11 gorgeous pictures of Cambodia

Whether you choose to live like royalty or scrimp on a shoestring in Vietnam, you’re going to have a memorable trip.

Wrapped around the east coast of mainland Southeast Asia like a mythical Naga serpent, Vietnam naturally lends itself to overland travel. Its two biggest cities – Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) – are divided by 1100km of rice paddies, tropical jungles, historic townships, wartime relics, national parks and sandy beaches, and most people plot an itinerary that takes in both of these lively hubs.

Zika virus, the mosquito-related disease that’s prompted travel advisories across the Caribbean as well as Central and South America, is now in Southeast Asia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

IHG Rewards, the loyalty program of the InterContinental Hotels Group, today released its latest list of PointBreaks hotels that are available for booking for just 5,000 IHG Rewards points per night.

Last year when Italy’s Cinque Terre decided to limit the amount of tourists that visit each year, overtourism once again came to the forefront of many people’s travel plans. While other popular landmarks and cities also had tourist caps or were exploring crowd-limiting options, iconic Cinque Terre’s cap has gained a lot of attention, and is part of a rising trend.

The main purpose of a UNESCO designation is to promote worldwide support for historic and culturally-significant sites. The new UNESCO World Heritage sites announced each year also provide an opportunity to learn about beautiful locations that most of the world has never heard of. Here are 10 of the 21 new UNESCO sites that deserve a spot on your bucket list.

Kampot, a river town in southwest Cambodia, is where my book took root. It’s around a three-hour drive from Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, and it’s close to a mountain where my 10-year quest for answers ended in 2012. Here, in an abandoned casino at the mountain’s peak, I stumbled upon the voice of Cambodia’s most famous mid-century crooner-pop star. Alone, but for a stereo, a stranger and me, the singer’s mellifluous voice took flight in the Cambodian language, Khmer. Bouncing off the empty walls, his vocals entwined with a Farfisa organ, its keys squeezing out the melody of Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale. His voice seemed to permeate every cell in my body. I felt as if I was soaring and immediately wanted to know everything about the mystery singer. I discovered later that his name was Sinn Sisamouth. Some call him ‘the Master’, others call him ‘the Golden Voice Emperor’, and many still call him the ‘Elvis of Cambodia’. Some say he recorded as many as 4,000 songs during his 20-year career.

Modern Bangkok, historical Hanoi and tourism-boom town Siem Reap — home to the world-famous Angkor Wat temples — are some of Southeast Asia's best drawcards, and see thousands of visitors every year.

Getting around abroad doesn't have to be all about cars, trains, buses and bikes. From cruising Peru's Lake Titicaca on a boat made of reeds to flying down the streets of Madeira in a wicker toboggan or taking an odd horse-drawn carriage in Pakistan, there are so many unusual types of travel to be tried. Here's ten of the best.

Southeast Asia is the quintessential backpacker destination – all noodle stands, grungy hostels and full moon parties, right? Not necessarily. There are still plenty of authentic Southeast Asian escapes. You just need to know where to find them. Start here.

Luxury camping, or 'glamping' as its also known, is on the rise. Once the preserve of high-end safari camps, you can now stay under canvas – with all the creature comforts – in destinations worldwide. In Southeast Asia in particular, a number of new luxury camping sites have been springing up over the past few years, offering the chance to get back to nature without roughing it entirely. Some camps even offer the chance to get involved with conservation projects on site, a great way to give back to the local economy and minimise the environmental impact of your stay. We've picked out four luxury camps to try out across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Few travel moments illicit such a thrill as catching sight of a rare or beautiful bird emerging from its natural habitat. Here are a few of our favourite birdwatching holidays, from pigeons in Mauritius, to birds of paradise in New Guinea.