NORTH AMERICA
Famous cities. Epic road trips. Rocky Mountain scenery. Caribbean beaches. And considerably more choice than is helpful.
NORTH AMERICA
North America is one of those parts of the world where deciding what kind of holiday you want is only the beginning of the problem.
You might start with New York because you've always wanted to see Manhattan, then somebody mentions a Canadian road trip and suddenly you're picturing yourself driving through the Rockies. Mexico appears with beaches, ancient ruins and tacos, the Caribbean starts looking suspiciously inviting and before long your perfectly sensible holiday search has developed into an international expedition.
You can explore some of the world's most famous cities, drive through landscapes that seem to go on forever, hike through spectacular national parks, relax on Caribbean beaches or disappear into tropical rainforest.
There are road trips where the journey becomes just as important as the destination and island holidays where your main decision for the afternoon is whether getting out of the pool is really necessary.
And because North America and the Caribbean cover such a huge area, two holidays here can feel as though they happened on completely different sides of the world.
So, where shall we start?
United States
Trying to sum up the United States as one holiday destination is a bit like trying to describe Europe by saying it has some nice cities.
It's enormous and the experience changes completely depending on which part you visit.
You could spend a week surrounded by skyscrapers in New York, take the children to the theme parks of Orlando, drive along California's Pacific coastline or head into the desert for Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Then there are tropical beaches in Hawaii, mountains and wildlife in Alaska and some of the world's greatest national parks scattered across the country.
For road trips, America is particularly difficult to beat.
Route 66 remains the classic, stretching between Chicago and Los Angeles, while California's Pacific Coast Highway gives you spectacular ocean scenery. Road trips through Arizona, Utah and Nevada can combine desert landscapes with national parks and some of America's most famous natural landmarks.
The distances are enormous though, so don't look at a map and casually decide you'll "pop over" to somewhere in another state. Depending on where you are, that little detour could involve eight hours in a car and several arguments about whose turn it is to drive.
America is much better approached as several different holidays rather than one enormous attempt to see everything.
And there are a few destinations that deserve considerably more attention than a passing mention.
↑ BACK TO TOPNew York City
New York is one of those places that feels strangely familiar before you've even arrived.
You've seen it in films, television programmes and photographs for years, but standing in the middle of Manhattan with yellow taxis passing by and skyscrapers towering above you is something completely different.
Times Square is loud, bright and unapologetically touristy, but you have to see it at least once. Central Park provides a welcome escape from the surrounding streets while landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center and One World Observatory give you those enormous views across Manhattan.
Then there's the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Fifth Avenue and Grand Central Terminal.
And that's before you've even started on the museums.
New York is also one of the world's great food cities. You can eat everything from enormous slices of pizza and bagels to Michelin-starred dinners, although discovering a brilliant little neighbourhood restaurant often feels far more satisfying.
Broadway deserves an evening too, particularly if you enjoy theatre.
The biggest mistake people make in New York is trying to see absolutely everything. You'll spend the entire trip marching between attractions with increasingly unhappy feet.
Pick the things you really want to see and leave yourself some time to simply wander.
New York is very good at providing entertainment you didn't actually plan.
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Orlando
Orlando has essentially looked at the concept of family entertainment and decided moderation isn't necessary.
Walt Disney World alone contains four enormous theme parks, two water parks, hotels, restaurants and enough entertainment to fill an entire holiday.
Magic Kingdom gives you Cinderella Castle and the classic Disney experience while EPCOT combines huge attractions with its World Showcase. Hollywood Studios is home to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Animal Kingdom mixes rides with wildlife and some spectacular themed areas.
Between Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Epic Universe, there are enough rollercoasters, immersive worlds and enormous attractions to ensure you're going to need comfortable shoes. Possibly the most comfortable shoes you've ever owned.
Orlando also has plenty beyond the major parks, including shopping outlets, restaurants and smaller attractions while Florida's beaches are close enough to add a few relaxing days to the trip.
The Kennedy Space Center is around an hour away too and makes a brilliant day trip, particularly if you've ever fancied standing underneath an actual Saturn V rocket.
Orlando isn't really somewhere you go for a quiet holiday. You'll probably return home exhausted, several hundred photographs richer and possibly carrying a suitcase containing an unreasonable number of mouse ears.
San Francisco
San Francisco has one of America's most recognisable cityscapes.
The Golden Gate Bridge is the obvious landmark and seeing it stretching across the bay is every bit as impressive as you'd expect.
