The results of this year’s hottest and best dream trips to out-of-this-world destinations poll are in! We asked you: what were your favorite dream trips of 2017 and top choices we kept seeing over and over were Iceland, Cuba, Portugal, Morocco and Paris.
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Paris is a classic as 70% of our readers have been to Paris and most would go again! However, the other destinations saw fewer visitors with close to 20% visiting Iceland for example, but still ranked higher since a majority of them specified that it was their favorite destination all year over Paris! Read on for your responses to why these destinations are real favorite dream trips!
- Iceland: Read our Guide to Iceland by sam_wanderlust!
- oddball.on.the.roll Iceland – it got me believing in fairy-tales.
- globechowder My best trip this year was chasing the northern lights in Iceland. It was magical!
- slowtravelstory Iceland and Cuba. Iceland for my first time experiencing 5 weathers in one day.
- Cuba: Read why Cuba is on our Weird and Wonderful Caribbean Bucket List! Photo below by @topolindra.
- lilazteca510 It was Cuba in September!
- nuyorkdreamer Cuba!!! What an experience. Read her Tips for a Seamless Trip to Cuba.
- Portugal: Read our list last year which recommended Portugal!
- girlgoneabroad My best trip was Portugal! Lisbon, Sintra (pictured above), the Algarve…pure magic. Read more here.
- emilymgarces Portugal! I️ spent three months there, exploring the country north to south. I started off in Porto where I️ got to taste awesome wine and meet amazing locals. Then went down to Ericeira and Cascais learning how to surf then went down to the Algarve to explore the beaches and all its amazing cliffs and scenery. Ended my trip in the amazing city of Lisbon that has SO much culture.
- girl.gone.away Loved visiting Lisbon this year, just as colourful as all the photos of it! The food, views & the people of the city, definitely make me want to go back again.
- Morocco:
- jenniferscamera Morocco is one of the favorite trips I’ve ever taken. Riding camels into the desert and watching the sun rise over the dunes is a truly magical experience.
- mireille_farrugia Definitely and by far – Morocco. So unexpectedly life changing and mesmerizing! Have written a whole blog post about it here.
- Paris:
- iamfoodietraveler For me, Paris definitely changed the way I see the world but you never know what 2018 will bring in terms of new amazing experiences! Read more here.
- Kenya:
- travelhouseuk My fav trip was to kenya, I loved being at Giraffe Manor. It was so incredible, meals are slightly unpredictable at giraffe manor. In a boutique hotel in the subrubs of Nairobi Kenya. You will be, just sitting down for breakfast, when Through the window comes a long neck, at the end is a peckish giraffe looking for a treat and they are so adorable that you can’t resist adoring them and sharing your meal with them.
- South Korea:
- tales_ofa_twenty_something Seoul, South Korea! It was my first solo trip- such a beautiful place mixed with 18th century palaces and sky scrapers… tons of pride considering the olympics will be there in 2 months! I went during the infamous Lantern Festival, which was olympics themed too! Definitely my favorite place.
- Across the USA: Read about our cross-country Amtrak trip from NYC to San Francisco and back!
- Annamazurekphoto Yellowstone: (pictured above) If you haven’t been to Yellowstone, move it to the top of your bucket list! The Lamar Valley is known as the Serengeti of the North America due to the high concentration of animals. Plus, it’s postcard perfect, and it’s easy to escape the crowds. For more about Yellowstone, check out this free photo guide! on TravelLikeAnna.com
- Rinehlers South Lake Tahoe: “I recommend Tahoe if you need get away and clear your head or unplug with loved ones. Nothing will make you look up from your phone like an Alpine lake and a horizon full of forest. This is one of those gems that truly lets you choose your own adventure: you can spend your time connecting with mama nature the old fashioned way, or you can disappear into a spa for a few days. If you’re looking for a bucket list experience, then I’d invite anyone to copy my yearly pilgrimage to the Sundance Film Festival: cocoa, camaraderie, and movie going. What could be better than that?” Read the guide here.
- ouiwegirl I spent the beginning of the year road tripping around America! 9 total road trips from coast to coast – it was the best way to truly connect with the beauty of America and the people in it! I photographed and documented the style and culture stories I found out on the road in my book: “Wanderful: The Modern Bohemian’s Guide to Traveling in Style” (of course, I blogged along the way too)!
- wandering_speechie The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. Plenty of hiking trails. Cozy log cabins. Surrounded by nature and waterfalls. The perfect escape!
- tinabeantravels My favorite 2017 vacation was an 18-hour road trip with my brother from Austin, Texas to the Grand Canyon as a celebration of his full-“ride” he received to college! It was a trip that neither of us will ever forget! Read more here.
