Did you know?

Think Bermuda and the stereotype matches the reality with images of neat pastel shaded cottages, businessmen in ties and shorts, pink-sand beaches, and quintessential British traditions like cricket matches and afternoon tea spring to mind.

Azerbaijan was once a major stopover on the Great Silk Route.

The richly historic city of Antwerp is probably Belgium's most underrated tourist destination.

East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, offers spectacular wildlife, longhouses and the awe-inspiring Mt Kinabalu.

Statistically speaking Brunei’s population enjoy one of the highest per capita incomes on earth

Honduras is the original banana republic, but travel there is easy, enjoyable and inexpensive.

Costa Rica has an enlightened approach to conservation which has ensured that lush jungles are home to playful monkeys, languid sloths, crocodiles, countless lizards, poison-dart frogs and a vast array of exotic birds, insects and butterflies.

Jordan is one of the most welcoming, hospitable countries in the world.

For culture vultures, Iran has magnificent ruins of ancient cities, glorious mosques and mausoleums, and museums.

Kuwait is an oil-rich state where travellers looking for a relaxed entry into the Muslim world can enjoy wandering around mosques, souks and other sandy traces of bygone Bedouin days. Behind the extravagant opulence lies a deep sense of traditional values and warm Arabian hospitality.