The city itself is wonderfully distinctive with steep streets, colourful Victorian houses and cable cars climbing hills that you may quickly decide you'd rather not tackle on foot.
Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are firmly on the tourist trail while Alcatraz sits just offshore and is one of the city's most fascinating attractions.
A ferry takes you across the bay to the former prison where Al Capone was amongst its most famous inmates.
San Francisco is also a brilliant starting point for exploring more of California.
Wine country lies to the north in Napa and Sonoma while Yosemite National Park can be incorporated into a longer road trip.
Head south and the Pacific Coast Highway eventually takes you towards Los Angeles through some spectacular coastal scenery.
Just remember that San Francisco's weather isn't necessarily what you picture when somebody says California.
Take a jacket. That famous fog has absolutely no respect for your summer wardrobe.
↑ BACK TO TOPLos Angeles
Los Angeles is enormous, sprawling and slightly difficult to understand until you've spent some time there.
Hollywood is usually the first stop, where you can walk along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visit the TCL Chinese Theatre and get your photograph with the Hollywood sign somewhere in the background.
But Los Angeles becomes much more interesting once you start exploring its different neighbourhoods.
Santa Monica gives you a beach, famous pier and the western end of Route 66 while Venice Beach brings street performers, colourful characters and a completely different atmosphere.
Beverly Hills provides the palm-lined streets and enormous houses you expect from Los Angeles while Griffith Observatory offers one of the best views across the city.
Film fans can visit studios including Warner Bros. or Universal Studios Hollywood and discover just how much trickery goes into making everything you see on screen.
The main thing to understand about Los Angeles is that everything is further apart than you think. That attraction which appears to be just down the road could quite easily be 45 minutes away.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas is completely ridiculous, and I mean that affectionately.
The Strip is lined with enormous themed hotels containing casinos, restaurants, theatres, shopping centres and attractions.
You can walk past the Eiffel Tower, see Venetian canals and watch the Bellagio fountains without travelling more than a few miles. Subtlety has not been invited.
There's far more to Las Vegas than gambling too.
Some of the world's biggest performers have residencies here while the restaurants range from enormous buffets to places run by celebrity chefs.
Then you've got spectacular shows, rooftop bars, shopping and attractions that seem to become increasingly elaborate every year.
Las Vegas also makes an excellent base for exploring the surrounding landscapes.
The Grand Canyon is the obvious bucket-list trip while Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park are much closer.
A few nights in Las Vegas is usually plenty for most people. By that point, your body clock may have given up entirely and you've started accepting that walking through a casino at breakfast time is perfectly normal.
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America's National Parks
America's cities may get much of the attention, but some of its greatest travel experiences are found far away from them.
The Grand Canyon is the obvious superstar and its sheer scale is difficult to appreciate until you're standing at the rim.
Yellowstone National Park offers geysers, hot springs, mountains and wildlife including bison, bears and wolves while Yosemite is famous for enormous granite cliffs, waterfalls and forests.
Utah is particularly spoiled.
Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands and Capitol Reef are all within the same state, making it one of America's best destinations for a national park road trip.
Then there are the landscapes of Alaska, the volcanoes of Hawaii and countless forests, deserts, mountains and coastlines elsewhere.
You could easily build an entire American holiday around the national parks and never set foot in a major city.
A few days exploring New York or San Francisco followed by an enormous road trip into the wilderness gives you two completely different versions of America in the same holiday.
And that's really the problem with the United States.
Every time you think you've decided where you want to go, you discover somewhere else.
Canada
Canada is what happens when a country decides it would quite like to have some of the world's most spectacular scenery and then casually spreads it across an enormous amount of land.
Toronto is one of the main gateways with the CN Tower, waterfront and neighbourhoods filled with restaurants and culture.
Niagara Falls is close enough to combine with a visit and is one of those natural landmarks that feels considerably bigger when you're standing beside it than it ever does in photographs.
Further east, Montréal brings French influence, excellent food and a completely different atmosphere while Québec City looks wonderfully European with its historic streets and imposing Château Frontenac.
But western Canada is where the scenery really starts showing off.
Banff and Jasper National Parks offer turquoise lakes, enormous mountains, forests and wildlife while the Icefields Parkway between them is one of those drives where you'll be stopping constantly because apparently yet another mountain needs photographing.
Vancouver combines city life with mountains and coastline and makes an excellent starting point for exploring British Columbia.
Canada is particularly brilliant if you love road trips and outdoor adventures.
Just don't underestimate the distances. What looks reasonably close on a map may turn out to be tomorrow's entire itinerary.
