Best Countries, Cities And Value Destinations For Travel In 2018, According To Lonely Planet | HuffPost Life

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Life Editor at HuffPost UK

Lonely Planet

Chile

Prepare for a healthy dose of wanderlust because Lonely Planet has revealed its recommendations for the top travel destinations of 2018.

Chile takes the coveted top spot of the best country for travellers in 2018, while Seville receives the accolade of number one city in the world to visit next year.

Hot on the Spanish city’s heels is the American comeback city of Detroit and Australia’s often-overlooked capital Canberra.

The leading travel authority chose Belfast and the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland as the best region to travel to in 2018, with Alaska and Slovenia’s Julian Alps also making the top three.

Meanwhile Tallinn in Estonia has been crowned the best value destination of 2018, closely followed by Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and Arizona in the USA.

Lonely Planet

Tallinn, Estonia

Deciding which destinations to include in the ‘Best in Travel’ annual selection is a considered process involving Lonely Planet’s community of writers, editors and bloggers, providing hundreds of suggestions of places that are not to be missed.

These places are then shortlisted by a panel of in-house travel experts who consider criteria such as topicality, excitement and wow-factor to decide what to include in the best-selling, travel yearbook.

The destinations selected for Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel must offer travellers an outstanding experience in the year ahead; it could be that something special is going on in the year ahead, that it offers travellers new things to see and do, or that the team of experts consider it overlooked and underrated, and recommend travellers visit before the crowds do.

Lonely Planet

Seville, Spain

The guide also features five travel trends that consumers should look out for next year, with “destination races”, “vegetarian and vegan travel” and “private islands” among those selected as ones to watch.

Check out the winner lists below or find out more about each destination on the Lonely Planet website.

Best in Travel 2018 Top 10 Countries

1. Chile
2. South Korea
3. Portugal
4. Djibouti
5. New Zealand
6. Malta
7. Georgia
8. Mauritius
9. China
10. South Africa

Best in Travel 2018 Top 10 Cities

1. Seville, Spain
2. Detroit, USA
3. Canberra, Australia
4. Hamburg, Germany
5. Kaohsiung, Taiwan
6. Antwerp, Belgium
7. Matera, Italy
8. San Juan, Puerto Rico
9. Guanajuato, Mexico
10. Oslo, Norway

Best in Travel 2018 Top 10 Regions

1. Belfast and the Causeway Coast, Northern Ireland
2. Alaska, USA
3. Julian Alps, Slovenia
4. Languedoc-Roussillon, France
5. Kii Peninsula, Japan
6. Aeolian Islands, Italy
7. Southern USA
8. Lahaul and Spiti, India
9. Bahia, Brazil
10. Los Haitises National Park, Dominican Republic

Best in Travel 2018 Top 10 Best Value

1. Tallinn, Estonia
2. Lanzarote, Canary Islands
3. Arizona, USA
4. La Paz, Bolivia
5. Poland
6. Essaouira, Morocco
7. United Kingdom
8. Baja California, Mexico
9. Jacksonville, Florida, USA
10. Hunan, China

18 Best Travel Photographs

Colima Volcano, Mexico(01 of18)

“Powerful eruption of Colima Volcano in Mexico on December 13th, 2015. That night, the weather was dry and cold, friction of ash particles generated a big lightning of about 600 meters that connected ash and volcano, and illuminated most of the dark scene. On [the] last part of 2015, this volcano showed a lot of eruptive activity with ash explosions that raised 2 to 3 kilometers above the crater. Most of night explosions produced incandescent rock falls and lightning.” ― Sergio Tapiro Velasco (Grand prize winner) (credit:Photo and caption by Sergio Tapiro Velasco/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia(02 of18)

“My dad and I traveled to Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia earlier this year, and we wanted to see something off the beaten path. After a 10-hour drive and traversing a long, dirt trail, we finally came upon the marble caves. We chartered a boat to take us closer, and I waited for the perfect light to capture these intricate blue swirls. The extra effort it took to reach the caves was worth it.” ― Clane Gessel (Honorable mention, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Clane Gessel/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Lofoten Islands, Norway(03 of18)

“This football field in Henningsvær in the Lofoten Islands is considered one of the most amazing fields in Europe, and maybe even in the world. The photo was taken during a 10-day sailing trip in Norway in June 2017. We arrived to Henningsvær after a week of sailing through the cold and rainy weather. Upon our arrival, the weather cleared up. I was really lucky that the conditions were suitable for flying my drone, and I managed to capture this shot from a height of 120 meters.” ― Misha De-Stroyev (Third place winner, Cities) (credit:Photo and caption by Misha De-Stroyev/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Tavarua, Fiji(04 of18)

“I recently traveled to Tavarua, Fiji to do some surf photography with pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter at Cloudbreak. I’m always looking for new angles and perspectives. The usual surf shots have all been done, so we decided to get a little creative. Makes you look twice.” ― Rodney Bursiel (Third place winner, People) (credit:Photo and caption by Rodney Bursiel/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia(05 of18)

“Mount Bromo volcano is a small but active volcanic cinder cone on Java, Indonesia. Early [in] 2016, I happened to be in Mount Bromo during the increase of seismic activity [which] triggered the alert status to the second highest.” ― Reynold Riksa Dewantara (Honorable mention, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Reynold Riksa Dewantara/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

