2023: Where to Visit: Top Picks for Travelling from Australia to Vietnam
As the New Year begins, people are establishing new goals and dreams, and others are planning to fulfil their ideal bucket list of travel destinations throughout the world. Some people may be unsure about where to visit, with so many wonderful places to explore. To guide you, here is a list of the best 7 travel destinations in 2023.
Australia
The Great Barrier Reef and kangaroos are the first things that come to mind when most people think of Australia. That’s all well and good, but you should first realise that this nation is quite extensive and extremely different. The 2.9 million square miles that the country has to offer cannot be explored in a single lifetime.
Let’s begin by travelling to the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is so enormous that you can see it from space. This location is ideal for fishing, snorkelling, surfing, and diving. Tourists can cruise around the islands, board a sightseeing plane, or swim and dive into the reefs to explore the turquoise waters.
Then, you can head to the Sydney Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Sydney Opera House is renowned as a top-notch performing arts venue and is admired for its exquisite architectural design inspired by yacht sails. Surrounded by water, the majestic curves of the Sydney Opera House dominate Sydney Harbour and are striking from every angle.
Discover Uluru, the spiritual heart of Australia and a sacred location in the Red Centre. Uluru, commonly known as Ayers Rock, is a spectacular red monolith that stands 348 metres tall and serves as the focal point of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. It is one of the most frequently pictured natural marvels in the country. If you travel to Australia, you must experience the sunrise and sunset at Uluru. It is a unique and calming experience.
New Zealand
New Zealand is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the planet. It’s unlike any other, with its snow-capped mountains, old glaciers, rolling hills, and plentiful amounts of wine. It’s a nation that takes some planning to visit because it’s hidden away in a remote part of the planet.
The country is endowed with beautiful beaches in Auckland and the North Island, one of which is Muriwai Beach, a well-known beach in New Zealand that is distinctive due to its black sand, which is brought on by the iron content of the area’s extinct volcanoes.
For the best mountain experience in the nation, explore Milford Sound, where the imposing Mitre Peak rules above steep slopes. Enjoy some of the stunning hikes at the Milford Track, Routeburn Track, and Kepler Tracks, which are all quite popular. Some of New Zealand’s most famous bird species can be found there, including the kea, the only alpine parrot in the whole world, and other mountain birds. It is better to visit on a rainy day to witness the steep mountain slopes covered in hundreds of temporary waterfalls.
It is also the ancestral homeland of the Maori people, who moved from Polynesia. They are one of the world’s most vivacious tribes. The Maori Haka, a traditional ceremonial dance, has a global fan base. A visit to New Zealand will introduce you to a culture that dates back thousands of years. Seeing their centuries-old history and traditions is an extra draw for cultural vultures.
New Caledonia
The UNESCO World Heritage site of New Caledonia is a French territory in the South Pacific that consists of dozens of islands. It is renowned for its palm-lined beaches and lagoon, which is one of the world’s most enormous and covers 24,000 square kilometres. It is a beautiful South Pacific island found by the British explorer James Cook in the late 17th century and has been occupied by the French since 1854.
The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is the second-largest barrier reef in the world, behind the New Caledonian barrier reef. With more than 9,000 square miles of the lagoon, this area is a marine buff’s paradise with many beaches, coves, and islands that have gorgeous weather and expansive sand.
Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia, is also the cultural and entertainment centre of the country, with its various coves, beaches, and breathtaking vistas. Nouméa is home to a variety of cultures and architectural designs. In Noumea, it’s common to do nothing but sit back and relax while admiring the Pacific Ocean’s azure waves from a luxurious hotel room’s balcony or a beach café while drinking a coffee. The city is home to several taverns, nightclubs, and eateries serving French or New Caledonian cuisine.
If you find yourself getting bored, there are other attractions worth checking out, such as the vibrant morning market at Port Moselle, which is home to a contemporary marina, the Gothic Saint Joseph Cathedral, which was built in 1887, and the Tjibaou Cultural Center, which opened in 1998 to honour the indigenous Melanesian Kanak culture. You can also take a picnic to Coconut Square, where locals enjoy lounging in the grass beneath century-old flame trees, or, if time allows, go whale watching.
North Macedonia
North Macedonia is a small, underappreciated, and unexplored nation in Europe’s Balkan Peninsula. This nation is a fusion of the old and the contemporary, rich in historical relics from the Ottoman and Roman eras, spectacular natural beauty, and the friendly hospitality of the locals. You should consider going to this underrated location.
