The 11 best places to travel this year

At that: on any given day, our editors are consulting with industry experts, tracking hotel openings, tasking the thoughts of tastemakers, and venturing to explore various corners of the globe. In the words of St. Augustine: “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Yet, in an age of both social media saturation and over-tourism, the prerogative to do so in an “in-the-know” way feels imperative. For you and the world itself: a summer weekend trip to Venice in theory is dreamy, until one experiences the crushing crowds that are damaging the city’s historic, fragile infrastructure. (That soul-sucking scene likely wasn’t shown off on your friend’s carefully curated Instagram story.)

So for 2024, the Vogue lifestyle team decided to share the places that after listening, exploring, and researching, we are angling to responsibly visit over the next 12 months. Some are emerging and under the radar. Some are perennial favourites experiencing a rejuvenation or marquee moment. Some are meant for rest and relaxation, and some are meant for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. What they all have in common, however? They’re worth the vacation days.

Below, the 11 best places to travel in 2024.

Both Margot Robbie and Dua Lipa were spotted vacationing on the under-the-radar Cycladic island (population: 2,500) this summer, suggesting that it might not remain quiet for much longer. The big draw, other than its crystalline waters? The food. Nikos Tselementes, a chef who is largely considered the founder of modern Greek cooking, was born on Sifnos in 1878. (His 1950 cookbook, Greek Cookery, was the first Greek cookbook translated into English—making Mediterranean cuisine go worldwide.) He developed a culinary culture of sea-and-farm-to-table cuisine on the island that continues to this day.

Omega 3, a rustic restaurant that sits right upon the beach, is known to have the best seafood on the island. (Last year, Jeff Bezos was a patron.) Meanwhile, Barack Obama and Tom Hanks recently dined at Cantina. With no airport on the island, Sifnos is only reachable by boat or ferry. For those looking for “slow travel”—or, the art of relaxed, no-agenda vacations—Sifnos is emerging as just the place. —Elise Taylor, senior living writer

After Jet Blue added direct flights to Grenada in 2017, Grenada (known as the “Spice Isle”) slowly began to emerge as a stealthy yet accessible Caribbean getaway with great rum, flavorful food, and sandy beaches that were undeveloped and relatively free of crowds. Silversands opened there in 2018, and this spring, the island will welcome a Six Senses resort set upon 38 acres on its southern tip.

Although there’s a near-infinite amount of things to do outside of these luxury resorts: Walk around the buzzing capital of St. George’s and its boat-dotted harbor, or hike through the rainforest in Grand Etang National Park. Scuba-dive to see tropical fish, colorful coral reefs, long-forgotten wreckage (the island is often called the Shipwreck Capital of the Caribbean) as well as the world’s only underwater sculpture park.

While Quito will already be familiar to more adventurous travellers as the gateway to the Galapagos, over the past few years, it’s begun to make a name for itself for another reason entirely: its design credentials. Nestled within the Andes, this high-altitude city has become a haven for high-concept architecture, with names like Jean Nouvel, Moshe Safdie, and Bjarke Ingels all creating avant-garde wonders far beyond its UNESCO World Heritage-protected old town, partly thanks to the benefaction and support of the local Schwarzkopf family.

With this investment has come a wellspring of exciting new design and culinary offerings, as well as a new wave of stylish and sustainably minded boutique stays. There’s the Carlota Hotel which boasts playful wallpapers and murals that nod to the country’s rich design heritage—as well as a stunning rooftop bar with views all the way across to the volcanic hill of El Panecillo—as well as the tranquil Illa Hotel in the heart of the old tow, which features a beautifully tiled pond as its courtyard centrepiece. In 2024, expect Quito to become not just a stopover for those following in Darwin’s footsteps, but a world-class design destination in its own right

Big Sur is a perennially popular American road-trip destination, with millions cruising down Highway 1 each year to take in the jagged, breathtaking Pacific views. (Cue the Big Little Lies soundtrack.) Yet, thanks to a number of buzzy boutique hotels, they may find themselves extending their pit stop on the Northern California coast.

