The Island has been featured as one of this year’s 20 must-see places by a top travel magazine.

National Geographic Traveler lists Bermuda in its Best Trips 2016 among the likes of Cote d’Or in Burgundy, France; Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil; the Danube River; Eastern Bhutan; Capability Brown’s Gardens, Britain; Hokkaido, Japan and the Philippines.

“Whether it’s Botswana’s Okavango Delta or Brazil’s beaches, these 20 go-now destinations will get you packing,” the feature states. Introducing the Island under the title “Because Life Is Shorts”, Chaney Kwak gives Johnny Barnes a mention and quotes taxi driver Larry Rogers as saying, “We may seem very proper but we are also an eccentric island”.

Mr Kwak writes: “Indeed, scratch the immaculately gardened surface of this British overseas territory, and you’ll find a place brimming with personality. Every year, participants in the Non-Mariners’ Race vie to construct the shoddiest vessels to see who sinks fastest; descendants of Native Americans proudly hold powwows; and policemen and businessmen insist on wearing knee-high socks with their shorts, no matter what the rest of the world may think.

“You can beat the crowd headed to Bermuda for 2017’s America’s Cup by going now, and don’t forget to say hello to Johnny.”

The feature also offers travel tips about when to visit, how to get around, where to stay, eat and drink and what to buy as a keep sake. Underwater thriller The Deep, which is set in Bermuda and shows several scenes shot on the Island, is the recommended film to watch before you go.

Bermuda’s plentiful shipwrecks, including a Confederate blockade-runner that sank in 1864, get a special mention and the cultural tip offers advice about the dress code, stating it is a “more formal take on casual”. “When in doubt, wear a pair of TABS.”

• Read the full feature here