Next stop...

Montenegro
Forget any notions about the spectacular Dalmatian Coast starting and ending in Croatia. The ragged limestone coast that has sold a thousand sailing dreams continues south from Dubrovnik, crossing the border into the new nation of Montenegro. Here you’ll find the dramatic village of Kotor on the shore of Europe’s southernmost fjord, the postcard-perfect old town of Budva and the stunning and exclusive island of Sveti Stefan, connected to the mainland by a causeway. Add to this the 1.3km-deep Tara Canyon, a sleeper favourite among rafters, and it’s no wonder that Croatia’s shine is beginning to light up Montenegro.

Bosnia & Hercegovina
The war is 13 years gone, and only the plasterwork still tells the story. Mostar’s Old Bridge across the Neretva River has been rebuilt; the smell of coffee and evapi (minced meat) again floats through Sarajevo’s Turkish-styled Baš aršija bazaar; the Catholic faithful still crowd Me ugorje; the rafts are back in the rivers; and the walking trails have re-opened. Bosnia & Hercegovina is clearly back in business, and there’s much to like about it. In Sarajevo you’ll find one of Europe’s most welcoming cities, while poke into the crannies of the mountain landscape to find town beauties such as Mostar, Trebinje and Stolac.

Colombia
More often in the headlines than on tourist itineraries, Colombia’s dawn is breaking, with this lively nation offering one of the few remaining chances to get off South America’s rutted gringo trail. The gulf between Colombia’s reputation and its welcome is not the only contrast that’s worth experiencing, for here you’ll find vibrant cities and virgin national parks, or swim pristine reefs by day and dance salsa by night. Visitor numbers have shot up in the last three or four years, but that’s only by Colombian standards. This is still a land where you’ll see more locals than tourists.

Libya
With a new bunch of international pariahs on the scene, Libya is out of the figurative desert. Geographically it’s a different tale, with the Sahara covering around 95 percent of the country. It’s here, like in no other Saharan country, that you’ll find readily accessible scenes of windswept desert dunes, punctured by stunning massifs such as Jebel Acacus. Too much desert? Then head for the Mediterranean — Libya has one of the longest of all Mediterranean coasts — or experience the grand Roman city of Lepis Magna or the Greek city of Cyrene. For a city of Libya’s own creation, Tripoli is among the most appealing in North Africa.

Uruguay
Pinched between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay has tended to be overshadowed by both, though its quiet charms are finding a newly appreciative travelling audience. The capital, Montevideo, comes down somewhere between crumbling and contemporary, while for many visitors there’s an easy taste of Uruguay at postcard-perfect, World Heritage-listed Colonia del Sacramento, just a short ferry ride across the Rìo de la Plata from Buenos Aires. Within South America, which accounts for about 90 percent of Uruguay’s visitors, this country’s beaches are legendary, nowhere more so than the glitz and glamour of Punta del Este.

Nepal
The trekking Shangri-la is back in vogue, thanks to the signing of a peace agreement between the Nepali government and the rebel Maoists at the end of 2006. A decade of conflict had all but destroyed Nepal’s once-thriving tourism industry, leaving twitchy trekkers pining for lost glimpses of Everest, Annapurna and Makalu, as well as the boisterous respite to be found in the lanes of Kathmandu’s Thamel district. If the peace holds, Nepal will undoubtedly become one of the world’s most fashionable destinations once again, and while much has changed, the country’s major drawcard — its mountains — has not.

Oman
Welcome to a corner of the Middle East nobody has stereotyped. Staring across the Arabian Sea towards India, Oman combines 2000km of untrammeled coastline with an interior filled with classic Arabian desert scenes: wet-and-wonderful wadis, a sea of dunes in the Wahiba Sands, and some of the Arabian Peninsula’s finest mountains in the Western Hajar. Part of Oman’s appeal is its ease of access, with the capital, Muscat (home to one of the Middle East’s most evocative souqs) just a short hop from stopover-central Dubai. Though Oman is no longer a travel secret, there’s still time to get here before the crowds do.

South Korea
Ignore the dodgy neighbour to the north and you’ll discover the next big thing in Asian travel on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea’s capital, Seoul, buzzes with infectious energy, and history and religion jostle for space inthe south. Yet it might not be the culture vultures who ultimately drive South Korea’s rising fortunes — it may be the outdoorsy types, with the country’s spectacular national parks finally coming to visitor notice. Around 70 percent of the country is mountainous, and the country’s 20 national parks offer endless hiking opportunities.

Zambia
What Zimbabwe has forfeited through bad press, Zambia has gained. The two countries share the prize possession of Victoria Falls, and where once the smoke thundered loudest in Zimbabwe, that country’s troubles have lured people across to Zambia instead. What they’re discovering is more than a waterfall, with Zambia also considered to be one of the finest wildlife-watching destinations in Africa. Travel here retains a raw, Out of Africa edge, far beyond the gentrifying effects of tourism, which is in itself a good reason to visit.

Greenland
Even for the traveller who has been everywhere in Europe there’s usually still Greenland outstanding, though many are now beginning to correct this. This Greenland that’s predominantly white (and named by Eric the Red) presents a face of towering sea cliffs and an interior that’s sagging beneath the burden of a 3000m-thick sheet of ice. For most travellers a visit to the world’s largest island is all about iceberg-choked Disko Bay, while those who just want to say they’ve been there, can settle for a day tour flying from Iceland to the southern Greenland town of Kulusuk.