When most of us think of a ‘city break’ it might revolve around a short hop over to mainland Europe for a few nights in Paris, or further afield on the Med in Barcelona. Of course there are in fact many hundreds of vibrant and interesting cities around the world that can also be great destinations for a short stay break.
Whilst China, Japan, USA, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea might not seem like obvious choices for someone in the UK looking for a city break style getaway, with a bit of planning a couple of weeks can pack a lot of different locations into a schedule.
Of course, another way to enjoy these so called ‘Pacific Rim’ destinations is as a stopover on a long haul flight.
Booking
Arranging flight, accommodation and other details has never been easier. Online services such as those offered by Amex Travel not only give you all the information you need but also offer a range of extras from insurance, travel support and detailed local information.
Pacific Rim
The tag ‘Pacific Rim’ refers to the countries located around the edge of the Pacific Ocean and of course some of these just happen to be amongst the most exciting destinations in the world right now.
With social and economic developments having turned the focus of the world on the region, unprecedented growth in trade, finance and migration all come together to produce some of the most vibrant city destinations on the planet today.
Some of the most popular city break destinations within the area include:
- Bangkok (Thailand)
- Hong Kong (China)
- Shanghai (China)
- Tokyo (Japan)
- Takayama (Japan)
- Sydney (Australia)
- Saigon (Vietnam)
- Los Angeles (USA)
- Long Beach (USA)
- Jakarta (Indonesia)
Power shift
Economic competition and political power between the Far East countries themselves means that the rush to develop city infrastructure, whilst also appealing to international visitors, is producing some fantastic destination opportunities in emerging countries.However, whilst China and South Korea might be challenging Japan as the region’s most forward looking destination, the Pacific Rim also has far more established destinations.
English speaking
Australia, New Zealand and the USA all have a long history of offering visitors a welcome that is second to none and of course all have established cities on the Pacific rim that have distinct identities and cultural histories of their own.
Variety
Essentially the Pacific is such a major global factor that to try and narrow down a list of interesting cities that lie on its edges would be an impossible task. The fact that so many cultures and peoples have used the resources of the ocean to build up cities over the ages means that there is no single underlying link to the great variety of destinations, other than the majesty of the Ocean itself.
