If you’re tired of visiting places trod by millions of tourists previously, perhaps you should consider looking in less likely spots this year.
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A cheat sheet for that can be found in Afar’s primer, “Where To Go in 2026: Places That Are on the Rise and off the Beaten Path.” The travel-media brand has collected two dozen destinations that serve as a “better way to travel the world: responsibly, creatively and with eyes on places long overlooked.”
Think of Buffalo, N.Y., whose Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor is getting a resurrected jazz club and a pioneering Black radio museum in 2026. Or West Cork, Ireland, a wild and enchanting side of the island that visitors don’t often patronize, or Rabat, Morocco, which is rising as a cultural hub with new museums and a rockin’ summer music festival.
Residents of Northern California might perk up their ears at the inclusion of the Columbia River Gorge, a rugged and waterfall-blessed region in Oregon and Washington that’s within striking range. Here are the first 10 on the list in alphabetical order; for more check the full guide.
Afar’s places on the rise and off the beaten path
1 Adelaide, Australia
2 Albuquerque, N.M.
3 Birmingham, Ala.
4 Bucharest, Romania
5 Buffalo, N.Y.
A view from the family beach at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, on Saturday, June 8, 2024, of the Disney Magic docked at the bridge that leads to Disney’s newest destination on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. (Rich Pope, Orlando Sentinel)
6 Columbia River Gorge, Oregon and Washington
7 Da Nang, Vietnam
8 East Antarctica
9 Eleuthera, Bahamas
10 Far East London
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