If you're not the kind of person who wants to travel to just tick off a list, get more out of your holidays next year by approaching them a little differently. There are so many diverse ways you can discover the world, from taking part in endurance contests and exploring a country by foot, to learning the local dance moves or immersing yourself in different cultures through their food, music or art scenes. Here are a few different ways to explore the world this year.

Do you love going to the cinema? Then why not make a holiday out of your hobby? There are some fantastic places to watch movies around the world such as Jaipur’s fabulously pink art deco-style cinema. You’ll get the full Bollywood experience at the Raj Mandir, which has lively screenings of Hindi films, and a real insight into the city's culture.  

Another world-famous cinema that should be only every film fan’s hitlist is San Francisco’s the Castro. The “movie palace” opened in 1922 and is one of just a few left from the era still in operation. Look out for its special sing-a-long screenings. Head to Sydney during summer and you’ll find some wonderful open-air options perfect for balmy nights – Moonlight Cinema in Centennial Park or St George OpenAir Cinema right on the harbour with thoroughly distracting views. 

 

 

Make this the year that you truly take a break. Log out of your laptop, switch off your mobile phone, and don’t even think about taking the tablet with you. In a sign of the times, there are numerous retreats and holidays dedicated to digital detoxes to help people reconnect with themselves, their family and friends and enjoy the moment without a screen in the way.

The world is your oyster when it comes to the digital detox holiday but it’s best to choose somewhere truly beautiful with outdoorsy activities to keep boredom (and fingers itching to check-in with digital media) at bay. Costa Rica, for example, is a fantastic place for easy adventure – where the thrill of spotting a cheeky capuchin monkey or zip-lining through cloudforest will make you forget all about getting that Netflix fix. Digital Detox Holidays has some fab tech-free resorts around the world. 

Tucking into a country's traditional cuisine is a fantastic (not to mention delicious) way to learn more about its culture. There are so many wonderful cuisines to taste around the world, countries with fascinating food markets bursting with intriguing local produce, and excellent cookery schools where you can learn about local food traditions and master some dishes. So why not start widening your horizons and cookery repertoire on your next trip?

Exploring the street food and markets of Vietnam is a highlight of a trip to this southeast Asian country. And who better to be your guide than a local chef? APT has foodie trips led by Luke Nguyen, a judge on MasterChef Vietnam, around the cities of Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh and on a cruise along the Mekong. Other fantastic destinations for food-led travel include Chiang Mai in Thailand, Kerala in India and Sicily. Want to know which cities have the best food in the world? Head here.

Slurp, sip and spit your way around the world's winelands to get an understanding of a country's terroir and glean some useful wine knowledge along the way. Wine tourism is a big business with a huge amount of choice although some regions are more set up for it than others with wonderful winery-based B&Bs, luxury hotels, and lovely rural restaurants. Wherever you go, be sure to ditch the car and join a tour or get a driver so you can imbibe without worrying.

Top spots for a wine-tasting holiday include Argentina’s Mendoza Valley where you can sip world-class Malbec while gazing at the spectacular Andean scenery. South Africa is fantastic too – top regions include Franschhoek and Stellenbosch which have gorgeous places to stay and eat. The Yarra Valley, Barossa Valley, Hunter Valley and Margaret River are just a few of Australia’s stunning regions, and the US has many too. Look beyond the obvious European options to places like Crete and Montengro for something a little different.

If you can master riding the waves a whole new world of holidays will open up to you. You’ll be chasing waves around the Cornish coast, across to western Europe or joining the pros in top surf spots in Hawaii, Mexico and Australia. A word of warning though, a beach holiday will never be the same again once you’re lured by the rhythm of the sea.

If you're a learner, zip up your wetsuit and prepare to end up in the soup for a while but before you know it you’ll be popping and carving with the best of them. A fantastic place to master the moves is Portugal’s Alentejo Coast with its rolling waves and quiet beaches. The laid-back Alentejo Surf Camp is a convivial place to learn and have a laugh with fellow surfer novices. Or head to where it all began – Hawaii – with lessons at the Kauai Surf School. 

Most of us take photographs on holiday but how many of us capture the people we meet or landscapes we see on canvas? If you have an inner artist waiting to be unleashed, then combine some sightseeing with painting tuition to brush up on your skills. Not only will you have wonderful memories of a holiday that gave you a different perspective on a place but works of art to treasure forever.

There are plenty of guided tours out there with an artistic bent. Capture the colours of the ancient medina in Fes and meet local artisans on one of Art Safari’s art-tutor-led tours to Morocco. Immerse yourself in an artistic community by enrolling at the St Ives School of Painting to develop your art skills in between exploring Cornwall’s dreamy coastline. It has a range of courses and workshops, and also organises creative holidays to Tuscany. Craft more your thing? GoLearnTo.com has fab craft-led trips.

Visiting galleries and museums or attending a play or concert while you’re on holiday is one thing, but how much do you actually learn? Up the ante by joining a specialised cultural tour to really immerse yourself in your destination’s history, art, and music. With a historian, musician or art expert at your side, willing and eager to impart their knowledge, you’ll return bursting with new found knowledge.

Cultural tour operator Martin Randall Travel has a raft of expert-led tours such as 'Naples: Art, Antiquities & Opera' – an itinerary jam-packed with culture, history and music, including a performance at the magnificent Teatro San Carlo. Or learn about the fascinating but often forgotten history of Albania on an archaeologist-led tour. More recent history is brought to life on Great Rail Journeys tour around the battlefields and memorials of Europe or learn about American music on a rail journey to Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.

Grab your binoculars, dust off your bird species guide and head off on a bird-watching holiday. From well-known migration hot spots to habitats that are brilliant for bird viewing at any time of the year, there are so many wonderful places to visit that are alive with some of the most spectacular species. And you don’t need to be a die-hard twitcher to spot them either.

