Yes, we did use spirits while making small delicious cheese pies, called ‘kalitsounia,’ in a traditional hillside village of western Crete, Greece. Koula Barydakis, our ebullient chef instructor, began our local cooking lessons by pouring a shot of raki for herself and her students as we toasted the traditional Cretan diet, one of the healthiest in the world.

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.

For ages, people have travelled far and wide in search of a good bath. Journeying to natural pools and hot springs with healing properties has been ‘medical tourism’ in its simplest form. Nowadays, though, a healthy soak in the mineral-rich waters of thermal springs is more than just doctor’s orders; finding the natural hot spots for a relaxing steep is a way to appreciate the unique geographical qualities of a place while simultaneously indulging in some healing.