Fodor’s Travel directs us to 25 “can’t miss” places based on criteria that include “buzziness.” This year’s World Cup host, Brazil, makes the list, as does “hip, new, design-savvy” Detroit.
In its quest for value destinations, deals website Travelzoo lists five locales, including the Jersey Shore and Palm Springs, Calif. With top 10 countries, cities, regions and more, there’s hardly a spot on the globe that Lonely Planet?doesn’t?mention. And BuzzFeed’s 22 “stunning under-the-radar destinations” directs us to a single U.S. gem: Ohio’s woodsy Hocking Hills.
Meanwhile, Tripology, an online travel referral service (and division of USA TODAY) that connects travelers with travel agents, is betting on the usual suspects: Las Vegas; Cancun, Mexico; and Orlando, in that order, based on actual bookings.
Here are some trends and events likely to get us on the road in the coming year:
Peer-to-peer travel
If 2013 was the year peer-to-peer travel arrangements gained traction, this is the year they will go mainstream. The so-called sharing economy now generates an estimated $3.5 billion a year, and its largest sector is travel.
What started with sites like Airbnb, Couchsurfing and Roomorama, which connect travelers with lodging in private dwellings, now includes peer-to-peer tour services (Vayable, CanaryHop); car sharing (RelayRides, Hubber, Lyft); and meal sharing (EatWith, Feastly, HomeDine). You can even rent bikes and skis (SpinLister) or a spot to pitch a tent (CampInMyGarden).
Some sites are kicking it up a notch in terms of service. Airbnb, which has more than 550,000 listings worldwide, launched a Hospitality Lab headed by Joie de Vivre hotel chain founder Chip Conley to train hosts for a more consistent guest experience.
Onefinestay injects a luxury-hotel sensibility into home stays through “carefully curated” listings and upgrades to registered properties, such as high-end linens and an iPhone with the absentee host’s suggestions for dining and shopping. It launched in London and New York in 2009 and added short-term rentals in Paris and Los Angeles in the fall.
Notable anniversaries
Special events keyed to major milestones are surefire attention-getters. Among the notable commemorations in 2014:
Yosemite National Park celebrates 150 years?of protected status (thank you, President Lincoln). Hundreds of events, most of them in surrounding communities, are planned throughout the year.
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