Iron Cross and Galicia's green hills, ending at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Distance
- 168 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
-
7 tips PeruThe Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Four days on original Inca stone paths over high passes and past cloud-forest ruins, arriving at Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate at dawn.
- Duration
- 4 days
- Distance
- 42 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
6 tips IcelandThe Laugavegur Trail — Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk
Four days across Iceland's southern highlands, from the rhyolite mountains and hot springs of Landmannalaugar over an obsidian plateau and black-sand deserts to the birch woods of Þórsmörk.
- Duration
- 4 days
- Distance
- 55 km
- Difficulty
- Moderate
-
6 tips New ZealandThe Tongariro Alpine Crossing
A single spectacular day across an active volcanic landscape — steaming craters, red cinder ridges and the vivid Emerald Lakes — often called New Zealand's finest day walk.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 19.4 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
6 tips ChileThe W Trek, Torres del Paine
Four days tracing a giant 'W' through Patagonia's most famous park — the granite towers at dawn, the hanging glaciers of the French Valley, and the blue wall of Grey Glacier.
- Duration
- 4 days
- Distance
- 75 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
8 tips France, Italy, SwitzerlandTour du Mont Blanc
A circular alpine classic looping 170 km around the Mont Blanc massif through France, Italy and Switzerland.
- Duration
- 7 days
- Distance
- 170 km
- Difficulty
- Hard
-
8 tips USAAquatica Orlando: The Water Park With Dolphins in the Plumbing
SeaWorld's South-Seas water park on the I-Drive corridor — a clear slide through a lagoon of Commerson's dolphins, twin wave pools, dueling rivers and one of Orlando's best kids' water fortresses.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USABlizzard Beach: The Ski Resort That Melted
Disney's snow-themed water park — a freak Florida blizzard built a ski resort, the snow melted, and the slopes became slides, with Summit Plummet free-falling off the top.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USADiscovery Cove: The Day Orlando Slows Down
A reservation-only, all-inclusive swim resort across the road from SeaWorld — snorkel a reef of rays, drift a warm river into a walk-through aviary, and add a dolphin swim if you book it in time.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 2 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
7 tips USADisney Springs: The Free Evening at Disney World
Disney's open-air shopping, dining and entertainment district on Lake Buena Vista — four waterfront neighborhoods, free admission, free parking, and best from late afternoon into the night.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 5 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USADisney's Animal Kingdom: Half Zoo, Half Theme Park, Entirely Its Own Thing
A day in the largest theme park in the world — a real African safari, the floating mountains of Pandora, an Everest coaster and animal trails that reward slowing down.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 10 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USADisney's Hollywood Studios: Coasters, Star Wars and a Show on the Water
One day through Disney's movie park — the Tower of Terror and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, a full afternoon on Batuu in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, and Fantasmic! after dark.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 8 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USAEpcot: Around the World in One Very Long Walk
A figure-8 day through Epcot — headline rides in the front half of the park, then eleven country pavilions around the World Showcase Lagoon, ending with the nighttime show over the water.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 12 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USAGatorland: Old Florida, Still Biting
The self-styled Alligator Capital of the World, open since 1949 — gator-wrestling kitsch out front, a genuinely wild breeding marsh and bird rookery out back, and a zip line over the whole toothy lot.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 4 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USAICON Park: An Evening Above International Drive
The 120-meter observation wheel at the heart of I-Drive, with a wax museum, an aquarium tunnel and a promenade of restaurants underneath it — Orlando's best easy evening.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 2 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USAIslands of Adventure: Six Islands Around a Lagoon
A clockwise lap of Universal's ride park — Marvel coasters, Toon Lagoon soakers, the VelociCoaster, Hagrid's motorbikes and Hogwarts castle, ending in the candy-colored calm of Seuss Landing.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 9 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USAKennedy Space Center: A Day at America's Spaceport
A full day on Merritt Island with the real Space Shuttle Atlantis, a genuine Saturn V moon rocket, launch pads on the horizon and astronauts who actually flew — about an hour east of Orlando.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 6 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USALegoland Florida: A Day Built from Bricks
The kid-scale theme park in Winter Haven, about 45 minutes from Orlando — coasters sized for first-timers, Miniland USA built from millions of bricks, and a historic botanical garden hiding inside.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 7 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USAOrlando Science Center: The City's Rainy-Day Ace
Four floors of hands-on science in Loch Haven Park — indoor alligators, a brilliant under-7 floor, dinosaur digs and Florida's largest public telescope, ten minutes north of downtown.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USASeaWorld Orlando: The Coaster Park That Keeps Whales
One day at Orlando's quiet thrill capital — Mako, Kraken and Manta before the queues build, marine habitats through the midday heat, Sesame Street for the kids, and orcas at the stadiums to finish.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 8 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USAThe Morse Museum & Winter Park: The Anti-Theme-Park Day
The world's greatest Tiffany collection, a reassembled 1893 chapel, an oak-lined brick main street and a pontoon cruise through lakeside estates — Orlando's grown-up day out.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USATyphoon Lagoon: Disney's Shipwreck Water Park
Disney's castaway-themed water park, built around one of the largest wave pools in the world — with the shipwrecked Miss Tilly stranded on the mountain above it all.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
9 tips USAUniversal Studios Florida: A Day on the Backlot
One day inside Universal's original Orlando park — full-scale movie streets, Diagon Alley hidden behind a London facade, Springfield built brick for brick, and Men in Black to finish.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 9 km
- Difficulty
- Easy
-
8 tips USAVolcano Bay: A Day Under the Volcano
Universal's tropical-island water park — a 200-foot volcano over a wave lagoon, slides from gentle to vertical, and a TapuTapu wristband that queues for you while you float.
- Duration
- 1 day
- Distance
- 3 km
- Difficulty
- Easy