Thanks to blockbuster movies and intrepid travel programmes, New Zealanders are broadening their holiday horizons.

Jennifer Ennion discovers Thailand's Koh Phangan is perfect for those who want to get away from it all.

A peek behind the scenes at Cathay Pacific's kitchens fascinates Shandelle Battersby.

Kris Shannon gets busy in the Japanese capital.

Devout desert dwellers and blessed bovines live in harmony in the Rajasthan desert, writes Paul Rush.

Paul Rush experiences courtyard cuisine in the back streets of Beijing.

India certainly shouldn't be top of the list for a first-time solo female traveller, says Emilia Terzon.

The thriving island city-state of Singapore has come a long way from its swampy roots as a banana republic.

Mainland Chinese say they intend to study abroad in far greater numbers.

Skiing destinations tend to be in well-heeled areas - from Queenstown to the Austrian Alps and Whistler. Naturally, North Korea wants to take its place alongside the well-groomed resorts.

Liz Light enjoys life in the slow lane on a Turkish island.

Thoughts of cycling in India probably conjure up images of intensely congested streets, teeming with all modes of traffic and sharing limited space with free range animals- a reasonable or enjoyable holiday activity?

Cycling adventure in coastal Goa and Kerala

Ann Huston and her sons hire a boat and head to Indonesia's Komodo National Park in search of giant lizards.

This Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent to the top of Mt Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Rebecca Kennedy journeys to base camp and gains a sense of what Sir Ed loved about the ‘Holy Himalayas’.

A Swedish co-founder of file-sharing website The Pirate Bay has gone on trial, charged with hacking and stealing data from an IT services company with ties to the Swedish tax authority and other government agencies.

Kiwi Helen Steemson saw Sri Lanka up close when she joined Habitat for Humanity.

Alex Robertson and award-winning travel photographer Babiche Martens get to grips with a complex and beautiful land.

The region has long been a thriving hub, but it's still looking to the future, says Tom Peck.

Everything revolves around the local pub in the UK, writes Jared Savage.

Luxury hotels are taking hold in this communist corner of South-east Asia, reveals Laura Holt.

Many travellers only experience Bangkok through the largely sleepless eyes of a backpacker – or settle for clean yet budget hotel accommodation at best. Don't overlook a luxury holiday in Bangkok, though - it's more affordable than you might think.

Singapore makes the perfect stopover, but for shoppers and diners, it’s a destination in its own right. Here’s five things to do in Singapore.

South Korea has reopened its landmark Namdaemun gate to the public, five years after the historic jewel in central Seoul was burned down in an arson attack that shocked the nation.

Cruising up the coast of Vietnam to Hong Kong on a boutique ship is a great way to sample a slice of Asia.

If Niseko is the crown jewel of Japanese skiing, then Rusutsu is one of its most lustrous, and least known, diamond clusters.