Nat Geo Names Best Trips for 2020

As the end of the year draws near, and we begin looking ahead to 2020, some of us are no doubt already making travel plans. After all, some of the fun of travel is picking a destination, researching things to do there, and planning out how to best spend your limited time there. To help out with that process, National Geographic has released its annual list of the best trips to take in 2020, giving those who love to travel an early glimpse of where to go and what to do next year.

All told, there are 25 different places that made the cut to earn a spot on this prestigious list. But Nat Geo wants you to know that they didn’t just pull those destinations out of a hat, but actually put a lot of time and research into choosing which ones deserved a mention. This list was compiled by the editors of all 17 international editions of National Geographic Traveler magazine. The result is a wide-array of options to choose from for just about every kind of traveler planning an escape next year.

So which places are actually on the list? I’m not about to give away all of them here, as a large part of the fun is discovering the list for yourself. Still, there were quite a few interesting choices, including the Guizhou Province of China, which is lauded for its villages that remain untouched by the modern world and Magdalen Islands of Canada, which are dramatically beautiful but being impacted by climate change at an alarming rate. Other recommendations include the stunning ruins of Abu Simbel in Egypt, the Zakouma National Park in Chad, and even Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

With each entry on the list, the Nat Geo writers give a one sentence suggestion on why someone should go to that  place. They then follow that up with a longer description of “what to know” before you go, providing a cursory overview to get you started with your planning and research. Finally, they share some quick information on when to go and how to go, offering not just a time of year to visit, but an insider tip on how to make the most of the journey.

If you’re ready to start planning your next big travel adventure, check out National Geographic’s full list here.

Kraig Becker