How Good Are Lonely Planet's Best in Travel Lists?

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I'm a huge Lonely Planet fan - I buy travel books pretty much exclusively from them, with my ultimate favourites being coffee table books (I received The Travel Atlas for Christmas and also enjoy The Ultimate Travelist) and my even more coveted The World book.

Every year, Lonely Planet also publishes their "Best in Travel" for the year. It's a new year so there are new lists! This year there is a top 10 for Countries, Cities, Region and Value. I'm going dive into these lists and give my thoughts on each of them - I'm sure it will renew my wanderlust for some destinations but also educate me about some places I'm not aware of!

Top 10 Countries (here)

1. Sri Lanka

In the last year I've definitely seen more people on my Instagram visiting/planning to visit Sri Lanka. It's definitely not top of my list just yet but is on the bucket list for one day.

2. Germany

Been! I'd like to return to visit more of Southern Germany (like the Black Forest).

3. Zimbabwe

I've explored so little of Africa (just Morocco) that I have some 'bigger ticket' items on my list first. Having a look back at it as a destination now, it looks like it has a lot to offer: one side of the Victoria Falls and the safari Big Five as well as a number of more unique National Parks.

4. Panama

As above, there are probably other Central American destinations which are more appealing to me at the moment since I've never been to this region! I'd love to visit Guatemala, Costa Rica and Belize...

5. Kyrgyzstan

I would love to visit Central Asia! I love mountain/lake sceneries and Kyrgyzstan definitely looks like it ticks those boxes. The only thing that would put me off is ease of getting around?

6. Jordan

Jordan is probably most well-known for Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. I am so keen to visit. You can also access the Dead Sea from Jordan which I feel like I need to experience to truly understand!

7. Indonesia

According to Google, there are 17,508 islands that make up this gorgeous country which to be completely honest intimidates me a lot! I think the trick would be to not cram too much into your first trip here and just accept that you wouldn't be able to see it all in one trip (a hard pill for me to swallow).

8. Belarus

Belarus is on my home continent and is one of the few countries that I haven't already been too and don't have plans to visit in the coming years. Am I wrong to overlook it?

9. Sao Tome & Principe

This is the only place on this list I really have no idea about. It looks small but stunning - I wonder how easy/difficult it is to get here.

10. Belize

... Talking of Belize, here it is! Belize is a SUPER drool worthy destination for me and I can't wait until I get the chance to visit. It looks like a tropical paradise.

Top 10 Cities (here)

1. Copenhagen, Denmark

Visited with my brothers in 2016! Given that we were all students, it was too expensive for us there that we literally couldn't afford meals out. I would love to go back to Tivoli Gardens though.

2. Shenzhen, China

New to me! Never been to China but I don't know if this city would make the cut - so many others to see!

3. Novi Sad, Serbia

As Belarus above, Serbia is somewhere I have overlooked. Again, I could be mistaken in doing so?

4. Miami, USA

I have family in Florida but have never properly visited hedonistic Miami (probably for obvious reasons)!

5. Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal is a bit of an enigma for me - Everest Base Camp would be a huge accomplishment one day but I really know nothing about the rest of the country including its capital city Kathmandu.

6. Mexico City, Mexico

As long as the Mexican Grand Prix is on the calendar, I should have no trouble persuading my boyfriend in joining me here! Also... tacos.

7. Dakar, Senegal

So Senegal is on my list (which is super long so that's not necessarily a high accolade!) but I would need a little more persuading for it to be bumped above other African countries.

8. Seattle, USA

The only way I can really imagine visiting Seattle in the medium term is as a joint trip to Vancouver Canada (and undoubtedly more of Washington State or West Canada).

9. Zadar, Croatia

Came here in 2017 for an afternoon! It's a lovely compact little city with typical Croatian seas and rooftop views - featured in this post's cover image.

10. Meknes, Morocco

I've literally never heard of Meknes and I would be curious to know what sets it apart from other Moroccan cities.

