Not sure where to take your holiday next year? The travel gurus Lonely Planet are here to offer a helping hand, as they’ve just released their annual Best in Travel guide for 2024.
To celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary, they’re spotlighting 50 travel destinations that they recommend for 2024. The best regions, cities, sustainable and best-value destinations are all included, as well as their list of the best countries.
At the top of the list? It’s Mongolia, the landlocked nation packed with nature and wildlife in central Asia. Mongolia also scored the top spot on Time Out’s list of underrated travel destinations this year, so we can’t say we disagree. Its position in the mountains makes it one of the highest countries in the world, and its capital city Ulaanbaatar is where modern life meets traditional Mongolian culture.
India comes in second on the list, and thanks to an abundance of new flights to hubs like Delhi, Goa and Kerala from Europe and the US, it’s rapidly becoming a much more accessible place to travel.
India is perhaps one of the most gloriously varied destinations on the planet, where you can gander the Himalayas, bustle your way through markets, tour the temples and sample some of the world’s most flavoursome cuisine.
St Lucia, a gem of the eastern Caribbean, is the third country to make Lonely Planet’s recommendations for 2024 travel. A mesmerising mix of mountains and beaches are crammed onto this small island, making it a world-renowned holiday spot – but recently tourism officials are shifting focus to St Lucia’s dazzling cultural heritage.
Here are the 10 countries to visit in 2024, according to Lonely Planet:
You can read more about the countries selected by Lonely Planet plus the four other 2024 travel lists here.
Where to travel in 2024
At Time Out, we’ve got our eye on all the best places to travel right now. Check out our recent ranking of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods, or head to our Travel hub and up-to-date travel guides page for some inspiration for 2024.
Did you see that these are the best-value travel destinations for 2024?
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out Travel newsletter for all the latest travel news.