The best time to visit Bali

Skytrax is out with its annual list of the World’s Top 100 Airlines, perhaps the most recognized worldwide ranking of best airlines. As usual, and to the chagrin of travelers here in the states, most of the top performers are not U.S. airlines. Instead, the list is dominated by Asian, Middle Eastern, and, to a lesser extent, European carriers.

With rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft taking over, you might be wondering where in the world it’s still possible to take a cheap taxi. Cabs aren’t dead, yet: These countries still heavily rely on them.

You might not expect an Italian luxury fashion designer to have a hotel in Bali, but the Bulgari Hotel in Uluwatu is actually one of the perfect places to spend your Bali vacation. The hotel sits in the heart of Uluwatu’s lush green hills, on Bali’s southern tip, and has stunning views of the Indian Ocean.

The Togean archipelago in the Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, made the Rough Guide to 2018. However, Una Una, the northernmost and most secluded of the 56 Togean islands, is the one most definitely on the rise. The only volcanic island in the region, it has a fascinating story behind it.

Beyond the mystical sounds of gamelan and the intricate craft of batik, Bali boasts a world of subcultures often overlooked by visitors. The art makes bold statements, nightlife sometimes involves a new tattoo, and music is anything but serene.

Tucked away in the “Top End”, closer to Indonesia than Sydney, Darwin is the least known of Australia’s regional capitals – stunningly remote, buffeted by extreme weather, and with an atmosphere like nowhere else in the country.

It’s a difficult time for everyone at the moment and not being able to discover the world may well be the least of your worries. But while your passport lies forlornly in the drawer, enforced time at home means you can at least start dreaming about an adventure beyond your four walls. Here at Rough Guides, we’d like to lift your spirits, hopefully make you smile, and help your imagination cross the continents, with this selection of videos from our youtube channel.

Experienced surfers looking for a pristine break are heading to a remote archipelago somewhere between Hawaii and the Philippines. The Marshall Islands are hard to find and even harder to get to – and of course, that’s part of their appeal. Most of the 29 coral atolls that make up the Islands are unknown to western travellers, only one – Bikini Atoll – stirs a look of recognition.

The Amish way of life has changed relatively little over the last century. In the town of Smicksburg, Pennsylvania, is an Old Order Amish community of about 800 members. Shops sell speciality Amish food and crafts, there is limited electricity, horse and buggies are the main mode of transport and farmers work out in the nearby fields with horse-drawn ploughs.

You told us which country you think has the best cuisine and now we’ve whittled it down to a top fifteen. Starting the countdown is Malaysia; Sharni Lutalica told us on Facebook that Malaysian cuisine is her favourite for the variety in flavours and spices.

We asked our readers to choose the most overrated places in the world, and the responses encompassed everywhere from Skegness to Sydney. Below are the places you voted into the top ten (for destinations that shouldn't disappoint you, read our month by month, where to go when guide).

Bali’s beautiful beaches and shimmering rice paddies have made it a justifiably famous tourist destination – but there’s so much more of Indonesia waiting to be explored.