Whether you’re out scaling mountains or working hard on your tan on a yacht sailing along a vast blue ocean, we hope you’re having a blissful summer. It’s the season for pool parties and long walks in the countryside, but it’s about slowing down and spending time with family and friends. We bond over our shared travel experiences, laughter, food – and also drinks. And what better way to top off the summer than with an ice cold drink?

The highest plateau in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, much of it over 3000m. The Great Himalayas in the south, the Karakoram in the north and Tibet in the East. Thousands of square kilometres of high altitude desert with snow capped mountains and deep turquoise lakes, lush green valleys where the rivers run. The largest concentration of high peaks on the planet.

A world of water in all its changing forms, a magical place where you can hear hints of the first human languages through the unwritten chants of the Brahmins.

Hailing from Moscow, Elena Ashikova is an artist who has been recording her travels through sketches, drawings and paintings. Her sensitivity towards a place and its people is evident in her regard and stripped-down, subtle aesthetic.

As a universally recognized symbol of hospitality, tea is served to convey kindness, to celebrate a special occasion or simply to bring people together. Its presence in every culture takes on special forms that reflect people and their traditions.

A roundup of our all-time favourite novels to inspire your travels.

While they might seem random at first, our destinations each have their reasons for making the list, but they all share one common trait: they are the places we call home.