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When you remember your favourite holidays, chances are it isn’t only the famous landmarks that stand out. Often, it’s the smaller, unexpected moments: sharing dinner with a local family, waking to the calls of howler monkeys, or having a conversation that changes the way you see a place.
Of course, that doesn’t mean skipping the headline sights; few people travel all the way to Peru without wanting to see Machu Picchu, for example, or visit Japan without exploring Tokyo and Kyoto. But pairing these iconic places with experiences that bring you closer to local people, landscapes, and traditions can make a trip far more meaningful.
To inspire your next trip, we’ve partnered with Ventura Travel, a small-group travel specialist whose immersive trips combine famous sights with authentic encounters. From spending the night in a Buddhist monastery to sleeping beneath the stars in the African wilderness, here are five experiences that go far beyond ordinary sightseeing.
1. Japan – spend the night in a Buddhist monastery
Japan’s exhilarating cities are reason enough to visit. The capital, Tokyo, glitters with neon-lit neighbourhoods and futuristic energy, while Kyoto – Japan’s historic heart – is known for its serene temples, beautiful gardens, and traditional wooden buildings. But travel beyond the major cities, and you’ll discover a quieter, more contemplative side to the country.
Set among the forested hills outside Nara, Mount Shigi has been a place of Buddhist worship for centuries. Spending the night in one of its temples offers a rare opportunity to step away from the fast pace of modern life and experience Japan’s spiritual traditions up close, and in your own time.
Instead of checking into a conventional hotel, you’ll sleep on a futon in a simple tatami-floored room, and tuck into a dinner of shojin ryori, an entirely plant-based style of Buddhist cuisine. Carefully prepared and beautifully presented by the monks, each dish reflects the principles of simplicity, balance, and appreciation for every ingredient.
In the morning, you can join the monks for prayers and watch a traditional fire ceremony, an ancient ritual believed to purify the mind and dispel negative influences. Whatever your beliefs, it’s a moving experience that few visitors to Japan get to witness.
The accommodation might be simpler than you’re used to, but that’s all part of its charm. With everyday distractions stripped away and peaceful mountain scenery all around, you can embrace the stillness of your surroundings. The monastery stay is part of Ventura Travel’s Japan in 2 Weeks: Cities, Temples & the Real Japan tour, which also visits Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and the Japanese Alps.
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Destinations: Fukuoka - Hiroshima - Miyajima - Nara - Shigisan - Asuka - Kyoto - Takayama - Mount Fuji - Tokyo
Japan | 14 days | Accommodation Included
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2. Peru, Bolivia and Chile – experience life on Lake Titicaca
Straddling the border between Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest navigable lake. Framed by the snow-swathed peaks of the Andes and dotted with islands and small boats, its sapphire-blue waters stretch towards the horizon. It’s undeniably beautiful, but spending time with the communities who live here transforms a visit to the lake into something much more personal.
This is a chance to learn about a way of life shaped by the water, land, and local traditions passed down over generations. On the Capachica Peninsula, the day begins quietly as families tend their animals, fetch water, and light fires in clay ovens. You can learn about daily life before sitting down to a traditional pachamanca, a feast of vegetables and meat cooked underground using heated stones.
A boat then takes you across the water to the floating Uros Islands. Made from layers of totora reeds growing in the shallows, the islands need constant maintenance as their lower layers gradually decompose. Residents will explain how they’re built and how life on the water has changed over the years, after which you can travel in a traditional reed boat or try your hand at fishing.
Staying overnight and seeing the darkness settle over the water reveals a side of Lake Titicaca that many visitors miss. The wonderful sense of stillness will give you a much deeper sense of the place than any fleeting visit could provide.
The Lake Titicaca stay is included in Ventura Travel’s Peru, Bolivia & Chile: Andean Trilogy tour, alongside Machu Picchu, the Uyuni salt flats, the Atacama Desert, Cusco, and La Paz.
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Ventura Travel Peru Bolivia Chile Tour by Viventura*
Lima - Chincha - Paracas - Ica - Nazca - Arequipa - Colca Canyon - Cusco - Sacred Valley of the Incas - Machu Picchu and 4 more
Chile, Peru & Bolivia | 23 days | Accommodation Included
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3. Costa Rica – venture into the wilds of Corcovado
Costa Rica may be known for its idyllic beaches and luxurious eco-resorts, but some of its most memorable sights lie deeper in the rainforest. If you’re happy to forgo a few creature comforts, Corcovado National Park takes you right into the heart of one of the country’s wildest landscapes.
Located on the remote Osa Peninsula, Corcovado is home to a remarkable mix of tropical rainforest, mangrove swamps, rivers, and beaches. Even getting there feels like an adventure, with a boat journey along a beautiful stretch of Pacific coastline.
On land, trails wind beneath towering trees, howler monkeys call overhead, and scarlet macaws dart between the branches. Toucans, sloths, crocodiles, tapirs, and coatis might also make an appearance, so keep your eyes peeled. A local guide can reveal details you might otherwise miss, from a tiny frog tucked beneath a leaf to a lizard hidden against a tree trunk.
