It’s a new year, which means it’s “prediction season” in the travel world.

Around this time, all major magazines and travel publications publish their most popular trip projections for the year ahead.  Unless you’re meticulous about keeping a clean, spam-free inbox, you’ve most likely received dozens of emails with a variation on one of the following subject lines:

“The top budget-friendly destinations of 2016”

“The top luxury destinations of 2016”

“The top 709287439 places to go NOW in 2016”

“The most popular places you’ve probably never heard of…”

Spoiler: they all list the same places.

However, one New York Times article caught my team’s attention:  “52 Places to Go in 2016.”

When it comes to travel, we pride ourselves on being “in the know” . . . always on the forefront of what’s trending, with the ability to anticipate where people want to go before they even know they want to go there.  It’s just what we do… and we’re damn good at it (while staying oh, so humble of course).

This article got our attention, not only because it showcases destinations that we’ve been excited about for quite some time, but also because it lists unlikely cities that are going through an exciting renaissance, alongside destinations that you’ve REALLY never heard of (i.e. #28?).

This list is guaranteed to surprise you.  And while I’m not going to list out all 52 of them, here are a few of our highlights:

Night view on The Pont de pierre in Bordeaux

#2: Bordeaux, France
We know this is the new “it” destination . . . which is exactly why one of our clients, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, will be operating their annual Art Cruise to the Bordeaux region in 2016.  On top of that, this will be the first year that our favorite river cruise operator, AMA Waterways, will be sailing the region.  We couldn’t be more excited to embark on this enchanting itinerary with them!

#10: Viñales, Cuba
Less than 3 hours away from Havana, you’ll find the lush tobacco fields and scenic landscape of Viñales.  It’s truly a peaceful and spectacular place to visit, which pairs perfectly with the excitement of the capital city.  The entire country is unbelievable . . . and I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again  . . . now is really the time to go!

Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona – alive at night

#18, San Sebastian &
#29, Barcelona &
#43 Malaga, Spain
Oh, what to say about Spain?  Such a magical country with so much diversity. We are thrilled to read that three of our favorite destinations in Spain have made this list! My Program Manager Whitney traveled to Barcelona not once, but twice in 2015!  And then there’s Malaga – the hub of the southern Spanish coastal region of Costa del Sol.  With easy access to Morocco, the destination makes for quite the adventure!  We’ve operated a very successful incentive trip to the region . . . so successful that we’re going back for round 2 in 2016!  Last but clearly not least by the rankings, there’s the northern Basque city of San Sebastian.  The culinary hype alone is enough to get us packing our bags.

#22: Dublin
Ireland, enough said.  Even if you’ve only read my blog on occasion, you know that anything Ireland goes on my list automatically.  Aside from the beauty, history and culture of this country… the humor and hospitality of the Irish is what’s most compelling about this destination.  Dublin has it all: the friendly people, the history, the big city excitement and of course the beer!  On our calendar for 2016 – one of our annual association groups will be spending a few nights here in October while traveling from Belfast to Galway.  On top of that, I’m taking a group on a WOW! journey to experience Ireland like the locals do from April 1-11, 2016.  The itinerary only makes a brief stop in Dublin for a visit to Trinity College, however you’ll get a taste of the big city before continuing on to the charming inns, small towns, and roads less traveled.

Peaceful escape to the beach of Todos Santos

#23: Todos Santos, Mexico
Have I already mentioned how much I love Todos Santos?  In fact, I love it so much that this past December, I took my operations team down there on a 5 day trip to experience it for themselves.  This is a destination that you really need to go NOW!  (In fact… you can go now with WOW! Travel club.  March 1-7, 2016.  Space is limited but still available!)

#32: Isla Holbox, Mexico
Gabriel says he wants to go here simply based off the beauty of the photo shown in the article.  There is no doubt that ecotourism is on the rise for 2016, and this place looks like an absolute dream vacation destination, so close to home!

Colorful rraditional french houses on the side of river Lauch in Petite Venise, Colmar, France

#37: Colmar, France
This is a little secret town in France that not many American’s know about.  This quaint Alsatian town is very well known for amazing food, history, art and breathtaking scenery.

Your turn!  Which of these 52 places:

. . . have you been?  

. . . . do you want to travel to?  

. . . . . surprised the heck out of you?

Leave a comment and let us know!