Hipsters can have their hipster cafes, hipster foods and hipster bars.

The truly cool have hipper than thou travel experiences that would induce jealousy in friends and followers alike; yes, even the ones sipping on their latte art-decorated, South American/ Ethiopian/ Rwandan origin, Fairtrade/ Rain Forest Alliance/ “Bird friendly” coffees as they are reading this.

1. Hang with the stars in South Island, New Zealand

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Spend your nights with (literal) stars at one of the best stargazing destinations on this planet.

Head to Mount John Observatory, part of the Dark Sky Reserve and 3 hours’ drive south of Christchurch, for jaw-dropping views of the famed New Zealand landscape and twinkling southern skies. In the day, the Astro Cafe atop Mount John boasts brilliant panoramic views, putting all other hipster cafes to shame.

Hip-factor: 3/5 - Imagine the green-with-envy faces when you upload dazzling photos showcasing the marvels of the Milky Way.

2. Meet the stars in Los Angeles, California

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Here, we mean star-gazing of the Hollywood kind.

Instead of stalking celebrity hangouts like Nobu (how many fancy meals can one eat?) and Staples Centre (maybe from your nosebleed seats, you can just about make out Jack Nicholson’s increasingly receding hairline), why not make celebrity spotting a sure thing by attending a TV show taping and being part of a live studio audience? If you are lucky, you may even be able to score tickets to popular shows like Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.

Otherwise, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Voice are also filmed in LA, great for catching some of your favourite celebrities as their non-scripted selves.

Hip-factor: 2/5 - However, grab a selfie with a famous person and your hip factor will rise off the charts.

3. Find the lost city of Petra, Jordan

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Located in western Jordan, Petra is a historical city built by the Arab tribe, the Nabataeans, in first century B.C.. Known as the Rose City for its buildings which are carved into pink-hued sandstone cliff faces, Petra was abandoned after earthquakes in fourth and sixth centuries A.D.. A Swiss traveller brought the site to the world’s attention in 1812 and since then, Petra has been named a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

If you think the city looks familiar, that’s because Hollywood came a-calling and blockbusters like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were filmed on location here.

Hip-factor: 3/5 - Up your cool factor by going native and staying in one of the Bedouin tents pitched permanently around the area. Smoke shisha with locals and have your meal prepared over an open fire for an authentic experience you can write home about.

4. Go cray cray at the Ultra Music Festival in Miami, Florida

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Miami, with its gorgeous people, stunning white sand beaches and heavy Latino influences, is already one cool city. Add what is arguably one of the hippest electronic events to the equation, the Ultra Music Festival, and you have one helluva fiesta, Miami-style. Early-bird tickets have sold out for next year’s event (27 to 29 March), a testament to the popularity of this festival, and remaining tickets go for close to USD450 for a 3-day pass.

Sure, Ultra Music Festival has been replicated closer to home in Seoul and Bangkok, but why settle for anything less than the flagship event?

Hip-factor: 4/5 - While there may be bigger and more well-attended electronic festivals in the world, hip points go toward the sun-drenched, azure-skied, neon-lit venue that is Miami.

5. Drive through hell in Nürburg, Germany

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Coined the “Green Hell” by former Formula One legendary driver, Jackie Stewart, the Nürburgring is a 13 mile (21km) racing circuit located about 70km from Cologne. With its sharp loops, variable surfaces and a straightaway where perilously high speeds can be reached, Nürburgring is widely recognised as the most challenging and most dangerous racing track in the world. Since it opened in 1927, it is reported to have claimed over 200 lives. And it’s open to public?!

On open track days, visitors can rent a car from one of the car hires located in the complex, pay a toll, and try their hand at the track where even seasoned Formula One drivers have once called for a ban against.

Hip-factor: 5/5 - No traffic stops, (mostly) no speed limits, no rules; only in Germany will you be allowed to be the master of your fate on a track like this.

6. Go heli-skiing in Whistler, Canada

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Ski lifts are so passé. The truly cool (and presumably, the truly wealthy) take helicopters to remote, almost unchartered terrain to snowboard or ski down steep, powdery slopes. Heli-skiing, as this sport is known, is particularly popular in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and where better to experience the thrill of long descents, fresh untracked powder and natural terrain paths than the fabled mountains of Whistler.

It may cost over SGD1,000 for 3 runs up the mountains but to powderholics, it is considered money well spent.

Hip-factor: 5/5 - The helicopter ride up by itself offers stunningly surreal views of the amazing landscape. Skiing or boarding down virgin snow coupled with the small, but ever-present, chance of avalanches, will leave you with bragging rights till your grandchildren have children.

Maewyn Tan is founder of Curated Travel, a customised travel planning agency based in Singapore. For more travel inspirations and insider tips, visit here

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