Bali, Indonesia

Bali is the rare destination that works for almost any travel style. The south for beaches and surf, Ubud for jungle wellness and yoga, the north and east for quieter coves and rice terraces. Affordable enough for long stays, deep enough that one trip rarely feels like enough.

Most trips split the island: a week around Uluwatu or Canggu for surf, beach clubs, and cheap massages, then Ubud for yoga, jungle pools, and temple ceremonies you'll stumble into uninvited. Days cost very little — a warung lunch of nasi campur is pocket change, and a private villa with a pool runs less than a chain hotel at home. Add Sidemen or Amed if you have time; that's where the postcard version of Bali still exists.

The south is genuinely congested. Canggu traffic can turn a five-kilometre trip into forty minutes, the famous rice terraces have queues for photos, and wet-season beaches collect plastic. Scooters are the main transport and the main hazard — accidents, not crime, are the real risk here. If you came for solitude, you're twenty years late. But the price-to-pleasure ratio remains absurd, and ten minutes off any main road the island goes quiet and green again.