The 25 places you need to visit in 2018, according to the world’s top travel experts – Part 3

By Bobbie Edsor From Business Insider

Sail through the air past towering waterfalls and gleaming glacial lakes in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.Unsplash/Leila Azevedo.

The more you travel, the more you realise there’s so much of the world still to discover.

In order to help you put together your 2018 travel bucket list, Business Insider asked the world’s most esteemed travel experts — from the likes of Airbnb and Lonely Planet to independent bloggers and backpacking Instagrammers — for the one destination everyone should visit in the new year.
Including three experts who simply couldn’t pick just one location, their answers have been compiled into a list of must-see places to visit in 2018.

Whether it’s a spot set to be the next big travel trend or a completely under-the-radar natural phenomenon that you need to see in your lifetime, scroll on to discover the 25 best places to visit in 2018, according to the world’s leading travel experts.

Hike to the Callandish Stones in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
Flickr/Chris Combe
Paul Hughes, CEO and Founder of minibreak index Rare Escapes, believes that travellers need look no further than Scotland’s Outer Hebrides for their next adventure.

“Everyone has to visit the Outer Hebrides on the West Coast of Scotland,” Hughes said.

“This is a land shrouded in ancient history, with spectacular standing stones [Callandish Stones] sat in a landscape of beautiful white sand beaches, mountains, Golden Eagles, and — best of all — there won’t be another tourist in sight.”

Take a road trip to Gullfoss, Iceland.
Unsplash/Mahkeo
“My wife and I don’t enjoy busy cities or tourist-centric place, so for us, Iceland is perfect,” said travel photographer Lachlan Menzies, who goes by @loch_irl on Instagram.

“If you can (weather permitting), hire a car and take your time. Four hours out of the capital city, in any direction, you get a sense of isolation. The culture still has many components which hark back to Iceland’s small hamlets when people lived off the land and sea.”

Menzies, who described Iceland’s landscape as “prehistoric,” recommended Gullfoss waterfall for an unforgettable landmark that photography will never do true justice.

Grab a spa break in Tallinn, Estonia.
Flickr/Alexander Annenkov
Online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com analysed data on the fastest growing destinations this year in order to determine the biggest travel trends for 2018. The city on the top of their list was Estonia’s capital city — Tallinn.

Reigo Eljas, Country Director at lastminute.com, said: “I might be a bit biased as this is my hometown, but Tallinn is the perfect destination to start the new year as you mean to go on with a warm spa break in the winter.

“Also, it’s not every year a country turns 100 — so join the celebrations and combine a visit here with a trip to Helsinki (just a two-hour ferry ride). We think a combination twin-city break will be a huge trend for 2018.”

Jump on a train to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Unsplash/Mitchel Lensink
Amsterdam is also going to see an uptake in minibreaks from British travellers, according to lastminute.com’s predictions.

“Amsterdam has become a hub of hot hotels and slick restaurants,” Eljas said.

“The new Eurostar route from London in spring 2018 will really open up Amsterdam for a more relaxed and convenient way of travel — particularly for repeat visitors, who can include a quick day stopover in Brussels, too.”

Party on the beaches of Dakar, Senegal.
Flickr/Robin Taylor
India Dowley, Digital Editor of Suitcase Magazine, told us that, while Ghana’s been a big destination for UK travellers in 2017, Senegal will be the next west African hotspot.

“Senegal is another emerging west African destination, thanks to its great beaches for surfing, music venues, culture, and food,” she said.

Surfing spots around Dakar, Senegal’s capital, aren’t in short supply, and a keen surfer can find good waves all year round here.

See the frozen waters of Lake Baikal, Russia.
Unsplash/Sergey Pesterev
“The more you travel the more it seems to you that you don’t travel enough!” said Instagram stars and travel bloggers Murad and Nataly Osmann — the beauty and brains behind viral photography account @followmeto.

“All the places we’ve been to are worth-seeing, but if you ask us to name one place, we would say that Lake Baikal is definitely a must-see in 2018. It’s the world’s largest freshwater lake and the world’s deepest lake. It was a crazy trip and we were so amazed to see it frozen over that we made a series about it.”

Stargaze in Teide National Park, Tenerife.
Flickr/Christoper Czermak
Cristina Pereira, Royal Concierge Manager at the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort, believes that Teide National Park in Tenerife deserves to be recognised as a holiday hotspot in 2018.

“Considered one of the best places in the world for stargazing, we recommend that our guests [at the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort, Tenerife] visit Teide National Park,” Pereira said.

“Here, they can stargaze from an altitude of over 3,55o metres in a landscape with practically no light pollution whatsoever. We recommend guests admire this awe-inspiring natural spectacle from Teide National Park’s cable cars, where they can be accompanied by an expert astronomer.”

Sail over Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland in a ski lift.
Unsplash/Leila Azevedo
“Switzerland is phenomenal. From the snow-capped alpine regions to the countless waterfalls and green landscapes, picture-perfect scenery lurks around every corner,” said Jonny Clayton, the keen Aussie traveller behind travel Instagram account @jonny.melon and travel blog Dare To Travel.

“Lauterbrunnen, the valley of 72 waterfalls, is Mother Nature at its finest!” Clayton said.

Take in the culture of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Walk along Stari Most bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Unsplash/Faruk Kaymak
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is definitely the place to be in 2018,” said travel Instagrammer Mili Shah, known on the platform as @runway_wings.

“Sarajevo is a magical city where people from all over the world amalgamate to create a wonderful puzzle. But Mostar is another culture in itself and cannot be missed.

“Visit the 16th Century Stari Most bridge to witness a 450-year-old tradition where divers get together once a year and dive 20 metres into the cold waters of the Neretva River.”

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