Top 10 Regions (here)

1. Piedmont, Italy

Haven't heard of this so had a quick Google - Lake Maggiore looks gorgeous!

2. The Catskills, USA

Another place I've not heard of and I can't say I'm convinced I should have either.

3. Northern Peru

I did a fairly comprehensive (18 day) trip to Peru in 2016 but you can only do so much so I missed out Northern Peru! I'll have to go back one day to do so - search Laguna 69 Huaraz to find out why I'm so keen!

4. The Red Centre, Australia

When I visited Australia in 2017 I knew I had to visit the Northern Territory. It wasn't cheap but it is so worth doing alongside your typical East Coast trip (which I also did - read my Trip in Pictures here).

5. Scotland's Highlands and Islands

The UK's only shout out this year! But I'd have to say it's a good one and somewhere I'd really like to take the time to visit. The only trick is trying to get good weather!

6. Russian Far East

I'm not keen to visit Russia under the current political leadership but I recently watched a documentary which travelled around significant areas of this vast country. Russia is so diverse and the Far East I'm sure is worlds apart from other locations here.

7. Gujurat, India

After a quick bit of research, I've not previously heard of any of the main sites of this Indian state. My assumption is that most visitors make their way to Rajasthan, Utter Pradesh for the Taj Mahal and perhaps Goa?

8. Manitoba, Canada

Am I the only one who instantly thought an animal on hearing Manitoba?! It turns out that Manitoba is not an animal, although you can see lots of wildlife there!

9. Normandy, France

Living in the UK, we're so close (just a channel away) from the north of France. Normandy is one of those places that many people will visit as part of a school trip but my dad is very interested in history so took us to this historically significant region when we were younger - for the 60th anniversary in 2004 I've been reliably informed.

10. Elqui Valley, Chile

All I really know about Chile is Easter Island, Patagonia and Santiago - I clearly need to do more research!

Top 10 Value (here)

1. Southern Nile Valley, Egypt

Egypt is pretty iconic and is most certainly on my bucket list. I know this is the value list but my focus for Egypt would surely be the pyramids, regardless of price!

2. Lodz, Poland

An industrial city in central Poland? There must be better gems in Poland than this?!

3. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

I have never heard of this National Park and based on my searches, I'm not the only one. It looks like government funding has stopped so if you are more local, maybe consider giving it a visit.

4. Maldives

I love that this is on the value list! I definitely believe you can do a trip to the Maldives 'on a budget', although I've not put that into practice yet.

5. Houston, USA

Texas is HUGE. I'd like to visit some of the national parks and cities here but it's not topping my lists just yet.

6. Argentina

I have been to Argentina but I really need to go back! I only visited the Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires - Patagonia is my idea of heaven and just looks like a dream. One day.

7. Bangladesh

Overcrowded, mangroves and tigers - that's all my knowledge on Bangladesh. Yes to the mangroves and tigers (although I'm a bit skeptical of wildlife sighting tours) and no thanks to the overcrowded.

8. Albania

I've started hearing more about Albania as an underestimated destination with seas as beautiful as Croatia and Greece (it's between the two so makes sense). At the moment European destinations are the most achievable so definitely keen to explore here with a bit more investigation!

9. Ecuador

Very much one of the countries I'd still like to visit in South America. Although, for me part of this would also be the Galapagos Islands which would take this off as a 'value' offering.

10. Slovenia

Yay... Slovenia is on my 2019 list too! Read my last post here for all my plans.

As much as I love Lonely Planet's coffee table books, I don't feel like these lists give me any new inspiration. For the places I've previously overlooked, I don't feel any reason to reconsider. And then countries I already have a strong passion for are no stronger for appearing on these lists! That being said, there are some gems in these lists. My advice for Lonely-Planet-style inspiration would be through their publications - not their online lists.

Have you been to any of these places before? I'd love to know your thoughts below!