- China: Read our 25 Things You Must Do in China!
- i.vyx Definitely China! 🇨🇳 I went with my sister who studies Chinese language, so it was a bit easier for us to get around. She still had troubles with understanding them when they talked too fast or spoke a dialect though. We landed is Shanghai, then went to Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, Wudangshan, Xi’an and Beijing. I sometimes felt like celebrity haha since a lot of locals wanted to take pictures with us. I can’t blame them, I really was standing out – I’m quite tall even for our standards let alone theirs, have blonde hair and blue eyes. China really has a lot to offer and this was an experience I’ll never forget!
- South Africa:
- waleochronicles For me it’s South Africa; Western Cape region. I did a road trip from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. I was blown away by the beautiful landscape. Lets just say I discovered my love for nature here.
- Australia:
- kaelitravels I spent a week or so visiting friends in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and did a three-night tour of Uluru and the Aussie Outback where we did epic hikes all day and slept in swags (glorified sleeping bags) under bajillions of stars, listening to the dingo howling. Such a great trip.
- Hawaii:
- quickwhittravel The Big Island of Hawaii! It was the best adventure with incredible hikes and a lava boat tour, the best in natural beauty in the flowers and water, and the best in friendliness of the people! Read my 7 Steps to plan your big island trip.
- Sri Lanka:
- alicelai_ Definitely Sri Lanka ! First time travelling as a backpacker, and loved the experience. Not only the country is beautiful, but the people are truly the best
- Bangladesh:
- josephinevdnieuwendijk My most interesting travel this year was to Bangladesh, a beautiful country, a bit forgotten by the world… And not often visited. I loved the curiosity and humbleness of the people. They where helpful and friendly. Not many people spoke English so hands and feet where necessary! The nature and cities where incredible too. From extremely busy traffic, serene forts to endless views on rice & tea fields. From small mountains and waterfalls to long beaches… The country really touched my heart. I hope it will touch many more hearts in the future! On my IG you can find many photo’s taken on this trip. I hope this inspires many.
- Mexico:
- belle_travels_ I spent a few weeks traveling around Mexico this year. What an amazing, inviting country. You have to find beauty in the decay sometimes to appreciate where a country is currently. Mexico is not always what you want it to be, rather what you need it to be. Get away from the comfortable and you just may find what you needed. My sister and I traveled together, sharing life changing experiences together that we will never forget. We ate meals we may never burn the calories from either. We climbed both Aztec and Mayan ruins. We got sunburnt overtop bug bites which was really neat. We said the same thing at the same time more times than we could count. We discovered our new favorite song called Pollito con Papas, which is legitimately just about a mans love for eating a little chicken and potatoes, which I feel is very understandable! We ate 1400 day old mole at Pujol, one of the best restaurants in the world. We bore witness to a tremendous celebration of pride on Independence Day. I got chills when the sound of “viva Hidalgo!” echoed through the city while fireworks went off and people danced the night away. We swam with whale sharks on Isla Holbox! Like, whoa. I can’t even think of all the things to try and recount, there were just simply too many. Mexico will be a part of me now, as are all the places I go.
- Japan:
- mrswyliesworld Japan takes the top spot for 2017! I got to see its beauty in the midst of this year’s fall foliage. The vibrant colors, the “almost-winter” scent, the people, the food, everything was just perfectly and beautifully incredible!
- India:
- simoneoverseas India hands down! Spending a week volunteering in Southern India experiencing the great work, the culture, the people will be a memory I’ll have forever.
- Myanmar:
- travellust_nl This year I gave up my office job, sold my house, car and almost everything I own. I started a new life as a full time travel blogger and freelancer. Travelling and working around the world! Myanmar has been my favorite stop so far. At the moment I’m in Thailand. Can’t wait for all the adventures in 2018!
- Sao Tome and Principe:
- dtravelista If I would have to chose, it would be Africa’s second smallest country, the Portuguese speaking islands Sao Tome and Principe. They are surreally magical with their vibrant green jungles and old massive trees. Peaks reaching for the sky suddenly appearing in the mountains that spread out proudly over the whole land. And the people… they speak Portuguese so you feel as if you were in Brazil, yet you are on the other side of the Atlantic. They shine! Maybe it’s the food, practically all is organic on the islands, maybe it’s the air… pure to the point that it could possibly clean your lungs. Whatever it is, I will go back… over and over again until someone says stop.
Which dream trips are next on your bucket list?
Read which top dream trips were on our list last year in our Where to Go 2017 Destinations to Visit Before They Become Tourist Traps.
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