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Jess Moss Travel

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Around this time each year, travel sites flood us with their “must see” lists. Not only are these a way to round up interesting destinations that either have big stuff going on (Canada for the 150th anniversary, Seoul for all the new openings, Cuba because for a second year in a row everyone’s obsessed with Cuba…), they’re also a consistent way for these media companies to flex their web design muscles.

To make matters easy for my own research (and for you! You’re welcome!) here’s a list of lists: all the major travel sites’ top lists for where to go in 2017.

Also, just for fun, here’s an aggregated look at the places that appeared on the most lists … you might say this is the consensus list of the best places to travel in 2017:

  • Canada
  • India
  • Russia
  • Colombia
  • Finland
  • Nepal
  • Cape Town
  • Portugal
  • Peru
  • New Zealand
  • Chile
  • Italy
  • Belize
  • Japan
  • Bermuda
  • Switzerland
  • Hamburg
  • Madagascar

Ok, now the lists of lists…

National Geographic: Best Trips 2017

This list is broken down into Nature trips, City trips, and Culture trips. Hats off to the web design team and editors; lots of great videos, photography (obvi, it’s Nat Geo), social plugins, and little tips and tidbits.

  • Kauai
  • Finland
  • Baja California
  • Banff
  • Ecuador Cloud Forest
  • Via Dinarica, Western Balkans
  • Tiger National Parks, Central India
  • Marrakech
  • Madrid
  • Anchorage
  • Seoul
  • Moscow
  • Cartagena
  • Hamburg
  • Malta
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Chengdu, China
  • Canton Uri, Switzerland
  • Guadeloupe, Caribbean
  • Georgia, USA
  • Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

Lonely Planet: Best in Travel 2017

This one is broken down into Countries, Cities, Region, and Value. Nice hero images pull in video for a sense of place, and wire-icons keep the destination blurbs clean. Also, like previous years, it’s sponsored so comes with a photo contest for a free trip.

  • Canada
  • Colombia
  • Finland
  • Dominica
  • Nepal
  • Bermuda
  • Mongolia
  • Oman
  • Myanmar
  • Ethiopia
  • Bordeaux, France
  • Cape Town
  • Los Angeles
  • Merida, Mexico
  • Ohrid, Macedonia
  • Pistoia, Italy
  • Seoul
  • Lisbon
  • Moscow
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Choquequirao, Peru
  • Taranaki, NZ
  • The Azores, Portugal
  • North Wales, UK
  • South Australia
  • Aysen, Chile
  • The Tuamotus, French Polynesia
  • Coastal Georgia, USA
  • Perak, Malaysia
  • The Skellig Ring, Ireland
  • Namibia
  • Porto, Portugal
  • Venice
  • Debrecen, Hungary
  • Belize
  • Morocco
  • Russia
  • Bellarine Peninsula, Australia
  • Upper Peninsula, Michigan

AFAR: The AFAR 100

I’m not going to list 100 things here … and neither did AFAR. Their best of list is more of a collection of articles and round-ups.

Insider: 50 Places to Travel to in 2017

This is the first I’m hearing of Insider, and I’m not totally sure what it is. But their list is pretty extensive, and includes a lot of spots on other lists (Finland, Malta, Seoul, Nepal…) so it’s worth a look.

Fodor’s Travel: Fodor’s Go List 2017

I’m biased because this is done by my former colleagues. But Fodors’ annual list is always a thoughtful assortment with some unexpected spots featured. This year’s list feels a tad more evergreen than usual (why do Cyprus this year?), though others nail it (free Canada National Park entry all year!?).

  • Helsinki, Finland
  • Hokkaido, Japan
  • Lima, Peru
  • Canada’s National Parks
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • Medellin, Colombia
  • Aarhus, Denmark
  • Madagascar
  • Cyprus
  • Hong Kong
  • Oaxaca, Mexico
  • Edinburgh
  • Alaska
  • Saxony, Germany
  • Wellington, New Zealand
  • Marfa, Texas
  • Kiev, Ukraine
  • Laos
  • Denver
  • Minho Region, Portugal
  • Yorkshire, England
  • Washington D.C.
  • Bordeaux
  • Cape Town
  • Antigua & Barbuda

Booking.com: Travel trends for 2017

  • Reykjavik
  • Copenhagen
  • Hanoi
  • Bari, Italy
  • Ubud, Bali

Conde Nast Traveler: The Best Places to Travel in 2017

This year, slideshows are out and image-rich lists are in. That’s what Conde Nast Traveler does here

