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Look near and far for the most exciting places to visit this yearNew year, new adventures.儲存 Countries all have a season, rising on the sojourner's radar for a whole variety of reasons.A mega-event or movie, anniversary or air link, big-bucks strategy or a subtler mystique that can never be manufactured - all shape a destination and its distinct allure.Beyond this partial cluster of factors, a hopeful economic outlook, the strong Singapore dollar and competitive airfares are hard facts that make travel to places far and near ever more enticing.Besides, the Singaporean is quite an adventurous soul, always journeying to some of the planet's most remote places, some of which may even lie within Singapore's neighbourhood.South-east Asia, in truth, is enigmatic for distant visitors, and also intrepid Singaporeans.This is SundayLife's list of desirable destinations and travel concepts for 2014. Wonderfully, the list is likely to change as the year brings new countries and concepts to centre stage. Happy wandering.siewhua@sph.com.sgBRAZIL: WORLD CUP FEVERBrazil will be the darling of sports lovers and world wanderers for a spell.From June 12 to July 13, the World Cup finals will unroll in 12 cities across the country, where soccer is spectacle tinged with spirituality.Flamboyant Rio de Janeiro will host the final soccer game - then romp on to stage the 2016 Olympics.Last month, I travelled to Rio and found more than a party city. I saw a metropolis of endless blues and greens with curvaceous beaches and mountains, one of the loveliest cities on Earth.Beyond Rio are the Iguazu Falls, wondrous from every angle whether viewed from Brazil or Argentina.Brazil is almost a continent unto itself, and so it abounds with places to explore. The Pantanal in the west is the world's largest wetland, with wildlife galore from pumas to caimans. Creatures are easier to spot in this open landscape, compared to the Amazon rainforest, half of which lies in Brazil.Salvador in the north-east has shimmering beaches and an Afro-Brazilian culture, revealed in its dance and cuisine. It is one of the World Cup host-cities. Other venues include the cities of Belo Horizonte, known for its contemporary art, and Recife, where the nearby historic town of Olinda is the cradle of Brazilian culture (.fifa.com/worldcup)."All eyes will be on Brazil, thanks to the World Cup, and we've even planned for extra capacity on our flights from London to fly out supporters," says Mr Robert Williams, regional general manager (South-east Asia) for British Airways.In June, the airline will add more flights to Rio, starting from $3,225.90 for a return ticket. Singapore Airlines flies to Sao Paulo, via Barcelona, and connects through Brazilian partner airline TAM to Rio and 27 other destinations.KOREA'S SLOW CITIESI know Korea as a digital-crazed nation and K-pop merchant. Forays into its eight unplugged Slow Cities, however, will reveal a Korea on analog time - so you luxuriate in nature, homespun heritage, authentic flavours.Salt is harvested by hand and flavoured with seaweed on Jeungdo Island, a Slow City in Jeollanam-do province. Sashimi and spicy fish stew are gourmet grade. By express train, Jeungdo is 31/2 hours from Seoul in the north.In 2007, Korean cities were the first in Asia to join the Slow Cities circle, ahead of Japan and China. The Slow Cities movement, born in the Chianti region of Italy, celebrates small cities that respect heritage and resist homogenisation.Jeollanam-do itself is a less-explored province famed for Boseong tea fields, Arirang folk songs and exiled poets. Other provinces newer to travellers are Gangwon-do, Gyeonggi-do and Jeju, where driving holidays are popular.Independent Singaporeans now take train excursions far beyond Seoul, says Ms Adeline Goh, senior marketing director of Korea Tourism Organisation Singapore Office.Notably, 70 per cent of Singaporeans ventured on "free-and-easy" trips in 2012, with 30 per cent on package tours. Figures were the reverse just five years ago.Overall, Korea is hip. "The Korean Wave has made Korea a hip destination for pop-culture tourism, food and aesthetic travel," she says.Budget airlines Scoot and AirAsia X started flying to Seoul and Busan respectively last year, she adds. Other direct carriers have boosted seat capacity and dangled airfare deals.Next month, the KTX fast-speed train will link Seoul's Incheon Airport to Busan, the second largest Korean city, in 31/2 hours.LIVING LUXE IN NEW ZEALANDNew Zealand is on the bucket list of many sojourners and the Hobbit fantasy movies are sending the country once again to the top of wish-lists.Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler says: "Film tourism and the hobbits are the biggest new thing."A survey shows that the hairy-footed hobbits have moved people from thinking "I want to go to New Zealand one day" to actually going, says Mr Bowler during a recent visit to Singapore.For Asians with spare change, luxury lodges are a new experience in the familiar destination. A helicopter can deposit guests on untouched mountains for picnics, or a guide can show the way to remote rivers for freshwater fishing.Minaret Station, an isolated four-room lodge inside a Lake Wanaka glacial valley, opened in 2010. It is accessed only by helicopter. A Michelin-starred chef cooks for guests, who go heli-skiing in winter and walking in summer.Meanwhile, Christchurch is bouncing back from its February 2011 earthquake.Hotels have been reopening. And on average, seven hospitality places such as cafes and bars set up shop every month. Around November, a new entertainment precinct, The Terrace, will be ready.A Cardboard Cathedral, designed by renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, rose in Christchurch last August. Made of industrial- strength cardboard tubes, it is a symbolic twin of the beloved Christchurch Cathedral that was ruined in the quake.On my visit to Christchurch last year, there was indeed a determined and ebullient spirit in the city. Beyond it are places untouched by the quake, and I loved the new "starlight park" in the Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook region, where the skies are drenched in celestial light.SILK ROAD, WESTERN ENDChinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma thinks of the Silk Road as the "Internet of Antiquity" as it allowed ideas, technology and goods to flow for 1,500 years between nations, linking Venice and Japan at its peak.Because the ancient route spurred an early form of globalisation, its appeal is still powerful today for travellers, traders and thinkers. Ma himself directs a Silk Road Project that brings cultures together through music and other modes.Since the route is 11,270km long, few today will travel long-haul over it like Marco Polo.Travel publisher Lonely Planet points out two most evocative sections: China's Xinjiang province and the Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, with their timeless domes and minarets.But these lands have a contemporary facet too. Notably, Kazakhstan, which sprang from a nomadic culture, has prosperous, modern cities that intrigue with their East-West allure.Anecdotally, Singaporeans are travelling to the western end of the Silk Road, which wends through the "stans" including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and former Soviet republics.Crescentrating, a Singapore firm that rates the Muslim-friendliness of travel services, also highlights the Silk Road on its website.AFRICA'S FAMILY SAFARISWith wild animals singing and prancing in the Madagascar and Lion King movies, safari holidays can be an attractive option for little ones.Safari camps in Africa are becoming more child-friendly, which is good news for the multi- generation Asian family.New family-style villas have been launched by established safari operators. "These safari houses are akin to luxury villas in Tuscany, Provence and Bali," says Mr Victor Dizon, co-founder of Asia To Africa Safaris.These abodes have multiple rooms with their own private staff, rangers and vehicles, complete with mod cons and fun activities for children.Some examples are Serengeti House in Tanzania, Morukuru in South Africa and Cottar's Homestead in Kenya.Asians, once skittish about wildlife encounters and the perception of Africa as a continent of conflict, are embracing safaris as experiential travel, operators observe."In Singapore, we have seen an increase in inquiries for family safaris," he says.On safari a couple of months ago in MalaMala in South Africa, I spied the Big Five animals roaming freely. It is transforming to see the megafauna - lion, leopard, elephant, rhinocerous and buffalo - in an ancient landscape.The Congo, Malawi and Ethiopia are likely less- traversed than Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania