Every October, the Lonely Planet publishes its list of Top Ten Places to Visit. Any minute now, the hotlist will appear on a screen somewhere near, so I thought that I would try my luck at guessing what the LPs travel brains might pick.

1. BEHOLD THE CLOUDFOREST HUNCHES...
BEST IN TRAVEL 2014
WHAT WILL THE LONELY PLANET SAY?

2. WHAT’S NEXT IN TRAVEL...
About this time every year, the Lonely Planet
announces its top ten countries to visit in 2014.
So, what’s next in travel? Good game, right?
I’ve been keeping my ear to my passport, and
here are my educated and not-so-educated
guesses...
Ready? Consider tea at this point.

3. 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
1. ALGERIA
2. BANGLADESH
3. CANADA
4. GEORGIA
5. GREENLAND
6. KRYGYZSTAN
7. OMAN
8. PERU
9.RWANDA
10.SIERRA LEONE
1. EL SALVADOR
2. GERMANY
3. GREECE
4. MALAYSIA
5. MOROCCO
6.NEPAL
7. NEW ZEALAND
8. PORTUGAL
9.SURINAME
10. USA
1. ALBANIA
2. BRAZIL
3. CAPE VERDE
4. PANAMA
5. BULGARIA
6. VANUATU
7. ITALY
8. TANZANIA
9. SYRIA
10. JAPAN
1. UGANDA
2. MYANMAR
3. UKRAINE
4. JORDAN
5. DENMARK
6. BHUTAN
7. CUBA
8. NEW CALEDONIA
9. TAIWAN
10. SWITZERLAND
1. SRI LANKA
2. MONTENEGRO
3. SOUTH KOREA
4. ECUADOR
5. SLOVAKIA
6. SOLOMON
ISLANDS
7. ICELAND
8. TURKEY
9. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
THE LP TOP TEN ARCHIVE

4. The world is your lobster...
So let’s get
guessing....

5. Here we go...
Why?
Consistently ranked as one
of the friendliest places in
the world by Lonely Planet
readers, it’s time this
explosion of culturally
diverse and beautiful
islands got the top spot.

6. Next up...
Why?
Costa Rica packs a mighty punch
for a miniscule country! Volcanoes,
beaches, rainforests AND great
coffee! It hasn’t made the list for
the last 5 years and eco-tourism is
going strong, so I predict great
things for this little land.

7. Also on the podium...
Why?
The Rainbow Nation has
been more welcoming than
ever since the World Cup
AND it’s the 20th
Anniversary of SA’s first
democratic election in 2014.
Go and support diversity!

8. Moving it along...
Why?
Well, the unexplored
dramatic landscapes and
volcanoes of Kamchatka
have been creating rumbles
in the press lately. The
Winter Olympics will also
help Russia wander into the
spotlight during 2014.

9. Pull the other one! It’s only...
Why?
Yes, it’s our humble little
island and I believe we might
just get a look in. It’s the
100th anniversary of WW1,
the Commonwealth Games in
Scotland and I’m pretty sure
there will be a nationwide 1st
birthday party going on....

10. Let’s all move to....
Why?
South East Asia is now seen
as reaching backpacker-
saturation point, so
independent travellers
looking for sun, fun and
adventure are beginning to
head further East. Oh, and
they’re opening the biggest
arena in the world there in
2014.

11. And now for something
different...
Why?
Well, the home of Vlad might be
something of a stab in the dark,
but Romania has all kinds of
great things going on. The thick
forests, untrodden mountains
paths and Transylvanian history
make it far more than a walk in
the hills...

12. My wildcard (in more sense
than one)...
Why?
Gabon is now being billed as the
‘Costa Rica’ for Africa due to
the sheer diversity of its wildlife
and the beaches are rumoured
to be magical. Snug to the West
African coastline, it’s the real
unknown ie. begging to be
explored!

13. Two spots left...
Why?
Crumbs alive, Colombia is so
full of life! Think scarlet
macaws, brightly painted
buildings and rich green hills.
Vivid doesn’t even begin to
cut it, and it’s attracting
more independent travellers
than ever before.

14. Last but oh-so-far from least
Why?
2014 is being billed as an epic
year for the Northern Lights,
so head north to Sweden!
More than that, Sweden is
wonderful for summer
wilderness, one of the safest
places to travel, AND it’s just
been named the best place to
grow old!

15. That’s it. What would your
guesses be?
A few of the countries that didn’t quite
make my cut...
Latvia, Puerto Rico, Samoa, the Maldives...
Now. Go forth and make your own list! And
share me, please :)
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