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Mexico
Mexico is far more than somewhere to fly for a week beside a Caribbean resort pool.
Although, to be fair, it does that extremely well.
Cancún and the Riviera Maya offer white beaches, turquoise water and plenty of resorts while nearby cenotes provide natural swimming holes when you fancy doing something beyond the hotel.
Tulum combines Caribbean scenery with ancient Maya ruins overlooking the sea and Chichén Itzá is one of Mexico's most famous archaeological sites.
Mexico City is enormous, energetic and packed with museums, markets, historic buildings and restaurants.
Oaxaca is famous for food and traditional culture while colourful colonial cities such as Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende show another side of the country entirely.
Tacos, enchiladas, tamales, fresh guacamole and dishes that make the version you ordered from a takeaway at home seem slightly embarrassing.
Mexico can give you beaches, history, culture, cities and some truly excellent food in the same trip.
Just don't make the mistake of assuming Cancún is the whole story.
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Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is one of the Caribbean's most popular holiday destinations and it's very easy to understand why.
Punta Cana is the big resort favourite with long beaches, warm Caribbean water and hotels where you can quite happily spend a week doing very little.
But there's much more to the country if you fancy exploring.
Santo Domingo is one of the Caribbean's most historic cities and its Colonial Zone is filled with old streets, plazas and buildings dating back centuries.
Head towards Samaná and the scenery becomes greener and more dramatic with beaches, waterfalls and opportunities to see humpback whales during their seasonal migration.
The Dominican Republic works particularly well if you want the ease of an all-inclusive Caribbean holiday but would still like the option of leaving the resort and discovering somewhere beyond your sun lounger.
Although the sun lounger remains available when required.
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Jamaica
Jamaica has one of those identities that seems much bigger than the island itself.
Music, food and culture are a huge part of the experience but the scenery deserves just as much attention.
Montego Bay and Negril are amongst the best-known resort areas with beautiful beaches and plenty of hotels while Ocho Rios is surrounded by tropical scenery and waterfalls.
Dunn's River Falls is one of Jamaica's most famous attractions where visitors climb through a series of cascading pools and waterfalls.
Head inland and the Blue Mountains offer hiking, coffee plantations and a completely different side of the island.
Jerk chicken, patties and fresh seafood have a habit of becoming a significant part of the holiday remarkably quickly.
Jamaica is ideal if you want your Caribbean beach holiday to come with plenty of personality.
↑ BACK TO TOPThe Bahamas
If your mental image of the Caribbean involves impossibly clear water and pale sandy beaches, the Bahamas isn't going to disappoint you.
The country consists of hundreds of islands and cays, which means the experience can vary enormously depending on where you stay.
Nassau and Paradise Island offer large resorts, restaurants and plenty happening while the Out Islands provide a much quieter escape.
The Exumas are particularly famous for brilliant turquoise water, sandbars and boat trips between tiny islands.
Snorkelling and diving are excellent throughout the Bahamas thanks to the clear water and marine life.
It's the sort of place where you may take an unreasonable number of photographs of the sea because apparently yesterday's turquoise water wasn't quite turquoise enough.
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Costa Rica
Costa Rica is for people who want their tropical holiday to involve rather more than lying beside the sea.
The country is famous for its extraordinary biodiversity with rainforests, volcanoes, beaches and national parks packed into a relatively small area.
Arenal Volcano is surrounded by jungle, waterfalls and hot springs while Monteverde's cloud forests offer walking trails high amongst the trees.
Sloths, monkeys, toucans and colourful frogs are amongst the animals you might encounter and Costa Rica takes conservation very seriously.
There are beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts too, so you can still add several days of doing absolutely nothing after all that adventure.
Costa Rica is brilliant for families, wildlife lovers and anyone who enjoys returning from holiday feeling as though they've actually done something.
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Cuba
Havana is the obvious starting point with colourful historic buildings, old American cars and streets filled with music.
The city's faded grandeur is part of its appeal and wandering through Old Havana feels very different from visiting the polished resort areas found elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Outside the capital, Viñales offers dramatic limestone scenery and tobacco-growing countryside while Trinidad is known for its colourful colonial streets.
Varadero is Cuba's best-known resort area with long stretches of pale sand and clear water.
Cuba is a destination where the culture and history are every bit as important as the coastline, so it's worth seeing more than the inside of your resort.
↑ BACK TO TOPBarbados
Barbados is one of the Caribbean's classic holiday destinations.
