Pro Tips: 10 Best Places to Travel in 2023

• Big Sky, Montana
• San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• Singapore City, Singapore
• Vancouver Island, Canada
• Kauai, Hawaii
• Munich, Germany
• Samarkand, Uzbekistan
• Hopkins, Belize
• Amalfi Coast, Italy
• Melbourne, Australia

Big Sky, Montana

A great place to visit any season of 2023, Big Sky features hiking, skiing, fishing and even ranching.

The 320 Guest Ranch is just down the road from Big Sky and ranch vacations are experiencing a renaissance among travelers looking for something different yet domestic.

The city, and the ranch, are located on a branch of the Gallatin River that’s renowned for fly fishing, so it’s an exceptionally good destination for anglers. And it’s located near Yellowstone National Park, so the views are rugged and spectacular and the air seems just a bit sharper.

Map: Find the Best Outdoor Activities in All 50 States

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

San Miguel de Allende is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and named by Travel & Leisure magazine as one of the best cities in the world. This colonial city made the list thanks to its steep cobblestoned streets, pastel houses and grand 17th-century Spanish architecture, but also because of its exuberant and festive atmosphere with lively cafés, eclectic galleries and excellent restaurants.

El Jardin, San Miguel de Allende’s central plaza, is a beloved gathering place that brings together architecture from four different centuries in a single setting.

Singapore City, Singapore

A cosmopolitan city in every sense of the word, Singapore is also one of the world’s cleanest cities and home to amazing architecture and the UNESCO-listed Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Add in festivals and fireworks at night, incredibly efficient public transport, shopping that’s second to none, and an incredible food scene from the street to the five-star restaurant (not to mention an original Singapore Sling at the Raffles Hotel), and Singapore City is one of Asia’s must see megacities.

And did we mention the airport is regularly voted one of the world’s best?

Vancouver Island, Canada

Vancouver Island is the largest island on the west coast of North America, so there’s a lot to explore for everyone, from the English style gardens and neo-Baroque architecture of Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, to the teahouses and freshly caught seafood that is abundant.

If the outdoors is more your style, Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve is a World Heritage Site on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The coastal rainforest and rocky shoreline offer a unique opportunity for ecotourism, watersports, hiking and more. There’s only one road into this reserve, so consider it your chance to get away from it all.

Kauai, Hawaii

What is the real Hawaii? For some, it will still be a beachside suite, a helicopter tour and a luau. You can get all of that in Kauai, but most of all you can get an up-close look at a stunningly diverse cultural and ecological destination. 

Kauai is surprisingly wild and rural, with most of the development concentrated in a few spots. Hawaii’s oldest and most northern island, Kauai also offers a wide climactic range from super-dry coasts to very wet and tropical mountains – all within a span of a few miles.

From snorkeling to hiking, you can explore the vibrant sea life at Tunnels Beach or take the Wai Koa Loop Trail through North America’s largest Mahogany forest. There is also a UNESCO site not far from the shores of Kauai – Papahānaumokuākea is a cluster of islands, atolls, coral reefs and lagoons. It is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.

Find the Hawaiian island that fits your vacation style

Munich, Germany

The epitome of Southern-Germany bonhomie, Munich will keep you entertained with biergartens and festivals, and offers architectural highlights galore.

Start with the Neues Rathaus, the uber-Gothic city hall. Wander to the storybook-charming Marienplatz and then check out some of the city’s spectacular churches. For a change of pace, visit one of Munich’s three major art museums, and cap things off with a spin through the zoo and – finally – a cold stein of beer at the city’s Viktualienmarkt.

The way to do Oktoberfest is to do it in Munich, and not in October, but to hit it in September, when crowds are a wee bit smaller and the weather’s just a little nicer. Oktoberfest may be the world’s largest beer fest, but it’s also a great place to sample southern Germany’s hearty fare. And no matter how you feel about beer and wurst, Munich is still Munich, and that’s wonderful.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

The name “Samarkand” conjures up images of Omar Khayyam and traders on the old Silk Road, but the city is emerging as a major tourist destination, both for its stunning Islamic architecture and its off-the-beaten-path vibe.

A daunting destination for North American tourists for many years, Uzbekistan is easier than ever to get to and get around, thanks in part to a new network of high-speed trains that connect Samarkand to other major cities like Tashkent and Bukhara.

Go in the spring for the best weather and major events. The summer gets hot.

Hopkins, Belize

Belize is beautiful, relatively undeveloped and more popular than ever. It has resorts, jungles, beautiful beaches, delectable cuisine, and sparkling water perfect for scuba diving. With more than 200 miles of Caribbean coastline, you’re never far away from the sand and the water. 

The city of Hopkins grew from a small fishing village to become one of the main gateways on the mainland to for ecotourism, especially for adventure in the nearby jungle. It hasn’t become over-commercialized, and still has small-town charm for a quiet beach vacation.

If scuba is your thing, Belize is home to the Great Blue Hole, one of the world’s great dive spots ever since the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau declared it such almost a half-century ago. A UNESCO World Heritage Site 45 miles off the mainland of Belize, the circular-shaped Blue Hole is as its name implies a 410-foot-deep hole in the ocean floor lined with coral and teeming with tropical fish, sharks and more.

Can’t miss: Cave-tubing through the jungle is one of the most popular excursions in the country.

Pro Tips: What You Need to Know About Vacationing in Belize

Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast of Italy, located in the Campania region and spanning 30 miles South of Naples, is one of the top European vacation destinations. Travelers can hike in the hills above the Mediterranean, sail between the islands, drink wine and limoncello, or visit ancient ruins and cultural sites. The Amalfi Coast offers every type of traveler a dream vacation. 

The best time to plan your Italy vacation is late spring, summer, and early fall. However, in June, July, and August you will be battling crowds of tourists traveling through Italy.

Ravello, a town high up on the Amalfi Coast, is a World Heritage Site with cobblestone streets, lush gardens, and beautiful architecture. Known as the City of Music, Ravello’s Auditorium Oscar Niemeyer offers a venue for music and dance performances, as well as the city’s summer music festival.

Melbourne, Australia

Described as “a perfect blend of rich cultural history and new age”, Melbourne is home to a vibrant arts and culture scene and is becoming a destination of its own. Melbourne’s Yarra valley is home to a number of vineyards, and no visit to Melbourne is complete without a stop at Queen Victoria Market, a historic site with food stalls and vendors that you can spend hours wandering.

Traveling with the family? The historic Luna Park is home to the world’s oldest coaster and a carousel that the kids are sure to love.

The Dandenong Ranges near Melbourne bring out the best of maple, beech and golden gingko trees changing amazing colors during the southern hemisphere’s autumn season. Plus, you can complete your UNESCO site tourism bingo card by visiting the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens, an impressive site built for international exhibitions in the 1880s that displays Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance style architecture.

A112122110