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