The west coast is known for calm water and luxury hotels while the south coast offers a livelier atmosphere with restaurants, bars and beaches.
Head towards the Atlantic side of the island and things become much wilder, with dramatic waves and rugged coastline.
Bridgetown adds history and local life while exploring inland brings rum distilleries, gardens and traditional villages.
And because Barbados is relatively compact, it's easy to explore without sacrificing too much valuable beach time.
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia has one particularly unfair advantage over many other Caribbean islands.
These enormous volcanic peaks rise dramatically from the coastline and give the island one of the most recognisable landscapes in the Caribbean.
The area around Soufrière offers rainforest, waterfalls, volcanic attractions and some beautiful beaches.
You can hike, snorkel, take boat trips or simply choose a hotel with a ridiculous view and spend several days admiring it.
Saint Lucia is especially popular with couples and honeymooners but there's plenty here for anyone who wants a Caribbean holiday with more dramatic scenery than the usual flat tropical island.
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Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua likes to claim it has 365 beaches, one for every day of the year.
I haven't personally counted them and I suspect spending a year checking would be the only responsible way to verify this.
What we can safely say is that there are plenty.
Antigua is the larger and more developed island with resorts, restaurants, historic sites and gorgeous beaches dotted around the coastline.
English Harbour and Nelson's Dockyard add some history while Shirley Heights is famous for its views across the harbour.
Barbuda is quieter and considerably less developed, offering beautiful beaches and a much more remote atmosphere.
For a traditional Caribbean beach holiday, Antigua is extremely difficult to fault.
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Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico combines Caribbean beaches with a lively capital and plenty of opportunities for exploring.
Old San Juan is the star attraction with colourful colonial buildings, cobbled streets and enormous historic fortresses overlooking the sea.
Beyond the city, El Yunque National Forest brings tropical rainforest, waterfalls and walking trails.
Then you've got beaches, snorkelling and smaller islands including Vieques and Culebra.
Puerto Rico has a distinctive mixture of Caribbean and American influences, which gives it a different feel from many neighbouring islands.
It's particularly good if you want beaches but know you'll become restless if that's all there is to do.
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Belize
Belize is small but manages to fit an impressive amount into its borders.
The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the country's biggest attractions and makes this a brilliant destination for diving and snorkelling.
The Great Blue Hole is particularly famous amongst divers, although there are plenty of easier underwater adventures available if plunging into an enormous marine sinkhole isn't high on your holiday agenda.
Inland, Belize offers rainforest, wildlife and ancient Maya sites.
The country also has a wonderfully relaxed Caribbean influence, particularly around its islands and coastal communities.
Belize is a strong choice if you'd like to combine tropical beaches with adventure and history.
↑ BACK TO TOPSO, WHERE IN NORTH AMERICA
SHOULD YOU GO?
The slightly unhelpful answer is that it depends entirely on what you want your holiday to look like.
If you're after famous cities and iconic sights, the United States has an almost ridiculous amount of choice. New York is hard to beat for a first visit while San Francisco and Los Angeles give you two very different versions of California. Las Vegas is in a category entirely of its own and Orlando remains one of the world's great family holiday destinations.
If you've always fancied an American road trip, combine a few cities with the country's national parks and you'll get to see a completely different side of the USA.
For mountains, lakes and enormous landscapes, Canada should be very high on the list, particularly if driving through the Rockies sounds like your idea of a good time.
If you want a holiday that combines beaches, food, culture and history, Mexico offers an extraordinary amount of variety.
For a Caribbean escape, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Antigua and Barbuda all offer beautiful beaches but with very different personalities once you start looking beyond the sand.
Nature and wildlife lovers should be looking seriously at Costa Rica while Belize combines rainforest adventures with some excellent diving and snorkelling.
And if you want somewhere where history and culture are every bit as important as the beaches, Cuba and Puerto Rico deserve a closer look.
That's what makes this part of the world so much fun to explore.
One trip could involve standing beneath the skyscrapers of Manhattan and watching a Broadway show before bed. Another could have you screaming your way around Orlando's theme parks, driving beside turquoise lakes in the Canadian Rockies or exploring Maya ruins in Mexico.
You could watch the sun disappear behind the Golden Gate Bridge, drive through the American desert, look for sloths in a Costa Rican rainforest or spend an afternoon on a Caribbean beach wondering whether ordering another rum cocktail technically counts as supporting the local economy.
You can have cities, road trips, theme parks, wildlife, mountains, beaches or complete relaxation and still feel as though you've barely started exploring.
Which leaves us with the familiar problem