Are these places on your bucket list? See Travel + Leisure's Where to Go in 2025 list

Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY
·1 min read

As we approach the end of the year, it's the perfect time to start mapping out our adventures for 2025.

For those looking for travel inspiration, Travel + Leisure dropped its Where to Go in 2025 list on Wednesday. The travel media outlet's staff of almost two dozen vetted almost 120 destinations worldwide to hand-select the 50 that made the list, from Slovenia to the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin.

"To make it on our list requires more than just a hotly anticipated opening or two," said Alisha Prakash, associate editorial director at Travel + Leisure, in a statement. "These are places that feel of the moment, whether that’s because they offer unparalleled access to the outdoors, a cultural immersion you can’t find anywhere else, a pulse-quickening hit of excitement, or the sort of blissful luxury only a true five-star property can deliver.

The list has something for every kind of traveler, with seven main categories: cultural immersion, nature lovers, big-city thrills, moments on the water, food and drinks, beach vibes and adventurous travelers.

"Each of these 50 noteworthy destinations may have their own distinct allure, but all are worthy of a closer look in the year ahead,” Prakash said.

Here are some of the top picks from the list.

Domestic destinations

People are seen through ice formations as the sun begins to set in the Apostle Islands ice caves. Visitors were able to traverse frozen Lake Superior from Bayfield hiking more than two miles round-trip to view the natural majestic sculptures.
People are seen through ice formations as the sun begins to set in the Apostle Islands ice caves. Visitors were able to traverse frozen Lake Superior from Bayfield hiking more than two miles round-trip to view the natural majestic sculptures.

  • Apostle Islands, Wisconsin

  • Portland, Oregon

  • Colorado’s Western Slope

  • San Antonio, Texas

  • San Diego, California

General view of the Portland skyline and the Williamette River.
General view of the Portland skyline and the Williamette River.

  • Sacramento, California

  • Charleston, South Carolina

  • Sanibel Island, Florida

  • Detroit, Michigan

A general overall aerial view of Ford Field (left) and Comerica Park. The stadiums are the home of the Detroit Lions and the Detroit Tigers, respectively.
A general overall aerial view of Ford Field (left) and Comerica Park. The stadiums are the home of the Detroit Lions and the Detroit Tigers, respectively.
Trees are silhouetted against the backdrop of a mountain range along the Seward Highway as the sun sets outside of Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 23, 2023.
Trees are silhouetted against the backdrop of a mountain range along the Seward Highway as the sun sets outside of Anchorage, Alaska, on Aug. 23, 2023.

International destinations

Thai oarsmen row royal barges past the Grand Palace during the Royal Barge Procession along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on October 27, 2024.
Thai oarsmen row royal barges past the Grand Palace during the Royal Barge Procession along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on October 27, 2024.

  • Thailand

  • Budapest, Hungary

  • Lisbon and the Algarve, Portugal

  • Barbados

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where to go: See Travel + Leisure's Where to go in 2025 list

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