The first city you should visit if you travel to North Macedonia is its capital city, Skopje, which is part of the former Yugoslavia. The Old Town and the New Town of Skopje are separated by the Vardar River. While the modern city is renowned for its Central Square and clubs, bars, and restaurants, the old part of Macedonia is home to the majority of the country’s historical landmarks.
Visit the stunning Matka Canyon, which is the most iconic landmark in the nation and is located 20 kilometres from Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia. There will be much to do there all day, including sailing on the azure river, strolling through the canyon, exploring caves, touring local monasteries, and unwinding in cafés.
The cuisine of Macedonia is highly varied, it is worth trying. Only a select few foods, including classic moussaka, stuffed peppers, and baked beans (tavce), are truly mouth-watering. These recipes feature traces of Italian, as well as some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. Vegetables, fish, and meat are the staples of Macedonian cuisine.
Enjoy the various festivals and fairs that take place in Macedonia each year, such as the Summer Festival (Ohrid), Poetry Evenings (Struga), Balkan People’s Festival (Ohrid), May Opera Nights (Skopje), Old City Songs Festival (Ohrid), and the International Jazz Festival (Skopje).
Malaysia
Malaysia, located in Southeast Asia, is a fantastic multicultural country. The diversity of the country is what makes it so intriguing. You may see vibrant, contemporary cities, and colonial buildings, relax on some of the world’s most stunning beaches and walk through lush green forests all in the same nation. It is the quintessential backpacker travel spot in so many ways, as it is inexpensive, lively, and full of adventure.
Experience Kuala Lumpur, the city that never sleeps; you’ll be left wanting more when it comes to cuisine, vibrant culture, shopping, spas, or nightlife. In this metropolis where East and West collide, colonial, traditional, and religious architecture of various kinds coexist with ultra-modern infrastructures to create a fascinating cityscape.
The Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the Old Railway Station, the National Mosque, the National Palace, and the 421-meter-tall KL Tower are among the must-see locations for an eye-catching experience. All of these locations are close to the Bukit Bintang area.
Taman Negara National Park is one of the best places to see wildlife in its natural setting in Malaysia. Tapirs, wild boar, deer, monkeys, and innumerable birds and insects can be seen among the waterfalls and canopy walkways.
Visit Gunung Mulu National Park, which is located in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. This park has a more than 3,000-year history, and its amazing caves are its most famous attraction. In the park, you can explore Turtle Cave, the alleged Garden of Eden, or the Wind Caves.
Malaysia’s abundant and inexpensive street cuisine is one of the country’s greatest features. You won’t go hungry when visiting Malaysia because you can often get it wherever, at any time of the day. It is a delectable fusion of Asian cuisines with ties to the Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese culinary scenes. The “Penang Assam Laksa” (drunken rice noodles in a fish soup), the “Lok Lok” (mixed skewers cooked in broth), and the “Apom Balik,” a sweet and savoury sticky rice pancake, are some traditional Malaysian street foods you should try.
Vietnam
For any traveller, Vietnam is a wonderfully spectacular destination. It provides gorgeous scenery, bustling towns, a rich cultural heritage, mouthwatering food, amiable residents, and much more. You will also get the chance to learn about the cultural impacts of Chinese and Indian cultures at this destination. It is ideal for anybody looking to try something new and adventurous.
With 3,000 kilometres of untouched tropical coastline, Vietnam is blessed with some of the greatest beaches in the world, and these beaches are not overrun with tourists, allowing you to relax peacefully in the sun.
The karst mountains, which run from the east coast to the west coast, are phenomenal; they must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Many hikers can spend their entire trip travelling the narrow roads and winding trails that lead to these peaks. It also has a few World Heritage Sites, including the Cham Islands, Hoi An Ancient Street, Phon Nha Ke Bang Caves, and Halong Bay.
Vietnamese culture is diverse and distinct, owing to its vibrant hill tribes, pulsing megacities, and foreign influences. The country is well-known for both its rich legacy and its history. Most people are familiar with Vietnam because of the war, but few are aware that this country is home to one of the oldest civilisations in South East Asia, dating back to 2000 BC and influenced by India, China, and France.
To commemorate its past, the government has created several museums and memorials. War memorials in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), such as the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Remnants Museum, commemorate Vietnam’s fight for independence. Former French government facilities such as Hoa Lo Prison and the infamous Hanoi Hilton demonstrate how the Vietnamese were treated by the French colonists. The Vietnamese are also known as friendly hosts because the nation is the “land of endless smiles.”