Lonely Planet just named the best places to travel in 2027—and 7 US picks made the cut

Still figuring out where to use your precious vacation days next year? Lonely Planet has thoughts.

The travel publisher has revealed its Best in Travel 2027 list, featuring 50 destinations and experiences across six regions. But rather than simply ranking cities and countries, this year’s edition mixes broader destinations with specific adventures, from riding India’s Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to taking the polar plunge in Antarctica.

Seven U.S. picks appear on the list, including three places: California’s Coastal Redwoods, Maryland and New Mexico. Lonely Planet also highlighted four stateside experiences: serving as a temporary keeper at Rhode Island’s Rose Island Lighthouse, flightseeing over Alaska, hotel-hopping in Miami’s South Beach and driving Minnesota’s Slow Road.

The selections make a pretty compelling case for keeping travel closer to home next year: California’s giant coastal redwoods easily trump work emails and other tiny human concerns, while New Mexico delivers high-desert landscapes, Indigenous culture and a strong art scene. Maryland may be the list’s dark horse, with its Chesapeake Bay towns, Atlantic beaches and excellent excuse to consume your body weight in crab.

Meanwhile, some of the other experiences get even more specific. Travelers can spend a week as the keeper of Rose Island Lighthouse in Newport Harbor, trading a hotel check-in for chores and solitude along the water. In Alaska, aerial sightseeing promises a much faster route to glaciers and remote wilderness. Miami’s entry encourages travelers to bounce among South Beach hotels, while Minnesota’s Slow Road offers a more leisurely drive through the state’s northwestern reaches.

Elsewhere in North America, Lonely Planet selected Québec and Prince Edward Island in Canada, along with Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe, where wine and dining are the main attractions.

The full global list stretches from Okinawa, Japan, and Oman to Veneto, Italy, and Montserrat in the Caribbean. Food-focused travelers can follow a culinary trail through Taiwan, while wildlife lovers can venture into orangutan territory in Sarawak, Malaysia or trek through Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, where Jane Goodall conducted her groundbreaking chimpanzee research.

The hardest part? Narrowing 50 tempting options down to however many vacation days your boss will approve.