Top 10 Places To Visit in 2026 (Year of Travel)
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What's up, guys? My name is Ryan, and
with almost all countries open for
tourism, I think we're all excited to
travel to some new destinations this
year. So, here's my top 10 places to
visit in 2026.
With tourism back to normal, 2026 is
going to be a year full of travel.
Whether you explore the tropical
landscapes of St. Lucia or experience
the unique cultures of Africa. I hope
you can all visit some new places this
year. Let's start this view off at
Patagonia. This was the first place I
traveled to last year and it quickly
became one of my favorite destinations
I've ever been. Located in both bottom
halves of Chile and Argentina, Patagonia
is easily one of the most beautiful
regions in the world. It has fjords like
Norway, sounds like New Zealand, and
mountains comparable to the Alps. One of
the most famous places in Patagonia is
Tori Delpine. Located on the Chilean
side of Patagonia, Tories Delvine is a
national park home to [music] animals
such as quinacos and pumas. One of the
main reasons people come to this area is
to do the hike to the Miridor Basto
Tories. It's a 12 1/2 mile roundtrip
trek with about 3,000 ft of elevation
gain. We did the hike and it took us
about 8 hours round trip. So, it was a
little difficult, but it was one of the
most rewarding hikes once we got to the
lake and could see the massive granite
towers. Another one of the most
well-known places in Patagonia is
Fitzroy. It's this mountain range
located on the Argentinian side of
Patagonia and I think it's possibly one
of the most beautiful mountains in the
world. To get a great view of the
Fitzroy, we hiked to the lake called
Lagona Deos Trace. It's another long
hike, but it's definitely worth it. The
trek there was 14 mi round trip and on
the way you just walk through some
pristine nature. Once we reached the
end, the view of Mount Fitzroy is just
hard to believe. If you love hiking and
epic views, you got to visit Patagonia
this year. After we're going to head to
Europe to visit Albania, located just
north of Greece, Albania is easily one
of Europe's most underrated countries.
One of my favorite places that I visited
in the country was the Albanian Alps.
The mountains here are next level. I
really like this place called Te. We
stayed here a few days and there was
just so much to do. We hiked to this
place called the Blue Eye and it had
some of the clearest and coldest river
water I've ever swam in. Another one of
my favorite places in Albania is its
Riviera. Located on the Aonian Sea, the
Riviera is home to some amazing
coastline. We did a boat tour and
explore the coast and our captain took
us to the sea cave. To get in, we waited
through the water into the entrance of
the cave. It looked pretty small, but
then we turned to the left and had to go
through this small opening. Then it
opened up in this huge dome-shaped room.
I mean, I couldn't believe this place.
I've been in a lot of sea caves in
Europe, [music] but I think this was the
coolest I've ever experienced. After it,
we're ahead to Italy to visit Pulia.
Located on the boot hill of southern
Italy, Pulia is famous for its seaside
medieval towns, and world-class beaches.
We spent some time here this last
summer, and it quickly became one of my
favorite regions in Italy. One of the
most famous places in Pulya is Polano
Amari. It's a seaside town that's built
right upon these sea cliffs. I mean it
was fun to walk around the city and
there's also a beautiful but often
crowded beach there. Albero Bellow is
another famous city in the region with
its beehive shaped truly houses. One of
my favorite places in Pulia was a
Toronto. It's this heavily fortified
medieval city right on the Adriatic Sea.
I love the contrast between the clear
water and the medieval walls. Now just
20 minutes from Otronto is San Andrea.
It's this incredible swimming area with
crystal clear waters and rock monoliths.
[music]
To get in, there was this little ledge
you could jump off of. It was just so
much fun to swim here. If you want good
Italian vibes in 2026, you got to give
Pulia a visit. Afterwards, we're going
to head to the Caribbean to visit St.
