Where Next: The Ten Best Places to Go in 2026

Inspired by Virtuoso

2026 is shaping up to be a year of inspiring travel opportunities, the kind that stay with you long after you’re home. The destinations on this list will create shared moments , cultural connection, and provide new perspectives.

Each year my fellow travel advisors and Virtuoso contributors share their thoughts about the best places to go in the year ahead, and why! Destinations that prioritize cultural immersion are hot, as are getaways that put food or adventure at the center of our clients travel experiences.

Whether you’re looking to celebrate a milestone birthday, planning a much-needed family vacation, or simply ready to experience something new, these are the places worth building a trip around in the coming year.

Where to Travel in 2026

• Europe’s Next Hot Capital: Riga, Latvia

• A Cinematic Pilgrimage: Cornwall, England

• Countryside Totality: Catalonia, Spain

• Holy Slopes: Deer Valley, Utah

• Snorkel This Way: The Philippines

• Urban Goals: Miami, Florida

• South American Star: Bolivia

• New Frontiers: Brahmaputra River, India

• An Elevated Classic: Kenya

• Gold-Medal Summer: Dolomites, Italy

Europe’s Next Capital to Know: Riga, Latvia

Riga, Latvia's capital, feels like Europe before the crowds arrived. Set along the Baltic Sea, Latvia’s capital blends a storybook medieval old town (UNESCO World Heritage site), with grand Parisian-style boulevards (minus the crowds), an extraordinary collection of art nouveau architecture, and a creative energy that feels refreshingly local. This is a city where you can wander, linger, and feel part of daily life, rare in today’s Europe.

Adding to the experience is a massive food market in a historic military hangar, a world-renowned symphony, and a celebrated ballet tradition (Mikhail Baryshnikov danced here). It's most definitely a destination that is worth visiting while it still flies under the radar.

Stay: Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga offers an elegant base steps from Old Town, with a rooftop bar, spa inspired by Latvian bathhouse rituals, and effortless access to the city. It combines tradition and modernity beautifully. Tuckerz Travel clients receive Virtuoso amenities including breakfast daily and a $100 dining or spa credit.

A Cinematic Escape: Cornwall, England

Cornwall’s wild coastline, golden beaches, and cliffside villages have long been beloved by locals, and more recently discovered by filmmakers and travelers in the know. From Poldark to House of the Dragon, this corner of southwest England delivers dramatic scenery with a distinctly soulful feel.

Beyond the screen, Cornwall shines for its sustainable initiatives, art scene, and an emerging culinary scene. It’s a place best explored slowly, before its secret status fades.

Experiences: Travel in unforgettable style aboard Belmond’s Britannic Explorer, England’s first luxury sleeper train, with curated off-train experiences along the Cornish coast. The explorer takes up to 36 passeners on three-night-tours from London to Penzance with stops along the way for wine tasting, castle gazing and more.

Totality & Tranquility: Catalonia, Spain

On August 12, 2026 a total solar eclipse will follow a route from Greenland and Iceland, across Portugal and into northern Spain. Pair Barcelona and the Costa Brava with a visit north to the Basque region for eclipse viewing. Quieter ancient villages like Girona and Besalú offer the perfect home base for enjoying the unique culture and delicious delicacies alongside eclipse viewing.

With the Perseid meteor shower peaking at the same time as the eclipse, this is a rare chance to experience a different side of Spain, away from the busy-city lights.

Insider Touch: Private vineyard visits, paella cooking classes, hot-air balloon rides in Catalonia paired with a bike ride before dinner at a seventeenth-century masia (Catalan manor) and cava to toast the show.

Holy Slopes: Deer Valley, Utah

Deer Valley is redefining the American ski experience with massive expansion that nearly doubles its terrain, making it's well-known manicured corduroy and skiers-only policy even more amazing. And alongside this expansion, Park City will enjoy a final wave of Sundance-era buzz before the festival relocates to Colorado in 2027.

Stay: Montage Deer Valley delivers ski-in/ski-out luxury, panoramic mountain views, and a spa designed for post-slope recovery. Tuckerz Travel clients receive Virtuoso amenities including a $90 daily breakfast credit and a $100 spa, dining, or activities credit. 

