Where to travel in August

Salzkammergut | Austria

Fans of the great outdoors and picturesque chocolate-box towns will love Austria. It scores well across the board on our Good Trip Index, so it's a great choice for a sustainable, ethical summer holiday.

Salzkammergut, a mountainous region near Salzburg packed with pretty lakes, makes for an excellent alternative beach holiday for the whole family. Most lakes have a beach area often with showers, cafes and sun loungers. Some will even have diving platforms, inflatable obstacles and pedalos to hire. Usually there's a day rate per person and they are affordable, clean, well-kept and safe for families.

You can fly into Salzburg from London in about three hours, or if you're keen to minimise your air miles you can get there by train in a day or so.

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London beaches | UK

Warm weather, deckchairs on golden sands, beach parties and tropical cocktails. London in August has got the lot, apparently.

If you don't fancy catching a flight somewhere exotic this summer, London has plenty of urban beaches that can bring the exotic to you. For those whose trip to the beach is only complete with a trip around a massive 70s shopping centre, The Beach at Brent Cross is sure to excite. It's complete with a fairground, a paddling pool and loads of sand, obviously. Or for palm trees and piña coladas in the heart of central London, The Montague 'Beach Bar' feels more like the Bahamas – you won't even notice the British Museum just round the corner.

If the idea of a beach trip to London feels all sorts of wrong, we get it. Luckily the capital makes for a perfect city break all year round, whether you fancy a trip to the theatre, scaling the O2 or exploring its iconic sites.

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Maasai Mara | Kenya

Kenya is one of the biggest risers on our Good Trip Index for 2023, climbing 41 places in large part thanks to its great performance for animal welfare. According to the Voiceless Animal Cruelty Index, Kenya uses the least amount of animals for food per person and consumes lots of plant-based protein compared to other countries.

August is a great time to safari in this animal-friendly country. It's dry season from June to October so you can expect clear, sunny skies and less pesky mosquitoes. And since there's less rain, animals are easier to spot as they gather around shrinking waterholes. Maasai Mara National Reserve is particularly popular for its abundance of wildlife including lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards and rhinos.

While Kenya improved in most areas on our Good Trip Index, it still performs poorly for LGBTQ+ travel and human freedom. If you'd prefer to travel somewhere with a higher score, read below for the top 40 countries for a good trip in 2023.

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Isla Holbox | Mexico

Topping our list of top 40 destinations to visit in 2023 is Isla Holbox. A few hours north of Cancun, its relaxed atmosphere, great weather and natural beauty make it an ideal August escape.

You won't find many vehicles on the island, plus phone and wifi signal isn't great and not all of the sandy paths that connect the island are on Google Maps – perfect if you've been looking to cut down your screen time. You'll have no choice but to ditch the phone and sunbathe on pristine beaches and take a dip in the warm Caribbean Sea.

During August the island is visited by huge whale sharks, which you can swim with on an unforgettable guided tour. Holbox is also part of Mexico's largest ecological reserve – Yum Balam. It's a great place for bird watching and witnessing the sea's bioluminescence at sunset when shimmering blue flashes light up the shores as if by magic.

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Tirana | Albania

Albania? Yes, Albania. Cheap as chips and twice as warm, the Adriatic coast of Albania is every bit as inviting as Spain, Greece or Italy. Tirana tops our list of highest risers for UK holiday destinations as canny travellers head out to explore the Albanian capital.

The food is great, the people friendly and there are plenty of cultural hotspots to explore. As well as the National Historic Museum, an opera house and the spooky Bunk'Art museums found in underground bunkers, Tirana even has its own pyramid – though it's a little more brutalist than it is ancient.

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New Zealand

Too hot this summer? Try New Zealand, which is currently going through its winter.

Don't be put off by the weather – New Zealand's a big place, and while lows on the South Island will fall to 1°C in August the North Island tops 15°C even in winter – by UK standards a pleasant spring or autumn day. And if the cold isn't a problem, August tends to see the best snow. So if you're visiting to ski, snowboard or heli-ski – increasingly popular with extreme sports fans – this is the month to do it.

For Lord of the Rings fans, the key filming locations are at the top of the North Island, which is mild in August. The permanent Hobbiton that was built at Matamata will feel like an English spring in August, or if you're going to visit the dramatic mountains of the South Island, they're all the better (and authentic) for the snow.

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Salina Turda | Romania

If you fancy taking the family somewhere weird, wonderful and naturally stunning this summer, Salina Turda is a great shout.

A former salt mine painstakingly carved out without the help of machinery, it's now a major tourist attraction complete with a museum, amphitheatre, Ferris wheel, bowling alley, mini golf and a spa. It's perfect for a family day out. The kids will love the amusement park, and you can explore the various levels of the caves on guided tours and even by boat.

To get there you'll need to fly to Cluj-Napoca, which is worth exploring too. The Transylvanian 'capital' has a lively old town filled with historic sites, museums and bars, and there's a great arts scene too.