The Explora Journal

Asia rewards travellers who arrive expecting it, and a Journey is arguably the most natural way to meet it: one check-in, then a sequence of entirely different worlds delivered by sea.

Rainforest reserves climb behind the coastline in St Lucia and Grenada. Coral gardens shelter off Tobago Cays and Curaçao. Humpback whales move through Samaná Bay each winter, and sea turtles graze in waters that few ocean travellers think to ask about.

Yet travelling through the Greek islands on EXPLORA II, James Massoud found himself drawn less to the ruins than to what had quietly persisted alongside them, in a fascinating exploration through centuries of enduring, core ingredients.

Winter travel tends to split into two moods: the sun-warmed hush of the Caribbean and Central America, and a serene Mediterranean most travellers have never seen before.

Ask travellers what comes to mind when they picture the Caribbean, and most will reach for the beach. But the region's deeper character lives elsewhere.

Some places reveal themselves through landmarks and others through history. Northern Europe, however, has the extraordinary power to tell its story through a harvest that barely lasts three months.

Before the arrival of beach clubs and fine art galleries, Mykonos was an island in tune with the sea. Wander slowly through Chora and the past is revealed in its windmills, bakeries and weathered waterfront chapels – lasting monuments to a forgotten era.

Barcelona tapas culture carries its own grammar, rooted in Catalan identity rather than borrowed from Madrid or Andalusia.

Food culture in Greece changes with every crossing from one island to the next, shaped by soil, sea and centuries of trade. Crete, Paros, Mykonos and Rhodes carry most conversations about the best Greek islands for food.

This Amalfi Coast travel guide is built around nine defining experiences, from the pastel-coloured drama of Positano to the quiet gardens of Ravello and the glamour of Capri, alongside the hidden coves and lesser-known corners.

Taormina rises above the Ionian Sea on a shoulder of rock beneath Mount Etna, a medieval hilltop town whose stone lanes spill down toward the water in tiers, past attractions and places to visit that have drawn travellers for centuries.

From sun-drenched waterfronts and bustling food markets to family-run trattorias and time-honoured recipes, the Mediterranean is best discovered through its flavours.