Best travel destinations, journeys and experiences in 2024
By Rama Gaind
Book review:
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024
Published by Lonely Planet, $27.99
When an English-born Australian publishing entrepreneur, businessman and travel writer, Tony Wheeler co-founded the Lonely Planet guidebook company with his wife, Maureen, in 1973, they had a shared vision to fulfil travel dreams.
They also comprehended “… unique experiences, people and perspectives awaited around every corner.”
Five decades later, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024 builds on this legacy of inspiring future journeys, near and far, with 50 destinations, journeys and encounters. Let this beautifully illustrated edition set the holiday agenda for the year to come!
It is Lonely Planet’s 19th publication of the annual collection, featuring highlights of must-visit destinations around the world, including the top 10 countries.
South Australia’s Kangaroo Island sits in the number two regional position as it proudly showcases its distinct local produce, abundant wildlife, natural experiences and some of the nation’s most pristine beaches. After a resilient recovery from the devastating 2020 bushfires, this much-lauded island has re-emerged as a premier ecotourism hotspot in Australia.
According to Lonely Planet’s senior director of trade sales and marketing Chris Zeiher, Kangaroo Island provides a quintessential Australian travel experience.
“It’s blessed with amazing beaches, offers delicious food, wine, and spirits experiences, and delivers on the drama when it comes to outdoor adventures.”
“It’s been much lauded of late, but 2024 is the year that Kangaroo Island will be set to capitalise on all of the accolades. Best illustrated by the reopening of the prestigious Southern Ocean Lodge and the launch of a stunning new visitors’ centre at the entrance of Flinders Chase National Park. Get there before the rest of the world works it out — 2024 is the year to pop KI on your travel list.”
While all the selections place emphasis on experiences celebrating community and diversity, there’s also a specific catalogue of top sustainable travel and best-value destinations to show how you can journey well in a world of rising costs.
Travel experts have ranked these lists for topicality, uniqueness and a ‘wow’ factor. Leading the 2024 class are the untamed open lands of Mongolia, bike-touring on the Trans Dinarica Cycling Route across the western Balkans and diving into one of Africa’s most dynamic cities. Finishing the headline acts are Nairobi in Kenya, a maintainable travel guide to Spain and a budget-friendly adventure in the USA’s Midwest. More suggestions follow from Donegal in Ireland’s windswept northwest to the spectacular deserts of Algeria. Then there’s Kangaroo Island’s raw native nature and jungle-framed beaches on St Lucia.
These picks seek to both inspire and follow the instincts of the post-pandemic traveller, with a nod to countries indelibly associated with the Lonely Planet story; revisiting India, Thailand and Kenya. Also included are choices like Nicaragua, Benin and Uzbekistan that have rarely, if ever, been in the series.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024 also delivers a new take on popular destinations such as Japan, Tuscany, Italy and Mexico, and unearths some lesser-known gems like Uzbekistan, Ikaria, Greece and Izmir, Turkey.
‘Slow Travel’ is celebrated by highlighting the Camino Portuguese hiking trail and the continued rise of night trains in Europe. Featured in the Top 10 Best Value category, the Southern Lakes and Central Otago regions of New Zealand (including the towns of Queenstown and Wanaka) beckons travellers to embrace a leisurely pace, reduce their environmental impact, enjoy new cycling routes, rich local culture and wonderful cuisine and wines.
Appreciate the fresh takes, with specifics, on popular themes. Enjoy hiking and rediscovering old favourites. Then consider the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, and the trail system throughout Wales. Thrilling renaissance of night trains in Europe remains a fine way to combine sleeping with an unforgettable passage that’s very much on-trend among the climate-conscious.
Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2024 reflects on how travel is a privilege not enjoyed by everyone in the world in the same way. According to Tom Hall, for the lucky ones 2024 is a year of huge, thrilling possibility.
The final word before hitting the road is: “… All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go.”
