18 best places to travel in 2018

4 Feb 2018


There's a phrase we like to use at Traveler to describe certain destinations: "It's having a moment." It comes up a lot—that near-impossible-to-pin-down, can't-put-our-thumb-on-it logic as to why you should visit somewhere, now. We feel an urgent need to get to Antarctica; to visit the Azores before the crowds do; to discover a part of former Czechoslovakia the world has overlooked. Travel can be a meaningful way to be an ambassador. So do your part: These 18 editor-endorsed destinations are the best places to travel this year.

4/18 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Ask anyone who lives in Minneapolis why they love it, and they'll quickly rattle off an impressive list of restaurants, theaters, and natural attributes—not to mention that whole "Minnesota nice" thing. (If you're braving -20 temps year after year, there's got to be a reason you're staying, right?) This winter, the open secret of a city gets put firmly under the spotlight with the arrival of Super Bowl LII, but there are a few reasons to visit long after football has come and gone. Count 'em: the best parks system in the whole country, as determined by the Trust for Public Land's 2017 ParkScore Index; an exciting food scene with 13 James Beard Award semifinalists; Prince's Paisley Park Museum, which opened in 2017 in nearby Chanhassen; and the quietest place on earth—literally. Even better news? It's easier than ever to get to the Midwest city, with 28 new nonstop routes added in the last two years. —Katherine LaGrave

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