Bangladesh – a very under visited destination, with meals available for less than R10 and mid level accommodation for less than R100. Weather is hot with a a bit of rain during the afternoons which cools everything down. Dhaka has an exciting history with rich cultue, known the world over as the city of mosques and muslin. With Shrine and lakes, museums and beaches there is no shortage of things to do.

Namibia – another destination that is well set up for back packers. a place where the sun always shines, and you definately have the chance to breathe in enough fresh air.  There is an awesome network of taxis that can take backpackers to places that travellers won’t get the chance to discover with public transport. Have a trip to the Etosha National Park and see the massive “Etosha Pan”, a shallow salt pan which shimmers a silvery bright-white. The Skeleton Coast displays the untouched profiles of the landscape. There is an aura of mystery and mightiness in this area due to the light mist and fog that comes off the sea.

Argentina – what about a skiing trip to Patagonia? Sound interesting? Start in Buenos Aires before moving on to Argentina’s most popular beach resort city, Mar del plata. Take a train ride on the Patagonia Express, stop to do some skiing 180 feet above sea level, travel back to Buenos Aires and experience an evening watching real Tango performed!

1. Namibia

Only during the summer months, from November to February, does precipitation occur, mostly as heavy thunderstorms. This is a very bad time to be in Namibia. Dry riverbeds become saturated with torrents of muddy water, resulting in disappointing game drives.

Namibia becomes a sun-scorched land during the summer months. The best travel packages to Namibia are from May to October.

2.       Kenya

Kenya is a year round destination, so avoiding Kenya this summer doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on anything. Kenya’s greatest annual attraction is the wildebeest migration between the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara. The best wildlife event takes place between September and June.

A positive point of not travelling to Kenya during summer is that the tourist numbers are lower. Travel packages are less expensive, the experience is more exclusive, and the summer rains don’t hinder game viewing.

3.       Malawi

The rainy season is during the summer months, from January to March. Some areas become inaccessible due to heavy rain and road conditions. Summer in Malawi is almost unbearable with temperatures being sky high and humid.

The dry season is the best time to travel to Malawi. Look for Malawi travel packages from June to October. Vegetation is less dense and the game viewing is best. Hiking is also spectacular during this time as roads aren’t wet and temperatures are bearable.

4.       Seychelles

The Seychelles are at their busiest and most expensive in the summer months. Avoid travel packages to the Seychelles from December to March, also July and August.

A good time to visit is outside the peak season – June to September. This time is also ideal for diving and snorkelling.

5.       Mozambique

Everybody travels to Mozambique in summer. Summer travel packages to Mozambique are done far in advance. This means that during the summer months, there is almost no accommodation available. What is available is often charged double the price due to the lack of availability.

Mozambique is devastatingly crowed during summer. Activities are often fully booked and beaches are overcrowded.  A good time to visit Mozambique is out of season and after the monsoon season.

6.       Southern Africa

Two beautiful months in southern Africa are April and September. April is when autumn has just begun and the heat of summer is bearable. The September month is the beginning of spring and is characterised by greenery, amazing cloud formations, and the end of a chilly winter.

No travel package or destination is perfect, of course, but statistically speaking, there’s a higher risk that you’ll encounter summer vacation spoilers in one of these destinations.

This list has something for everyone, regardless of which category of frequent flier you fall into. Make those long flights seem just a little bit shorter and more enjoyable, regardless of which FlightSite flights you choose.

1. Join the mile-high club

2. Go up to the emergency exit and fiddle (gently) with the lever, then ask a passenger sitting near to you if he or she has a crowbar they can lend you.

3. Instead of walking laps around the plane, rather disco dance down the aisle.

4. Lead an uprising against the first class passengers.

5. Try to lead the plane in a song by Justin Bieber.

6. Strike up a conversation with the person next to you about their opinions on cannibalism amongst plane crash survivors on a desert island.

7. Open up your laptop and tap professionally on the keyboard. When the steward comes up to you to ask you what you would like to eat, say, “Just give me a second. I’m busy hacking the mainframe.”

8. Doodle in the in-flight magazine

9. Listen to podcasts and audio-books on an ipod.

10. Write in a journal about your experiences and excitement about the various destinations you are heading to.

1.            Khartoum, Sudan

The country is under the military rule of an Islamic regime and no separation of church and state is endorsed. Violence is caused by insurgent groups based locally who oppose the government troops. This has resulted in open warfare.

2.            Guatemala City, Guatemala

As of the second week of 2011, the Guatemalan government has declared a state of siege and suspended civil liberties in order to conduct raids on drug cartels across the country. The homicide rate is well above wartime level, with 53 people per 100,000 being murdered.

