Where are all the Instagram bloggers going in 2020?
Based on my totally scientific analysis, here are the top 20 trendiest travel destinations of 2020.
1) Victoria, Canada
I gotta give a shout out to my home province’s capital here. 2020 is the year for Victoria, British Columbia to explode onto the world stage. Yes, I’m talking about Harry and Megan.
Harry and Megan rented a house in North Saanich during the winter holidays.
My home country deserves some congratulations here: Harry and Megan spent six weeks in Canada over the winter holidays and there were zero paparazzi pictures of them. Good job.
Ever since Harry and Megan were spotted in North Saanich, international paparazzi has descended on the area. Is 2020 the year Victoria, British Columbia, Canada becomes an internationally-recognized city?
2) Athens, Greece
Athens, Greece isn’t some undiscovered travel destination. However, up to now, it seems like a lot of western tourists have been scared to visit Athens. You hear a lot of horror stories. Fair enough. Based on the trends I’m seeing online, 2020 is the year that opinion changes.
3) Tokyo
The 2020 Olympics are being held in Tokyo Japan. This is an automatic entry on this list.
They’re also saying that the Tokyo 2020 Olympics could be the most expensive Olympic tickets in history – and the hardest tickets to get.
4) Peyto Lake, Canada
You guys have been sleeping on Peyto Lake.
We’ve all heard about Moraine Lake, Banff, and Lake Louise. Peyto Lake is a 5-minute drive away and it’s just as pretty. Visit it before the tourists really discover it.
5) Petra, Jordan
Petra, Jordan is one of those destinations like Machu Picchu: it’s on everybody’s bucket list.
Yes, there’s always some conflict in the Middle East, but I feel like the relative stability has made Petra, Jordan one of the trendier destinations of 2020.
I’m seeing Petra all over my Instagram and Facebook. Maybe because ISIS is gone people feel it’s a good time to visit?
Or maybe people aren’t as dumb as me and realize Jordan is a safer country than the United States.
Note: I wrote this before Trump attacked Iran and Iran shot down a passenger airline.
6) Göreme, Turkey
You know all of those photos people share of hot air balloons in Turkey over a desert valley? That’s Cappadocia, and Göreme is one of the hotspots of the region.
The area also has cave churches and frescoes that are 1,000 years old. As the situation in Turkey settles down, Turkey will continue growing as a travel destination.
7) Da Lat, Vietnam
Also known as Dalat, Da Lat is a beautiful stop in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. The French developed the area as a spa region in the early 1900s. Today, it’s famous for its coffee, wine, and mountain views.
As one guy on Reddit said, “It’s like Vietnam and the French Alps had a baby that’s really into making wine”.
8) Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
I visited Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland in 2013. To this day, it’s the most beautiful place I have ever visited. Literally.
Surprisingly few people seem to have visited Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. In terms of European “must-see” destinations, I would put Lauterbrunnen in the same tier as Rome, London, and Berlin. It’s the best of the Alps in the same valley that inspired Rivendell. It’s also mysteriously underreported – but I feel like people are starting to discover it.
9) Quebec City, Canada
Having three Canadian destinations on this list might seem like I’m showing my bias. I am.
Quebec City is a sweet place to visit. It’s like walking into small-town Europe. I had to constantly remind myself I was still in Canada and didn’t have to pay roaming charges. I was surprised every time I looked down at my cell phone and saw five bars.
Quebec City is beautiful and you should absolutely visit it at any time of the year.
10) Brno, Czechia
Yes, I’m that douchebag that says “Czechia” instead of Czech Republic.
Coming from North America, Prague had that reputation of being the “dangerous” or “edgy” part of Europe. But Prague lost that status a while ago. Today, Prague is the third most-visited city in Europe after Paris and Rome.
I’ve been to Prague a few times, but I’ve particularly loved other parts of the Czech Republic. In summer 2019, I visited Brno (pronounced “BURR-no”, although the Czechs kind of roll the R). It was a really cool city.
11) Krk, Croatia
The best time to visit Dubrovnik, Croatia was in 2015. That’s when I first visited, and it was already stupidly busy.