This fall saw the reopening of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s La Playa Hotel, a historic artist retreat that has completely been transformed by the Post Company. (Former guests include Ansel Adams and Steve Jobs, who debuted the first prototype of Apple’s Macintosh computer at the hotel.) Meanwhile, properties like Post Ranch Inn and Ventana Big Sur keep visitors coming back again and again.

While the rich history of Tangiers stretches all the way back to ancient times, it was during the early 20th century—when it spent a few decades as a colonial “international zone”—that it first earned a reputation as a travel hotspot for free-spirited Westerners, ranging from Tennessee Williams to the Beat poets to the Rolling Stones. That countercultural spirit remained even after the Moroccan Independence for those looking to shop in its labyrinthine souks, take in its Art Nouveau and Art Deco architectural marvels, soak up the sun at the city’s nearby beaches, and drink the night away in one of its atmospheric, speakeasy-esque bars.

Over the past year, however, Tangiers has finally opened a pair of luxury hotels to match. First, there’s the Fairmont Tazi Palace, which opened at the end of 2022 in a sprawling Andalusian-style palace that belonged to a former advisor of the king, with an enormous spa and landscaped outdoor pools. Elsewhere, Villa Mabrouka—Jasper Conran’s second Moroccan hotel after his beloved Marrakech riad L’Hotel—opened just a few months ago: a 12-room, bohemian boutique stay in the former home of Yves Saint-Laurent with interiors by Jacques Grange, extensive gardens, and spectacular views over the strait of Gibraltar. If you’re seeking an escape for some early spring sun with a side of style and culture, right now, there’s nowhere better than the Bride of the North. (A nickname the city acquired, by the way, for the striking white houses and mosques that line its hillsides.)

There’s one reason you might have heard of Jeju, the island off the southern coast of South Korea that has long been a beloved Seoulite summer getaway: the haenyeo, or the matriarchal community of women divers who spend hours underwater each day harvesting shellfish. (Well, actually, maybe there are two reasons: it’s also a favoured location for romantic K-dramas, which has prompted a new wave of global interest in the island.)

While the Seaes Hotel on the island’s southern coast has previously held strong as its premier luxury hotel for intrepid travellers—thanks in part to its widescreen ocean views and charming accommodations inspired by traditional fishing villages—there’s a new crop of hotels to bring a little competition. The newly-opened architectural marvel of the JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa can be found perched atop a volcanic cliff, offering a jumping-off point for those seeking to explore the island’s natural wonders, from waterfalls to volcanic craters, and then retreat back to the enormous spa or soak in the outdoor hot springs. Often referred to as Korea’s Hawaii, getting to Jeju might be a little more complicated than hopping over to the Aloha state, but if you’re already planning a city break in Seoul, it’s the perfect retreat after a few days in the urban sprawl.

Our front-runner for the next Ibiza? Bodrum, Turkey. While always known for its chic clientele—Ahmet and Mica Ertegun vacationed there for decades—it’s received a glamorous jolt as of late: last summer, The Bodrum Edition opened, joining the 1970s bohemian icon Macakizi as one of the most fashionable resorts on Turkey’s side of the Aegean. (“A resort destination that doesn’t feel resort-y, the vibe at this luxury spot on the Turkish Riviera is more “chilling out at your extremely stylish billionaire friend’s estate” than “hotel stay,” Vogue wrote in our hotel review). This November, their restaurant Kitchen received a Michelin star.

Meanwhile, this summer will see the arrival of Scorpios, the famed Mykonos beach club. With the Côte d’Azur and Amalfi Coast being swarmed with unprecedented crowds over the past few years, the Turkish Riviera is primed to become the next see-and-be-seen summer hotspot.

Explorers and eco-travellers: keep your eye on Madagascar, the remote Indian Ocean island with some of the richest biodiversity in the world. While the tourism industry within the country is still a developing one—and the standard travel precautions should be taken—a number of notable camps are setting up in its wilds: Namoroka Tsingy Exploration Camp will open inside Namoroka National Park in mid-2024, whereas Voaara will join private-island resort Time + Tide’s Miavana as an upscale beachside retreat. Meanwhile, luxury adventure tour operator Black Tomato developed a conversation-focused tour of exploring both its rainforests and remote archipelagos. Coastal East African neighbour Mozambique, too, is also emerging as a wild beach getaway with properties like Kisawa Sanctuary and an upcoming Banyan Tree.

