12 Personal Travel Recommendations for 2021 (Once It's Safe)

Like for so many people, 2020 is The Year I Didn’t Travel. Aside from a day trip to Baltimore in February, I didn’t leave DC the entire year. I wasn’t even able to visit my family as back in California. Naturally, I’m going a little stir crazy. But with the Covid vaccines starting to roll out, I’ve been satisfying my wanderlust by thinking up all the trips I can take once it’s safe to travel again. Because once I can, I will.

I don’t advocate for anyone to travel until and unless you can do so safely. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I feel a lot more patient about getting there thinking that on the other side are plane tickets with my name on them.

Many of the places on this list are outdoors focused, as travel centered on the Great Outdoors is still going to be a more attractive to most people than crowded cities for the next year or two. But without further ado, here are my top 12 personal recommendations for places to visit in 2021.

Egypt
Egypt is in so many ways synonymous with ancient history. Pyramids, the Sphinx, King Tut, Cleopatra. But even just that list spans 3000 years of history. And that’s even before we get to the history of the Coptic Christian Church, the Medieval Islamic sites, and modern history. It’s an historian’s dream – at least if the historian in question is me. But for 2021, being able to visit and see the sheer amount of history in Egypt is not just fascinating, but immensely comforting. It’s one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and it lives on. There has been upheaval and revolutions and plague and everything, but the pyramids are still there, and that gives me hope that the both the United States, and the World, can get through all of this, be it the pandemic or global climate change.

Japan
My big trip for 2020 was going to be Japan. I’d already started saving up and had a rough itinerary of where I wanted to go when Covid hit. It took until July before I gave up on the idea of traveling there, or anywhere, completely. Naturally this means its one of the top two places I’m debating between visiting in 2021 (the other is Egypt, see above). The top city I want to visit in Japan is Kyoto. Kyoto is the only major Japanese city the US didn’t bomb during World War II, so it has the most historical sites and temples intact. Other places I hope to visit include Kanazawa, a coastal city which is known for its artisan workshops and historical sites (it also avoided major WWII bombings) and the northern island of Hokkaido, one of Japan’s four main islands, which is known for its hot springs and national parks. Also skiing, if that’s your jam.

The Colorado Rockies
Ok, this might have ended up on this list because I was listening to John Denver when I started thinking it up and was immediately like “yes! There!” But regardless of the inspiration, the Colorado Rockies are a perfect place to visit in 2021. They are relatively accessible and have every outdoorsy activity imaginable. Personally, I enjoy hiking, but if you want to do rafting, camping, rock climbing, backpacking, you can do it there. Beyond that, the Rockies are just so beautiful. For a starting point, I recommend Boulder, which I recently described to a friend a “the Berkeley of Colorado.” A description endorsed, albeit with some caveats, by my sister, who used to live there. It has plenty of hiking trails, outdoor dining, and great beer for once you’ve finished your hike.

The Serengeti, Tanzania
2021 is a year for epic bucket list trips, and one of the quintessential bucket list trips is a safari in the Serengeti. There are many places to go on a wildlife safari in Sub-Saharan Africa, but there is something in particular about the Serengeti, as the vast savannah is home to the great wildebeest migration, often considered one of the most incredible migrations to watch. But even if you aren’t there to see wildebeests, the area contains numerous habitats, endangered species, and sights. If you do visit, try to find a Tanzanian-owned tour company as it helps ensure you are not just seeing the animals, but that your money helps local businesses, and, more importantly, people.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Since many of us have been stuck in our immediate environs, getting as far away from that is incredibly appealing. And where better to seriously get away from it all than heading to Torres del Paine National Park, at the extreme southern end of Chile. The park is renowned for the scenery – with incredible mountains, glaciers, and lakes in particular. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve and is home to a several endangered and threatened species. The best way to see the park is to trek through it, on either the 4-5 day W trail or the 7-9 day O trail. But if you aren’t a one for sleeping in a tent, like me, never fear. There are hostels called refugios in the park, where you can sleep in a bed and purchase meals.

