12 Personal Travel Recommendations for 2020
Last week, I posted the Top 27 Places to go in 2020 according to the Travel Journalism. This week, however its time for my personal recommendations for 2020. Some of these places I’ve been to, some I have not, and some do overlap with the Travel Powers the Be list. However, I did try to avoid overlap with places I recommended last year. Also, I consciously tried to hit a variety of places, all over the world, and not overly privilege one region over another. Here are my top 12 places you should visit in 2020.
Cape Province, South Africa
If you’re going to go to one city in South Africa, make it Cape Town. The city is a major center of arts and history, with Robben Island – the location of the prison that held Mandela and other anti-apartheid revolutionary leaders – the Cape of Good Hope, and the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. Nature-wise there are the botanical gardens and Table Mountain, which overlooks the city. You can even see penguins on some beaches! The wine region outside Cape Town, particularly the Stellenbosch area, is producing some really good wines these days – and this is coming from a long-time skeptic of South African wine. And if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of transfers – United just opened seasonal nonstop flights from Newark.
Australia
I debated a lot about putting Australia on this list. The wildfires there are so devastating and it’s hard to want to visit a place going up in flames. But – that’s precisely why to go, and go now. Just like Puerto Rico, or the Bahamas, in order to rebuild, reforest, and recover, Australia will need revenue from tourists, from small business trying to stay afloat to wildlife centers and zoos rehabilitating animals. Australia has so much to offer – from Melbourne to Tasmania to Uluru to Perth, and all are worth seeing. So be safe of course, and don’t volunteer if you are untrained and will be more of a hindrance than a help, but go.
Portugal
I know, I know, I’m now that person who is saying “go to Portugal” But honestly, go to Portugal. I went to Lisbon and Evora last fall and had a great time. The nice thing about Portugal is, for all the discussion of overtourism, it really isn’t overcrowded, provided you time it right. And there is a lot more to Portugal than just Lisbon and Porto/the Douro Valley. Evora is the heart of rural Portugal. Coimbra is university city based in a medieval old town and has a truly spectacular library. And, there are the Azores, temperate islands in the mid-Atlantic, with amazing hiking, volcanoes, diving, food... etc. And the Azores are only about a 5-6 hour flight from the East Coast.
Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan, nestled in the Himalayas between India and China, has long been a proponent of high value, low impact tourism. But the bonus is that the country, while far from untouched by tourism, provides a unique experience. You can go trekking through the highest mountain range in the world and hiking to monasteries perched on the side of mountains, along with visiting temples and museums, such as the textile museum. And you can do all of this in a country that is not just carbon-neutral, its carbon-negative. The travel journalism world constantly worries (and fairly so) about overtourism and the impact of travel on global warming. Bhutan is a place that, while it hasn’t solved either, seems to be in a good place with both of those problems.
Ethiopia
Addis Ababa was one of the consensus top places to visit in 2020 according to the travel journalism (and the only one in sub-Saharan Africa this year) but I say, why only visit the capital? Ethiopia is unique, in both its history of preventing imperialism and its Orthodox religious tradition. There is Lalibela with medieval rock-hewn churches and the Islamic city of Harar. You can also visit the UNESCO-listed Simien National Park, which boasts incredible mountain peaks, valleys, and endangered or threatened species. And all of that is without including the food – which is delicious.
Utah’s National Parks
The United States has dozens of incredible national parks, but between Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon, there are the National Parks in Utah. Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, and Capital Reef - Utah lays a solid claim to America’s natural beauty. Red rock, hikes, waterfalls, canyons, rivers, scrub trees, and brush. The West means many different things in the US, but it always includes natural beauty and untrammeled nature. Utah’s national parks are the US West in all it’s glory and with all its geographic challenges.
Mendoza, Argentina
The logical place to head to in South America this year is Pucon, in Chile, to watch the eclipse in December. But if you do, hop over the border to Mendoza. It’s only a 45 minute flight from Santiago, Chile’s capital (and where international flights will go) and definitely worth it. The main draw of Mendoza is its role as the main wine region of Argentina. Definitely go on a wine tour there, it’s 100% worth it. But in addition to that, it is laid back and just a relaxing place to go. The food is great, even for a vegetarian like me, and it’s beautiful. Go, drink great wine outdoors, and just chill.
Crete
Before Socrates, and the Battle of Thermopylae, and the Oracle at Delphi, there was the Minoan Civilization. Named after the mythical King Minos, aka the king who created the labyrinth to contain the minotaur, the Minoan culture was based in the island of Crete. The ancient Minoan city of Knossos is near the city of Heraklion, which also houses the Heraklion Archeological Museum. If ancient cities aren’t your thing, Crete is also home to the Samaria Gorge, one of the longest canyons in Europe, which can be traversed in a day-long (almost 16km) hike through the southern side of the island. If you want Greek history and island life, you can’t do better than Crete.
South Korea
South Korea is one of those places that snuck up on me in terms of interest. Start with being introduced to some really excellent vegetarian Korean food (Bowl’d in Albany, CA if you are interested), add a closer look at its history, throw in a new interest and exploration of K-pop, and one of my favorite books I’ve read recently (Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – seriously, read it) and I am in regarding South Korea. And there is so much South Korea has to offer. Seoul has a number of historic and architecturally beautiful palaces and temples/shrines. There are also ancient monolithic sites, the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia (built under the rule of Queen Seondeok), and natural beauty, such as the UNESCO-listed Jeju Island.
Hawaii
I’ve been to three of the six main Hawaiian islands – Maui, the island of Hawaii, and Oahu, and I’ve loved them all. Hawaii is all about the sea, yes, but it’s also about the history, and in my opinion, the interior of the islands, which means mountains. One of the best and most exhausting hikes I’ve ever done was in a state park rainforest in Oahu. The islands in that sense have the best of the mountains and the sea right next to each other. I’ve always considered myself a city person, and pride myself on not owning a car, but there is something about Hawaii – particularly the island of Hawaii - that makes me want to try living in a rural area for a spell.
Colombia
Colombia has been undergoing a tourist renaissance over the past couple years. Since 2016 and the tentative end to the Colombian Civil War, the country has been a top place to visit in South America. Cartagena is the blend of cultural influences, and is at the end of the day a bright Caribbean city. Bogota has both a hipster neighborhood and excellent museums, particularly the Museo del Oro, which has thousands of precious pre-Colombian artifacts. The place I most want to visit is the ruins outside of San Agustin – which is one of the most important pre-Colombian archeological sites in South America.
Galway
I wasn’t kidding when I wrote about Galway in my 27 Top Places to Visit list and said that spending a day hiking along the coast and the night listening to trad music at a pub sounds fantastic to me. The only thing that would make it better is adding historical ruins, and there are plenty of those around Galway City, such as the medieval Menlo Castle and the Hall of the Red Earl, and, in the nearby Aran Islands, prehistoric hill forts such as Dun Aonghasa.
