12 Places to Go in 2024 - Personal Recommendations
When I post my Top Travel Recommendations list every year, I always include the caveat that the list is not my personal recommendations but come from the Travel Powers that Be. But travel is personal and I have my own opinions on these things and specific interests that I look for when I travel. So I do my own travel recommendation lists as well! (you can see previous years here).
I try to have a geographically balanced list and not to repeat the same place year after year. Also, I have to caveat that I have not been to all, or even most of these places, so my endorsements are frequently based on research, rather than personal experience.
Please enjoy my 12 Places to Visit in 2024 and happy (and safe) travels!
Tunisia
2024 is the year to visit Tunisia for one very simple reason – after a two-year closure and following extensive renovations, the Bardo Museum has reopened. This may sound like the most Ravenclaw reason ever, but hear me out. The Bardo Museum is one of the top museums in the entire African continent – second only to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The museum has everything from the world’s largest collection of Roman mosaics, ancient Punic artifacts, unique Korans including a famous blue Koran, and Tunisian Sejnane pottery. Outside of the museum though, there are ruins, including the ruins of Ancient Carthage and the Roman amphitheater at El Jem, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Tunisia is a short, inexpensive flight from France, making it an easy hop for those in Europe, or lending itself well to a combo France-Tunisia vacation if you’re coming from further abroad.
Malta
Malta first came onto my radar in 2019 via BTS, but when I was considering going this past fall is when I realized just how cool this place is, especially for an historian. Valletta, the capital of Malta, is reason enough to go. It’s a walled port city built in the 1500s by the Knights of St. John, and has fantastic architecture, the star-shaped Fort St. Elmo, and the National Archeological Museum. But Valletta is just one of the more recent historical sites of Malta. There is also the fortified medieval capital, Mdina, in the center of the island, which is currently Norman and Baroque, but was first built and fortified by the Phoenicians around 700 BCE. And moving even further back in time, there are the ruins of the prehistoric megalith temples across both Malta and Gozo, built around 3,000 BCE, and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum from roughly the same era (give or take a few hundred years) which is a huge, excavated subterranean necropolis. So, if you are a history nerd, go to Malta in 2024.
Peru
When I meet new people and they find out I travel a lot, they always ask me “what’s the top place you’ve been” or some variation thereof. Which is not a fair question. But one country that I mention over and over again is Peru. Peru is awesome. Everyone knows Machu Picchu of course (which, yes, see it) but Cusco was probably my favorite city that I visited. I also highly recommend Arequipa, which is less visited but still accessible and famous for its beautiful sillar buildings. And of course Peru is a foodie’s paradise. Home to the best restaurant in the world – Central – Lima is one of the top food cities in the world. There is the blend of Spanish and Andean foods, but also Nikkei cuisine, Japanese-Peruvian food, and Chifa cuisine, Chinese-Peruvian food. I could go on and on, but really, just go. It’s worth your time.
St Louis, MO
Last fall I read Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz, which is about, well, four cities that were major metropolises and then were abandoned. One of those cities, was Cahokia, and the largest and most influential city built by the Mississippian Native American tribes. And I had literally never heard of it. Turns out, the city was built just across the river from modern-day St. Louis. The archeological area is now Cahokia Mounds State Historical Site, and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visiting the site allows you to hike through what was the city, including climbing up some of the mounds (giant earthen constructions), and visit the interpretation center. Of course, if you’re going to see the Cahokia Mounds, its worth checking out St. Louis. The Gateway Arch is a must see of course and then spend an evening stopping by a blues club, as the city is famous for that musical style.
Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido was one of the top recommendations by the Travel Powers that Be for 2024, and I whole-heartedly agree. Hokkaido is a the second-largest of Japan’s main islands and it’s least developed, so it’s a mecca for nature lovers. It’s most famous for winter-sports, the skiing is supposed to be particularly excellent, the national parks and landscapes are great for hikers and cyclists as well. There is more than just hiking though. Matsume is a castle town just across the strait from Honshu. The town was the northern-most limit to Edo Japan, and the castle lands are now a park with over 10,000 cherry trees – making it ideal for seeing the blossoms. If you’re interested in the indigenous Ainu people, check out the National Ainu Museum in the town of Shiraoi. And of course Hakkaido has its own fantastic specialties, including miso ramen.
Vienna, Austria
When I was trying to figure out what to put on this list, my sister told me to put somewhere people can go instead of Paris, since it’ll be super crowded this year. Which is brilliant. So for an alternative grand European city in 2024, I recommend Vienna. I visited Vienna in Fall 2021, and it 100% worth a visit. If you’re looking for art, the Kunthistorisches (Art History) Museum and the Museum of Applied Arts have fantastic collections and are reasonable to navigate for English-speakers. For palaces, the Schonbrunn Palace is a gigantic homage to imperial excess and insanity. And the tour is well worth it. Austria is also a really underrated wine country, and you can easily take a wine tour from Vienna, or take the train to the Wachau Valley which is a key wine region (and beautiful – highly recommend as well). So for 2024, skip Paris and instead head a bit further east to Vienna.
