Ordinarily, I’m not the kind of traveler who circles back to a place. Like many, I’d rather put the cost of airfare flying abroad toward discovering a new city or country. But something about Hoi An’s Old Town lingered with me, an appeal that made the idea of returning feel less like repetition and more like certainty.

My first visit to George Town, some years before the pandemic, was little more than a quick fix; a shore excursion on a cruise that sailed along the Malaysian coast before returning to Singapore. I had barely three hours on land, just enough to sense the outlines of something intriguing: the smell of spices and coffee in the air, the pastel shophouses, the street art that tells a unique story. Ever since, the city had lingered in my mind like an unfinished conversation.

Walking thousands of steps under the afternoon sun would be taxing under normal circumstances. But in the highlands of Ifugao, following narrow paths through the stone-walled Mayoyao Rice Terraces, exhaustion became part of the experience. This corner of the Cordillera is often overlooked by travelers heading straight to Banaue or Batad, yet a journey through Mayoyao reveals a landscape where rice terraces, remote villages, waterfalls, and centuries-old traditions remain deeply woven into everyday life.

“Forward! Remember that from these monuments yonder forty centuries look down upon you,” Napoleon Bonaparte declared to his troops as they geared up for the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798. Indeed, the history of the great pyramids dated back to one of Earth's ancient civilizations. This fact made my experience feel all the more surreal. I recalled staring at the pyramids with wide eyes while standing immobile, engrossed in a spectacular, fleeting moment. There was no better way to cap our Holy Land trip than with a chance to see the Great Pyramid of Giza up close.

When one mentions the “Holy Land,” the first thing that comes to mind for most Christians is the birthplace of Jesus Christ in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, which is situated ten kilometers from Jerusalem. While this is indeed true, the scope of a traditional Holy Land journey encompasses three countries: Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. This route includes stops at a few historic locations in addition to retracing the footsteps of Christ, Moses, John the Baptist, and Mother Mary. Here are a few locations to inspire your own travel to the Holy Land.

Waking up to a rainy and foggy morning had me entertaining the idea of staying in until lunch, curled up on my bed. Appealing though the thought was, the opportunity to see another UNESCO World Heritage site prevailed, proving to be motivation enough to make me stand up, stretch my arms, and face the window to announce to myself, “Good morning, Vietnam!”

Situated within the old city of Jaipur near the City Palace and Hawa Mahal is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Jantar Mantar. Named after the words yantra, which in Sanskrit means “instrument,” and mantrana, meaning “to calculate,” Jantar Mantar is an equinoctial sundial engineered to measure local time and track the declination of the sun alongside the wider celestial sphere.

As the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan, Jaipur is one of India's most popular cities among tourists. Part of the so-called Golden Triangle alongside New Delhi and Agra, the city draws travelers eager to experience an environment teeming with palaces, temples, magnificent forts, colorful bazaars, and, of course—plenty of roaming cattle. All these, combined with stunning architecture, rich culture, and a lively culinary scene, make what is widely known as “the Pink City” an unmissable destination in India.

The heritage town of Hoi An in Vietnam possessed a vintage charm dating back to the fifteenth century. Punctuated by well-preserved structures that shaped the storied past of that former Southeast Asian trading hub, it stood as a major tourist draw in Central Vietnam. Stepping back in time did not require a time machine; a stroll through the ancient streets of Hoi An achieved this beautifully. As I boarded my bus from Ho Chi Minh to Hoi An, I had already pictured a beautiful, age-old town awaiting me.

Despite missing out on Duran Duran's peak popularity, their music videos still left a valuable mark on my consciousness. One of them was for their song “Save a Prayer.” Shot on location in Sri Lanka, it features intoxicating scenes of temples, golden beaches, and ancient ruins. One particular part of the video stood out to me; it was the scene where Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes performed the song on top of a massive boulder surrounded by what looked like a set of ancient ruins.

As I stared at the carved maxim of the three wise monkeys pinned on an overhead panel at Tōshō-gū, the proverbial mantra it personifies was made apparent to me almost immediately: “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” Recognizing where I stood at that very moment, surrounded by temples—concealed under a canopy of autumn leaves—I could not fathom how any of my senses could conjure a negative energy.

Egypt was the last of the triumvirate of nations that comprised the Holy Land tour I joined. After kicking off our trip in Jordan and spending almost a week in Israel, the last leg of our journey took us to the land of the Pharaohs and Cleopatra. Along the way, we passed by endless stretches of deserted valleys and mountains until the azure waters of the Red Sea signaled the approaching border crossing to Egypt. It was there where we followed the trail of Moses and the Holy Family when they fled Israel after King Herod Antipas issued a marching order to execute all infants in Israel.

I remembered sitting inside a cramped van negotiating the snaking countryside road of Laos, feeling very excited as I reached my next destination. My high anticipation stemmed from the desire to unlock the truth behind the prevailing word-of-mouth on Luang Prabang. “The place is so laid-back,” fellow travelers would often rave. As simple as it might be, that description was music to my ears. Throw in the heritage structures and rich culture of the city, my giddiness got the best of me for the rest of my ride.

Seven hours after leaving the city of Bangkok at the stroke of midnight, I found myself on the main highway of Old Sukhothai—under a drizzly sky. With a throbbing head and the effects of intermittent sleep, I located my hostel, which, to my surprise, was nestled within a boutique resort complex. “Our Dorm of Happiness—as we call it, is located on the second floor. Come follow me,” the receptionist told me. She then directed me to my bunk bed inside one of the rooms at the old cream-colored wooden house fronted by a picturesque courtyard.

The streets of Mumbai cast a dizzying spell even to this third-world traveler who was used to seeing voluminous crowds and long queues of people rushing to and from various errands. It reminded me of our first stop in India; the city of Kolkata where all noises came to us like cannons blasting from all directions, the relentless honking of automobiles and the incessant yells from vendors among dozens of other reverberations, all comprising a mixtape of the mother of all audible uproars.

The historic city of Kyoto dishes an incredible opportunity for modern travelers to actively explore and deeply learn more about Japan’s rich history, culture, and ancient traditions. A day or two of systematically exploring Kyoto—riding the city’s highly effective mass transit system, and to some, leisurely pedaling on a bicycle—shall gracefully give you the chance to successfully tick off a vast majority of the city’s 17 World UNESCO Heritage Sites. The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto collectively encompass a massive wealth of knowledge perfectly representing Japan’s rich history strictly dating back to the 10th century.

I first saw Mehrangarh Fort as the imposing thick walled fortress at the backdrop of the scene in the film “The Dark Knight Rises”. As one of the build-up parts to the climax of this classic film; Bruce Wayne is seen escaping from the pits of his imprisonment – finally ascending out of a hole from the ground. The thrilling high of that moment is made more spectacular by the presence of a magnificent mountain lustrous with sun rays and where the impressive fort stands solidly and undaunted by the passage of time.

I can’t remember exactly where and when I first learned about the Wailing Wall. I’m sure it was sometime during my childhood. Being an earnest reader of history books, I came across the fascinating account of Israel, from its birth as a nation in 1948 to the Israeli-Arab Wars and going back to its ancient times. Early on, I was already made aware of its significance as one of the leading emblems of Judaism, and that it also plays an integral role in other religions such as Christianity and Islam.