Now that the New Year is arriving, a lot of us will be looking ahead and planning any possible vacations for the year. Thus, as is always the case when we turn the calendar over to January, now is a great time to look into which destinations might be trendy or particularly appealing in the coming year. With a specific focus on Europe, here are our five picks for places you should definitely consider for your 2018 travel list.
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Seville, Spain
When you look through the lists published by popular travel websites that prop up the cities and countries to visit in a given year, there are two common trends. One is that fairly obvious cities will be selected; it’s as if every now and then, travel writers put their heads together and decide that recommendations for Rome or Paris need to be updated or recycled. The other is that cities with poor reputations – for bad infrastructure, bad economies, high crime rates, or other unappealing issues – are often pointed out as having experienced revivals. This can be a little bit overdone. However, it also describes the way in which Lonely Planet singled out Seville as its top city to visit in 2018, and in this case we’d have to agree.
As their article put it, Seville has transformed itself over the last 10 years, ridding itself of unappealing traffic congestion in favor of more trams and bicycles and generally freeing itself to show off its best qualities. Now a beautiful city with a strong connection to the arts is showing through, and makes for a wonderful place to visit and explore. For 2018 and beyond, consider Seville to be on par with Spain’s better-known travel destinations.
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Matera, Italy
This is another city that was mentioned by Lonely Planet in looking ahead to 2018, and it’s a particularly fun selection. As mentioned, usually the cities that appear on these lists are either old standards or newly resurgent destinations. Matera, on the other hand, comes across as more of a new discovery, or a hidden gem. This is a consequence with countries like Italy that are so thoroughly teeming with beauty: occasionally a wonderful place can go overlooked for years! Matera is actually an ancient city, which makes it that much more fun to explore. You can tour a network of caves and ancient settlements that are effectively beneath the modern city – which, incidentally, is gorgeous. Some count it as Italy’s oldest city, and others as its most beautiful.
Northern Ireland
It might seem silly to decide upon travel strategy this way, but 2018 will be a year of waiting for fans of the show Game Of Thrones all over the world. The show’s final season has been delayed until 2019, and there are precious few ways to soak up GoT content without more episodes. People can re-read the novels of course, but there too there is impatience as fans wait for the next in the series. Mainstream gaming options are few and far between as well, though there is a Telltale series, and Microgaming has designed a slot reel based on the show, and delving into the mythical lands of Westeros. But if you’re really missing the show – or you’ve simply been inspired to travel by it – you might consider heading to Northern Ireland.
Most of the travel-related attention generated by this show revolves around Dubrovnik, Croatia, where some of the moust famous sets are designed. But Northern Ireland is home to numerous locations as well as general landscapes that inspire much of Westeros. It’s a beautiful country to explore any time – but particularly in 2018, as we near the end of the Game Of Thrones journey.
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Austria
There almost seems to be a rotation of Central European countries, such that one or two are recommended each year. For 2018, we’ve been seeing some buzz around Austria, which could generally be described as an underrated destination. It’s a very picturesque country, combining the most beautiful aspects of many of its neighbors: the mountainous regions of Switzerland, the forests of Germany, the lakes and hills of Slovenia…. If possible, a visit to Austria should be arranged as something of a tour, so that you can gain a broad appreciation for the country.
If you’re focusing on a specific destination, Vienna is probably the place that will come to mind. It’s one of the more famous capitals in Europe, and has been a sought after vacation destination for much of modern history. But Salzburg is perhaps the trendier destination. Near the German border and on the edge of the Alps, it’s a medieval city on a river. It’s the sort of place that, despite not always being high on travel lists, you won’t want to leave.
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Lake Bled, Slovenia
Finally, there’s Lake Bled in the town of Bled in Slovenia’s Julian Alps. It’s a place you may have seen photos of before without ever knowing where they came from. And because one such photo recently won an Epson International Pano Award for nature photos, it’s likely that Lake Bled will be a hot destination in the coming years. It’s simply a stunning retreat, particularly in the fall or summer. The nearby town is as charming as its location would suggest, and more active travelers enjoy taking kayaks out on the lake, or to Bled Island at its center (where there’s an old cathedral to explore).
