The best multi-country travel destinations

Combining countries into one itinerary can add real value to a holiday, but only when the connections work. Some pairings are supported by regular flights or simple rail journeys. Others require detours, long layovers, or backtracking, which quickly eats into your time away.

To understand which multi-country trips genuinely travel well, Titan Travel analysed some of the most popular destination pairings. From this, we’ve found where travellers gain the most time on the ground, and which combinations offer a smoother, more rewarding way to explore more than one place in a single trip.

Escorted multi-country tours with Titan Travel

Many of the best routes are also available as part of Titan Travel’s escorted tours. These itineraries are designed to link destinations in a way that flows smoothly, with flights, transfers, and accommodation carefully planned so the journey feels seamless rather than fragmented.

Every Titan tour includes a nationwide return chauffeur service, detailed day-by-day itineraries, and a wide range of excursions and experiences built into the price.

What we looked at

Rather than looking at inspiration alone, we focused on how multi-country trips actually work in practice.

We analysed destination pairings that UK travellers commonly consider combining and compared two ways of travelling.

The first was a single multi-city itinerary, flying from London to Destination A, onward to Destination B, and then home. The second involved two separate return trips from the UK.

For each pairing, we assessed how easy it is to move between destinations and how much time travellers save by combining them, looking at:

• Whether the destinations are linked by direct flights or fast rail

• How many daily non-stop flights typically operate

• The flight time between destinations

• The total flight time saved by travelling between countries rather than returning to the UK

Key findings

• On average, combining destinations saves travellers over 15 hours of flying time, with the most efficient routes saving far more.

• East and Southeast Asia are built for multi-country travel, with short flight times and high-frequency routes.

• Europe is the easiest place to travel between countries without flying at all, thanks to fast, well-connected rail networks.

The best multi-country travel destinations for UK travellers

Across all pairings in this study, you could save an average of 15 hours and 40 minutes of flying time by linking destinations, rather than splitting them into two separate holidays.

Here are the top 10 city pairs with the most efficient routes for combining two destinations into a single trip when travelling from the UK.

1. Sydney and Auckland | 7.39 out of 10

Time saved: 44 hours, 45 minutes

Linking Australia and New Zealand removes the need for a second long-haul return flight, saving travellers almost two full days of flying time. Once in the region, the journey between the two takes just over three hours, supported by around 14 direct flights a day.

Sydney brings together beaches, nightlife, neighbourhood dining, and coastal walks, while Auckland can give you access to vineyards, volcanic landscapes, and quieter natural settings.

Activity idea:

Walk the Bondi to Coogee coastal path before crossing the Tasman Sea for a day on Waiheke Island, combining harbour views with vineyard lunches and beach time.

Interested? Take a look at our best of Australia and New Zealand tour.

2. Tokyo and Seoul | 6.86 out of 10

Time saved: 25 hours, 30 minutes

At just 90 minutes by air, Japan and South Korea are closer than many domestic routes. On a typical day, travellers can choose from almost 50 direct flights, making it one of the most flexible international hops available.

That flexibility makes a difference. It allows you to fit both cities into a wider itinerary without locking yourself into narrow flight windows or sacrificing time on the ground.

Activity idea:

Spend a morning exploring Tokyo’s neighbourhood food culture, from market stalls to basement ramen counters, then switch scenes with an evening of Korean barbecue and street food markets along Seoul’s Han River.

3. Bangkok and Hanoi | 6.50 out of 10

Time saved: 26 hours, 15 minutes

Combining Bangkok and Hanoi saves more than a full day in the air, despite the two cities feeling very different in character. The route is served by 11 daily direct flights, with a flight time of around 105 minutes.

What makes the pairing work is how the two cities complement each other. Bangkok’s (and Thailand in general) scale and intensity contrast with Hanoi’s walkable streets, lakeside cafés, and slower-paced holidays that Vietnam is known for.

Activity idea:

Visit floating markets along the Chao Phraya at sunrise, then take a guided walk through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, stopping for coffee by Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

4. Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur | 6.47 out of 10

Time saved: 23 hours, 55 minutes

With 22 daily direct flights, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur are among Southeast Asia’s most accessible international pairings. Travellers save approximately 1,435 minutes of flying time by linking the two into one trip.

Bangkok’s size and energy reward exploration, while Kuala Lumpur gives you an easy, walkable introduction to Malaysia, keeping travel days short.

Activity idea:

Explore Bangkok’s canal-side neighbourhoods, then spend an afternoon walking between Kuala Lumpur’s mosques, temples, and food markets.

5. Dubai and Malé | 5.82 out of 10

Time saved: 13 hours, 45 minutes

Dubai and Malé create a pairing built around contrast and recovery. Combining the two saves well over half a day of flying time and avoids repeating a long-haul journey.

The route operates with 12 direct flights a day, making it a practical option for travellers who want to break up their journey with a short city stay before heading somewhere quieter.

Activity idea:

Spend time in Dubai’s historic creekside districts and contemporary galleries, then trade city streets for lagoon swimming and sunset boat trips in the Maldives.

