1.  The Caribbean

Stretching for more than 2,000 miles along the borders of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea, the Caribbean comprises over 7,000 tropical islands.  With such a plethora of islands, it’s no wonder that there’s terrain to suit everyone’s needs.  Diving and snorkeling in the clear waters and pristine reefs are popular activities, but there’s also everything from mountain climbing (some of the islands, like Trinidad & Tobago and Saint Kitts, possess volcanic mountain-like features) to more pastoral activities such as golf and tennis. The Caribbean truly is a tropical paradise.

2. The Greek Islands

Once upon a time, Greece was a top travel destination for travelers from all over the world. After all, with centuries of history that has influenced and shaped the modern world we see today, as well as friendly people, great food, and stunning landscapes, it’s hard to find a reason to dislike this small European country nestled on the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea. These days, economic woes may have affected tourism, but that means that now is the perfect time to get a great deal on packaged holidays.

3.  India

Does any other country conjure up images of such exoticism, spirituality, and yes – perhaps chaos? Facing India alone can be a daunting prospect. Located in the Asian subcontinent, India has the world’s second-largest population with over 1.2 billion people in an area smaller than Australia.  A packaged holiday may be the best way to conquer this country, to soak in the legendary wonders of the Taj Mahal, the rightly-famous food, and the bustling cities.

4.  The USA

Though perhaps initially lacking in the exoticism of the other entries on this list, don’t discredit the USA. What other country has such a vast range of climates and geography to choose from? From skiing in the Rockies to sunbathing on the famous California beaches, here you can have it all.  Outdoor pursuits are king; Yosemite National Park offers some of the most breathtaking scenes to be found in nature. If the outdoors isn’t your thing, the US also has some of the best museums, theme parks, and partying in the world. Because of the sheer size of the US, custom holidays will allow you to pick and choose exactly where you’d like to go and what you want to see.

5.  Australia

Australia, the land down under. Filled some of the world’s strangest creatures and most alien landscapes to be found on Earth, Australia is also home to the world’s friendliest and furthest-roaming people. With such a young culture and history, it’s no wonder Australians travel so much – they’ve probably traveled more in your home country than you have.

6.  South Africa

South Africa is much more than just home to the 2010 World Cup.  Located on the southernmost tip of Africa, this relatively large country contains truly stunning and varied scenery. World-famous wines make this a popular destination for aficionados.  If traveling further into Africa, this is a good country to get acclimated in.  Go on a safari and witness lions and giraffes in the wild; drink wine on the wild and rugged coast, and enjoy the hospitality of the South African people.

7.  Brazil

Brazil is one of the largest countries in the world, unassumingly spread over a vast portion of South America. The best Carnival celebrations are to be found in Rio de Janeiro, but outside the cities much of Brazil is still wild Amazonian rainforest.  The Brazilian culture is an interesting mix of European and Caribbean influence on a native population; Brazilians are known as some of the most beautiful people in the world. Varied and exotic geography rounds out this unique country.

These 7 destinations make up the 7 best locations for packaged holidays, though, of course, the more rugged and self-reliant traveler will find a lot to love in these places as well!

This is a guest post by Sam Camus, a part-time guest blogger, and full-time world traveler.  Currently located in Budapest Hungary, Sam’s plan is to keep moving until he can’t anymore.

A few months prior to your trip, create a list of what places/sites you plan to see, and how long you plan to be at each one. Once that is complete, figure out what ones are worth seeing first. I would consider your budget, travel route, weather, accommodation and how far in advance you need to book ahead. With all this in mind, start by booking your flights to Sydney first.  Booking a flight to Sydney usually isn’t too difficult considering anywhere in the world is accessible flying into the international airport of Sydney. The more difficult part would be seeing what price to go for. Flying anywhere into Sydney can be expensive. But once your flight is book, all the excitement usually escalates so planning shouldn’t be too tough. J  Next step is booking your accommodations. If you were a new backpacker/travel I would book all the hotels/hostels before leaving on your trip. However, if you’re a backpacker by heart, sometimes winging it can be a good idea. (I usually do it that way now, unless I know the hostels will be booked up during that time of travel.) When you do book your accommodations be sure to plan them accordingly to your plan of what you’ll be doing during the day. Remember when looking for a hotel or hostels do look into location, price and if local transportation is near. It maybe save you a lot of time and trouble when you’re traveling. Once flight, accommodation is book, start to see what activities you have to pay/book ahead of time. For the most part you usually can pay for everything once you arrive, but for a safety net its sometimes good that you book in advance. Once that is complete – you’re done and ready for a great trip. It’s not too hard to plan a trip, the only difficult part is arranging your days and what to do/see and time of each place you want to spend at. I find planning is one of the most exciting parts of traveling!