for Singaporeans. Ethiop迷你倉an Airlines started flying to Addis Ababa from Singapore thrice weekly from Dec 3.In central Ethiopia, Bale Mountains National Park has rare animals such as the black-maned lion and Ethiopian wolf.MORE CHINESE AIR LINKSAir links between Singapore and China keep amplifying, so the palette of Chinese destinations is ever-new.On Dec 26, Tigerair started flying to Ningbo, a seaport city of Tang and Sung vintage on the south-east coast. The ancient city also has futuristic bridges and dense bullet-train connections to cities such as Hangzhou and Nanjing, so the traveller can map a fuller Chinese tour.Ningbo is the latest among the budget airline's Chinese destinations. Others include Guangzhou, Haikou, Lijiang, Shenzhen, Macau and Hong Kong - and more will be added as tourism and trade grows.Mr Ho Yuen Sang, chief operating officer of Tigerair, says: "Having visited the traditional cities in China for leisure, many Singaporeans are also hungry for new destinations within familiar grounds, and thus find places like the ancient town of Lijiang appealing."In all, 12 carriers operate nearly 600 weekly flights between the countries.Travel agency Chan Brothers noted in a report a year ago that younger, independent Singaporeans are taking the path less trodden in China. For instance, they make it a quest to see northern lights from the northernmost city of Mohe.Seasoned travellers such as retiree Gabriel Cheung, who has visited all 23 Chinese provinces, will add caveats: Use your imagination to sense China's amazing history amid its pollution, crowds and filth.Nevertheless, my recent journeys to China's Tibetan realm west of Chengdu, and to the poetic pinnacles of Hunan, leave me yearning to experience more.Ms Samantha Chua, general manager of Travel Media, a travel management company, alludes to China's diversity and inventive spirit when she says: "China represents the whole world."CRUISES AND CHARTERSTravellers are awash in cruise choices, with Singapore now a significant hub for travel on the high seas.Singaporeans are eyeing expedition cruises to the most exotic places on Earth: the Antarctica, the Galapagos islands of Ecuador, the Kimberley wilderness of western Australia and Flores in Indonesia.Ms Jess Yap, general manager of Country Holidays, which creates bespoke holidays, has noticed this seafaring trend and says her travel agency projects a 30 per cent rise in cruise bookings this year.Also rising in popularity, she says, are yachts chartered by extended families. These can sail up remote rivers in Europe or Indonesia.The company hosted an invitation-only event for 50 guests to promote cruises last October and has since received bookings up to the end of this year. One new launch is a Black Sea cruise to Russia.On my recent cruises around the Galapagos and Komodo islands, it was stimulating to land on island after island, yet soothing to stare at the water while out at sea.I loved having to unpack just once on each trip, a point also made by Royal Caribbean marketing communications executive Xing Yimei.Singapore is the home port for the cruise liners of Royal Caribbean, when they make Asian voyages.Newer destinations include sailing to the Amalfi Coast instead of doing a land tour of this Italian seascape from Naples."First-at-sea" concepts that travellers can look forward to are on the Quantum of the Seas, a ship to be launched in autumn.It will have a capsule that shoots guests 90m into the air. It will also have the industry's first "virtual balconies". Guests in any windowless room can flip a switch to view virtual seascapes on a screen.JAPAN IS COOLER THAN EVERJapan is back, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says. The self-styled Abenomics maestro is talking up economic resurgence - but Japan also has fresh lustre as a destination.Even the ancient Mount Fuji won new recognition last June as a World Heritage Site, one of 17 in the land. Hiker hordes are bound to descend anew on the symmetrical volcano.In the bid to put Fuji on the prestigious Unesco list, the Japanese extravagantly billed it as "Object of Worship, Wellspring of Art".Japan is also in the throes of premature Olympic fever. A buoyant mood is contagious for travellers, however."With Japan chosen as the host for the 2020 Olympics, sports will be the in-thing while visiting Japan," says Ms Susan Ong, deputy director of the Japan