15 Best Travel Destinations in 2016

Are you fed up with all the regular travel destinations? Do you get the feeling that every place you go to offers the same experience, serves the same food and gives off the same vibe?

Then it’s time for a change, it’s time for the travel destinations which might not be the first ones that pop into your mind. We have the list of the 15 best travel destinations that will offer you a completely new experience.

1. Faroe Islands

No matter what year it is, Faroe Islands are always a good travel destination. July to August will be a perfect time to visit Faroe Islands, as that is the time when temperatures are comfortable and mildly warm, and the sunlight lasts long.

Planes that can lead you to Faroe Islands fly once a week, and the same goes for going back. There are a lot of nice places where you can stay, that will fit your budget and style. If you want to explore the Faroe Islands, you can easily do it by car, but make sure you first familiarize yourself with the narrow lanes and the driving ways on these islands, because if you are not a local resident, you might get confused.

Faroe Islands are thought to have been first inhabited with Irish monks, and it was considered “the paradise of the birds” as there are many species of birds enjoying the nature and richness of this place.

2. Esteros del Iberá, Argentina

This place has many lakes that create a web in the northeastern Corrientes Province in Argentina. The water in these lakes is so pure and glittering that the people usually refer to it as “brilliant water”. These waters take up 3.2 million acres of the mentioned province, and have been declared a natural reserve in 1983. The horizontal landscape of this place is very beautiful and intimate. It was previously famous for the animal who was the king of this area, jaguar, but it was driven out during the 1950s. However, environmentalists are trying to raise awareness and taking action in order to bring jaguar back to this area.

The best time to visit, if you like tropical temperatures, is during the summer which here lasts from December to February. This is the time when you can see colorful birds and flowering plants and experience the tropical side of this area. If the purpose of your visit is to see the wildlife, then the best time to visit is from March to June, while if you wish to experience the holidays in Argentina, the best time is the winter, which lasts from June to September.

If you would like to experience some history, a must-see is one the old cattle ranches located on the outskirts of the Ibera Provincial Park. It holds more than 4000 cattle, hundreds of horses and a traditional colonial spirit that would be a pity to miss if you have the chance to visit.

3. Sea Islands, South Carolina

Some of the most important events and periods in American history took place here, in Sea Islands, and you are able to see the evidence of this history while relaxing and getting some tan on your vacation. When people come to visit Sea Islands, they often know very little about the history of the place, and the stories come as a surprise to them. If you are planning to visit and on the way experience some of the Gullah culture, you will enjoy storytelling, and sampling traditional food. If you are thinking when would be the perfect time to go, here are some dates for you. Mid March is the time when the Hilton Head Island Wine and Food Festival takes place. At the end of May, on the 29th, the Annual Original Gullah Festival will be held, and this is an event that should not be missed, if you have the chance to visit. Another very interesting event, Penn Center Heritage Days happen from 6thto 9th November, and this is an event dedicated to celebrating the Gullah culture, music and art.

When in Sea Islands, you should not miss trying the Gullah dishes, especially “okra matoes stew” and the “sweet tater” bread pudding, as these are original Gullah meals and they directly transfer the sense of their historic culture and tradition.

4. Mont St. Michel, France

The Abbey of Mont St. Michel has been leaving visitors breathless for more than a thousand years now. This spectacular looking locality rises from a bay where the tides are so high and merciless that they are among the highest in all of Europe. The weather around this magnificent monument changes very quickly, often even hourly, and the light and the sky usually look like they are playing with each other, restlessly.

As Mont St. Michel was fairly unreachable, in 1897 a causeway was built to ease the access. It then stopped being surrounded by clean and beautiful water and became an abbey at the end of a big mudflat. However, this all changed with a project realized in 2005, when this abbey was returned its access to the sea, and its original spirit was restored. The goal for the future is to get it to float in the water that surrounds it again.

The best time to visit Mont St. Michel is when the tides are the highest, because then you will be able to see the magnificence of water rushing in and around the Mont. But, you can also go when the tides are low, as then you can walk around the tidal flats and go sightseeing accompanied by a tour guide, as going by yourself could be dangerous, because of the changing tides.

5. National Mall, Washington, D.C.

With the growth of American national fortunes grew the National Mall which started occupying a large space back in the 1922, when the park reached 2 miles in size. With the passing of time, many things have changed, and the Victorian plants that used to bloom here have been replaced with a kickball field, and at the place where a high class brothel from the Civil War was, now stands the National Museum of the American Indian.

The Mall is perceived as a holy ground by the citizens of Washington, who congregate on the Lincoln Memorial steps – the steps that carry a great part of American history as it is the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held his most famous and remembered speech, “I Have a Dream”.

As of 2015, The National Mall has reached its true form, and many people haved worked very hard to get it there. It will not only be a formal park in a federal city, as the aim is to make it into a place where everyone will be able to express themselves freely and no one will be discriminated.

The best time to visit the National Mall would be at the time of the National Cherry Blossom Festival that last from March 20th until April 12th. And of course, one of the most famous American holidays, July the 4th will be celebrated with fireworks, so if you are thinking where to spend this day – think about doing it here, as it will be spectacular.

