Lonely Planet Top 10 for 2016

---

It is arguably one of the most anticipated travel guides of the year. The travel gurus from Lonely Planet put their heads together to identify the top travel destinations for 2016. The travel giant broke down the categories by countries, regions, cities, and value destinations. Some of these places are quite obvious (Hawaii anyone?); some of the destinations are ones you may have never heard of. Can you find Timor-Leste on a map without using Google? It’s #9 on Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Best Value Destinations. I will give you a hint, it’s in Southeast Asia.

Also a destination that may be hard to locate on a map initially is Botswana. The African country was listed as the #1 country to visit in 2016. Why? The country has elephants, antelopes, and tigers. Who doesn’t want to see that? While there may be no International Vacation Home Exchange properties in Botswana at this time, there are plenty just south of the border in South Africa. Several International Vacation Home Exchange properties are in Cape Town with stunning views of the ocean and beaches.

Lonely Planet lists Japan as the #2 country to visit in 2016. Just this year, more than 15 million tourists have already visited Japan. The country is full of history and culture. The vacation home exchange property in Saitama is located in the Japanese countryside (about an hour from Tokyo). While you are here, you can participate in several Japanese cultural activities including Japanese cooking, flower arranging and calligraphy.  

Coming in at #3 on Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel 2016” is the United States. Travelers can find just about anything in one of the 50 states in the US. There is everything from beaches, to mountains, to deserts. There are several vacation home exchange properties located around the United States including New York City, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Here are Lonely Planet’s Top countries for 2016: 

1.      Botswana

2.      Japan

3.      United States

4.      Palau

5.      Latvia

6.      Australia

7.      Poland

8.      Uruguay

9.      Greenland

10.  Fiji

If you are looking for a little bang for your buck for your next vacation, then be sure to check out one of these Best Value Destinations:

1. Estonia

2. Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam

3. East Africa

4. New Mexico

5. Bosnia and Herzegovina

6. Galicia, Spain

7. Quebec City, Canada

8. Costa Rica's Caribbean Coast

9. Timor-Leste

10. Western Australia

Thank you to Carla Roberts Pruitt @crobscarla for this review.