Lucia. Of all the Caribbean islands, I
think St. Lucia is one of the most
impressive. Located in the Eastern
Caribbean, St. Lucia is home to volcanic
terrain and tropical landscapes. My
favorite feature of St. Lucia is its
pones, which are these jagged mountains
that rise straight out of the ocean. You
can get a great view of them from the
town of Sofrier and you can also take a
boat tour and experience the Bones from
the sea. Afterwards, we're going to head
to Asia to visit Thailand. Home to some
of Asia's best scenery, Thailand is a
great destination to visit in 2026. One
of the most iconic places in Thailand is
the Pee Islands. Now, to reach the Pee
Islands, you can take hour-long fairies
from the nearby [music] cities. The main
islands have lots of amenities such as
hotels and restaurants, and it's a great
place to venture off to the other
islands. I think my favorite one is Co
Peep Lee. Is this insane island you can
boat around and snorkel. Now, one of my
favorite beaches in Thailand is Raleigh
Beach. I mean, the scenery of this place
is just insane. You can reach Harley
Beach by taking a boat in. Now, my
favorite feature of this place is the
massive limestone rock that overlooks
the area. I mean, beaches don't get more
epic. Afterwards, we're going to head to
the mainland of Thailand to visit Cowoke
National [music] Park. This place is
really interesting. is this massive
lake. And even though it was created as
a result of a dam, the landscapes here
are otherworldly. There's limestone
[music] mountains and rainforest
vegetation home to animals such as the
Asian elephant and tigers. If you can, I
recommend staying here more than one
day. You can spend the night on one of
the lakes floating houses and just go
hiking or boating throughout the park.
While we're still in Asia, we're going
to head over to South Korea. With
neighboring countries like Japan and
China, I think South Korea often gets
overlooked as a travel destination, but
I think it's an amazing place to visit.
Seal is the capital of the country and
probably where you'll fly into when you
come. Just outside Seal is the Bhansen
[music] National Park. It's home to some
of South Korea's most beautiful
mountains. Another great place to see
South Korea's nature is Su Rockson
National Park. The rock formations here
are so unique and beautiful. I mean,
it's a scenery I think of when I'm out
in South Korea. Now, another stunning
place in the country is Jju. It's South
Korea's largest island and it's located
off its southern shore. Juju is home to
some peculiar landscapes and beautiful
beaches. The Halosan Mountain is located
on Jju and it's the tallest mountain in
all of South Korea. After we're going to
head back to Europe to visit Hungary. I
visited Hungary a few months ago and I
was pleasantly [music] surprised. It's a
beautiful country home to magical
castles and Europe's most famous thermal
pools. Now, Hungary's capital city is
Budapest. When people think of Hungary,
[music] this is often the first place
that comes to mind. I think it's easily
one of Europe's most charming cities.
While we were here, I really enjoyed
walking across the Chain Bridge. It
spans over the Danu River and from the
bridge we could see the Hungarian
Parliament building which is one of the
largest parliament buildings in the
world. Another one of the most famous
places in Budapest is a Sachena thermal
bath built in 1913. Sachena is the
largest medicinal bath in all of Europe.
And this place is huge and it had three
outdoor pools and then 15 indoor baths.
I really enjoyed relaxing in the pools
here. It's definitely a must if you're
in Budapest. [music] Now, another
beautiful place in Hungary outside the
city is Lake Balaton. Located about a
2-hour drive from Budapest, Lake Balaton
[music] is the largest lake in central
Europe. It's absolutely huge, and it
felt like an inland sea. One of the main
reasons I wanted to come here was to
visit Tihan. It's located on this
peninsula, and it's this beautiful
village with lots of shops and places to
walk. The main attraction of Dihan is
its abbey. [music] It was first built in
the 11th century, and the churchy city
day was rebuilt in 1754. I really
enjoyed just walking around the abbey.
Hungary just has so many beautiful
places to see. Afterwards, we're going
to head to Africa to visit the
incredible country of Ethiopia. Located
in Eastern Africa, Ethiopia is one of
the most fascinating countries on Earth.
It's the most populous landl country in
the world, and it's one of only two
African countries that wasn't colonized
by Europe. So much of its culture,
language, and food are extremely unique.
One of the main reasons I wanted to come
to Ethiopia was to visit the mountains
of Geralta. The area is famous for its
monks and churches which are built into
the mountains. One of the most famous
ones is Abuna Yamata, also known as the
church in the sky. Abuna Yamata is one
of the most incredible and inaccessible
churches in the world. It's built in an
elevation of 2,580 m into the side of a
cliff. Now, to get there, the hike
honestly wasn't too bad. It took about
45 minutes, but the difficult part is
this area where you have to rock climb.
You take your shoes off and the guides
help you. I mean, honestly, it wasn't
too bad. When we got to the top, the
monk was waiting for us. You walk the
narrow path with the dangerous cliff on
one side with no rope or anything else
to hold on to. After the cliff lock, you
enter the famous Abuna Yamat church.
