Part 2 of 3: Asia (India, South Korea and Taiwan)
As 2026 drags on in a mire of conflict, bushfires and the kind of news that makes you want to chuck the telly out your window, we’re looking ahead to 2027 and beyond: a brand new, gleaming year full of promise.
Nothing resets the spark like turning over a new leaf!
And we know it can get a little uninspiring flipping through the same old destinations when the map is never really finished.
In Part 1(opens in a new tab), we shared some of our best under-the-radar picks for 2027 in South America. This time, you don’t have to go all the way to the other side of the world just to get a splash of colour or a flavour your taste buds have never had before.
Intrigued? Stay dialled into this channel, because Part 2 takes you to three spots in Asia you’ll be itching to get to: India, South Korea and Taiwan.
Dig Into Your Most Human Elements at Holi in India
When many of us first dipped our toes into the world of travel, whippersnappers with dreams of exotic places, exotic food and the open road, there was one country that had a bit of a rep. If you could cut it there, people said, you could cut it anywhere.
It was wild, raw, crazy, relaxing, stunning and shocking, all at once.
That country was India. Reader, we went there, and it really did change our lives.
Of course, India has changed a lot since we could reasonably call ourselves whippersnappers, but also not that much.
We were there again only last year and we can tell you this for sure: it’s still a whirlwind.
You turn a corner to find tuk-tuks hurtling towards you. You look up to see macaques swinging between the homes. Then you’re lost in a sea of a thousand people in the bazaars. Then you’re gazing at red-painted palaces or amber-hued forts where Maharajas once lived. Then you’re digging through street-food chaat, a mix of crispy potatoes, sweet yoghurt, cumin, turmeric, and god knows what else.
There are so many opportunities for those kinds of soul-stirring, humanity-oriented encounters, the sort of travel that changes how you see the world and yourself in it.
Take the festival of Holi(opens in a new tab), for instance. Holi descends on the Pink City of Jaipur and, in a moment, things go off the hook. Off. The. Hook. Plumes of pink fly this way, red goes that, green and blue swirl in the air, and it’s everything you hoped this festival of colours would be.
But even though it’s a big, in-the-streets event, Holi is also a traditional festival where families gather. If you’re lucky, you might get invited into a Jaipur home to see the food spreads and dancing that go on inside the walls of local houses.
And if you’re going to India, you might as well pack in a few more experiences, whether those are bucket-list ticks or moments of the kind you didn’t know you had to see.
We’ve got you.
Looking for some of the most iconic landmarks on the planet? How about seeing the Taj at sunrise and finding tigers in Ranthambore?
Put them on the list.
But while you’re taking notes, let us pick out one last highlight you might not have on there yet…
Varanasi is a place where you’ll peer into the very depths of humanity. Things happen here that are universally understood, yet rarely seen elsewhere. You’ll see the bodies burning on the ghats, and learn why this sprawling, multi-coloured town is one of the holiest in all of Hinduism.
And if you’ve spent days, or even weeks, on a life-affirming, spiritual whirlwind of a trip, and you’re the sort of person who’s hoping for a little ceremony to tie it all together, this is for you. Enter: the Ganga Aarti.
With bells ringing and incense curling in the air, you hold a flickering lantern and drop it into the holy Ganges River. You smell the sandalwood and the spice. The day’s heat lingers as the setting sun goes yellow then red then pink…
For a moment, things are just right.
This is what waits for you in India(opens in a new tab).
South Korea: High Time to Give It a Go
Jeju Island on Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2026 list, Seoul crowned TripAdvisor’s best solo travel destination in 2025(opens in a new tab), and more than 18 million visitors last year(opens in a new tab) – they can’t all be wrong, eh?
Between BTS, the K-pop Demon Hunters your nieces and nephews won’t stop talking about, and Netflix’s hit TV show Squid Game, South Korea really is having a bit of a moment.
But why stop at just watching the shows, dancing to K-Pop (it’s impossible not to!), and marvelling from a distance?
There may never be a better time to jet over(opens in a new tab) and see what all the fuss is about.
It’s a funny thing, but this country so rich in street food, ancient palaces, shimmering white-sand beaches, and mythical cave temples has stayed off the radar of Aussie travellers.
In 2025, all eyes were on Japan. But lately, the attention seems to be drifting across the water, and we’ve been hearing the buzz from our more intrepid travellers. This is the spot they’re watching.
What this means is, the chance to say you saw South Korea before your neighbour caught on is dwindling. Now is the time!
Curious about what this country at the southern edge of the peninsula is hiding? Well, you could sit in on a traditional tea-tasting ceremony between the verdant farms of Jeju Island. Or sink into a meditative stay at the lotus-lantern-lit Golgulsa cave temple(opens in a new tab) up on Mount Hamwol.
Visit the 600-year-old Gyeongbokgung Palace fully dressed in all the layers that make up a traditional Hanbok dress, or try your hand at carving with a workshop run by the craftspeople of Andong village, the spiritual heart of the nation.
Or if nothing else, you might find yourself wandering among the great stone pagodas of Bulguksa Temple with a gimbap in hand in no time.
Whenever you’re ready, it’s here waiting for you.(opens in a new tab)
Tiny Taiwan Packs a Punch
Last but most certainly not least among our secretly hot 2027 Asian destinations: Taiwan.
Here’s another place that’s largely escaped the attention of all but the most adventurous Australian travellers. Maybe those of us with a country one gazillion (not official figures) kilometres wide see an island that’s just over half the size of Tasmania and think:
“There can’t be all that much to get through there, can there?”
Think again. Like, get-back-to-the-drawing-board-and-start-from-scratch, think again, because Taiwan will blow your socks off.
It’s an island that manages to put steaming hot springs next to some of the world’s most buzzing cities, where hi-tech architecture huddles under mountains almost 4,000 metres high. There are the red lanterns of Jiufen and the follow-your-nose sizzle of Taipei’s night market, of course, but Taiwan is so much more than its hotspots.
Explore further afield to find hidden hill villages, perfectly prepared oolong teas and mangrove tree tunnels that feel like they were made to glide through. It’s like stepping off the beaten path, then stepping off that path too, to unearth hidden treasures – a double whammy, if you will!
Go to Taiwan and you can bring home memories like sailing out onto the teal-tinged waters of Sun Moon Lake(opens in a new tab) to gaze at the mountains haloed in fir trees and bamboo forests, or the taste of the best braised pork and rice you’ve ever eaten still on your tongue.
Or you might hold on to the feeling of treading the walkways of Heping Island looking for Pacific reef herons on the gnarled rocks, and the way your heart tugged when you ventured deeper into the alleys, following paper lanterns and the scent of steaming dumplings.
Oh, and making your own bubble tea at the café that claims to have invented it?
That’s a must.
It’s a corker, this one. Don’t say we didn’t let you in on the secret before it was out!
And if you’ve been nodding your head along and thinking Yes please, and then some! – see how much can fit on just one little island(opens in a new tab).