We have roughly 7 weekends between now and October 1st to fill with seeing friends, discovering new places, hiking, swimming, skiing, eating and exploring. The hardest part of planning trips is figuring out where to go, so, luckily for you - we’ve done the leg work and pulled together our top five off the beaten track destinations to suit any getaway brief. Whether it’s surfing with friends, having a bit of a cultural deep dive or just finding a pretty mad place to get your hike on, we’ve got it all covered below.
The Right of Passage, Slovenia
The best kind of weekends are the ones with a purpose, and hiking Slovenia’s right of passage trail gives you exactly that. Mount Triglav is Slovenia’s highest mountain and is the national symbol found on their flag. There are multiple routes that lead to its summit, each of varying difficulty, the most famed taking you via the Seven Lakes Valley. The most popular route, the Southern Mount Triglav Horseshoe trail, would take a fit, reasonably experienced hiker two days to complete, with one night staying on the mountain. As always, do your research before you go as some paths have various kit recommendations (like hard harts) you wouldn’t want to miss out on.
On our kit list:
Db Pack Bags (great for snacks), see examples below.
Disco Boots - to party at the summit
On our hike kit list:
Tjornuvik, Faroe Islands
Obviously, our top choice would be a weekend in Hoddevik, Norway - but we always tell you to head there so thought we’d offer up our #2. The Faroe Islands are a remote group of 18 rocky islands between the north of the UK and Iceland. They have over 700 miles of coastline, which offers up inconsistent but often good surfing. Tjornuvik beach break has both left and right hand waves and more often than not, you’ll be the only one out there enjoying them. When you’re not in the water, enjoy the ruggedness of your surroundings with views of the famous Risin and Kellingin ‘Giant and the Witch’ sea stacks from the black sand beach, chat to one of the 70 locals and head to Sand Cafe for their fish soup to warm up.
On our surf kit list:
Kotor, Montenegro
Montenegro is one of those crazy countries where one minute you’re scrabbling over rocky terrain, and the next you’re dropping down into the Bay of Kotor and greeted by superyachts. If you’re into hiking or biking, chances are Montenegro has been on your radar for a while, but even if you’re just looking for somewhere a bit different to road trip, you shouldn’t overlook it. The road between Kotor Herceg Novi has been dubbed one of the best coastal roads in the world. On the one side you’re flanked by mountains, on the other you have the famed Boka Kortaska Bay. Make sure you stop in Tivat for great waterfront restaurants and private beaches.
On our kit list:
UE Boom
On our see kit list
Kaprun, Austria
If you’re into summer skiing then look no further than Kaprun, Austria. It's a small, fun resort that offers glacier skiing right up until July. You’ll be chilling at about 3000m which gives you incredible views of the Hohe Tauern National Park glacial peaks. While it’s not going to be the wildest skiing you’ve had in your life, being only 90 minutes away from Salzburg airport means this is the perfect little resort to head to if you’re at a loose end one weekend and are craving mountain air.
On our skiing kit list:
Vis Island, Croatia
This one may be more like a four day break as opposed to two, but is 100% worth it. When people mention Croatia, they often speak about Split, Zagreb and Dubrovnik, but the key is to get out of these cities as quickly as possible. If you’re flying into Split, get down to the marina asap and get a ferry over to Vis Island. It’s about two and half hours, but with an open top deck you can just chill in the sun with a beer and it flies by. Vis is small and sleepy, and before Mama Mia 2 came out, was a proper hidden gem, but even post Hollywood popularity, it’s a nice break from the crowds on rival islands like Hvar. Stiniva beach is a must see, though it can get a little busy in peak summer so if you’re looking for something quieter head to Stončica. If you’re looking to stretch the legs, get up early one morning and run from Vis over the center of the island to Komiža (just short of 10km)- a traditional fishing village which is authentically Croatian.
On our eat & drink kit list:
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