The U.S. will host nearly 80 World Cup contests this year, including the semifinals and finals. It’s also the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. and the 100th anniversary of America’s most iconic road, Route 66. By all rights, U.S. travel and tourism officials should be booking rooms left, right and centre (sorry, center). But ongoing political issues, rising prices for visas for some visitors, and a general reluctance to visit the States by residents of many countries (including Canada) has some questioning whether a golden opportunity will slip out of their fingers this year. Travel Weekly recently Read more
Europe
I’ve been lucky enough to be a full-time travel writer since 2008. I’ve managed to see more than 60 countries around the world, and to visit some of the most exotic places on earth. As well as some tried-and-very-true destinations that are well worth your trouble. Here’s one travel lovers list of great places to explore in 2026. Some of them have specific reasons, such as the Winter Olympics, while others are simply personal faves or places that could use your business right now. AZORES These Atlantic Ocean islands to me are like a combination of Hawaii, Scotland and Portugal Read more
U.S. News has a nice roundup of top places in the world to explore in the coming year. They also listed top destinations in the U.S.A. and Canada, as well as Europe and the Caribbean. Here’s a look at some of their findings. BEST WORLD DESTINATIONS FOR 2026 Rome (hard to argue with The Eternal City) Tokyo (amazing food and ancient temples) Prague Swiss Alps (so beautiful) Mauritius Iguazu Falls, South America Amsterdam (fab museums and atmospheric pubs) Machu Picchu Palawan (Philippines) Santorini (still never been) Bora Bora (perhaps the most beautiful island on the planet) Tanzania Sydney Paris (not Read more
I love these year-end look-ahead pieces that talk about great places to visit the following year. Earlier I referenced some top picks by National Geographic. Today I’ll look at top choices from Conde Nast Traveler and BBC Travel. CONDE NAST TRAVELER Among their top picks were several of my fave places in the world, and at least one I hope to visit soon. ROUTE 66 I had hoped to do this trip by car next spring. Alas, health concerns got in the way and I won’t make it. Perhaps I can visit some of it later in 2026. I’d really Read more
Congratulations to the True North Strong and Free. A recent report by The Reputation Institute, a corporation with offices in Boston and Copenhagen, ranked the top countries in the world based on how the rest of the world perceives them. They considered such factors as natural beauty, the populace’s outlook and attitude towards their homeland, domestic safety and security, and the competence of the government. Canada came out on top, followed by Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia. The U.S. didn’t make the top 20, which seems to suggest what the rest of the world thinks of Donald Trump and his Read more
