The Andaman Sea at the start of the dry season. Flat crossings to Phang Nga Bay and a villa set above the water in Phuket.

The Winelands and the Cederberg as the fynbos flowers. Sea air, mountain water and the first of the harvest.

Iceland in continuous daylight. Geothermal water, lava-field walking and sea swimming close to midnight.

Torres del Paine at its warmest. Long days on the trail, hot water at night, gaucho country in between.

The Maldives as the rains lift. Flat water, house reefs and a villa at the end of its own jetty.

Aspen and the Canadian Rockies. Thin air, cold rivers and mountain quiet within a day of anywhere.

Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne before the summer rush. The Swiss clinics at their quietest, then a week on the water.

New Zealand at the close of summer. Glacier flights, alpine lakes and a lodge with no neighbours.

Utah and Arizona once the heat has gone. Red rock, dark skies and silence measured in miles.

Alta Badia in high summer. Altitude walking, forest air and Alpine kitchens above the cloud line.

Necker Island and St Barths in the steadiest weeks of the trade wind season. Warm water, whole-island privacy and eleven days without a signal.

Kyoto in blossom, then the quiet onsen coast of Ise-Shima. Two weeks of hot water and slow food.