Another year dawns, promising another 12 months brimming with potential when it comes to travel.
Our priorities might be different in terms of trips – some of us plump for hiking through untouched landscapes, while others are all about experiencing destinations through the unique prism of their food scenes – but The Independent’s travel team are all equally excited by the prospect of exploring new corners of the world in 2024.
Some places are obvious contenders for our hard-earned tourism pounds thanks to big, showstopping, landmark events; some are less attention-grabbing, but have piqued our interest thanks to more understated, under-the-radar charms that offer the allure of bigger-name rivals without the crowds.
Whatever manner of wanderlust you’re currently experiencing, here’s our selection of destinations to sate it for 2024: from world-class cities to blissfully rural regions where nature reigns supreme.
Read more on travel inspiration:
Aurillac, France
“Build it and they will come.” The 2024 version of that aspiration is: put a place on the map by launching a night train, and see who turns up. Until French Railways (SNCF) announced that Aurillac in southern France would be the next destination for a sleeper service, I harboured no ambition to visit the prefecture of the Cantal department. Now, though, I can barely wait to board the train at Paris Austerlitz for a 13-hour, 350-mile overnight journey through the heart of France to Aurillac. This garrison town, population 28,000, is perched at 600m above the Mediterranean – which is 160 miles away. It is protected by a ninth-century chateau (though the Volcano Museum it houses appears closed until June). Aurillac is also well placed for a journey south to the coast – via the amazing Millau Viaduct, which I have yet to cross. A visionary transport secretary may be a mere aspiration in the UK, but France’s ministre des transports, Clément Beaune, sees Aurillac as just the start in reconnecting the nation de nuit. Simon Calder
Kent, UK
Kent has numerous vineyards and wineries
(Getty Images/iStockphoto)
OK, I’ll hold my hands up – I live in Kent. But I rarely stray further than my town of residence, Folkestone, or the surrounding coastal spots, something that’s definitely going to change in 2024. That is, in part, due to some major wine tourism openings…
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