Whether it’s trekking to exotic climes such as Papua New Guinea to see birds of paradise, or exploring the astonishing natural habitats of Madagascar in search of elusive species like the long-tailed ground roller – this pursuit will take you to some amazing places. Closer to home, you can spot golden eagles and rare seabirds soaring in Scotland, be thrilled by the sight of thousands of flamingos in France’s vast wetland the Camargue or go owl spotting in the Tatras national park in Slovakia.

Always wanted to try out the tango, give the Viennese waltz a whirl or shimmy to the samba beat? Ditch your local dance class and make a holiday of it instead. For many countries, traditional dances are more than entertainment – they’re part of their cultural expression and there’s nothing like being in situ for learning to move to the beat of the local music.

If it’s samba that gets you moving, then Brazil is the place for you. Salsa lovers should look no further than Cuba or “salsa capital” Cali in Colombia, which has hundreds of salsa schools and bars. Take some lessons and you’ll be gyrating with the locals in no time. Take tango tuition in sultry Buenos Aires – there’s a plethora of schools offering private classes or head along to Plaza Dorrego on a Sunday to watch the locals in action then join in the free tango lessons afterwards.

Is pottering about in the garden your happy place? Then add a horticultural twist to your travels in 2018. From woodland walks to see spring’s first bluebells to hiking up to wild flower-strewn alpine meadows or joining a tour to gain access to exclusive gardens, there are many wonderful and varied ways to see the world in bloom.

Spring is a fantastic time to see stunning floral landscapes around Europe – the Swiss Alps, the Peloponnese, and Italy’s Monti Sibillini are all a riot of colours. InnTravel has fantastic walking holidays to see Europe’s wildflowers including Engadine in Switzerland (pictured). The verdant island of Madeira is renowned for its wonderful blooms – take a tour of its gardens on an expert-led Brightwater holidays tour. Or get a sneak peek at some fabulous private gardens on Kirker Holiday’s Gardens of the Riviera tour in the south of France.

Forget a standard city break, go on a street art break instead. Some amazing artworks adorn buildings and walls in cities across the world. So get out of the traditional galleries and head onto the streets instead to spot some and discover stories of the city through its urban art.

In Europe, London’s Shoreditch is home to some powerful iconography, as are Berlin, Warsaw, Prague and Belfast. Elsewhere, Johannesburg, São Paulo, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Bethlehem and Melbourne also have excellent urban art scenes. The art form has become so wide and varied that there are also festivals dedicated to it including Europe’s biggest Upfest, which is held in Banksy’s birthplace Bristol. By virtue of the scene’s ever-changing nature, this is a holiday theme that will keep on giving.

La La Land is the latest film to spark a tourism boom with fans flocking to Los Angeles to visit its many real-life locations. There’s no better way to recapture the magic of a film than by visiting some of the locations or going onto the movie set. You’ll see some fantastic places as you travel and have your own film-worthy adventure to regale friends with when you return.

Follow in the (hairy) footsteps of Frodo around the mountain passes of New Zealand’s South Island and onto the movie set at Hobbiton. Feel the force in Star Wars’ numerous famous settings including Tunisia or Skellig Michael in Ireland. Go in search of Diagon Alley in London followed by the Warner Bros. Studio Tour – a must-do for Harry Potter fans. Or relive childhood memories of watching wild west films in the stark flatlands of Almería in Spain. Here's our guide to the coolest film locations in the world. 

Take a leaf out of explorer Levison Wood’s book by ditching the wheels and discovering a place by foot. There’s no better way to really see and get a feel for a destination than by walking around it. Whether you follow well-known trails and ancient pilgrimage paths or meander your own way around a region, you’re bound to meet plenty of locals and have an incredible adventure en route (and quite possibly sore feet).

The Lycian Way, a long-distance trail that stretches across Turkey’s southern coastline, is one of the world's best walks passing ancient ruins and gorgeous coves. Take on part or all of the 630-mile South West Coast Path that meanders from Somerset into Devon and Cornwall. Or head north to follow the West Highland Way, passing lochs, glens and mors. Spy amazing wildlife as you tackle a new five-day trek around rugged Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Or discover little-visited parts of rural Japan on the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail across Honshu’s Kii peninsula.

Do you always regret not taking the Monday off work after that festival? Why not turn a music festival into a holiday this summer? Watch bands and dance the night away knowing that you can recover with a holiday in what’s usually a beautiful region. Or hard-core festival fans can keep the party vibe going by festival hopping around Europe.

For a hippy vibe and super-friendly feel, head to Bulgaria’s Meadows in the Mountains in early June. Next celebrate midsummer in ethereal Iceland at its fantastic Secret Solstice festival. Dance under the midnight sun then spruce yourself up in one of the country’s hotsprings. Croatia is a hotbed for festivals, including underground electronic music festival Dimensions in late August/September at Fort Punta Christo. And the UK has a huge festival scene too – you can be tapping your toes at the Cambridge Folk Festival to waving glow sticks in east London’s Lovebox.

Love exercise? Why not push your fitness skills that bit further by tackling a triathlon in 2018? And if you’re going to push your endurance levels to their limits then you may as well do it somewhere beautiful. Join up with other triathletes-in-training at sports resort Club Santa in Lanzarote which runs special camps. Or Majorca is a favourite with budding triathletes building up their cycling, running and swimming skills.

The next step is to enrol in a competition. Combining the race with a break is a great way to see the world as many contests happen in beautiful places. Noosa has a great one and this dreamy part of Australia is fabulous place to recuperate afterwards. See the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast and countryside on three-day triathlon the Long Course Weekend in July. Or really go for it at the Isklar Norseman Xtreme Triathlon in Norway, known as the world’s toughest triathlon.