Dare to be different

‘Travel corridors’ have changed our holiday options, so now is your chance to explore some surprising new destinations. From Lithuania to Liechtenstein, our experts select their favourites

Foreign travel is back. With quarantine rules waived for a number of destinations, summer holidays are here again. Many of the perennial favourites – France, Spain, Italy and Croatia – made the Foreign Office’s restriction-free “safe list”; while others – mainland Portugal – remain on the naughty step.

But examine that safe list more closely and you’ll notice some exotic names plus several destinations that, while familiar, appear offbeat as holiday choices.

You’ve almost certainly heard of places like the Faroe Islands or Liechtenstein. You may have hazy impressions of both. But have you actually visited?

Now is the time to go, which is why we’ve compiled this guide to 10 unusual destinations you ought to consider this summer.

They may seem a gamble after three months in lockdown. Holidays are precious. In normal times, they afford us a rare opportunity to park modern life for a while. Brave is the holidaymaker who takes a punt on somewhere new with their few weeks away. These, however, are not normal times. I don’t know about you, but my life has been parked for quite long enough, thanks.

There’s nothing wrong with seeking reassurance in your relaxing, go-to destination, of course.

But if we want them to, holidays can provide more than relaxation. By freeing us of the routines bred by familiarity, offbeat destinations offer us an opportunity to live our best lives: to be spontaneous, open up to new experiences, cultures and people, and to connect with the world. Perhaps even to reconnect with a part of ourselves.

Seen like that, a holiday somewhere unusual doesn’t seem quite such a punt after all. In fact, it sounds like rediscovering what made travel so stimulating in the first place. And heaven knows, we’re in the market for some of that.