6. Corsica, France

Corsica somehow successfully resisted the influences of time and other cultures and two centuries after the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica still possesses the same spirit. Even though it is closely connected to Italy and France and it would be very easy to embrace these cultures, Corsica has stubbornly held on to its own unique culture and continued speaking the Corsican language. However, since the island of Corsica is in a place where multiple cultures clash, keeping its own culture as it is, in its original form, has been a constant struggle.

The island’s mountainous area has successfully stayed fairly untouched by human hand, as most visitors go to Corsica to see the house where Napoleon lived, the historic La Maison Bonaparte located in Ajaccio. As for the coast, it seems to be very pleasing to tourists as it shows the real spirit of this place and its cultural and historic value. Corsica is, for the most part, very quiet and peaceful. There are many quiet villages and valleys which are protected as a part of the national park The Parc Naturel Régionale de Corse, which takes up a little less than half of the island of Corsica. If you decide to go hiking, you will see beautiful pine and oak forests, and the best time of the year for this is from May to June and from September to October. On the other hand, if you are going there to soak up some sun on a beach and engage in water sports, then you should go from July to August.

7. Medellín, Colombia

This city was some time ago the world’s cocaine capital, but that is no longer the case. Now most negative aspects of this city have been replaced by the positive ones and the place that was known for terrorism has now become a place where tourists gladly come to enjoy their time when on vacation. Medellín has become the new tourist hotspot in Colombia, and what is most attractive for tourists in this city are actually the views. In the valley downtown, a combination of avant-garde architecture and enormous sky scrapers, and beautiful Andean mountains gives the city a unique and interesting look and spirit, as a modern city is surrounded and protected by a powerful mountain.

Other tourist attractions include the public places that are filled with art, giving a city that artistic free look. Artworks are exposed on the streets and in parks, and the paintings and sculptures include the works of famous artists such as Picasso, but also of those less known.

The best time to visit Medellín is whenever you feel like it. Throughout the entire year the temperature is always around 72 ºF. But if you want to experience some of this city’s culture, you could go at the beginning of August, when the Flower Festival takes place, or in December when you will have the opportunity to see the city in its full glory when the holiday lights are set up, and the true holiday spirit can be felt in the air.

8. Maramureș, Romania

This historic land is one of the most natural and untouched-by-human-hand places in the world. The hills are kept as they are, with no roads carved or grass cut with a loaning machine. Everything is hand cut and handmade and people here value the worth of human labor and effort. This is the place where things haven’t changed much in the last few hundreds of years. The traditional ways are kept safe and the only difference between how things were then and the way they are now is the way people retell it, not much more. This land is rich in rivers, valleys and fields and non-asphalted roads. However, the bike trails have been modernized so people could commute more easily, but it stayed in the spirit of the tradition.

In Maramureș, everything is made of wood – tools, gates, ornaments, house roofs. The churches that still stand since the 17th century are also made out of wood, and they have become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and on their wooden walls there are pictures that tell stories about the history of Maramureș, the good and the bad, and represent an important part of Romanian culture.

If you go to Maramureș, from July to September, you will be able to experience hiking, an activity which will not leave you feeling indifferent when you try it in this land. However, if you want a taste of the culture of Maramureș, the best time to visit would be September.

9. Haida Gwaii, Canada

If you haven’t visited this tranquil island it’s high time you do. The thing that attracts the most travelers to Haida Gwaii is the quietness and peace that rules this place. This is a 180-miles long archipelago which has a variety of natural forms enriching it – but most of all dense forests with many different types of beautiful trees. Recently, scientists have found that people lived underground in this area, and the evidence indicates that this was the case around 12,000 years ago.

This area is so peaceful and quiet that just writing on a piece of paper could sound too loud after you get used to the quietness. This is especially pleasant as you can enjoy the sounds of water washing the sand of the beaches, birds singing, the wind slowly moving the branches of trees. All of these quiet sounds can relax you and bring you some inner peace that you probably need if you are working a full time job and living in a big noisy city.

The tourist services are most available during the summer, which lasts from May to September, and this is also the best time to visit Haida Gwaii. However, if you would like to have some excitement, too, and not just peaceful time, than go during the winter which lasts from October to May, because that is the season for surfing. If you are thinking how to get to Haida Gwaii, don’t worry, there are flights twice a day that lead to and from this place.

10. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City has changed much in the recent years, and only for the better. One interesting factor that will make this city good to visit is, in 2015 the fact that an 11-acre white-water rafting center will be opened and put into use.

To be fully open and honest, the midtown of this city used to be full of crack houses, and it really wasn’t a good place to visit, especially if you are taking your family with you. However, this has changed significantly and now it is a place where there are many new condos, classy hotels and stores. And this city will only continue improving.

If you are planning to visit this city, you might want to take part in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Half Marathon or 5K, which will take place on the 26th of April. However, if you are looking to experience some culture, from June 10th to 14th, a deadCENTER Film Festival will be held, and this is certainly something you should see if you are visiting at that time.

A fun fact about Oklahoma City is that it became a city in only a day, on the 22nd of April, 1998, when more than 10,000 people moved to this area and settled there, thus setting the roots of the city that has become and been the capital of Oklahoma since 1910.