3.            Bogota, Colombia

The harvesting of toxic chemicals by families with no other way to make an income in a country with an economy kept afloat by dangerous illegal products, along with military training, are rife, with little social justice. The controversial “war on drugs” has resulted in a lot of violence in the capitals.

4.            Grozny, Chechnya, Russia

Named “The Most Destroyed City on Earth” by the United Nations in 2003, Grozny features mass graves and an assortment of rubble. This destruction is the result of the two wars, compared to the WWII destruction of Hiroshima and Dresden. Political and criminal murders are still widespread.

5.            Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Renowned for its significantly high level of female homicides, 5000 women have been violently murdered. Victims are between 12-22 years of age and suspects have included bus drivers and street gangs, with body clusters found in certain parts of the city.

6.            Mogadishu, Somalia

To this day Mogadishu is still wracked by internal unrest. The Islamic Courts Union and Ethiopian forces constantly fight for control, with the city as the platform for gun battles and insurgents trying to oust the African Union forces from control.

7.            Baghdad, Iraq

War-torn Baghdad was declared the most unsafe city in the world by Mercer’s 2008 global quality of living index. The U.S. invasion in 2003 has resulted in the death of over 650,000 civilians.

8.            Antarctica

Although Antarctica has no permanent settlements or cities, it is by far one of the most environmentally hostile places on Earth. Man-made violence is nonexistent, but its extreme weather often drops below -60 degrees Celsius (-100F) and icy winds tear across the glaciers at over 100km/hr. With no food to forage or hospitals to treat you, if you get lost and are exposed to these conditions for more than an hour, you will die.

9.            Bujumbura, Burundi

Civil wars, poor access to education, HIV/Aids, corruption, and over-population have economically damaged Burundi. Armed children and roaming gangs make violence rampant.

10.          St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is the most dangerous city in the US with violent crimes ranking four times higher than the national average. Murder, robbery, aggravated assault, violent crime, burglary, larceny or theft, car theft, arson, and property crime all much more than double the national averages.

2. Gadling
Gadling is an interactive travel blog with videos, photos, and user-friendly categories. Offering advice to the aspiring or avid traveler, Gadling’s photo essay will keep you enthralled for hours at a time. Follow Gadling for tips on travel budgets, or just general travel news, or visit the same places with Flightsite’s travel packages

3. Notes from the Road
Complete with hand-drawn maps, travel tips, camera advice, and magnificent moleskin journal entries, Gauger’s site is an absolute pleasure to follow. Gauger talks about travel writing in the About section of his blog: “Travel writing sometimes gets a bad rap, because of ‘The azure sea was undulating and the hotel was fabulous.’ But travel writing can be funny, powerful and personal. Every non-fiction writer has that capacity to exaggerate; his experiences happen far away from the reader. But travel writing implies honesty and research..”

4. Cranky Flier
Flying is a necessary but often frustrating activity. Cranky Flier, a site by Brett Snyder, lightens the burden of flying by exposing the light side of traveling by plane. With a fascination for planes, flying, airports and travel from an unimaginably young age, Snyder is an enthusiastic writer with a flair for what interests frequent fliers.

5. Backpacking Matt
All travelers travel on a budget. Backpackingmatt is aimed at the more budget-savvy or budget-wary travelers. Follow Matt to find out everything you need to know about the most fascinating places to visit, how to save money on your journeys, how to travel for longer, and how to make the most of your trip around the world.

6. Canvas of Light

The multicultural Daniel Nahabedian is a travel photographer living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Canvas of Light is a vivid portfolio of his exquisite work. Browse it by country or date, or explore his incredible photo essays and documented journeys.

7. Bangkok Reality Smackdown
A basic WordPress blog with lots of bite, Megan’s wit and humour as she makes a life for herself amongst an array of culture shocks is a “must read” this year.

8. Go, See, Write
Michael has successfully completed a round the world trip without ever getting on an airplane. It took him 16 months to travel to 44 countries on 6 continents. His blog is chock-full of treats for his readers, including interesting interviews with fellow travelers.

9.Over Yonderlust
A travel-writing couple, Shaun and Erica are quirky, eccentric, and a delight to follow. Their blog is exciting and funky, and filled with great advice for travelers and intriguing photos of their journeys.

10. Travels with a Nine Year Old
A single-mom, Theodora, from London, England, tours the world with her now-ten-year-old son, Z. Spending quality time together and documenting their journeys, including tips and advice for travelers and parents traveling with children, Travels with a Nine Year Old is notably well-written and is a great resource for any travel enthusiast.