National Tourism Organisation in Singapore.She cites marathons, cycling and golf. Exploring Japan on foot is fun too. Last September, I walked in the footsteps of poet Matsuo Basho in less-traversed north Japan, a journey that blended culture, cuisine and nature.The shinkansen bullet train turns 50 this year. In less lightning style, well-heeled travellers can chug on the luxury train, Seven Stars In Kyushu, launched last October.In a new push to brand Japan, its US$1-billion (S$1.3-billion) Cool Japan Fund will be wielded to promote distinctive food, fashion, animated movies and other "soft" exports.Much of Japan is in full recovery after the 2011 tsunami-earthquake, and Singaporeans are flocking back.Singapore Airlines has 56 weekly flights to Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. A third daily flight to Tokyo's Haneda Airport will be added from March 30.And with the weakened yen and cheaper tours now, Japan is more affordable too.Eight more to watchLatin America: Brazil's neighbours are vying with 2014's belle of the ball for tourists. Ecuador, which counts the Galapagos islands among its world-class attractions, is splurging to make tourism a bigger driver of its economy. Also, this year is the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. Peru, with its Inca mystique, is perennially popular. Travel operators such as Country Holidays point out that Peru tops the list of South American destinations for many Singaporeans.Kamchatka: On the splendidly isolated far east of Russia, above Japan, Kamchatka is the heart of wilderness for city-slicker Singaporeans. Camp with reindeer herders on the tundra, trudge in snow in summer or watch orca whales. According to a recent poll of 3,500 people here by Trafalgar travel agency and sgtravellers.com, Russia is the third among Top 10 destinations, after Switzerland and Italy.Balkans: Balkan lands such Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro have entered the travel market only in recent years. Says Mr Nicholas Lim, president of Trafalgar (Asia): "Although tinged with sadness from a recent war, the Balkans are filled with natural beauty and have great local cuisine." Little Bosnia has a coffee tradition - it is the world's 10th biggest consumer of the brew - so coffee-lovers will learn from local coffee connoisseurs.World's biggest cave in Vietnam: National Geographic calls Son Doong in central Vietnam the "infinite cave" which has its own jungle and river, and can fit in a 40-storey skyscraper. British cavers explored it in 2009, though a Vietnamese man discovered its cave entrance much earlier in 1991. The cave is slowly opening up to tourists, who can trek and abseil inside, and sleep in tents.Beaches of South-east Asia: Tropical beaches are a signature destination in the region, and new resorts keep popping up. The Mergui Archipelago in southern Myanmar has deserted islands and yacht charters. The Philippines is rich in 7,000 islands, including some private ones with resorts in the "affordable" range within the Calaguas group of islands in the Pacific, according to travel portal Eksalife. Vietnam has a long coastline dotted with fancy resorts such as Six Senses on Con Dao and Vinpearl at Danang.Myanmar: Myanmar continues to draw travellers, a couple of years after it emerged from a half-century of army-imposed isolation. It has the whiff of a forgotten country and also much beauty and nature. Snow-capped mountains lie in the state of Kachin, while horse-and-cart travel is still popular in rural Myanmar. While much of the country seems lost in a colonial era, that is part of its charm and a tourism masterplan will hopefully take away some raw edges.Australia: Self-drive convoys in Australia with a Singapore guide are a newer mode of travel. Chan Brothers, noting this trend in its 2014 forecast, says it combines the best of both worlds - the fluidity of independent travel with professionals to take care of logistics. Stick to a suggested itinerary, linger in a cafe or combine both.World War I centenary: Travel operators are piling on tours to war sites such as Gallipoli in Turkey and Normandy Beach in France, which have commemorative events. Beyond Europe, the war also engulfed Israel, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the once-German- controlled port of Qingdao in China, Lonely Planet notes. Trafalgar has itineraries for World War I and World War II Battlefields.儲存倉