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If your overriding memory of travelling by train involves jam-packed stations and chaotic journeys during rush hour, allow us to alter these associations and paint a more peaceful image in your mind. Train travel removes the familiar stress of airport security and is a wonderfully unhurried way to get from A to B. It allows you to experience much more of a country in a down-to-earth manner, and watching the world go by out of the window imbues the journey with a sense of timelessness and romance. There are an ever-increasing number of European train journeys from London, which allow you to slow down and travel in a more relaxed fashion. Our philosophy of ‘Travel Less, Travel Better’ also champions this idea, and swapping planes for trains is an excellent way to start travelling more sustainably. So settle into your train carriage, content in the knowledge that you’re doing your part to help the planet, while also enjoying the journey just as much as the destination.

In northern Chile, there is a desert so arid, silent and harsh that it gives off the impression it’s been lifted straight from the moon: the Atacama Desert. The red ridges of the Valle de la Luna (the Valley of the Moon) inside the desert are a beautiful, mystical blend of stone, sand and wind that will convince you of the Atacama’s magical character.

It’d be easy to dismiss the paradise-like, crystalline lagoons that form between the sand dunes of Parque Nacional dos Lencois Maranhenses as a mirage. Beautiful and otherworldly, they have a surreal part Sahara/part Seychelles vibe. Go between July and September when the lakes are full and a dazzling emerald blue.

Sud Lipez is the most extravagant of altitude deserts – rich in colour, it’s home to sun-scorched, copper-hued volcanoes and vivid turquoise lagoons. It’s also a close neighbour to the world’s largest salt flats, Salar de Uyuni, one of the most astounding, otherworldly terrains on the planet.

The Pyramid of Meidum was built for the Pharaoh Huni but collapsed due to a major design fault. To enter the Pyramid one has to enter through the robber’s tunnel which is very narrow and claustrophobic but chamber it connects to is quite spacious. However, only 3 steps or layers are visible today. The Pyramid is located 100 km southeast of Cairo. This Pyramid is a transitional form between the step and smooth-sided pyramids. A Mortuary Temple is to the east side of the Pyramid.

The Red Pyramid is the third largest Pyramid of Egypt built during the reign of the Pharaoh Sneferu. It is 104 meters in height and is also called the North Pyramid. It gets its name from the fact that it is entirely built from red limestone. The remains of the Mortuary Temple can be found on the east side of the Pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid was built around 2600 BC in the heart of Dahshur for the Pharaoh Sneferu. It also goes by the name Southern Shine Pyramid or the Pyramid of Sneferu. It stands at 40 meters height. The base of the Pyramid rises up at an angle of 54 degrees from the desert floor and the top section is built at 43-degree angle giving it a tilting image and the name. This was the first real smooth sided Pyramid of Egypt.

The Pyramid of Djoser in Egypt was the first pyramid to be built in the 27th Century by Imhotep for the burial of the Pharaoh Djoser. It is located at a place called Saqqara, 25 km South of Cairo and is 62 meters in height. I The ancient Egyptians used to build tombs called mastabas earlier with a flat roof. Imhotep stacked 6 mastabas on top of each other above the ground to give a structure called the Step Pyramid or the Layer Pyramid. The entire Djoser Pyramid is built using limestone and has 13 fake doors built into it but just one entrance to the southeast side of the complex.

The smallest pyramid among the three Pyramids of Giza was built for Menkaure- the grandson of Khufu. Menkaure was the last Pharaoh to build a pyramid. The structure was built using white limestone, but the base, up to 16 layers, was built out of red granite. The height of the pyramid is just 65 meters. The Pyramid has been a victim of vandalism in the 12th Century due to which part of the Pyramid is now missing.

Located centrally in the Plateau of Giza, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving ancient Pyramid of Egypt. It also goes by the name-Pyramid of Khufu or the Pyramid of Cheops. Built for the Pharaoh Khufu in 2560 BC, this Pyramid is the largest among the Pyramids of Giza and is 138.5 meters tall. It is said to have been built with about 2 million blocks of casting stones along with limestone and granite. It is the only Pyramid to have a swivel door at the entrance. Inside of this Egyptian Pyramid, one can find a Queen’s chamber, a King’s chamber, and a grand gallery.