Trending destinations to visit in 2018 before they’ll be ruined

In this post I’ll tell you some destinations to visit before they’ll be ruined. Every once in a while new countries and cities start to trend and everybody wants to visit them. So as a traveler, you probably want to explore the original culture and the way of living before the destination turns into a huge tourist resort. For example, a few years ago almost no one had visited Croatia/Bosnia&Herzegovina/Montenegro. I visited them in 2011. Just a few years after that - around 2015-2017 they started to trend. Trending in travel section means that newspaper start to write about it, celebrities start to go there and you see pictures of the destination in ads and social media. Therefore people start to notice the place and it becames more and more tempting. This leads to increasing number of tourists in the destination which sadly may transform the original culture to more tourist-friendly culture. This leads for example to old buildings being teared down for new vacation resorts. Of course this doesn’t happen always but the risk is considerable.






So now - which countries/cities are trending now? You should visit them in 2018 to see their real glow before they lose it.


1. Tbilisi, Georgia
The capital of Georgia is a mix of old buildings and modern architecture for example in the form of glass bridge. The city is stunning and just a few hours away from Gudauri -  a perfect spot to ski in the Caucasus. Cheap prices and wide selection of different activities attract people. Georgians aren’t very used to people from other countries and it might be a bit hard to find a common language since their English skills are mostly quite bad. Although you might speak different languages, Georgians are always extremely friendly and welcoming. For example our bus driver offered us homemade wine just because he had it with him. Also a positive thing about Georgia is the cuisine. It uses meats and different kinds of breads differently than any other cuisine. Even restaurant food tastes like it’s been made with love. Now tourists are starting to realize what a beautiful country Georgia is and it’s becoming quite popular. So don’t hesitate - grab your bag and go to enjoy Georgian atmosphere!

If you're interested to read about my adventures in Georgia - check out this.


2. Cuba
The beautiful island just 90 miles away from Florida is like taking a time machine to 1990’s. Colorful houses, stunning cars and extremely beautiful weather lure tourists to Cuba now that communism is gone. It’s a huge risk at the moment that we are going to lose some parts of this unique culture when it starts to serve tourists rather than protect its culture. Cuba isn’t the safest country in the world so be careful though nowadays it should not be that dangerous anymore.


3. Maldives
This one isn’t in the risk list because of tourists. It’s in this list because of the global warming that causes the glacier and ice bergs melt. Melting leads to the rising sea-level which may bury Maldives and other countries/cities like New Orleans underneath the sea.

Maldives have always been pictured as paradise islands. Long white beaches, palm trees, turquoise water and so on. It’s the perfect place for relaxing. So if you want to see what a paradise on the Earth looks like - go check out these beautiful islands!


4. Eastern Europe
Travelling to Eastern Europe is becoming more and more popular all the time. Popular destinations are Bulgaria, Hungary and former Yugoslavia. If you want a bit mote of peace when you travel you should try Moldova, Romania or Belarus. In Eastern Europe the culture is different that in Western Europe starting from religion and ending to food and architecture. For example in Minsk you can see huge squares and buildings built during the time of Soviet Union. It gives a whole new perspective to Europe's history. You should definitely see that before they start to build new buildings!


Eastern Europe is a great destination for budget travelers. For example you can get a 4-day holiday for under 300 including flights from Europe, hotel, transportation ticket and foods. 


5. Morocco
Now that several new flight connections from a few European cities have been opened, the amount of tourism will be growing. Morocco is a beautiful country that can give you a clue of African and muslim culture. Morocco isn’t the safest country for solo travelers but if you are careful you shouldn’t have any problems.

When you visit Morocco try riding in a camel caravan in the Sahara desert. Or enjoy the cuisine with amazing spices that you can find from the street shops. A quick visit to Morocco is easy to arrange by taking a ferry from Spain. Then you can spend one or a few days in Morocco and then head back to Spain.


These were my picks for countries you should visit in 2018. I shared these for you so you could travel to these and help to protect the culture by not ruining the environment. Of course there’s a lot more similar destinations that are in danger to be destroyed by tourists. I hope you enjoy my list and it will help you to pick your next destinations!
-TH

Comments

  1. I would add Berlin as well. Berlin is becoming way more touristy than five, seven years ago. It is causing a real gentrification and a turning point for the architecture and vibes of the city!

    Marg
    www.outsidelivingtravel.org

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  2. Great post. Those places are definitely on my must-see list. I have been to some countries in the Eastern Europe and saw the trend you are describing myself...On the other hand, with your post, you are also supporting the growing tourism in the above mentioned places. :)

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    1. Thanks! Though I'm not supporting it, I'm giving the opportunity for travelers like me who respect the local life and would rather sleep in Airbnb or hostel than a massive hotel resort.

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  3. Informative post, thank you for sharing :)

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  4. Quite a comprehensive list. Many of these places have been on my bucket list for long. Thanks for reminding me that they should be visited sooner than later.

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  5. I'll select Morocco for the time being. Thanks for highlighting these beautiful destinations :-)

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  6. I’m yet to explore all of the locations mentioned above. Georgia and Morocco top my must visit list. Hopefully I can tick them off this year!

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    1. Georgia and Morocco are both in my TOP 10 countries list! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

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  7. I am really wanting to visit Cuba before it gets too modernized with all of the visitors. Several friend have and said it's wonderful and somewhat sad at the same time.

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    1. Cuba has amazing history and should be definitely visited!

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  8. Unfortunatley many places of the earth will vanish in the next few years.
    I would like to check them out. At the same time it worries me, that only because of the mass tourism some of these places are vanishing.

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    1. Yes it makes me sad as well, but as travelers we have to take care of them.

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  9. Out of all the places listed here, Morocco is my the place I want to go to the most

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  10. Haven't visited any of these places... yet! I would add east coast Canada too... everyone goes to Vancouver, the rockies or Montreal but the maritimes are beautiful too! Great post 😊

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    1. Thanks for the add! That should definitely be on the list as well.

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  11. Man, I agree with all of these. And they're all on our list but not places we'll get to see this year - *sob* hah I'd probably add Banff to this - it's so Insta famous now and, while it's still pretty clean and beautiful, I can't imagine it'll stay that way forever.

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