New Delhi, India(06 of18)

“A beautiful photo of a father and son sitting in white traditional attire with beautiful blue sky on the day of Eid al-Fitr in a mosque in New Delhi, India. The photo shows the beautiful bond which these two generations have been building up in a very simple and lovable manner.” ― Jobit George (Honorable mention, People) (credit:Photo and caption by Jobit George/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Al Ain, United Arab Emirates(07 of18)

“New buildings rise from the desert floor near Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.” ― Andrzej Bochenski (Honorable mention, Cities) (credit:Photo and caption by Andrzej Bochenski/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Kabukurinuma, Osaki, Japan(08 of18)

“Swans glide over the water in Kabukurinuma, Osaki, Japan, a protected wetland. Since many of Japan’s wetlands have been lost, this area has become a rare wintering place for birds and may be a last paradise for them. I was particularly impressed by the swans, and careful not to disturb them when taking pictures. I took into account wind direction and shutter speed to capture the strength and elegance of their flapping wings.” ― Hiromi Kano (Second place winner, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Hiromi Kano/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Tongi Railway Station, Gazipur, Bangladesh(09 of18)

“The photo was taken on 23rd of July 2016 at Tongi Railway Station, Gazipur, Bangladesh. I was there taking photos and waiting for a moment. A train from Dhaka toward another district had reached and stopped at the platform for 5 minutes for lifting passengers. It was raining. Suddenly I found a pair of curious eyes looking at me through the window, and on his left an umbrella had been put to protect from the rain. I got the moment.” ― Moin Ahmed (Honorable mention, People) (credit:Photo and caption by Moin Ahmed/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Rio Tarcoles, Costa Rica(10 of18)

“This image was captured in Costa Rica when I was traveling from Monteverde to Playa Hermosa. As you cross over this river, you can stop and peer over the edge of the bridge. Below reside over 35 gigantic crocodiles, relaxing on the muddy banks of the river. I wanted to capture the stark difference between the crocodiles on land and in the water. In the murky waters, the body contours of these beasts remain hidden, and one can only truly see their girth as they emerge from the river.” ―Tarun Sinha(Third place winner, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Tarun Sinha/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Whampoa Garden, Hong Kong(11 of18)

“The Kowloon Walled City was the densest place on Earth. Hundreds of houses stacked on top of each other enclosed in the center of the structure. Many didn’t have access to open space.This notorious city was finally demolished in 1990’s. However, if you look hard enough, you will notice that the city is not dead. Part of it still exists in many of the current high-density housing apartments. I hope this series can get people to think about claustrophobic living in Hong Kong from a new perspective.” ― Andy Yeung (Second place winner, Cities) (credit:Photo and caption by Andy Yeung/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Tamba, Japan(12 of18)

“This photograph was taken in the evening hours of a humid early summer day in the forest of a small remote village in the Tamba area of Japan. It beautifully captures the magical atmosphere of princess fireflies carpeting a stairway leading to a small shrine revered by the local people.” ― Yutaka Takafuji (Honorable mention, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Yutaka Takafuji/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam(13 of18)

“Museum visitors curiously watch Rembrandt’s painting ‘Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild’ [which gives] the illusion that the people on the paintings too are curiously watching the visitors.” ― Julius Y. (Second place winner, People) (credit:Photo and caption by Julius Y./National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Stuttgart, Germany(14 of18)

“The modern interior of the city library in Stuttgart. With its wide-open space in the center, where natural light comes from through the windows on the top, it has a very unique atmosphere where you can broaden your knowledge.” ― Norbet Fritz (First place winner, Cities) (credit:Photo and caption by Norbet Fritz/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Gardens of the Queen(15 of18)

“Gardens of the Queen is a remote marine area south of Cuba. Caribbean reef sharks are usually shy, so I placed my camera on a rock where I know they frequent and used a remote trigger to click away as they came in and bumped my camera around.” ― Shane Gross (Honorable mention, Nature) (credit:Photo and caption by Shane Gross/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Konya, Turkey(16 of18)

“Willing Dervish in an historical place of Sille Konya, Turkey. The ‘dance’ of the whirling dervishes is called sema and is a symbol of the Mevlevi culture. According to Mevlana’s teachings, human beings are born twice: once of their mothers and the second time of their own bodies.” ― F. Dilek Uyar (First place winner, People) (credit:Photo and caption by F Dilek Uyar/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Gifu Prefecture, Japan(17 of18)

“This building is a 20-minute drive from my office — it’s a functioning apartment complex in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, where people live. The modern style of the building is a strange contrast to my sleepy country town, and for a long time I couldn’t quite capture its character. The woman dressed in red was perfectly consonant with the mood of this image. Without her, I couldn’t have made this image.” ― Tetsuya Hashimoto (Honorable mention, Cities) (credit:Photo and caption by Tetsuya Hashimoto/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

Besakih Temple, Bali(18 of18)

“Besakih Temple has been known as Bali’s ‘mother temple’ for over 1,000 years and is perched 1000 meters high on the southwestern slopes of Mount Agung. Here, Balinese often come to offer up prayer and take blessing from the temple priests, or ‘pemangku,’ who reside there.” ― Michael Dean Morgan (Honorable mention, People) (credit:Photo and caption by Michael Dean Morgan/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year)

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