  • Canada
  • Midwest U.S.A.
  • Cuba (beyond Havana)
  • Bermuda
  • Athens
  • Scotland
  • Scandinavia
  • Portugal & Azores
  • Croatia’s coast
  • Jerusalem
  • New Zealand
  • Tokyo-Kyoto
  • Zimbabwe
  • Rwanda
  • Buenos Aires
  • Chilean Patagonia
  • Uruguay

Orbitz: 17 Amazing Places to Travel in 2017

Some simple content marketing right here: round up a blog post of places + reasons to go, then link to the site’s booking options for each destination.

  • Washington, D.C.
  • United Kingdom
  • Iceland
  • Paso Robles, CA
  • Canada
  • Mid-Beach Miami
  • Colombia
  • St. Louis
  • Stockholm
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Philippines
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Rwanda
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Nevis
  • Uttar Pradesh, India
  • Merida, Mexico

New York Times: 52 Places to Go in 2017

This is hands down my favorite list every year, both because the places go beyond the usual suspects, there’s always a timely angle to picks, and most importantly, the web design is always fresh. This year is no exception: an amazing full-screen video hero kicks things off, then mobile-friendly 360-degree video features let you pan around to pretend you’re on a ski lift in Switzerland or trail in Wyoming.

I’ll spare you the full list, but it’s worth reading — especially the shout out to Minneapolis!

Travel + Leisure: Best Places 2017

Nothing groundbreaking with the design of this one, but a comprehensive list of 50 places (which, again, I’m going to avoid regurgitating here — just click the link) hits 2017 faves (Hamburg, Helsinki, and the likes) as well as some new ideas (Pisco Province, Peru and Honolulu…).

Harper’s Bazaar: The 17 Best Places to Travel in 2017

  • New Zealand
  • Canada
  • Finland
  • Pittsburgh
  • Portugal
  • India’s Golden Triangle
  • Rwanda
  • Israel
  • Cape Town
  • Warsaw
  • Madagascar
  • Japan
  • Colombia
  • Sanya, China
  • Scotland
  • Vietnam
  • Asheville

Matador: 35 of the World’s Best Places to Travel in 2017

  • Jordan
  • Los Angeles
  • Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
  • Sisimiut, Greenland
  • Peninsula Valdes, Argentina
  • Hamburg
  • Faroe Islands
  • Auckland
  • Dominical, Costa Rica
  • Montreal
  • Portmagee, Ireland
  • Belfast, Maine
  • Havana
  • New York City
  • Franklin, Tennessee
  • Durango, Colorado
  • Abu Dhabi
  • Seattle
  • Sicily
  • Varanasi, India
  • St. Petersburg
  • Quebec City
  • Charleston, SC
  • Montreux, Switzerland
  • Obidos, Portugal
  • Pokhara, Nepal
  • Cabo San Lucas
  • Nelson, British Columbia
  • Alter do Chao, Brazil
  • George Town, Malaysia
  • Luang Prabang, Laos
  • Ottawa
  • Montagu, South Africa
  • Leipzig
  • Curanipe, Chile

Conde Nast Traveller: The Top 10 Destinations to Watch for in 2017

  • California
  • Cambodia
  • Denmark
  • Hampi, India
  • Paphos, Cyprus
  • Canada
  • Maldives
  • St. Helena
  • Belize
  • Chile

TripAdvisor: 2017 Travelers’ Choice, 25 Best Destinations: World

Since TripAdvisor’s list is crowd-sourced, it tends to be a lot more mainstream and less timely. Nonetheless, there are a few unexpected options (Belize’s Ambergris Caye, for example). The design isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it’s set up to promote other TripAdvisor content (photos, things to do, hotel bookings) in a simple but prominent way.

  • Bali
  • London
  • Paris
  • Rome
  • New York
  • Crete
  • Barcelona
  • Siem Reap, Cambodia
  • Prague
  • Phuket
  • Istanbul
  • Jamaica
  • Hoi An, Vietnam
  • St. Petersburg, Russia
  • Roatan
  • Marrakech
  • Ambergris Caye, Belize
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • St. Maarten-St. Martin
  • Playa del Carmen
  • Dubai
  • Grand Cayman
  • Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Bora Bora
  • Cusco, Peru

Travel writer, photographer, and editor.