UNESCO recognition through its World Heritage List and time in the subsequent travel spotlight can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, a new site gets a big status boost and some protection. On the other hand, an influx of tourists adds pressures and more need for protection. One way to curb this effect is for travellers to visit alternative heritage destinations where high tourism congestion isn’t causing problems.

With the UN-backed trial of three senior surviving Khmer Rouge leaders finally underway in Phnom Penh, the world is reminded of Cambodia’s sad history. One memorial of its darkest times is S-21, a school-turned-detention centre (and now a genocide museum), where, after the Khmer Rouge fled, a startling photonegative archive were discovered. Today, hundreds of stark black-and-white portraits line the museum walls. It is a moving, eye-opening display.

Imagine if you could tell about actually getting to drive a rickshaw. Yes, today it is possible to get your hands on the steering bar of this ever-popular mode of transport. In which case it’s game over: Your tale would triumph, hands down. Get ready to tell the best stories about your time as a rickshaw pilot, because we’ve found the top five rickshaws that you are actually allowed to drive.

When visiting Siem Reap, Cambodia, travellers usually make a visit to the Angkor Wat UNESCO World Heritage Site their first priority. Its hundreds of ancient temples comprise the largest religious monument ever built. But with so much on offer, it’s important to plan a way to revitalise weary limbs after long exciting days. Many travellers therefore also find rest, relaxation and rejuvenation to be key qualities of a complete Angkor experience.

Every month, we delve into the travel experiences of people in the extended WHL Group network. This month we talk to Lee Sheridan of Teamworkz, the whl.travel local connection for 15 destinations in Laos, Thailand and Cambodia, where he is also the Green Path Transfers local partner.

New Year’s Day is a time to bid farewell to the year that was and greet the year that will be with joy and hope for positive change. It is celebrated all over the world and often welcomed with a bang (literally). In the Western world, festive New Year’s events occur on the 1st of January, the first day of the Gregorian calendar. However, for millions of people on the other side of the world, the New Year is ushered in on different days of the year, often in keeping with the lunar calendar.