Top multi-country trips you can do by train

Rail-linked cities bring a different kind of efficiency to multi-country travel. While the headline time savings are often smaller, rail offers greater flexibility. Frequent departures, central-city stations, and fewer formalities make it easier to adjust plans on the go, turning border crossings into a smoother, more relaxed part of the journey.

Some rail-connected pairings include:

• Paris, France to Milan, Italy

• Munich, Germany to Vienna, Austria

• Milan, Italy to Zürich, Switzerland

On these routes, trains replace airports with city-centre departures, predictable schedules, and scenic journeys. The Paris to Milan route, for example, takes around seven hours and cuts directly through the French and Italian Alps, adding a spot of sightseeing to your journey. For a more immersive alpine experience, travellers can also take the iconic Bernina Express, a panoramic rail journey through the Swiss Alps connecting Davos and Tirano that allows you to marvel at the astonishing views.

How to plan a multi-country trip for 2026

Multi-country trips are becoming popular for a simple reason. Travellers want to make the most of a big journey without feeling rushed or worn out.

Rather than flying back and forth from the UK, more people are choosing to explore neighbouring destinations while they’re already there, turning one long trip into a richer, more rounded experience.

Cassie Stickland, Product Manager at Titan Travel, has put together these tips if you’re interested in doing the same:

1. Think about frequency, not just geography

It’s tempting to pair places simply because they sit next to each other on the map. In reality, what matters more is how often you can travel between them.

A route with dozens of daily flights offers flexibility when plans change. You can travel at sensible times of day, recover if plans shift, and avoid building the whole trip around one infrequent connection.

2. Plan around travel days, not flight times

A short flight doesn’t always mean a short day. Airports, transfers, and waiting around can quickly eat into the time you could be spending exploring.

Trains and high-frequency routes often feel far gentler, especially when they drop you right into the heart of a city.

3. Keep the number of countries realistic

Two countries usually feel just right. There’s variety, contrast, and a sense of progress without the constant need to pack up and move on. Adding a third can work, but only when the connections are genuinely simple.

Some of the most enjoyable trips are those that give travellers time to settle in, return to favourite cafés, and get a feel for everyday life rather than racing through highlights.

4. Design contrast into the itinerary

Multi-country travel works best when each stop offers something different. A busy city followed by somewhere calmer. Cultural sightseeing balanced with time outdoors. Energy at the start, space to unwind later.

This is why pairings like Australia and New Zealand, or Thailand and Vietnam, feel so satisfying. Each destination brings a change of pace without adding stress.

5. Let escorted touring do the heavy lifting

In parts of the world where travel is more complex, escorted touring can make multi-country trips feel effortless. Regions like Southeast Asia, South America, or Australia and New Zealand often involve internal flights, border crossings, and unfamiliar transport.

With an escorted tour, those details are handled for you. Routes are tried and tested, timings are realistic, and everything fits together smoothly. That leaves you free to enjoy the journey itself, which is what multi-country travel is really about.

Methodology

Titan Travel is a UK-based escorted tour operator that has been creating award-winning travel experiences since 1978. Our collection spans more than 50 countries worldwide and includes small group tours, solo holidays, rail journeys, and cruises.

As multi-country travel sits at the heart of many Titan itineraries, this research was carried out to understand which destination pairings genuinely travel well. The analysis focuses on where combining countries saves time, simplifies travel, and creates smoother journeys for travellers exploring more than one destination in a single trip.

We analysed 15 popular destination combinations commonly linked together in a single trip. For each pairing, we compared two travel scenarios:

• Multi-country trip: London → Destination A → Destination B → London

• Two separate trips: (London → A → London) + (London → B → London)

Flight time savings

For each travel scenario, we calculated the fastest available itinerary using Google Flights. Where non-stop flights were available, these were used; where not, the fastest itinerary using connections was used.

Total flight time was calculated for both scenarios, allowing us to estimate how much time UK travellers could save by combining destinations into a single multi-country trip rather than booking two separate return journeys.

Connectivity

We assessed how easy it is to travel between each pair of destinations using two connectivity factors:

• Direct flights: Whether a commercially available non-stop flight operates between the two destinations, according to Google Flights.

• Rail connectivity: Whether a direct or fast intercity rail service provides a realistic alternative to flying, based on information from Seat 61 and Google Maps.

Flight availability

To show how easy it is to find a convenient flight, we took the typical number of daily non-stop flight options operating between each destination pair, using Google Flights.

Finally, each destination pairing was scored across the four factors:

• Direct or fast rail connectivity

• Daily direct flight availability

• Flight duration between destinations

• Flight time saving

Flight time savings were given the greatest weight (50%), as they show the most tangible benefit of combining destinations into a single trip. Rail connectivity was weighted at 25% to reflect the added convenience of replacing flights with rail travel on specific routes, while flight availability (15%) and flight duration (10%) were used as secondary indicators.

All factors were normalised on a 0-10 scale, weighted, and combined to produce an overall score out of 10, which was used to rank the destination pairings.