Imagine standing above the clouds, wrapped in cool mountain air, with the scent of pine and wet moss all around you. Welcome to Doi Inthanon National Park, home to the highest point in Thailand and one of the most magical highland escapes in the north.

On the sun-scorched southern coast of France, wedged between the bustle of Marseille and the calm of Cassis, lies a slice of wilderness that looks like it leapt out of a Mediterranean dream. Welcome to Parc National des Calanques, a national park where jagged limestone cliffs plunge into turquoise coves so clear, they look Photoshopped.