Which trips really fit into seven days, and which only look like they do on paper? These are the one-week trips I’ve taken myself, from a sunrise balloon over the Valley of the Kings to a week of diving in Raja Ampat, with how to fit each one in.
If you get a week off at a time, you have more options than you might think. The trick is picking a trip that suits the time you have: one base or one clear route, not five cities and a flight every other day.
Every trip on this list is one I’ve done, and most of them took me a week or a little more. Some are slow and easy, a couple are hard work, and all of them felt far longer than seven days by the time I got home. For each one I’ve added a line on how to spend the week, plus the guide to read next if it’s the one for you.
One week vacations in the Americas
1. Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca was one of my favourite stops on my Mexico itinerary, and a week here barely scratches the surface. The city is all colonial streets, painted walls and the zócalo, where something different was happening every time I walked through it.
It’s a food city first. I booked a traditional cooking class with a local chef and found out why this region’s cooking is so famous. Then there’s the mezcal, which I got completely wrong until I’d drunk my way across Oaxaca. Go at the end of October for Día de los Muertos (31 October to 2 November) or in July for the Guelaguetza festival, and book early for both.
The week: four days in the city, a Sunday at the Tlacolula market, and day trips to Monte Albán and the mezcal villages.
Read next: 27 unmissable things to do in Oaxaca
2. New Mexico, USA
I drove New Mexico in February, from the gypsum dunes of White Sands up to Albuquerque, Taos and Santa Fe, and seven days is just right for it. It was sunny but freezing, with snow on the Sandia Mountains and in the hills above Santa Fe.
The highlight was a sunrise balloon flight over the Rio Grande, a 10 out of 10 morning. Santa Fe is one of my favourite cities anywhere, too. If you want the sky full of balloons, time your week for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, from 2 to 10 October in 2027.
The week: White Sands, two nights in Albuquerque, then north through the high desert to Taos and Santa Fe.
Read next: My 7-day New Mexico road trip itinerary
3. The Southern California desert, USA
Most people picture Highway 1 when they think of a California road trip. I’ve driven that too, but this loop turns its back on the coast for a week and heads into the desert instead.
I drove it in November in a red Camaro: out of Hollywood to Death Valley, south to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, on to San Diego and back up the coast to LA. Expect salt flats, mid-century houses, giant boulders and some of the darkest skies you’ll ever see.
The week: two nights near Death Valley, three in Palm Springs with Joshua Tree as day trips, then two in San Diego.
Read next: My Southern California road trip itinerary
4. Nevis, Caribbean
Nevis is the quiet side of the Caribbean: one small volcanic island, no high-rises and a capital, Charlestown, that’s one of my favourite places in the whole region.
I went in July, and not by accident: that’s when the island holds its Mango Festival, when the trees are heavy with fruit (it ran from 2 to 5 July in 2026). I stayed in a villa at Paradise Beach with its own plunge pool, a few steps from the sea. Guides lead climbs up Nevis Peak, though the ropes and slippery sections were beyond my pay grade.
The week: a week is perfect here. Split it between the beaches, the old plantation inns and a day on the water.
Read next: The best things to do in Nevis
5. Torres del Paine, Chile
The W Trek had been on my South America bucket list for as long as I’d been travelling. When I finally went, in January, it was the biggest hike I’d ever done, and I did it on my own. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
The W takes four or five days, which leaves room for a night in Puerto Natales either side. The catch is planning: you have to book your campsites or refugios before you arrive, and the rangers check your reservations on the trail.
The week: fly to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales, walk the W in four or five days, then add a day trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier from El Calafate if you can.
Read next: How to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine
6. Rio de Janeiro Carnival, Brazil
I’ve been to Rio’s Carnival, and it’s every bit as wild as it looks. The days are for the blocos, street parties that take over whole neighbourhoods, and the nights belong to the samba schools parading through the Sambadrome.
In 2027 the top samba schools parade on 7, 8 and 9 February, with the Champions’ Parade on 13 February. Hotels fill fast and prices climb, so book your flights and room at least six months ahead.
