Location: Rishikesh, India

Get some balance in your life by visiting the country where yoga was born. Spiritual types will relish the inner workouts as much as the outer, and rational types might be in for a revelation. Social butterflies will enjoy yoga in Rishikesh – there are plenty of like-minded souls ready to swap aching-limbs stories over an ayurvedic tea. Virtually every hotel offers one-hour yoga sessions, but ashram stays are the best way to truly immerse yourself in the spiritual vibe.

Location: Transylvania, Romania

Love it or loathe it, visit Romania and you can’t ignore the omnipres­ence of Dracula. To catch the tail of the real Dracula, head to the remote Poenari Cita­del, on the Transylvania-Wallachia border, where the impaler’s wife committed suicide. Not far from the wonderfully preserved medieval town of Braşov – where Vlad also had people impaled – is Bran Castle, where allegedly Ţepeş was briefly imprisoned.

Location: Edirne, Turkey

Now one of the world’s oldest and most bizarre sporting events – in which muscular men, naked except for a pair of heavy leather trousers, coat themselves in olive oil and throw each other around – takes place annually in late June/early July in northern Edirne. It’s called the Tar­ihi Kırkpınar Yağlı Güreş Festivali (Historic Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Festival) and proves to be one of the most curious uses of olive oil since the early Ottoman Empire.

Location: Yangshuo, China

This picturesque former fishing village has been dubbed 'the adventure capital of China' thanks in part to its accessibility, but mostly due to the rock-climbing opportunities afforded by its many limestone karst peaks. A buzzing scene of local and international climbers enjoys arguably the best concentration of climbs in Asia, most of which are reachable by a short bike or bus ride from downtown.

Location: London, England

If you’d like to learn a new skill, brush up on an old one, or attend a fas­cinating lecture, the world-famous British Museum, Tate Modern and National History Museum are excellent places to deepen your knowl­edge. Beyond the big-hitters, don’t overlook some of the lesser-known collections dotted throughout the city. Whether you’ve a penchant for fans, toys, design, cartoons, transport or ancient surgical techniques, you’ll find a gallery or museum to satisfy your intellectual cravings.

Location: West Coast, New Zealand

Here’s your chance to venture into untamed territory that might be well beyond your limits, such as the icy faces of Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, or beyond them into the midst of the Southern Alps on a scenic flight. Raft down the wild white waters of the Buller River, or kayak across New Zealand’s largest natural lagoon and up into narrow channels overhung with strange plants and enriched with birdlife.

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bicycles are more common than cars in Amsterdam, and to roll like a local you’ll need a two-wheeler. Rent a bike and take a spin alongside Amsterdam’s canals, then head out into the countryside: wend between Friesland’s interconnected lakes, investigate the polders and old-school fishing villages of North Holland or pedal through the forests and sheep fields of the Drenthe region, where hunebedden (ancient stone graves) lay scattered by the paths.

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Adopt an elephant for the day and learn what it takes to care for, com­mand and ride these priceless pachyderms. There are several good ele­phant parks in Chiang Mai, one of Thailand’s most famous destinations for elephant encounters. Take your elephant for a bath in the river and it may return the kindness with a ride through the forest to a waterfall or a local temple.

Location: York, England

York is considered England’s most haunted city, and there is a plethora of tours available for budding ghost-busters. According to Andy Dextrous, a ghost tour guide, you’ll find York’s spookiest spots in haunted pubs like the Old White Swan, plus the Antiques Centre on Stonegate. In the streets around the Minster you’re always within a breath of a ghost tale.

Location: South Africa

Agreeable weather conditions year-round and an abundance of high-points make South Africa one of the world’s top paragliding destina­tions. Good facilities and instruction mean that most activities are accessible to anyone, whatever their experience level. Your own trans­port is essential to escape the strong winds in Cape Town and reach the best sites in Porterville and Hermanus, and at Sit Lowry’s Pass. Soaring along the Twelve Apostles as the tablecloth cloud forms around you is a near-biblical experience.