In the age of influencers, turning right where others turn left is easier said than done. But the unbridled excitement (and accompanying smugness) of blazing a new trail, somewhat off the map, is hard to beat. We've scoured the globe to bring you the must-see destinations that haven't yet made it into this highly impressionable world. Read on, and you'll be able to boast about places few people know about.
01. Transylvania, Romania
Historic properties in Cris, Transylvania, Romania. Photo taken by Mr. Philip Vile, courtesy of Bethlen Estates.
Cradled by the Carpathian Mountains, this stunning expanse of Romania has laid the foundations for countless legends. Oak forests transform into gradually green pastures, wolves stalk the misty escarpments, and among the terracotta roofs, turrets and spires reach for the sky. This has long been the land that time forgot, immortalized in Bram Stoker 's Gothic novel and its countless derivatives. However, a slow and steady wind of change is blowing, driven by artisans, farmers, and winemakers eager to introduce the region's Edenic valleys and slow-living ethos to discerning travelers. For a front-row seat to this changing story, check into one of the beautiful guesthouses at Bethlen Estates, on the edge of sleepy Cris. Seductive in their symmetry, these carefully restored hiding places are a lesson in admirable sobriety.
02. The Egadi Islands, Italy
Villa Zu Nillu in Favignana. Courtesy of The Thinking Traveller.
Raw beauty characterizes this wave-lapped Italian archipelago above all else. Located a hydrofoil ride from the northwest tip of Sicily, the three islands are a feast for the senses, tiny but extremely elemental and virtually identical today to what they were a century ago. Long-abandoned quarries and sea caves lend a special quality to Favignana's alluring coastline. When the wind dies down, the shallows are as clear as glass, and just above them, in the tufa, you'll spot the four-bedroom house Zu Nillu. The two more distant Egadi islands are no less captivating: beautifully bare Levanzo, with its undulating limestone crags, and Marettimo, where heat-baked pine trees float in the air. Other than boating and swimming, there isn't much to do in these remote locations, but that's of course the whole idea.
03. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France. Photograph by Ms Susana Guzman/Alamy
Far from the social whirl of the French Riviera, once sleepy Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is emerging as a favorite with savvy Parisians looking to slow down without being off the grid. A gentle hum drifts from Place Favier and spills out into the leafy streets. Fountains gurgle as starch-shirted waiters glide along parasol-lined tables, pouring pale rosé next to plates of zucchini flowers. It's all very civilized, without feeling the least bit stuffy. Beyond the crumbling 14th-century town walls, fields of sunflowers stretch in all directions, and it's here that you'll find the famous Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery, where Mr. Vincent van Gogh painted "Irises" and "Starry Night." There are also a handful of well-appointed places to sleep, but our pick is the Hôtel de Tourrel, an absurdly sophisticated stay with original herringbone parquet flooring underfoot and custom mid-century pieces at every turn.
04. Phu Yen, Vietnam
Bai San Ho Resort in Phu Yen, Vietnam. Photograph by Mr. Frederik Wissink for Zannier Hotels
With its emerald rice paddies, temples half-swallowed by jungle, and vast stretches of sand, empty except for the occasional fisherman, the enchanting province of Phu Yen happily flies under the radar, avoiding the hordes of photographers synonymous with Vietnam's busiest stretches. Be captivated by this province's natural beauty as you stroll along the surreal basalt rocks rising from Da Dia Reef, and head to Bai San Ho, the latest addition to the Zannier hotel range. Emerging from dew-drenched foliage onto warm sand, this is a tropical idyll in harmony with its surroundings, a superb launching pad for horizon-expanding beach activities.
05. Kaokoveld, Namibia
Kaokoveld, Namibia. Photograph by Mr. Johan Wahl
When it comes to off-the-beaten-track adventures, Namibia is nearly impossible to beat. A stark land of dunes and desert-adapted predators, its expanses are as unforgiving as they are immense. In the eerily empty Kaokoveld (one of the planet's last remaining wildernesses), the silence is enough to knock you off your feet. Ochre plains transform into weather-etched mountains, and the silhouettes of nomadic Himba settlements loom large on the horizon. Whether tracking endangered black rhinos or zipping around in a turboprop Cessna, the rugged valleys offer breathtaking encounters in spades, and Hoanib Valley Camp makes an unbeatable base. Desert lions roam the dusty landscapes and, although notoriously elusive, twilight excursions with experienced trackers will increase your chances of spotting them.
06. Harbour Island, Bahamas
Harbour Island, Bahamas. Photograph by Ms. Ana Lui
It's the laid-back vibe that first strikes you about this Bahamian island. A mere speck on the map, a few miles off untamed Eleuthera, this is a sun-kissed idyll of the finest kind. And while it's, at first glance, the archetypal tropical paradise—with sherbet shores, comically blue waters, and a joyful calypso soundtrack—Briland, as it's affectionately known by locals, isn't a see-and-unsee place. Rather, it's a place where you can pause and relax. There's a lived-in air that keeps it from entering postcard territory. Roosters crow loudly, zipping around pastel porches, and you'll want to rent a golf buggy (the islanders' wheel of choice) to cruise the dusty roads. When it comes to dream accommodation, Bahama House takes first prize, and sticky, blue days are best spent between Dunmore Town and the beach, where you'll lounge lazily with an ice-cold Kalik in hand.
07. North Fork, USA
Sound View on the North Fork. Photo courtesy of them.
Not so long ago, the strip of land paralleling the Hamptons held little appeal and was merely the obscure sister to the better-known South Peninsula. A few years later, Long Island's North Fork has emerged as a refreshingly unpretentious alternative. Record stores sit alongside beloved oyster shacks, artist-run galleries dot the charming waterfront towns, and a slew of low-intervention wineries have sprung up between the marshes and rolling farmland. A clever reimagining of a 1950s seaside motel, a stone's throw from Greenport, Sound View exemplifies the North Fork's laid-back appeal with its simple, modernist aesthetic and rope-suspended decks lapped by the salty spray of Long Island Sound. There's no denying the allure of the balmy summer months here, but the place is just as alluring in the off-season, when the waves crash harder and swirling banks of fog cover the shore.
Text by Ms Harriet Charnock-Bates