The week: arrive a few days before the parades to find your feet, mix blocos with the beach, and keep a day free for Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer.
Read next: My guide to Rio de Janeiro Carnival
7. Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
Many people come to Cusco for two days and end up staying far longer, and that’s exactly what happened to me. The old Inca capital is so full of things to see that it took me weeks to get round them all.
A week is enough for the highlights. Spend your first days in Cusco to get used to the altitude (3,400 metres), then work your way down through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. I stayed at Inkaterra, on the edge of Machu Picchu Pueblo, and it’s the perfect base for seeing the citadel. If you want to hike the Inca Trail, permits sell out months ahead, and the trail closes every February.
The week: three days in Cusco, two in the Sacred Valley, then the train (or the trail) to Machu Picchu.
Read next: How to visit Machu Picchu
One week vacations in Europe
8. Tromsø, Norway
If seeing the Northern Lights is on your list, give yourself the best part of a week. I spent five days chasing them around Tromsø, and it was cloudy for most of my trip: on my first night the sky was full of cloud, and on the second I caught a faint green glow from the bed of my glass-roofed cabin at ÆRA.
Those extra nights are what make the difference. The season runs from late August to early April, and Tromsø is easy to reach with plenty of daytime things to do, from the cable car to the Arctic Cathedral and a Sámi reindeer camp.
The week: four or five nights in Tromsø, with a night or two out of town in a cabin, and an aurora chase on any clear evening.
Read next: How to chase the Northern Lights in Tromsø
9. South Iceland and the Golden Circle
I’ve stayed at Hotel Rangá in the south of Iceland twice, once in the long light of May and once around the September equinox. In September I watched the aurora two nights in a row.
A week is too short for the whole Ring Road without rushing, but it’s perfect for the south: the Golden Circle, the waterfalls and black beaches of the south coast, and the glacier lagoon if you push east. I did the Golden Circle with a guide in May and went back to Gullfoss in September to find it full of rainbows.
The week: two nights in Reykjavík, then four or five in the south, with the Golden Circle and the south coast as day trips.
Read next: The Iceland Golden Circle guide
10. Portugal, from Porto to the Algarve
I’ve been to Portugal ten times, and it’s a running joke among my friends that if I ever disappear, it’s the first place they should look. If you want to see a lot of the country in one week, this is the route I’d give a friend.
Start in Porto with its port lodges, take the train south to Lisbon (about three hours), then pick up a car for the last two days on the Algarve’s cliffs.
The week: two days in Porto, three in Lisbon with a day in Sintra, and two on the Algarve coast.
Read next: How to spend one week in Portugal
11. The Algarve, Portugal
Prefer one region to a whole country? The Algarve is made for a slow week. I’ve done both ends of it on separate trips: a villa in Lagos, where I spent my days on the clifftops and flew my drone over the coves, and a week in October in the east, at Quinta do Lago.
That October week was all bike rides to the lagoon, a slow boat to a desert island, the old market hall in Loulé and a guided hike inland. Put the two together and you have the perfect week.
The week: three days in the west for Lagos, Benagil and Sagres, then four in the east for Loulé, the Ria Formosa and Tavira.
Read next: How to spend a week in the Algarve
One week vacations in Africa
12. Egypt
My first ever group tour was Intrepid’s eight-day Egypt Adventure, and it packed an astonishing amount into a week: the pyramids, a sleeper train to Aswan, a night sleeping on the deck of a felucca on the Nile, and the temples and tombs of Luxor.
The best morning of all was a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. I had to get up at 3am, and it was worth every minute. If you’re going independently, book the Grand Egyptian Museum, the sleeper train and any Abu Simbel trip before you travel, as they’re the things that sell out.
The week: two days in Cairo and Giza, the sleeper train to Aswan, a night on the Nile, then two days in Luxor.