The immersion doesn’t end when you leave the park. Staying in a simple lodge on a secluded beach keeps you close to the trees, where you can relax and listen to the atmospheric rainforest sounds. With little else competing for your attention, you’ll begin to appreciate just how alive the natural world really is.
Corcovado features on Ventura Travel’s Costa Rica: Nature and Culture Intertwined tour, along with rainforest glamping, mangrove kayaking, visits to rural communities, volcanic landscapes, and time on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
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Ventura Travel Costa Rica in 18 Days by Viventura*
Irazú Volcano - Cerro de la Muerte - Osa Peninsula - Corcovado National Park - Zapotal - Montezuma - Monteverde - Arenal Volcano - Sarapiquí - Cahuita National Park and 3 more
Costa Rica | 18 days | Accommodation Included
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4. Thailand – sleep in a floating room on the River Kwai
Thailand’s golden temples, buzzing cities, and idyllic islands have long drawn visitors – but its quieter corners can be just as compelling. Kanchanaburi is best known for the Bridge on the River Kwai, which was built by prisoners of war and forced labourers under Japanese direction during World War II. Visiting the bridge and museum to learn about the tragic history of the Thailand-Burma Railway is a sobering experience.
Framed by forested hills and tropical jungle, the river is also incredibly beautiful. It feels a world away from Thailand’s frenetic cities, and spending the night right on the water lets you appreciate it at its most peaceful. The floating rooms rise and fall with the current, and from your private balcony you can watch birds swoop above the surface and listen to the tranquil flow of the water. As evening falls and the day visitors depart, everything becomes blissfully still.
The next morning, rather than waking to traffic outside a city hotel, you can step onto your balcony to find birdsong, fresh air, and greenery. The setting feels adventurous without sacrificing comfort: the rooms have comfortable beds, private bathrooms, and quiet outdoor space where you can sit and enjoy the view.
A night in a floating room on the River Kwai is included in Ventura Travel’s Thailand: Temples, Jungles and Dream Beaches tour, which also visits Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Khao Sok National Park, and Koh Samui.
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Ventura Travel 2 Weeks in Thailand Tour by Asiaventura*
Bangkok - Amphawa - Kanchanaburi - Ayutthaya - Chiang Mai - Mae Wang - Khao Sok National Park - Koh Samui
Thailand | 14 days | Accommodation Included
Get £100pp off your trip when you quote "Rest Less" before your deposit
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5. Namibia and Botswana – camp in the wilds of Chobe National Park
Most safaris end as daylight begins to fade; in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, however, that’s when one of the most memorable parts begins. After other visitors have left and the landscape is cloaked in darkness, you become far more aware of every sound around you.
Chobe is famous for its wildlife, particularly its elephants, and on a boat trip along the Chobe River, you might see herds gathering at the water’s edge, hippos wallowing in the shallows, and African fish eagles circling overhead. A 4×4 then takes you deeper into the park in search of giraffes, zebras, lions, and leopards. Sightings aren’t guaranteed, but that’s all part of the excitement; every movement or sound gives you a reason to stop and listen.
As night falls, you won’t return to a conventional hotel; instead, you’ll camp at an unfenced site inside the national park, sleeping in a safari tent with a camp bed, washing in a warm bucket shower, and dining beneath the star-filled sky. You’ll be accompanied by a ranger, but there are no barriers separating the camp from the surrounding landscape.
Later, from inside your tent, you might hear an animal calling, a branch cracking, or footsteps somewhere beyond the canvas. It’s exciting, slightly unnerving, and a powerful reminder that, out here, you’re the visitor.
Ventura Travel’s Namibia & Botswana: Safari & Victoria Falls tour includes a mobile safari and overnight camp in Chobe, as well as the soaring dunes of the Namib Desert, stargazing in the Okavango region, and a visit to Victoria Falls.
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Ventura Travel Namibia & Botswana Tour by Africaventura*
Windhoek - Namib Desert (Sossusvlei & Deadvlei) - Swakopmund & Sandwich Harbour - Damaraland - Etosha National Park - Okavango River & Caprivi Strip - Chobe National Park - Victoria Falls
Botswana & Namibia | 16 days | Accommodation Included
Get £100pp off your trip when you quote "Rest Less" before your deposit
Check provider site for taxes & fees
Final thoughts…
Small-group travel can bring you closer to the places you visit and the people who live there.
Ventura Travel pairs well-known sights with local guides, community visits, unusual places to stay, and time away from the busiest tourist routes. Most tours have no more than 12 guests, and every departure is guaranteed, so you can make plans knowing your trip will go ahead no matter how many people book.
Whether you’re waking up in a Buddhist monastery, sharing a meal beside Lake Titicaca, or listening to the sounds of the African wilderness after dark, it’s often these less predictable moments that become the stories you tell when you get home.