Make sure you have room on your 2026 bucket list because the adventure experts at lonely planet They’ve revealed the 25 best places to visit in the coming year — and two are in the United States
Guide’s Best in Travel 2026 The book Theodore Roosevelt State of Maine and National Parks lists North Dakota in its rankings, describing the former as “best for dreamy, delicious New England summers.”
lonely planet Maine feels like a “renewed state,” he says, and its largest city, coastal Portland, has become a New England hotspot for new restaurant openings, “especially for chefs who have big-city training and credentials but fear the entry-level prices in Boston and New York.”
The result? It says: “A James Beard Award or nomination on every corner downtown.” lonely planet.
The guide also urges travelers to “explore coastal towns perched on piers and emerald islands off the coast, including those located in Maine’s crown jewel: Acadia National Park.”
“Maine has it all, from a great culinary scene to art and architecture to a beautiful coastline,” the guide concludes.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, meanwhile, is where visitors will see “roaming bison, prairie dog colonies so big they might be metropolises, painted canyons, exotic rock formations and dark sky gazing.”
It adds, “It is the scenery of the North Dakota badlands that captivated Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States… and inspired Roosevelt to buy a cattle ranch in 1883 and retire there after the death of his mother and wife.”
Today, the park honors the president by protecting 70,000 acres of prairie.
The North American continent is also represented on the list by Mexico City – home to world-class museums, cheap entertainment and cocktail bars – and British Columbia, Canada, “a land of mossy forests, jagged mountains, whitewater rivers and wildlife-rich ecosystems”.
Other hotspots for 2026 include Botswana, Africa. Sardinia, Italy; Tipperary, Ireland; and Phuket, Thailand
25 best places to visit in 2026
- Peru, South America
- Jaffna, Sri Lanka
- Maine, USA
- Cadiz, Spain
- Réunion (Indian Ocean)
- Botswana, Africa
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Finland, Europe
- Tipperary, Ireland
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala
- British Columbia, Canada
- Sardinia, Italy
- Liberdad, Sao Paulo (Brazil)
- Utrecht, Netherlands
- Barbados, Caribbean
- Jeju-do (Jeju Island), South Korea
- North Island, New Zealand
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, USA
- Cui Non, Vietnam
- Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Phuket, Thailand