The Kimberley, Australia
The Kimberely is one of the top places to visit in 2024, and I agree for the exact opposite reason as the travel publications. The travel publications are recommending it because of new cruise lines going, making it more accessible. My reason is go before cruises drop too many people in the area. The inland Bungle Bungle Range, which has these tiger-striped sandstone mountains are extremely cool looking and make me want to go just to see those. It’s also a notable location for Aboriginal rock art, some of which is tens of thousands of years old and are thought to be the oldest in Australia. As always – if you go see the art, be respectful of the sacred and historical importance of these sites and any rules related to them. The Kimberley is sparsely populated, hard to get to, and largely wilderness. It’s an adventure, which can be reason enough all by itself.
Madagascar
It’s impossible, for me at least, to hear the name Madagascar and not immediately think “lemurs!” Madagascar is a massive biodiversity hotspot, with unique species thanks to its island status. To enjoy Madagascar’s unique biodiversity and nature, go hiking through a protected rainforest in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, or Ranomafana National Park. For a very different natural wonder, visit the Avenue of the Baobabs – where an unpaved road you can walk passes through dozens of rare, 800-year-old baobab trees. Unfortunately, and the reason I’m recommending going now, the forests and biodiversity are under extreme threat from human activities, such as deforestation (which ironically is how the Avenue of the Baobabs came about). When you go, make sure you are doing it in an eco-friendly and sustainable way, of which there are ever increasing options.
Bolivia
While overshadowed by the incredible sites of Peru, Bolivia is a great place to visit for ancient Andean ruins and colonial history. Only a couple hours outside La Paz, is the ruins of Tiwanaku, the capital city of the Tiwanaku Empire, which ran from roughly 600 CE to 1000 CE (it’s important to remember that there were many Andean kingdoms and empires before the Inca). But the reason Bolivia came on my radar for 2024 was the NYT recommending going to Salar de Uyuni, which is the world’s largest salt flats and natural wonder that turns into a mirror after it rains. Salar de Uyuni is over a massive cache of lithium, and it’s likely mining will begin soon, leading to degradation of the area’s natural beauty. That said, the Bolivian city of Potosi, which was the site of a massive and crucial silver mine developed under the Spanish in the 16th century is now a UNESCO Heritage site. So maybe in a couple hundred years the lithium mines of Salar de Uyuni will be the same.
Tallinn, Estonia
If you’re thinking the Baltics for 2024, go to Estonia and it’s capital city Tallinn. Tallinn is best known for its medieval walled Old Town, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. It was one of the cities in the Hanseatic League – a medieval defense and trading league, kind of like a very early EU in a way - so the Old Town has grand merchant homes from that era, along with medieval churches. You can also check out the, now largely Baroque, Toompea Castle, which is now the home of the Estonian Parliament. For a breath of fresh air, visit the port city’s water front, or Kadriorg Park, which was established by Peter the Great. Estonia also has a digital nomad visa, for those who want/are able to work completely digitally, so you can visit Tallinn, and the rest of Estonia, at your leisure.
Taiwan
This year I really am repping for islands, so it’s little wonder that Taiwan is one of my recs for 2024. First stop is of course Taipei, and the National Palace Museum, which houses nearly 700,000 artifacts, largely from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing imperial courts. The collections were moved to Taiwan shortly before the Communist take-over of mainland China. But there is a lot more to see. Visit Kaohsiung, a port city in the island’s southern end. The city is known for its street art, particularly in the Pier 2 Art Center. For some nature, visit the Taroko National Park in the mountains in the northeast, which is famous for it’s waterfalls and marble gorge. Final reason - given the tense relationship between the U.S. and China and China’s potential for future aggression towards Taiwan, best to go sooner rather than later.
The Northern Lights
This isn’t a specific place, obviously but 2024 is supposed to have the most spectacular and frequent auroras in over a decade as the sun is entering the most active part of its solar cycle. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually need to be a frozen polar bear in the deep of winter to see the aurora – you just need a dark sky and luck. So while summer is out, you can go still see them in October or March. You can see the Northern Lights from anywhere in the far north, so a trip to Alaska, northern Canada, Scotland, or Scandinavia all get the spectacular display. My recommendations for specific places are Tromso, in northern Norway, the Orkney Islands in Scotland, or Denali National Park in Alaska. The lights are fickle and unpredictable though, so wherever you choose, make sure it'll be a place you’ll enjoy regardless of if you see the lights.