The Grand Cayman Islands are the premier destination for rich coral reefs, high visibility, and array of sea life in the Caribbean region. These islands are popular for the following sites: the underwater grottos, cemetery reef, and the Eden Rock. Although the popular site where thousand of tourists visit each year is the Stingray City. The hidden passages and the underwater terrain is a scenery you could never imagine until seeing.

Cozumel, Mexico

It’s one of the top diving spots in the world. It’s famous for its stunning beauty and remarkable sea life. The spot to explore include the Palancar that contains five sections of sea garden and overwhelming about colourful fish. The other spot to see is the sunken 40-foot Convair airplane.

Utila, Honduras

If you want to see some big fish, such has sharks this is destination to do so. The fish are harmless, but it’s pretty amazing to swim beside some white sharks that sometimes measure up to 25 to 40 feet long, that equal out to over 15 tones. If you want to swim with numerous sharks, the best time to go is around August to October.

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The 1,250 mile-long reef is the best snorkelling destination in the world. Since the reef is a little over 30 miles from the coast, maybe tourist stay on the Heron Island and spend days exploring the reef. The reef is known for its colourful fish, lovely garden plants, and sea turtles. This reef is a place to explore if you love snorkeling.

Hanauma Bay, Oahu

One the most popular honeymoon destinations in the world now Oahu, is not only known of its beautiful islands but also the underwater scenery. With very shallow reefs, crystal-clear waters and ancient volcanic Caldera, many honeymooners enjoy the snorkeling around these coastlines. The popular fish to see around this bay is the raccoon fish, threadfin, pyramid, ornate butterfly fish, Hawaii state fish, and the reef triggerfish. The Hawaii coastlines are an endless chain of reefs that hold so many different species.

1. How many Melburnians does it take to change a light bulb? – there’s been a lot of controversy that certainly had Members of Parliament in upheaval, but the law remains in effect that only a licensed electrician is allowed to change a light bulb in the state of Victoria. While your standard Melbourne electrician isn’t typically inundated with requests to change light bulbs in residential homes, many commercial operations will regularly require electrical services which include lightbulb changes to comply with OH&S. If you are looking for an electrician to change your light globes, they’ll charge a standard 1 hour call out fee for the job.
2. Watch where you walk in Queensland – if you are staying in the area, you might want to watch where you’re walking. That’s because all footpaths in Queensland are generally shared between pedestrians and cyclists or some are for cyclists only and no pedestrians are allowed. On shared paths, pedestrians are required to keep to the left of the road and if they do cross the bike path,they must do so as quickly as possible. If you’re staying Townsville accommodation or anywhere else in Queensland, keep an eye out for signs indicating where you can walk.
3. Taxis carrying a bale of hay – stemming from the old horse and cart days, taxi cabs in Queensland were originally required to carry a bale of hay to make them suitable for passenger transport. Of course, these days you’ll be hard pressed to find a taxi with their own straw bale in the boot parked outside Maroochydore hotels, but this law has reportedly never acutally been repealed. (If you believe what you read on the internet!)

What other unusual laws do you know about in Australia? Have you ever been fined for something unusual?

Bio: Paige Green writes for Quickbeds, Australia’s leading resource for hotel deals and last minute accommodation. She’s currently appealing an infringement that was issued to her for riding her bicycle on a horse path in Sydney.

So if you have no idea what I am talking about it, check it out. This rock has much history behind it, but within the last few years many people want to keep that history restored.

The Ayers Rock, which is also known as the Uluru, by it’s Aboriginal name, is now begin considered to be closed to all climbers. As it said in the national geographic in late October this year, “ Giant Rock to be closed for Religious Reason?” Now, if you are an obsessive backpacker like me, who wants to visit all the wonders of the world, well I say better hurry to see this one!!! So why I am eager to see this ROCK, well depending on the time of day and the weather, this rock changes colour!!!!! Oh yes, it turns colour from a bright red to violet and to even blue! This rock has a vast amount of culture, which is very significant to the locals. Plus this landmark represents dreams, traditions, existences, stories, and defines daily life to Australians, which makes it even more intriguing in why to visit this wonder of the world.

For backpackers, it can be quite difficult to get to this site, since it is located in the middle of Australia. The most common way to reach this site is by car. There are many versatile ways in getting around the Uluru roads that lead to the rock. However, since it is in the outback and road conditions can be a little awful at times and a tour guide or going with a bunch of other backpackers maybe the best option to take. But the closest city near Ayers Rock, to stay a night or two is Alice Springs. It’s a very small place, but if you want to see the sunrise and sunset on the rock, I say catch a sleep or two in this village. Plus meeting locals and hearing the history and traditions about this rock is so worth the trip! So can you see now, why I really want to explore this wonder of the world!?