Island Time, Elevated: The Philippines

With over 7,600 islands, the Philippines remains one of Southeast Asia’s most rewarding, and least explored destinations. Think crystal-clear water, dramatic limestone karsts, and a warmth that comes as much from the people as the sun. And the best part, travelers have really only scratched the surface of this destination.

From private-island escapes to yacht-based exploration, this is barefoot luxury at its finest.

Journey: If cruising is your thing, experience a new 12-night itinerary aboard The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. This 452-passenger yacht departs Hong Kong for Singapore via The Philippines. If cruising is not it for you, we understand but not to worry, there are some amazing places to visit and stay on land.

Urban Energy Meets the Tropics: Miami, Florida

Miami is having a moment, and 2026 will be peak buzz. Between Formula 1, the World Cup, and the Miami Open, along with a wave of luxury hotel openings, the city is cementing its place as one of the world’s most dynamic urban destinations.

Yet beyond the headlines, Miami still delivers sun-soaked beach days, vibrant neighborhoods, and effortless glamour.

Stay: The newly redesigned Delano Miami Beach returns as a South Beach icon, blending nostalgia with modern elegance. Tuckerz Travel clients receive Virtuoso amenities including daily breakfast and a $100 hotel credit.  

South America’s Rising Star: Bolivia

From Amazonian rainforest to the Andes, Bolivia surprises at every turn. Whether you're an intrepid adventurer or not, the country's growing appeal has even more to offer with an emerging Indigenous culinary scene astrotourism in the Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt-flat.

Astrotourism, culture, and dramatic landscapes come together in a way few places can match.

Explore: A curated private or small-group journey from Santa Cruz to La Paz can bring you UNESCO-listed archeological sites, preserved colonial cities and the Salar de Uyuni's expanse.

New Frontiers: The Brahmaputra River, India

India’s northeastern state of Assam remains largely untouched, and that’s exactly the appeal. Cruising the Brahmaputra River opens access to tea estates, river-island communities, and Kaziranga National Park, home to rhinos, elephants, and tigers.

This is India for the curious traveler: immersive, flavorful, and deeply human.

Sail: Small-ship expeditions are coming in 2026 and 2027 from National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and Viking making the area is more accessible while offering an intimate way to experience one of the world’s least-touristed great rivers.

An Elevated Classic: Kenya

Kenya continues to redefine safari travel, with new conservancies and lodges emphasizing sustainability, community partnership, and meaningful wildlife encounters. AndBeyond’s new 14-suite Suyian Lodge is the sole operation in the Suyian Conservancy on the biodiverse Laikipia Plateau north of Mount Kenya. This area introduces travelers to wildlife reserves, cattle ranches, and tribal lands whose stakeholders have come together to support the highest diversity of large mammals in Kenya.

From walking safaris and horseback rides to quiet moments watching the Great Migration, this is conservation-led travel at its best.

Design Your Journey: Combine Kenya with Rwanda or Tanzania for a deeply layered East African experience with accommodations that can meet every travelers interests and needs.

Gold-Medal Summer: The Dolomites, Italy

While the Winter Olympics spotlight the Dolomites, summer is when the region truly shines. Cool alpine air, pink-hued peaks at sunset, and endless hiking and cycling routes make this a dream escape from Europe’s rising temperatures.

Charming villages, mountain huts, and dramatic scenery create a rhythm that’s both active and restorative.

Stay: Aman Rosa Alpina's 1939 chalet in the village of San Cassiano offers contemporary alpine luxury, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking forested slopes, exceptional dining, a spa with indoor and outdoor heated pools and seamless access to outdoor adventure. Tuckerz Travel clients receive Virtuoso amenities including daily breakfast and a $100 dining credit.  

Ready to Start Planning?

Let us take the stress and research off your shoulders and together we'll create a tailored journey just for you. Whether 2026 is about celebrating big, reconnecting with loved ones, or finally taking that trip, we’re here to help design something unforgettable, thoughtfully planned, beautifully paced, and entirely yours. Let's chat!

This blog post was inspired by an original article that appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of Virtuoso, The Magazine (U.S./Canada edition).