Honestly – and Croats will tell you this too – skip Dubrovnik. There are so many other pretty Croatian coastal towns – like Krk.
Krk is popping up a lot lately. I have no idea how to pronounce it and I don’t feel like looking it up. But you get the feel of visiting the Croatian islands without actually taking a ferry (Krk is an island connected to the mainland by a bridge). It’s also close to a well-connected hub (Rijeka).
12) Sintra, Portugal
We get it: Portugal has been on every “upcoming destination” list since 2014. Sintra, Portugal is one of the hottest destinations in the country. I’m sure it’s nice.
13) Osaka, Japan
Japan has seemed trendy in recent years. We’ve all heard about Tokyo. Osaka seems like the “it” destination of 2020. With the Olympics taking place in Tokyo, Osaka is a natural second destination for anyone visiting Japan.
14) Lofoten Islands
Norway’s Lofoten Islands have popped up in lists like this over the last five years, but 2020 may be the year the Lofoten Islands finally take off as a travel destination.
Iceland is stupidly crowded. Norway is expensive. The Lofoten Islands may be the best of both worlds: they’re still crazy expensive but they’re not as crowded.
15) Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is one of those cities everyone has heard about but few people have visited.
You’ve been to LA and San Francisco. But neither of those cities really feel like California.
Santa Barbara does still feel like a real California beach city.
Sure, it has hundreds of homeless people, and the disparity between rich and poor is insane, but Santa Barbara is worth a visit if you’re sick of the crowds of Los Angeles. It’s a 90 minute drive away.
16) Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
There was once a day when Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic was an under-the-radar destination where you could go and interact with genuine locals.
Those days are long gone. Cesky Krumlov is well on its way to becoming the Disneyland of southern Czech Republic.
Cesky Krumlov is still absolutely beautiful, but the hordes of tourists have already started to arrive. Visit now before the rest of the world finds out about this Moravian fairy tale destination. It’s stupidly pretty. It’s like walking through a town in the Witcher 3 or something.
17) Innsbruck, Austria
We visited Innsbruck, Austria in summer 2019. It’s literally one of the best places I have ever visited. Beautiful, reasonably priced, friendly people….Innsbruck is one of the few places I’ve visited where I thought, “I could move here tomorrow and be happy”.
It’s not just me: Innsbruck is frequently ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world.
The buzz is growing for Innsbruck, Austria. The city has never been a secret. However, people are starting to realize just how beautiful Innsbruck, Austria is. The secret is out – and that means the time to visit is now.
18) Isle of Skye, Scotland
Scotland’s Isle of Skye is one of those destinations that doesn’t seem real – especially if you’re lucky like me and get a rare sunny day.
Isle of Skye was so sunny, in fact, that I got a really bad sunburn. It was so bad that I walked past a lady in the grocery store and she muttered “someone got a little bit of sun today”. Good one, Scottish lady.
The Isle of Skye is stupidly beautiful. Visit Isle of Skye and the Scottish Highlands.
I visited Isle of Skye with Haggis Adventures as part of a five-day trip through the Scottish Highlands, which worked out really well because my friends and I crushed beers in the back of the bus all trip while getting driven around to beautiful sights.
19) Brasov, Romania
I visited Brasov all the way back in 2016, so I guess that makes me a trendsetter.
Brasov is one of those towns I visited and thought, “Why aren’t there more tourists here?” Brasov is close to Bran Castle and other Dracula-related sites. You’re close to the Carpathian Mountains and beautiful mountain towns like Sinaia.
Oh, and Brasov, like all of Romania, is very cheap compared to anywhere in western Europe. I had one of the best travel meals of my life in Brasov for like $30 (including a bottle of wine, appetizers, and meals for two people).
I don’t know why Brasov isn’t busier. But you should visit it. In fact, you should visit all of Romania.
20) Kosciuszko National Park, Australia
I figured 2020 is a good year to visit Australia, figuring half the country burned down in January.
Did you know you can go skiing in Australia? You can at Kosciuszko National Park. At 2,300m, Mt. Kosciuszko is also the tallest mountain in Australia.
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