The Black Forest, Germany
The Black Forest. Just the name evokes all the German fairy tales I’ve heard. It’s one of the top places I want to visit, just to go walking through the forest paths. That said, there is so much more to the region than just the trees and the echoes of the Brothers Grimm. There are a number of castles in the Black Forest as well, including the ruins of Hohenbaden Castle, which you can hike to from the town of Baden-Baden, which is also famous for its thermal pools. And of course there are plenty of little villages to visit or stay in, if that’s more your speed.

Savannah, Georgia
A beautiful city on Georgia’s coast, Savannah is both a gorgeous and appropriate place for delving into the Black Heritage and history of the United States. The city was established in 1733, well before the birth of the United States, and has hundreds of years of history. Savannah is home to the oldest Black church in the United States along with museums and historical monuments commemorating Black history. There are also several tours that focus on Black history, including one that focuses on the Gullah-Geechee, a unique culture that emerged among the enslaved people in the sea islands along the coast of Georgia and Carolinas.

Cartagena, Colombia
Colombia was one of my personal recommendations for 2020, but for 2021 I’m going to narrow that down to one city, Cartagena. Why Cartagena? Honestly, because it has a little of everything I want right now. History? The Old Town is a UNESCO Heritage Site and filled with some of the best-preserved colonial architecture in South America. Location? It’s on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and for people on the US East Coast like me, close enough that it’s reasonable for a long weekend trip. Food? Plenty of local specialties and I’ve even found cooking classes for tourists, which is one of the things I love to do when I travel. Fun? It’s a beautiful city where you can just wander, relax, drink, and let the stresses of normal life dissipate for a bit.

Bali
2020 kicked all of our asses. And even if we got through the year as intact as one can, its going to be important to re-center ourselves as we process what has happened and move forward. Maybe (ok definitely) it is cliché, but yoga and/or meditation are at times great way to do that necessary mental and emotional processing after a goddamn trying year, or likely year and a half (fingers crossed it’s not more). And if you want to combine that with travel, it seems like there isn’t a better place to do that than Bali. Even if you aren’t interested in going there for a yoga retreat or the backpacker life, there are temples, and more than enough natural beauty to make the trip worth your while.

Washington State
This was partially my mom’s suggestion, but one I whole heartedly agree with. The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite parts of the US and the only reason I don’t travel there more is because if I fly cross-country, I’m going to California. My mom’s specific recommendation is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and which I also endorse as tulips are one of my favorite flowers. But if you aren’t there for the blooms, Washington state has more than enough to recommend it. And I’m not just talking about the Space Needle and Pike Place Market in Seattle. Seattle has tons of hiking trails and museums, such as the Chihuly Garden and Glass Art Museum and the Museum of Pop Culture. If you leave Seattle and head east you hit Washington’s wine country. I’m particularly fond of Washington State’s Rieslings, but it is also known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Cordoba, Spain
The city of Cordoba is synonymous with the grandeur of Islamic Spain. One of the most famous sites in the entire country is the Mezquita, or better known as the Mosque of Cordoba, which boasts the famous red and white striped arches in between the mosque’s columns. Cordoba would be worth visiting just for that site, but it also boasts an incredible medieval palace known as the Alcazar and the ruins of an Umayyad palace. Add Spanish food and wine to all that history and you have an unmissable city.

Family
I hate being corny but visiting my family and friends back in California is my absolute top priority for travel in 2021. This is the longest I’ve gone without flying back home my entire life and you can bet that the very first plane ticket I’m buying is one to San Francisco. We’ve all been so lucky to have tons of different technologies that allow us to keep in touch with everyone we can’t see in person. But as we all know, it’s not the same. So, whoever your family is, whether that’s your biological family or your closest friends, 2021 is a perfect year to go visit them.