Firstly, to Israel, where an infectious spirit of confidence and creativity abounds, no more obviously than in the beachfront bars, boutiques and Bauhaus buildings of Tel Aviv, barely a one camel town a century ago but which has now swallowed up the ancient and still charming port of Jaffa.

Away from this famous city within a city, and despite a sizeable population in a relatively small area, Israel has many areas of staggering beauty and remoteness such as the Negev Desert, which remains home to Bedouin settlements, and the freakish phenomenon of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth.

Israel is also a country that engenders a strange sense of reassurance, even in first time visitors. After all, anyone raised in a Christian country will have a certain innate familiarity with place names such as Nazareth, or Bethlehem and Jericho in the Palestinian West Bank. On the subject, no visit to the Holy Land is complete without a visit to the West Bank, even if just for a day trip to Bethlehem, when we would always recommend seeing more than just the Church of the Nativity with your Palestinian guide.

And then there's Jerusalem; part Israel, part Palestinian West Bank, all enigma. No city comes close to matching Jerusalem for heritage, mystique and convoluted history, and we only work with the most accomplished guides who can bring this highly complex and highly rewarding place vividly to life. Put simply, this small sliver of Eastern Mediterranean Holy Land packs more of a historical punch than any place on the planet.

But it's not all about history - Israeli food is as good as most in the Middle East, and the locals have a strong and infectious desire for living life to the full. This is also a surprisingly good destination for family holidays with weather to knock ours into a cocked hat, and all just five hours away with daily direct flights.