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‘Bathroom’ isn’t the word that springs to Bobby Fox’s mind as he explores the facilities at a bus stop halfway to Yalta. Like much of the Ukraine it leaves him horrified. But when he makes alternative plans he finds an angry babushka in the bushes.

The five villages north of Spezia, clinging to Italy’s Mediterranean coast, are impossibly beautiful and ultimately romantic. Stacey Wallis shoulders her backpack and explores one of Europe’s most dazzling gems.

Despite the scepticism of friends Bonnie Lynn flies down to Colombia. Even in the major cities – infamous hubs of the cocaine trail – she finds nothing but friendliness – and a massively underrated tourist destination.

The team at Directline Holidays don’t just sell flights and hotels. They also provide nightlife advice. Tom Bourlet picks out the Balearic’s best clubs so you can choose which island best suits your mood.

As an expatriate in Sao Paulo, Rob Dwyer finds his financial situation insecure and dramatic – just like everyone else’s, as far as he can tell. In the end he relaxes and spends what he has.

In Holland’s capital city bicycles are everywhere. But Lindsay Salt finds there are hazards to joining in the flow of pedal-powered traffic.

The Axis lost the Second World War and that’s perhaps why, even now, Japan’s suicide bombers attract a bewildered fear rather than respect. Jeffrey Rambo visits a museum dedicated to the ultimate warriors of the Orient.

The earlier you travel, the more it hits your mind. Anthony Faranda, at the tender age of ten, finds Central America’s most picturesque republic something of a revelation.

It’s a long walk from Beijing to Ulaan Baatur. Charlie Walker spends six weeks on the road and though frankly that’s fast (to cover 900 miles) he has the occasional adventure on the way. My favourite is the sexual assault, where grannies and toddlers come to his aid.

Just 18 years ago millions died in the Hutu/Tsutsi conflict. Jason finds Africa’s youngest ghosts give him pause for thought as he tours Kigali’s somewhat gruesome highlights.

When Carley Hollis finds she’s pregnant, she fears it might disrupt any travel plans. Not so, she finds. Even in her second trimester she fully appreciates a luxury holiday in Cyprus.

John M. Edwards explores Australia’s little, wet sister. Instead of Tasmanian tigers or Tasmanian devils he’s searching for aboriginal inhabitants. Given these were all infamously hunted down and shot, his quest seems unlikely to be successful or win him friends.

It’s not your usual holiday. For his annual leave Alex Jones completes a 2,500-mile boat journey from the Peruvian jungle, through Colombia and Brazil to the Atlantic Ocean. The world’s greatest water route at a gentle hammock pace.

When she lands a job working on a Hong Kong magazine, Zoe Louise Cronk finds the Far East’s economic powerhouse something of a challenge. Her diary of her first month abroad outlines the differences of this Asian super-city.

Madagascar is a seriously large island: it’s about the size of mainland France but with hardly any tarmac roads. Xavier Aubut’s trek, crossing the island from east to west, is something of an epic achievement.

Ebay has sparked a surge in boat sales. It’s easy to buy a sailing vessel and no qualifications are required. Fortunately Jeremy Purkiss seems to know what he’s doing when he buys his first yacht, borrows two inexperienced crew and heads south for the sun.

Bungee jumping is old: gorge swings are in. Polly Bryan launches herself off a cliff in Queenstown for the ultimate adrenaline buzz.

When Jacob Piccinino volunteers to work with disabled children in Pune he starts on the best two months of his life.

Sometimes reality matches up to your dreams. Julie H Ferguson is awestruck by America’s most iconic natural landscape.

One of Adrian Harman-Bishop’s formative experiences was visiting his parents in Papua New Guinea’s highland regions, as the tribes gathered for the Goroka Show.

It’s common to look for cheap air fares online. But William David says that for getting around the UK by train there are even greater savings to be made.

David Calleja gets an insight into an ancient Vietnamese tradition as he takes in a water puppet show, where the actors are wooden and float across the stage.

In search of greener grass, Graham Field buys a motorbike and rides it to Mongolia. Then he wrote rather a good book about the journey. In this extract it’s August and snowing as he crosses the border into Mongolia.

Eric Whitehead flies about as far south as he can to head off on a riding safari through the frozen wastes of Chile’s Patagonian tip,

The marketing director of Titan Travel, Dan Whitehouse, talks to the Travelmag about his life in travel.

David Jenkins take the plunge into the local bathing habits while heading through the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.

Ugly Marabou storks, endless humidity and tailgating traffic: it’s not easy to find the sunny side of Uganda’s capital city. But Jason Smart finds the streets of Kampala provide insights into East Africa.

Frances Leate finds her sombrero tilted akimbo after a couple of rums too many when she flies into the Caribbean’s finest holiday island (whatever the Americans might say).

Make this the year to expand your ski horizons. Theresa Semackor says the Crystal Ski website is a great place to check out the best new mountain resorts.

Two or three times a year, Mary Vigliante Szydlowski heads down to Mexico to catch a bit of sun. She says Cozumel, just off the Yucutan, is a great place to celebrate carneval – and sensibly stretch your vacation dollar.

Matthew Thomas takes the slow route around Nepal when he takes a trek around the Kathmandu valley.

Age is no barrier to Patricia McCormack as she flies – in her eighties – to Scandinavia for a dog-sled adventure in the land of the Sami.

Michael Goodwin examines the relentless growth of all-inclusive holidays. They might save some money but wouldn’t you be better renting a motorbike and heading off alone?

A 26-day course in Vipassana meditation proves insufficient – or inappropriate – preparation for a serious bit of freelance hiking and then a motorcycle tour of Thailand’s north, but Pascal de Kruyff lives to tell the tale – and learn from his experience.

When he flies into Moroni, the tiny capital of the Comoros Islands, Jason Smart is upset to find no fridge in his room. After a few days on these Indian-Ocean islands, poor relations even to nearby Madagascar, he learns his privations are truly minor.

Germany’s sturdy tradition of serious autumn drinking is an annual fixture on Europe’s travel circuit. Natasha Martí is something of an expert: she’s attended Oktoberfest for each of the last three years.

It’s something of a disappointment to find Jerry Herman’s experiences in Hoi An and Hanoi didn’t extend to explicit sex, but the little pleasures of Vietnamese life prove to be quite exciting enough.

In a quiet corner of Andalucia, Jamie Meehan discovers a sunsoaked patch of paradise. The village of Agua Amarga, which has actually been used as a set to epitomise the ‘Spanish dream’, is the sort of Spain all good gangsters dream of.