USA

Gran Canaria and Tenerife are popular with young travellers looking for a good time on their holidays to Canaries. They offer fantastic nightlife and the chance to work up a good tan during the day with some pretty little beaches to become familiar with. But these resorts have undergone a lot of change in recent years. Gone is the image of the 18-30s paradise and what’s left is a vibrant atmosphere perfectly blended with some beautiful landscapes, ideal for walking and relaxing.

La Palma is the island to choose for your Canary holidays if you’re looking for some stunning surroundings. This island has been fairly left alone and as a result, it boasts a very different atmosphere to some of the other island resorts. Here, you can enjoy plenty of greenery and very little in the way of commercialisation. This island is always a favourite with walkers and people keen to discover the great outdoors. It’s a similar story at La Gomera which is a charming little island.

Lanzarote is a traditional island which has been shaped by the volcanic eruptions of its past. At the Timanfaya National Park you will see the Fire Mountains which is where one of the world’s largest and most violent volcanic eruptions happened in 1730. Whole towns and villages were wiped out and the landscape was completely changed. Tourism has not affected this island too much and traditional building styles continue to be adhered to.

Fuerteventura is a peaceful island and a favourite for water sports enthusiasts on Canary Island holidays. It boasts an unusual landscape with sand dunes and vast deserts creating a really secluded atmosphere. El Hierro is another remote island which boasts a simple and slow-paced atmosphere; ideal if you are hoping to just get away from it all.

KL, as Kuala Lumpur is known, is your airport city and here's where to do any shopping (unless you're going to Singapore or Hong Kong). The Petronas Towers are still two of the highest buildings in the world and 1,000 tickets to get to the top are issued every day. If you get one it's an exciting ride and a brilliant view across the surrounding countryside, not just the city. 

If you're adventurous, the best beaches are on the eastern side of Malaysia. They are around Kuantan has plenty and on some of the beaches at the right time of year you'll see baby turtles making a mad dash for the ocean. 

Thailand is north of Malaysia and your entry city is Bangkok - a wild, chaotic place full of hawkers, touts, car horns and tuk tuks. These little three-wheeled menaces are huge fun to ride around town in if you don't mind crazy drivers and breathing in the fumes. Bangkok's shopping malls are huge - air-conditioned palaces with prices half what you'd expect to pay back home for clothing. The food everywhere is stunning - even street vendor food is of a high quality. The Thai people are some of the friendliest you'll meet.

Head out of Bangkok though to the beach resorts. The west coast boasts Phuket, surely one of the most beautiful archipelagos ever created, with a jade sea, warm water and crystalline sand. On the east coast lies Koh Samui. This once sleepy little island dotted with fishing villages is a tourist mecca for the young set. The famous Moon Festival parties take place just off shore at another island called Koh Phangan. The beaches are idyllic and the boating, diving and jet skiing options will cover everyone's needs.