Bored of beach breaks? Then consider doing something more creative. Time Out rounds up 2010's most inspiring travel ideas.

Take a chance
Spin a globe or open an atlas at random, and just go for it. You may land upon Guam or Kamchatka or Greenland, inspiring you to go and find out a bit more – or just be brave, do the full Dice Man thing, and go see the place for yourself.

Go Shopping
Think the ultimate holiday souvenir is a whole new wardrobe? Then these anti-mall destinations are for you...

Get star-studded in New York
Forget Fifth Avenue – welcome to the Upper East Side consignment stores. Rich traders and bored housewives leave their impulse buys, often with four- or five-figure tags still on, at these boutiques, and get half of whatever they sell for in return. You’ll get change from $100 and make everyone hate you at work.

Get technical in Tokyo
World-famous for discount consumer electronics, the central district of Akihabara has also become a haven for animation geeks. Find everything from spanking new high-tech gadgets to black and white animated porn. Chain stores throughout the city now offer electronics at similar prices, but probably aren’t half the fun.

Keep it real in Rome
For mountains of second-hand designerwear, bargain high-street styles, crockery and even chickens, head to the Sunday market at Porta Portese. Don’t be intimidated by Neapolitans shouting in dialect (not even the Romans understand them) and it’s never too late to bargain. Leave fancy watches and cameras at home.

Learn a Language
Heidegger said ‘language is the house of being’. We just think it’s a bloody good excuse for a holiday. Learn Portuguese in Salvador, Brazil Relax under palm trees on white sand beaches. Learn to surf. Take a mask to snorkel among the beautiful reefs. They’ll also teach you to samba… and if you have any energy left, there are 20 language classes a week. Book with GoLearnTo (+44 8445020445/www.golearnto.com).

Learn Chinese in Shanghai, China
Try Chinese on tuition courses tailored to your stay; more dedicated students can opt for a full immersion and stay with a Chinese family. Work experience programmes and groups for teenagers are also available. Book with Mandarin House (+86 2161371987/www.mandarinhouse.cn).

Take a Train
These magical railway journeys offer the best in ‘window tourism’.

Arctic semi-circle
Route Stockholm-Ostersund-Arctic Circle-Narvik-Trondheim-Geiranger-Bergen-Oslo.

Time needed 14-15 days.
Spend a day in the Gamla Stan (old town) of Stockholm before riding through forests and lakes to Ostersund. Enter the wilderness of Lapland and then the Arctic Circle, travelling round fjords and beneath looming cliffs to the port of Narvik. See the fjord of Geiranger, set against snowy peaks and waterfalls, then ride to fairytale Bergen, finally winding up in the elegant Norwegian capital.

Trans-Siberian Express
Route London-Brussels-Cologne-Warsaw-Moscow-Vladimir-Yekaterinburg-Novosibirsk-Irkutsk-Vladivostok.

Time needed 16-18 days.
The Big Red Railway runs to Moscow time, but crosses seven time zones extending over 9,000 kilometres. Whether for natural beauty,

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