The NY Times' 52 Places to Go in 2020: Reactions, Highlights & Other Tidbits
The sun sets on Ittoqqortoormiit, a remote town on Greenland’s eastern shore (Photo: Annie Spratt)
That’s right, folks, it’s one of my favorite times of the year: the release of The New York Times’ annual “52 Places to Go” list, which is packed with so much travel inspiration that an extra baggage fee is surely unavoidable. I’m a little late to the party this year, as the “52 Places to Go in 2020” list came out Jan. 10, but do not fret! I have not come across, nor sought out, any reviews or commentary on the list prior to typing the words you are presently reading, therefore my judgement has not been soiled in any way (go ahead, breathe a sigh of relief).
But all right, now I’ve got to say it: Washington, D.C., at No. 1? That was a little surprising, to say the least. The rationale — 100 years since women’s suffrage, the capital’s designation as “a cosmopolitan crossroads where American society blends with international influences” — are fine enough reasons for it to earn a spot among the 52, but No. 1?! Had it been up to me, I might have gone with Tokyo (No. 9), where this year’s Summer Olympics will be held, or Christchurch, New Zealand (No. 24), which stands as “a global symbol of resilience” (in Elaine Glusac’s words) after the March 2019 terrorist attack on two mosques.
Sticking with things that surprised me, another one was the amount of love given to both Spain and Italy, which each tallied three entries on this year’s list. I don’t have anything against the pair — it just seemed noteworthy how many times I saw them pop up. The Spaniards were represented by Asturias (No. 25), Minorca (No. 41), and Val d’Aran (No. 46); while the Italians came in hot with Sicily (No. 7), Molise (No. 37), and Urbino (No. 51). Europe as a whole has a whopping 19 entries, beating out every other continent and region of the world. That number is up slightly from last year, when Europe still led the way overall but got only 16 total nods.
Let’s get into some particulars, though, shall we? I don’t think it’s worth our time to comment on the rest of this year’s top five, as you can easily check that out for yourself, but in years past I have made a point of mentioning both those destinations that I would deem the easiest to get to, as well as those that would qualify as the most remote. That would seem a prudent tradition to continue.
A look at the Miraflores district of Lima, Peru (Photo: Willian Justen de Vasconcellos)
As for those easier-to-get-to destinations in 2020, here’s some of what we’re working with:
No. 13: Colorado Springs — A cozy mountain town at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs made the cut this year thanks in large part to the brand new U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum opening in April
No. 22: The Bahamas — These beautiful Caribbean islands have the opposite of an over-tourism problem; following Hurricane Dorian, the tourism industry is up and running nearly at full capacity again, and they’d be more than happy to have you
No. 27: Austin, Texas — The capital of the Longhorn State has long prided itself on being “weird” (or so I’ve heard), but they also have great food and a riveting art scene, apparently
No. 31: Paris — The City of Lights is never really out of the spotlight, but finds itself on this year’s list due to some big goings-on, including the 18th-century Hôtel de la Marine opening its doors as a national monument and the reopening of the fashion museum Palais Galliera
No. 36: Lima, Peru — Flying to South America hardly breaks the bank, and visiting one of the continent’s largest cities — especially this one, which is home to a pair of restaurants included in the top ten of the world’s best — wouldn’t be the worst idea
Of course, the harder-to-get-to destinations are just as, if not more, exciting to dream about, just by virtue of their very hard-to-get-to-ness. If you’re in search of something a little more out of the way, perhaps try one of these:
No. 4: Greenland — If cheap is what you aim for, Greenland is not for you; but if you can get yourself there, glaciers, fjords, and shaggy-haired musk oxen await in the world’s least densely-populated territory
No. 12: Lesotho — Surrounded entirely by South Africa, Lesotho likely isn’t one of the first countries that come to mind when you think of Africa — but travel to the “mountain kingdom” and you’ll be rewarded with a culturally-rich and naturally-beautiful experience
No. 28: Sabah, Malaysia — Occupying the northern tip of the island of Borneo (which is split between Malaysia and Indonesia), more than half of Sabah is made up of rainforest; true adventurers will appreciate Mount Kinabalu, which rises over 13,000 feet
No. 33: Tajikistan — Akin to Greenland, this landlocked Asian nation is one of the least-visited places in the world and what The New York Times calls “pure off-the-grid travel,” as the country’s infrastructure still has a long way to go (the new Hilton hotel in the capital doesn’t hurt though)
No. 50: Transylvanian Alps, Romania — Describing anywhere in Europe as “remote” is a bit of a stretch, but this mountainous region — officially the Southern Carpathian Mountains — doesn’t necessarily get as much love as the Swiss Alps, even though there’s just as much beauty to be found
The Malaysian state of Sabah is filled with rainforest scenes much like this one (Photo: Iqx Azmi)
If there was one other pattern that stuck out to me after pouring over this year’s list, it was the inclusion of places that are gradually becoming more easily accessible. Greenland, which will see two new international airports open within the next few years; Lesotho, which has launched an e-visa program; and Tajikistan, which is easing visa restrictions itself and continuing to benefit from the expanding services offered by Somon Air (the country’s first private airline), all fall under this category, but so, too, do these destinations:
No. 15: Jodhpur, India — New nonstop flights from Delhi and Ahmedabad on budget airline IndiGo make India’s “Blue City” even easier to get to
No. 17: Egypt — The addition of Sphinx International Airport, which began running domestic flights in early 2019 and saw its first international flight at the dawn of 2020, makes visiting Cairo easier than ever
No. 23: Kampot, Cambodia — A road-widening project and a new port with ferries to Vietnam and other islands in the Gulf of Thailand are helping make this riverside town in southern Cambodia less of a struggle to reach in 2020 and beyond
There are others, as well — Christchurch, New Zealand, and Uganda (No. 30), among them — but don’t let me spoil all the fun. You can check out this year’s 52 Places list in all its wander-full glory by clicking right here.
And if you enjoy my reviews/reactions to The New York Times’ annual list so much that you want to revisit what I had to say in 2018 and 2019, far be it from me to stop you.
-LTH