Baxter - The best place to be today: 365 things to do & the perfect day to do them

INTRODUCTION

My, I felt smug. The sky was too blue to be true, a spread of cobalt I thought only existed in Technicolor or Photoshop. The historic trail largely empty, it being before the peak hiking months was fringed by a golden fuzz of gorse, while surrounding meadows nodded with purples, pinks and fresh greens. Birds were in good voice, singing and zinging from the leafy treetops on a quest to secure a mate. And the days were endless! The sunshine hours stretched beyond 10pm, encouraging late nights on warm-enough outdoor terraces, savouring tapas dishes of (in-season) padrn peppers and a vino tinto or two. Yes, it seemed walking a smidgen of Spains Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in late May (26 May, to be precise), when it was all wildflowers and long days and holiday-horde free, was the embodiment of right time, right place.

This, of course, is where all travellers want to be, no matter what their cultural or geographical preferences: right time, right place. We all want that sweet serendipity of being there when the Northern Lights are most likely to dance (but, ideally, its not too chilly); when the sleepy scruff-bucket town transforms for its once-a-year fabulous fiesta; when a mass mob of whales gathers at the nearby reef; when the climate is just perfect for whatever our chosen adventure. And thats why this book exists to help you focus your travels, zooming in on precise dates or periods to ensure some of the very best experiences, be they wildlife migrations, active escapades, raucous festivals or cultural showstoppers.

Perhaps you want to know when to pack your picnic for the prettiest Japanese cherry blossom party (26 March, in case youre wondering). Or when best to raft the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (try 16 September, the day after motorboats are prohibited for the year). Maybe you want to spend your Christmas break with baby warthogs rather than baby Jesus (try Kenya, 27 December), ride a bobsled in summer rather than winter (Austria, 2 July) or be sure not to miss a biggie, such as Glastonbury (England, 28 June) or messy Tomatina (Spain, 26 August).

Or maybe you want to be there (with a good waterproof coat) when the rain is gushing in biblical torrents, thus ensuring waterfalls are at their most spectacular and most other people have stayed away (think Iguau Falls, 9 December). Perhaps right is being there in shoulder season say, tramping New Zealands Milford Track on 10 March to best balance still-decent weather with fewer crowds.

When you drill down into the calendar year, you can find the worlds seasonal secrets, like Vanuatus land-divers marking the start of the yam season or the brief window of opportunity to trek while listening to the sound of mating pandas. Organising the planet this way helps you pick a destination for that June honeymoon or your October annual leave. You can even use it to inspire your whereabouts on your next birthday.

Theres an idea here for every day of the year. Some suggestions are date specific a religious holiday, a festival, an annual seasonal opening. Some give an indication of the best week, month or timeframe when perhaps its driest, coolest, quietest or most full of wildebeest. For the date-specific events, weve pinned them to their 2015 occurrences where possible, with dates given for the following years where known.

Of course, there are myriad options. On any given day, there are many best places to be, many destinations ripe for adventures. But here are 365 goodies to get you started. Now, stop reading this you shouldnt be HERE. Why not flick forward to today and start planning tomorrow?

WHERE IN THE WORLD DO YOU WANT TO BE?