Read next: My Egypt itinerary
13. The Garden Route and Addo, South Africa
I’ve travelled to over 70 countries, and my safari in Addo Elephant National Park is still one of the most memorable things I’ve done. I went at the end of a drive along the Garden Route, and it’s the perfect finale.
Book a full-day game drive if you can: different animals come out at different times, and it comes with a braai lunch in the park. Addo is malaria-free too, which makes it an easy first safari.
The week: drive the Garden Route from Cape Town over five days, with stops in Hermanus, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, then finish with two days in Addo.
Read next: My guide to a safari in Addo Elephant National Park
One week vacations in Asia
14. Chiang Mai, Thailand
I’ve been to Chiang Mai four times, and every trip takes me a little deeper into the city. It’s a place for temples, night markets and food, at a much gentler pace than Bangkok.
Wat Phra Singh is one of my favourite places in Thailand, full stop, and I’d climb the Naga staircase at Doi Suthep for sunrise before the crowds arrive. There was no chance I’d leave without a cookery class, either: mine was with The Best Thai Cooking Course, and it really felt like I was building the skills to cook Northern Thai food in my own kitchen.
The week: four days in the old city, a cooking class, and a couple of days in the hills or a trip north to Chiang Rai.
Read next: 21 unmissable things to do in Chiang Mai
15. Bali, Indonesia
I’ve spent a lot of time in Bali, on and off, and each time I fall for it a little more. With a week, I’d split my time between Canggu, one of my favourite spots for sundowners and long brunches, and Ubud, for rice terraces, temples and a Balinese cooking class.
Before you go, pay the Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000 online. It’s charged on top of your visa.
The week: three nights in Canggu for the beach and the food, then four in Ubud.
Read next: The perfect Bali itinerary
16. El Nido to Coron, Philippines
Palawan’s limestone islands are as beautiful as everyone says, and the best way to see them in a week is to travel slowly between El Nido and Coron.
I chose a three-day, two-night boat expedition with Keelooma, sailing between the two with shipwreck snorkels and two remote beach camps along the way. I nearly took the ferry instead, and I’m so glad I didn’t: it was one of the highlights of my three weeks in the Philippines.
The week: two nights in El Nido for island hopping, the three-day expedition to Coron, then two nights in Coron for its lagoons and wrecks.
Read next: How to get from El Nido to Coron
17. Raja Ampat, Indonesia
I’d wanted to go to Raja Ampat for about ten years before I finally spent a week in May diving from Papua Paradise Eco Resort on Birie Island. I logged 11 dives, the most I’ve ever done on one trip, with turtles, wall dives and over 100 hornbills flying home to roost at sunset.
It’s a long way to go for a week. Mine went Singapore, Jakarta, Sorong and then a boat, so plan your flights carefully, and leave a dry day before you fly home.
The week: around ten dives over six days from one island base, with a rest day in the middle and the Piaynemo viewpoint on a day trip.
Read next: My 7-day Raja Ampat diving itinerary
How to make one week feel longer
- Pick one base or one route. A week with two hotels feels twice as long as a week with five.
- Fly overnight. On long-haul trips, an overnight flight out saves a day.
- Make jet lag work for you. If you’re flying west, you’ll be awake early for the first few days, which is perfect for sunrise balloons and empty trails.
- Book the bottlenecks first. Campsites on the W, Inca Trail permits, Sambadrome tickets and sleeper trains sell out long before hotels do.
- Leave a slack day. Weather, delays and the Northern Lights all run on their own schedule.
Read next
- 100 places to visit before you die
- How to spend one week in Portugal
- How to hike the W Trek in Torres del Paine
Love this? Save and share on Pinterest
Discover the top things to do, insider tips and hidden gems in our Tips & Thoughts.
Read the guides →
We enjoyed a safari for 4 nights in South Africa and it was wonderful. We wanted to stay longer. Now we are going to hike Machu Picchu this summer. Maybe we will use your list to keep ticking off one week adventures 🙂
these photos are beyond breathtaking!! These are so inspiring, I want to do them all!! thanks for sharing these!