By Ann Abel

The world keeps growing. Every traveler I know says their wish list constantly grows longer. Deciding is difficult, so I asked my unofficial (but super-smart) team of advisers. They keep their ears on their clients’ interests and their eyes on the adventures they themselves have around the world.

This year is different. Journalists, travel agents, travelers and residents of cities like Barcelona are thinking about overtourism. It’s making these lists tricky. (That doesn’t mean I’ll stop—but maybe I’ll be a little more thoughtful.)

Philippe Brown, founder of Brown and Hudson, said something that sounded right to me. While he played along and sent destinations, he mostly sent trends. My favorite is “ethical travel—sustainability, luxury and wanderlust.” The idea is for tourists (let’s be honest: we are all tourists when we leave home) to leave a light and positive footprint on the places we visit. “The Swedish term lagom— ‘just enough’—is increasingly being heard along with clients wanting everything their way.”

These lists aren’t going away, but I share Brown’s hope that we can all be more mindful about how we travel. With my mini-rant over, here (alphabetically) are the coolest places to visit in 2020 … continue reading

Ann Abel is a travel writer and editor and was a senior editor at ForbesLife. She writes for Forbes, Departures, Conde Nast Traveller, Robb Report, Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Hemispheres, Brides, Modern Bride, Well + Good NYC, and other print and online publications.”In the name of lifestyle journalism, ” she says, ” I’ve gotten a tattoo in Bora Bora, been bitten by a massage therapist, and flown small aircraft above three continents.” She lives in Lisbon.