Chill fantasylands and dreamy blues : Here are some travel destinations of 2023

When dining at GG’s Kitchen Bistro has made you irrevocably fall in love with Moroccan food, you may just want to go see its origin for yourself.  The country itself is a beautiful delight. Try a camel ride and safari in the Sahara desert near the Algerian border with the most unreal purple skies and sunset dinners lit with a thousand specks  of Moroccan lanterns at Merzouga, next to the iconic Erg Chebbi sand dunes. If you have salivatingly scrolled through endless Youtube videos on Morocco, then you are more than familiar with the cerulean blue promise of Chefchaouen. Kaleo tip! When in the “blue pearl of Morocco”, grab a shared  ‘Grand taxi’ and ride 45 minutes straight to the lush Akchour waterfalls.

Although the first thing that may come into mind is lush greenery of the Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya, this beautiful bustling nation has so much more to offer. You thought flamingos in Kulhudhuffushi kulhi were gorgeous? try an entire field full of them pretty much all year round at Lake Nakuru. You wouldn’t need to pay 1000s of dollars to stay one night at the highly instagrammed Giraffe Manor while you can opt for a day pass and visit feeding times on raised platforms. You would also be remiss if you pass the Carnivore Restaurant where you are greeted with lush meat skewered on a Masai sword over fire or the nyama choma (barbecued meat). Request halal servings and the restaurant is known to be accommodating.

Alright! So this isn’t just one destination..But we couldn’t help ourselves with this find. It was back in October 2022 when Wizz Air started its trips from Velana International Airport to Abu Dhabi at a staggering MVR 1300. Well we did a little digging and for a more backpack style budget-friendly travel, we recommend you map your exploits. Take the flight to Abu Dhabi and onwards to Rome, Italy for more than half the usual price both ways. Here is a little Kaleo tip. Secure your Schengen visa ahead of time (give it a minimum of 6 weeks just to be safe) and head on over to dreamy Paris for just 105 USD from there.

With beautiful dusty pink towers of the City Palace, Jaipur is known throughout social media envy as the “pink city in India”! First is the iconic City palace where almost every single turn shows you intricate and detailed beauty that is Instagrammable and memory-worthy. The blue and white tile of Sukh Niwas or (the house of pleasure) is not one to miss. We also promise that the climb is worth it on this next one, with 500 steps leading to 700 meters above sea level at Nahargarh fort where you can see the city come to life. Want the royal treatment? Don’t forget to have an unforgettable dinner amid signature blue tiles at Bar Palladio.

While it didn’t start with actress and snappy businesswoman Nina Dobrev’s jaunt in the freezing cold chills of this beautifully icy continent, her and several other travel bloggers have been putting this site on the trending lists. You also might want to put away any flight tickets from the mainland to Antarctica. Harsh weather conditions prevent flights at most times there. If you have a cool USD 5000 to 8000 to throw at something, this might be for you. Most tours will not let you book anything less than 10 days due to the travel time. Traveling via the Drake Passage from Argentina typically takes two days with the rest of the time spent exploring the vast continent aboard the ship. Once you get there, the view is unimaginable. “Pristine and untouched” come to mind where you can easily spot a pod of humpback whales swimming alongside, or even spot the pale coat of a polar bear with its cub. While the price point makes this an untouchable fantasy for many, just looking on the bright side means imagining stepping onto Antarctica, completely visa-free.