According to legend, it was founded in
the 6th century AD. I mean, I was blown
away by this place. The fact that it was
carved straight out of the mountain is
just crazy to me. Another one of the
most famous places in Ethiopia is the
Omo Valley. Located in southern Ethiopia
near the border of Kenya and South
Sudan, the Omo Valley is one of the most
famous places in Ethiopia, mainly for
its diversity of local tribes. I mean,
there's so many tribes here with very
unique cultures and traditions. We
visited several of them, but my favorite
were the stick boys, part of the Bono
tribe. The stick boys are these young
kids and teenagers who use stilts to
help them see the cattle above the long
grass and also it protects them from
snakes. I remember when I first saw
these guys just standing in the middle
of the street. I couldn't believe it. I
mean, their sticks are huge and it makes
these kids over 10 ft tall. They had so
much energy and we're just absolute
homies. They even let us try the sticks
and it's way harder than it looks. Now,
we told them we wanted to film them for
sunset. So, we went to this different
spot and we got some of the most epic
shots of them just walking along the
road. I mean, these kids were so happy.
It was a perfect way to end our time in
Ethiopia. While we're still in Africa,
we're going to head to Tanzania to visit
the Serengeti. If you've ever dreamed of
going on an African safari, I believe
the Serengeti is the best place on earth
to see Africa's wildlife. From massive
herds of elven roaming the savannah to
rides or lions relaxing on rocks, the
Serengeti is a lion king in real life.
Now, to get to the Serengeti, we first
flew into the town of Arouchia, and then
we made the 7-hour drive there. As for
accommodations in the Serengeti, you can
stay in places ranging from budget to
luxury. On the more affordable end, you
could stay in a tent camp. Even though
you're in a tent, the interior can be
very comfortable. On the more expensive
side, you could stay in a place like the
Four Seasons that has all the comforts
of a luxury hotel while being immersed
in the heart [music] of the African
savannah. The best way to see the
Serengeti is by going on game drives.
Every day we would wake up and be out
from sunrise to sunset witnessing so
many incredible moments. One thing that
I thought was so interesting about the
Serengeti was that it had different
areas with certain types of landscapes
and wildlife. For example, there was
this one place that had termite mounds
and just long grass and that's where we
saw a majority of the cheetahs. There
was also this swampy area and that's
where there is these huge groups of
hippos. One of my favorite features of
the Serengeti was the copies. There are
these stone islands and there was always
lines on them. The most memorable moment
was when we escaped a massive
thunderstorm and we were able to watch
these zebras grazing accompanied by
massive thunderbolts and the craziest
sunset I've ever seen in my life. If
you're wanting to go on an adventure in
2026, you got to add the Serengeti to
your list. For our final destination,
we're going to head to French Polynesia
to visit Bora Bora. Of all the islands
in the world, I think [music] Bora Bora
is the most iconic. The geography of
Bora Bora is pure perfection. There's
the main island with its towering
dormant volcano. And then it's
surrounded by this reef that protects
the island from the waves of the Pacific
Ocean. Inside the reef, there's a lagoon
which is home to some of the world's
clearest water and is full of wildlife
such as sharks and rays. Now, to reach
Bora Bora, we flew into Tahiti. And then
from there, we took a short 50-minute
flight and landed on Bora Bora. The
airport here is on a Motu, which is a
little island on the reef. So, to get to
the mainland or the [music] resorts,
you'll take a ferry. We were staying on
the mainland, so we hopped on the ferry
and then made the quick 15-minute boat
ride to the island. Now, as for
accommodation in Bora Bora, there are
several options. The most famous resorts
are located on the islands or MOTUS that
surround Bora Bora. The resorts on the
Motus are definitely the most scenic and
offer incredible experiences and views
of Bora Bora, but they are also the most
expensive and were out of my budget for
this trip. Maybe next time I'll get one
of them. But if you're looking for a
more affordable accommodation, I'd
recommend looking for places on the
mainland. There's some really nice
resorts and Airbnbs there. Now, I wanted
to experience Bora Bora from the sea.
So, we stayed on a sailboat for the last
few nights, and it [music] was
absolutely amazing. I mean, it was like
we were on a bungalow, except we could
go somewhere new each night and
experience Bora Bora from all angles.
Now, one of my favorite things that we
did in Bora Bora was snorkeling. The
water was just incredibly clear,
probably some of the best I've ever swam
in, and it was such a wild experience.
Swim with sharks. If you want to
experience tropical paradise this year,
you got to give Bora Bora a visit. Well,
that is it for my 2026 top 10. Let me
know where you want to travel this year
in the comments below. You can follow me
on Instagram and Tik Tok at Shirley.
It's Ryan and we will see you later.