With Croatia’s travel boom over the past decade—and the streets of Dubrovnik and beaches of the Dalmatian Coast now reaching tourist saturation point—it’s the perfect time to head further afield within the Balkans and discover the historic towns and picture-postcard swimming coves that more than rival a Croatian getaway. Montenegro has been the first to benefit from this ripple effect, now playing host to uber-luxury resorts belonging to Aman and One&Only, but the latest up-and-comer on this front? Serbia.

What this sprawling, landlocked country doesn’t have in beaches, it makes up for everywhere else. First, there’s the capital of Belgrade, which is not only an up-and-coming destination for young creatives of all stripes, but boasts some of the best nightlife in Europe. For more grown-up travelers, however, there are Ottoman palaces, Orthodox temples, and even a museum dedicated to Nikola Tesla; plus, with a St. Regis poised to open in 2024, a new wave of luxury hotel offerings is likely to follow.

The real wonders of Serbia, however, lie in its hidden natural treasures and wildlife: with breathtaking mountains, gorges, rivers, and waterfalls, it’s the perfect place to head off the beaten track in 2024—in every sense.

As Audrey Hepburn once said, “Paris is always a good idea”—and indeed, the French capital is so well-visited that one may wonder why it even needs to be mentioned at all. Yet, as it gears up to host the 2024 Olympics, the City of Light is shining brighter than ever. There will be swimming in the Seine, beach volleyball at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, and a marathon start at the Hôtel de Ville’s grand historic square. (“Because Paris is not like any other city, it deserves every honour,” reads the official Paris Olympic website. “The Games in the capital city promise a complete spectacle, thought out for the athletes, spectators and television audiences.”)

And, because this is Paris, even athletics are done fashionably. The games as a whole are sponsored by the luxury conglomerate LVMH, who will tap their many fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands to support the international event. (Chaumet will design the Olympic and Paralympic medals, for example, while Moët Hennessy wines and spirits maisons will provide alcohol for the official hospitality events. And one can only wonder about the official uniform…) Meanwhile, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is staging the exhibition “Mode et Sport, d’un podium à l’autre” (Fashion and Sports: from one podium to another), which runs through April 2024.

Need another reason? Over the past few months, Paris has welcomed a number of notable new boutique hotels, from the Martin Brudnizki-designed Le Grand Mazarin in the Marais to the Belle-Époque-inspired Château des Fleurs.

While tourists will always flock to the sun-soaked Balearic Islands and the charming coastal towns of the Costa Brava, tucked away in the northwestern corner of the Iberian Peninsula you’ll find some of Spain’s most breathtaking beaches—just whisper it, though, as the region is a closely-guarded secret among its long-time devotees, even if its slowly but surely been gathering word of mouth interest over the past few years, and is poised to have a moment in the spotlight. Those devotees include starchitect David Chipperfield, who has a minimalist, monastic holiday home in the fishing village of Corrubedo, as well as a large contingent of the Madrid fashion set. (And speaking of fashion, a local family in the charming city of A Coruña has sponsored recent exhibitions on photography titans including Peter Lindbergh, Helmut Newton, and Steven Meisel.)

But back to those beaches. Head to the region’s western coast (while making a pit stop in the city of Santiago de Compostela, a treasure trove of Baroque architecture best known as the endpoint of the famous Camino pilgrimage route) to visit the golden yellow sands and crystal blue waters of the Rías Baixas, and spend a night at the Relais & Chateaux associated Hotel Pepe Vieira, which boasts a two Michelin star restaurant specializing in inventive riffs on Galician staples. But the real showstopper? Take a trip out to the Islas Cíes, which has some of the most spectacular beaches this side of the Caribbean. Just make sure to reserve in advance: as a carefully protected nature reserve, only 1,800 visitors are allowed over by ferry a day. You’ll want to make sure you’re one of them.