It’s got to be a ‘once in a lifetime’ destination and I’d personally opt for a backdrop of the Paro Taktsang monastery in Bhutan – also known as the Tiger’s Nest. It’s not an easy hike to get there either. It’s 3,000ft up a mountain, so you really feel like you’ve achieved something more than practising your best smile for social media when you finally get snapping. Don’t worry though, there’s plenty of time to rest as you climb the thousand steps to get there and take in the amazing views as myriad multi-coloured prayer flags flap in the wind. It really takes selfie-taking to a higher level.
- “Back a bit… back a bit… aaaargh!” The spectacular selfie setting that is Paro Taktsang monastery in Bhutan
A more obvious choice but a top one nonetheless is the Taj Mahal near Agra in India, where you can make like Princess Diana sat on that bench. It’s actually a mausoleum rather than a palace, so it’s perfect for one of your more moody selfies. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the tomb of his favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal, so you can get totes emosh and have all the feels in your chosen shot. It’s very romantic as well, so maybe it’s the place for that selfie with your loved one.
- The Taj Mahal: a great place for that wow selfie, if you’re not Prince Charles
The Northern Lights seem to be on everyone’s bucket list so getting a selfie with them in the background has to be way up the list too. The jury is out as to where the absolute best place is to see them. I am not an astrophysicist but you can take your pick from Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Greenland, Canada and Alaska. All these places are great for a winter break anyway, so even if you don’t see the aurora borealis, you’ll still have plenty of opportunity to take some selfies with some huskies.
- The Northern Lights: Aurora borealis über alles
In warmer climes, the cherry blossom season in Kyoto would be a dazzling place for a selfie. Known as ‘hanami’, the ‘welcoming of spring’ cherry blossom festival (it translates at ‘flower viewing’) mostly happens in early April, and some of the best places in Kyoto to see it include Pilgrim’s Path, Maruyama Park and the Heian Shrine. It’s a riot of pink and white blooms, and also rather moving as you ponder the transience of life, as well as being one of the most stunning spectacles of the natural world. Plus Kyoto, Japan’s former capital, is a great place to visit full stop.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/nGX3etBZBl0?wmode=opaque
Finally, the Rainbow Mountains of Zhangye Danxia in China would be perfect. This corner of the planet is a geological wonder of this world – they look like someone has Photoshopped them with all the colours of the rainbow, so they’re perfect for a selfie – all that’s missing is a unicorn. The reds, greens, yellows, and blues of these sandstone and siltstone peaks are down to pure geology and the colours are from the iron and trace minerals, but it doesn’t make them less astonishing.
- The only problem with a selfie at the Rainbow Mountains of Zhangye Danxia is, people will definitely think you did it in Photoshop.
Lisa Brown is the founder of TheLuxurySpaEdit.com, where she travels the world in search of the best luxury spa hotels and resorts