7 Trips You Can Fly To Directly From Australia and NZ (And Actually Should)
The world right now has a lot going on. Everywhere you look, someone’s telling you where not to go, what’s been cancelled, or what’s gotten twice as expensive as it was two years ago.
And yet, your travel bug hasn’t gone anywhere, has it?
With all this in mind, we’ve been reflecting on how overlooked our part of the world is. Asia sits right on our doorstep, and most Aussies and Kiwis are still sleeping on how magical it is.
Sri Lanka. Nepal. Bhutan. Vietnam. South Korea. Borneo. Taiwan. These aren’t consolation prizes for a world in flux. They’re some of the most eye-opening destinations on the planet, and right now, they’re easier and smarter to get to than ever.
Oh, and every single trip on this list has a direct flight from Australia and New Zealand. No connections or painful 3 am layovers in fluoro-lit airports. You board the plane, and wake up exactly where you want to be.
1. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has been quietly topping travellers’ wishlists for years, and once you arrive, you’ll understand why in about 30 seconds flat.
Explore the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura, rattle north by train through rice fields to the rarely-visited city of Jaffna, and try your hand at traditional pottery before the clay even knows what hit it. From the gravity-defying Sigiriya Rock Fortress that’s worth every sweaty step, to the Dambulla Cave Temple… Sri Lanka doesn’t stop giving.
Add in a 4×4 safari in Yala National Park, whale watching off the coast of Galle, and a farewell dinner in a grand colonial seaside hotel, and you’ll be wondering how on earth 16 days fit so much in.
2. South Korea
South Korea is one of those destinations that grabs you by both hands and refuses to let go. First you’ll slip on a traditional Hanbok dress at Gyeongbokgung Palace, then cook your own Korean feast with a local chef, and, finally, spend a night living like a Buddhist monk at the cave temple of Golgulsa – complete with meditation, martial arts and ceremonial tea. Yes, really.
The finale happens back in Seoul, on a Han River cruise as the city lights up at dusk, followed by a Korean BBQ farewell that’s the stuff of group chat legend.
Make sure not to miss watching the Haenyeo women emerge from the sea, breath held, catch in hand. This is one of the most extraordinary things you’ll witness anywhere in the world.
3. Taiwan
Taiwan is criminally underrated and has this rare ability to move between ancient and ultra-modern without missing a beat. One minute you’re wandering a 300-year-old alleyway in Jiufen, the next you’re in a neon-lit bubble tea institution in Taichung.
You’ll make your own bubble tea at the very café that invented the stuff (yes, Taiwan gave the world bubble tea – let that sink in). Press flowers into handmade paper, taste braised pork rice beside Sun Moon Lake, and learn archery and trap ecology with an indigenous Taiwanese hunter. You’ll also make your way through night market after glorious night market, emerging sticky-fingered and very, very happy.
Pro tip: Don’t skip releasing a wish lantern from the old train tracks at Shifen. Just keep your wish to yourself if you want it to come true!
4. Nepal
When a trip opens with a sunrise flight over Everest, it sets the bar impossibly high. From there, it’s ancient temples, sacred stupas, a homestay in the enchanting town of Panauti, and pottery in Bhaktapur’s famous Pottery Square.
You’ll also spend time in Pokhara (the City of Lakes and one of the most serene places on the planet) before heading deep into Chitwan National Park for a safari by jeep and canoe. Bengal tigers lurk in the dense vegetation, and if luck is on your side, you might just spot one.
The cooking class with Sungabha Nepal, an NGO supporting local women, is a highlight worth flagging. It’s run by a Melbourne woman with a passion for Nepal, and it’s one of those experiences that stays with you long after you’ve landed back home.
5. Bengal to Bhutan
Buckle up for this one – it’s an absolute cracker. Starting in Kolkata, one of India’s most intoxicating cities, this trip takes you from the technicolour madness of the largest flower market in East India, through the misty, tea-drenched hills of Darjeeling, and across the border into Bhutan – one of the most exclusive countries on earth.
Bhutan is the only country in the world that officially measures its Gross National Happiness. That tells you everything you need to know.
You’ll hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery, clinging to a sheer cliff face with what seems like total indifference to gravity and sleep under a blanket of stars so dense it looks fake, in the hidden valley of Haa, home to just 15,000 people.
The farewell toast, a Bhutanese tradition called Kel-Chang, is not just a goodbye to a country. It’s a goodbye to a version of yourself that didn’t know places like this existed.
6. Vietnam Christmas
Imagine spending Christmas Day cruising Lan Ha Bay on a luxury heritage boat, cocktail in hand, watching the sun melt into the Gulf of Tonkin over limestone karsts. Now imagine ringing in the New Year in Hoi An’s lantern-lit old town. That’s exactly what this Vietnam Christmas trip delivers, and it’s every bit as magical as it sounds.
The Vietnam Christmas trip is also a masterclass in how food can tell a country’s story. Hue’s crispy savoury pancakes from the back of a cyclo, a cooking class in a Hoi An vegetable village, and the freshest seafood of your life in Quy Nhon. Your taste buds will need a holiday of their own by the end.
The Mekong Delta finale is perfection – a rowboat gliding through a palm-lined canal, rice paddies blurring past, while you and your Patchie crew grin ear to ear.
7. Borneo
Borneo. Just saying the word out loud is enough to get the heart rate up. This adventure is one for the wildlife lovers, the jungle dreamers and anyone who has ever wanted to watch an orangutan eat lunch (which, let’s be honest, is all of us).
You’ll start in the UNESCO-listed city of Melaka, then hop across to the island of Borneo itself, where the orangutans of Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre will completely steal your heart. Three days of river safaris along the Kinabatangan, the richest wildlife habitat in all of Borneo, follow with two cruises a day timed to catch proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants and more birds than you knew existed.
The trip closes in Kuala Lumpur with Batu Caves, the Orang Asli people of the forest, and a farewell BBQ that nobody wants to end.
The world’s not getting less complicated. But it is still very, very beautiful and a lot of it is right on our doorstep.
You don’t need to cross six time zones and two layovers to have the adventure of your life. You just need to pick one of these trips, and let us take care of the rest. We’ve done all the hard work – the guides, the hidden experiences, the local connections, the bits that Google can’t find you.
If you like what you see here, all you need to do is show up.
View all trips with direct flights(opens in a new tab) from Australia and New Zealand.