24 trips to take you on a journey of self-discovery in 2024

05.01.2024 - 21:19 / lonelyplanet.com

As 2024 kicks off, it's time to plan some of the most mind-blowing adventures the world has to offer – using the opportunity to uncover new parts of yourself along the way.

To get you started, we've delved into Lonely Planet's Your Trip Starts Here, and picked 24 trip ideas suitable for everyone, especially those who want to go on a journey of self-discovery.

Whatever trip you take, keep in mind two essential tips: slow down, and leave your comfort zone. Then you can expect some truly meaningful memories as you set out to travel with purpose. 

Distance: 7km (4 miles) 
Mode of transport: On foot
Difficulty: Easy 

With glittering new office blocks, a meticulously recreated Old Town and the soaring Stalinist Palace of Culture and Science, when you walk through Warsaw today it's hard to imagine how broken the city was 80 years ago when Nazi Germany did its utmost to wipe Poland’s capital off the map. 

In 1943, as if in a dress rehearsal, Hitler liquidated Warsaw’s Jewish Ghetto – about 2.5 sq km (1 sq mile) of the city, where they had crammed some 400,000 Jews. Disease, execution and starvation in the ghetto, and later in concentration camps, claimed the lives of the vast majority.

Tracing the historic landmarks, memorials and museums through the Muranów and Mirów neighborhoods of Warsaw will provide insight into the city’s Jewish community, both past and present. It will also remind you that a kinder, better world is possible if we foster forgiveness and compassion.

Distance: 1900km (1181 miles) 
Mode of transport: Train 
Difficulty: Moderate 

Discover what makes Southeast Asia tick on this epic train trip, a tale of three thrilling countries told over 1900km (1181 miles) of track. Southeast Asia’s most luxurious train, the Eastern & Oriental Express whisks passengers from Singapore to Bangkok in four lavish days, but you’ll need a Gordon Gekko–sized budget to board it. Fortunately, there is also a low-cost way to zip along the Malay Peninsula by rail, and it delivers a deep dive into the region’s rich cultural melting pot as part of the package. 

Traveling on ordinary passenger trains between Bangkok and Singapore, you’ll mingle with people from every walk of life – monks heading to monasteries, students on college breaks, city families traveling for up-country reunions – while villages zip by in a blur of temple spires and minarets. Liberated from the notion that luxury is the same as fulfillment, this crash course in the cultures and customs of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore offers priceless memories, all for a ticket price of under US$100. 

Distance: 894km (555 miles) 
Mode of transport: Motorbike 
Difficulty: Tough

Think you know mountains? Try tackling the road that corkscrews like a python through the