Your Adventure Is Waiting: Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2019
Cure Your Wanderlust
Looking ahead into the New Year, you may want to update your bucket list. Forgotten cities are emerging as hipster hot spots, countries with murky pasts are stepping out from the shadows and wowing visitors, and natural phenomena are crying out to be seen before environmental damage spins too far out of control.
They are all demanding travelers’ attention, and for very good reason. These locales are making a name for themselves as the top travel destinations for 2019.
Botswana
Between deserts and deltas, Botswana has a magical diversity of landscapes and animal life that make it an irresistible country to visit, and threats to the animal kingdom in Botswana mean 2019 is the time to go.
Poaching is driving more and more elephants into Botswana, as the great animals are aware of the danger poachers present, and they know this is the safest country for them (illegal hunting is kept in check here, compared to neighboring countries).
This awareness is leading to more and more elephants seeking shelter in Botswana and staying there, instead of moving across borders back into more northern countries during the year.
With the current population of elephants projected to be cut in half by poaching and hunting in the next eight years, there has never been a better time to go and see them for yourself. Go on a safari in Botswana to increase your chances of seeing these beautiful animals as well as plenty of other incredible wildlife.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka has shrugged off the effects of the civil war in its past and is stepping confidently up as one of the top destinations for 2019. Hop aboard one of the cheerfully noisy trains that rattle across the country and be carried away among Ceylon tea plantations, past water buffalo wallowing in ponds and the odd elephant straying out of the jungle.
Eventually, you’ll wind up on a white sand beach you’ll have all to yourself, or in front of one of the many ancient temples that dot the countryside. When you get tired, you can enjoy the generous hospitality of locals, and when you get hungry you can indulge in the flavors of a cuisine you could spend weeks discovering. What’s not to love?
The following San Francisco wine tours will take care of all your needs as they shuttle you to and from fabulous wineries in nearby Napa and Sonoma Valley.
Australia
Heading ‘down under’ to Australia is a chance to explore flawless beaches, outrageously cool cities (we’re looking at you, Melbourne), and come face-to-face with some of the kookiest wildlife on the planet.
Australia should be high on your to-visit list anyway, but in 2019 you should make sure it’s at the top, as it might be your only chance to see the Great Barrier Reef in all its glory. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most incredible natural wonders on the planet. It spans over 1,500 miles along the coastline of Australia, and is home to thousands of species of colorful fish and other marine life.
Unsurprisingly, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the best diving locations in the world, but if diving isn’t your thing it’s an equally incredible spectacle to see it from above aboard a seaplane.
Unfortunately, rising global sea temperatures are threatening its existence, with large sections of it already succumbing to coral bleaching. Go now, while it is still alive and beautiful, and hopefully come away from your trip with a renewed determination to protect the underwater wonders of the world.
