30 Destinations Worth Adding to Your Travel List, According to Lonely Planet

Get yourself into travel planning mode, friends, because Lonely Planet has released its Best in Travel list, featuring the top destinations to visit in 2023. Not only is the list filled with travel spots that’ll have you ready to pack your bags, but it also features two Aussie destinations this year.

Here’s everything you need to know about Lonely Planet’s favourite destinations for 2023.

Best in Travel destinations 2023

For the 2023 Best in Travel list, Lonely Planet has decided to do things a little differently – breaking destinations down into categories. The 30 best destinations are split into five travel groups: Eat, Journey, Unwind, Connect and Listen.

Lonely Planet’s Snr Director, Trade Sales and Marketing, Chris Zeiher, said of this year’s list that:

“2023 is shaping up to be the year to get out and explore. With much of the world firmly on the road to recovery, travellers are looking for different locations and experiences. The list celebrates the world in all its wonderful enticing variety.

“Each of the itineraries in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2023 shows how to leave the crowds behind and truly get to the heart of a destination.”

Check out the full list below:

If you’re wondering how the Lonely Planet Best in Travel list comes to life, the travel brand shared that it’s quite the journey (pun intended).

The list begins with nominations from Lonely Planet’s community of staff, writers, bloggers, and publishing partners. After this point, a panel of experts will cut the list down to 30 destinations.

“Each is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences, ‘wow’ factor and its ongoing commitment to sustainability, community, and diversity,” Lonely Planet shared in a statement.

In terms of the Aussie cities that made the list, Western Australia was chosen for its “wide-open spaces, city adventures, amazing reefs, beaches, gorges, lakes and monoliths provide the wondrous backdrop to a plethora of road trips, and Sydney won its spot for “travellers looking to connect with distinctive local scenes” because of the arrival of WorldPride in February 2023.

For those hungry for an enriching travel experience, you can find detailed travel itineraries, photography and videos of each destination featured in the list this year – basically everything you need to decide if a travel destination is for you.