Well anyway, daydreaming about more exotic climes while spending your lunch break sighing out of a rain-splattered office window just became a lot easier with this handpicked selection of beautiful travel websites from around the world.

You never know, you may find some inspiration for your own web design, or at the very least find a fantastic destination for your next adventure. If you do, feel free to send me a postcard. Address it to ‘that bitter jerk in the corner’.

And for more on web design from the blog, check out our 17 crucial web design trends for 2015.

Another Escape

Another Escape is an outdoor lifestyle publication that features content you just want to fall through your computer screen into.

As you scroll down through the massive images of each volume, you can click on individual stories to read more in-depth features about everything from bamboo bicycle manufacturing to the Bavarian National Park.

Hotel Esencia 

Hotel Esencia is a luxury hotel on the Riviera Maya, a resort district in Mexico, and its list of plaudits range from ‘Best Resort Hotel in the Americas’ to ‘Best Luxury Hotel in the World’.

For me though, its real beauty lies in the understated charm of its website. (That’s easy for me to say, being as I can’t really afford to stay there).

The charm comes from the simple animations featured throughout that look as if they’ve been created by Raymond Briggs.

Wonderfully Wild

Without even thinking I had booked myself into a cottage in Snowdon within 30 seconds of loading up this site, it’s just that persuasive and easy to use. 

It’s also a pleasure to view on any screen size.

Travel Alberta

With humongous crystal-clear imagery you’ll feel like you’re there already. Maybe I am?

There’s also a particularly simple but effective trip-planner tool that lets you customise your holiday using the same massive images and bold CTAs.

Westin Finds

How’s this for a homepage with one sole focus…

Just a search field, placed dead-centre in a page surrounded by beautiful photography. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.

Onefinestay

We talked about Onefinestay in an article last year praising its evocative copywriting… 

But it’s not just its way with words that keeps me coming back to spy on its latest locations. It also has a keen eye for beautiful detail.

Mistrip

Mistrip is a Portuguese holiday site that will send you and your friends on a surprise trip to an unknown destination.

Econsultancy isn’t liable for any harm, damage or loss of you or your friends if you sign-up for the service.  

Lifestyle Hotels

The destination pages on this Swiss hotel advisor site have a strong emphasis on large, beautifully shot images. Something a lot of hotel aggregator sites fail on.

Authentic Asia

A lovely site providing bespoke packages for an array of Asian adventures, which works effectively on all screen sizes. 

Villa Feltrinelli

Visiting the Italian villa’s website is a serene and genuinely relaxing experience.  

Each full screen image has just a subtle touch of movement in the frame. If you visit the above homepage, you can see the water gently moving.

Elsewhere, there’s a light breeze moving the curtains in one of the bedrooms. 

Cheval Blanc

The key thing that makes these destination websites work so successfully is in creating a web experience that feels like you’re actually there.

Cheval Blanc, located in the Maldives, does exactly that. Taking you on a journey of your day through softly dissolving imagery and ambient music. And relax.

Visit Suffolk 

And just in case this is all just a little too exotic, you can always visit Suffolk.

For more on the blog about the travel industry, check out these 10 essential features for travel websites.