Australia

It may be the world’s smallest continent, but that has its advantages. Australia has one of the most diverse and interesting landscapes of any country on earth, spanning tropical rainforests, vast deserts, long stretches of pristine beach and cosmopolitan cities.

Want to catch a world-class opera performance, sample some of the finest food anywhere in the world, spend nights discovering hidden bars or fill your suitcase with cutting-edge fashion? Perhaps you’d prefer to snorkel on a coral reef, learn to hang ten alongside a pod of dolphins or trek through the desert with just the sound of the wind in your ears and birds soaring above you? You can do all that, and so much more.

Australia’s weather is temperate most of the year, though there are regional variations due to its size. Northern Australian states tend to be warm most of the time, whereas the southern states experience cooler winters (June–August). Both autumn (March–May) and spring (September–October) are sunny and mild.