In its December, 2018/January 2019 issue, National Geographic Traveler published its “28 Best Trips Around the World for 2019”. They are diverse and highly interesting choices. I especially like the way this publication separates them. Their lists begin with CITIES. They select six of them on 3 pages and then have a feature on what I assume is this publication’s actual #1 choice since Mexico City is ending up in a number of year end articles about best 2019 travel destinations. NGT’s other #1 city is Dakar, Senegal.
I was glad to see that National Geographic Traveler singled out Kansas City, Toronto, Perth, and Mexico City as esteemed destinations. I agree with all 4. The feature about Mexico City focuses on food, especially corn. Right after Dakar, Salvador, Brazil, gets a favorable nod. This surprised me because of the political turmoil and huge number of murders occurring in this country, which is under an “increased caution” travel advisory.
National Geographic Traveler‘s next classification is NATURE. Its featured destination here is a great one, Tahiti and the Society Islands. If you haven’t been there, put it on your must-go list, but don’t spend a lot of time in its capital Papeete, which is too much like any other city. As the feature’s author Andrew Evans, who talks about diving and calls these islands an “underwater paradise”, wisely reports, “Every island in French Polynesia is unique, each with its own personality….” This is definitely true and there are 67 inhabited ones to explore.
The next category is CULTURE and the choices are very diverse. They swing from Egypt to Switzerland. My favorite among them is Galway, Ireland, where Ruth and I spent one memorable Christmas. When I came home, I started this blog because of what happened to us. We were kicked out of a hotel on Christmas Day because, at least at that time, all businesses including hotels, restaurants, and most forms of transportation were closed on both this major holiday and the next, Boxing Day. This incident was the subject of my 1st blog.
The last category is ADVENTURE and the choices are certainly adventuresome. Travelers can surely find unusual things to do in Greenland, Argentina, and New Zealand. But the most unusual choice in this category is Macedonia. Ruth and I have seen a lot of this Balkan Country that’s still involved in a big disagreement with Greece over its name. It’s most definitely a far-out place to go for many reasons as is National Geographic Traveler’s featured destination for adventure, Oman.
Hank
The 2 photos above the ADVENTURE paragraph are of Lake Ohrid and a floor in a Macedonian/Roman ruin. The top photo is from Vilnius, Lithuania, a destination which I nominate for adventures in 2020.
Security Conscious 