Seville, Spain
When you look through the lists published by popular travel websites that prop up the cities and countries to visit in a given year, there are two common trends. One is that fairly obvious cities will be selected; it’s as if every now and then, travel writers put their heads together and decide that recommendations for Rome or Paris need to be updated or recycled. The other is that cities with poor reputations – for bad infrastructure, bad economies, high crime rates, or other unappealing issues – are often pointed out as having experienced revivals. This can be a little bit overdone. However, it also describes the way in which Lonely Planet singled out Seville as its top city to visit in 2018, and in this case we’d have to agree.
As their article put it, Seville has transformed itself over the last 10 years, ridding itself of unappealing traffic congestion in favor of more trams and bicycles and generally freeing itself to show off its best qualities. Now a beautiful city with a strong connection to the arts is showing through, and makes for a wonderful place to visit and explore. For 2018 and beyond, consider Seville to be on par with Spain’s better-known travel destinations.
Matera, Italy
This is another city that was mentioned by Lonely Planet in looking ahead to 2018, and it’s a particularly fun selection. As mentioned, usually the cities that appear on these lists are either old standards or newly resurgent destinations. Matera, on the other hand, comes across as more of a new discovery, or a hidden gem. This is a consequence with countries like Italy that are so thoroughly teeming with beauty: occasionally a wonderful place can go overlooked for years! Matera is actually an ancient city, which makes it that much more fun to explore. You can tour a network of caves and ancient settlements that are effectively beneath the modern city – which, incidentally, is gorgeous. Some count it as Italy’s oldest city, and others as its most beautiful.
Northern Ireland
It might seem silly to decide upon travel strategy this way, but 2018 will be a year of waiting for fans of the show Game Of Thrones all over the world. The show’s final season has been delayed until 2019, and there are precious few ways to soak up GoT content without more episodes. People can re-read the novels of course, but there too there is impatience as fans wait for the next in the series. Mainstream gaming options are few and far between as well, though there is a Telltale series, and Microgaming has designed a slot reel based on the show, and delving into the mythical lands of Westeros. But if you’re really missing the show – or you’ve simply been inspired to travel by it – you might consider heading to Northern Ireland.
Most of the travel-related attention generated by this show revolves around Dubrovnik, Croatia, where some of the moust famous sets are designed. But Northern Ireland is home to numerous locations as well as general landscapes that inspire much of Westeros. It’s a beautiful country to explore any time – but particularly in 2018, as we near the end of the Game Of Thrones journey.
Austria
There almost seems to be a rotation of Central European countries, such that one or two are recommended each year. For 2018, we’ve been seeing some buzz around Austria, which could generally be described as an underrated destination. It’s a very picturesque country, combining the most beautiful aspects of many of its neighbors: the mountainous regions of Switzerland, the forests of Germany, the lakes and hills of Slovenia…. If possible, a visit to Austria should be arranged as something of a tour, so that you can gain a broad appreciation for the country.
If you’re focusing on a specific destination, Vienna is probably the place that will come to mind. It’s one of the more famous capitals in Europe, and has been a sought after vacation destination for much of modern history. But Salzburg is perhaps the trendier destination. Near the German border and on the edge of the Alps, it’s a medieval city on a river. It’s the sort of place that, despite not always being high on travel lists, you won’t want to leave.
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Finally, there’s Lake Bled in the town of Bled in Slovenia’s Julian Alps. It’s a place you may have seen photos of before without ever knowing where they came from. And because one such photo recently won an Epson International Pano Award for nature photos, it’s likely that Lake Bled will be a hot destination in the coming years. It’s simply a stunning retreat, particularly in the fall or summer. The nearby town is as charming as its location would suggest, and more active travelers enjoy taking kayaks out on the lake, or to Bled Island at its center (where there’s an old cathedral to explore).
Fred
Fondateur de Yulair et chasseur de photos de graffitis à travers le monde.