The start of a new year begins another travel planning spree and in the light of the past 12 months, it’s no surprise 2021 is set to inspire more people than ever to grab their passports and explore around the world.

There are many destinations that are popular with travellers year on year, including Lisbon, New York, London, Tokyo and Singapore, but there are some other destinations creeping up the bucket lists of travellers. 

I’ve shared a selection of destination recommendations for audiences to dream about this spring. Inspiring 2021 travel experiences, to keep wanderlust alive whilst at home, include celebrating 2021 anniversaries in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Nashville, brand new entertainment experiences in Las Vegas and Puerto Rico and exciting events in Baltimore and Qatar.

Photo by Oliver Sjöström from Pexels

12 Best Places to go on Holiday in 2021

Take a trip to Abu Dhabi 

In 2021 the United Arab Emirates will celebrate its 50th anniversary of independence, following the forming of the nation which was spearheaded by Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first President of the UAE, recognised as the father of the nation.

Celebrations are due to take place throughout the year, culminating on 2nd December 2021, Independence Day, with a multitude of events taking place in the UAE capital city of Abu Dhabi.

It’s a busy year too for Abu Dhabi in 2021, with World Expo taking place in neighbouring Dubai, the launch of the  Zayed National Museum and the world’s first Warner Bros. branded hotel – The WB Abu Dhabi – also due to open.

Photo by Cameron Rainey from Pexels

Head to Las Vegas

The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas will be a next-generation venue that revolutionises the entertainment experience.  The new venue at the Venetian Resort is scheduled to open in 2021 in the Entertainment Capital of the World and is expected to create 4,400 jobs upon opening.

MSG Sphere will have a total of eight levels upon completion and will be the largest spherical building in the world at 875,000 sq ft (81,300 m2). It will be equipped with 19,000 by 13,500 resolution LED screens which will spread across the interior of the venue and all seats will have high-speed internet access.

The sound system will deliver sound through the floorboards while the exterior of the venue will feature a screen display which will allow those outside the venue to see what is going on inside. 

Experience Puerto Rico 

Globetrotters from around the world can start to prepare themselves for the Caribbean’s ultimate venue for premier entertainment in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Distrito T-Mobile is Puerto Rico’s new five-acre business and entertainment complex.

The project, opening in 2021 (date TBC), is set to be one of the most vibrant settings for events, conventions and performances in the Caribbean. Boasting a multisensory, audio-visual and technologically advanced experience, Distrito T-Mobile offers visitors one dynamic location to wine, dine, meet and unwind.

Amenities include an exhilarating urban zip-line; a 6,000-spectator performance and events hall; a micro-distillery; an eight-screen cinema multiplex; the Island’s first 24-hour nightclub and speciality retail and dining. The complex also boasts an Aloft boutique hotel by Marriott, which opened its doors in 2021, providing 177 loft-like guest rooms over seven stories.

Photo by Paul Brennan from Pixabay 

Celebrate anniversaries in Nashville

From its very beginnings, Nashville grew from a foundation built on music and established a legacy that earned it the worldwide reputation of ‘Music City’. It is widely believed that the city of Nashville officially earned the nickname in the late 1800s, from none other than Queen Victoria.

Nashville’s Fisk University is home to a celebrated Cappella ensemble, the Fisk Jubilee singers, which formed in 1871, making 2021 its 150th anniversary. The group toured the U.S. and abroad, with sources suggesting that upon hearing the group perform at a show in Great Britain in 1873, Queen Victoria remarked that the singers must come from “Music City!”.

To this day, the Music City moniker still holds true as Nashville sets the stage for iconic venues, world-renowned recording studios and live music 365 days a year.

Nashville isn’t just a hub for musical maestros, 2021 also marks the 20th anniversary of the renowned Frist Art Museum, an art deco institution set in the heart of downtown, showcasing local and international art exhibitions. Discover a musical journey worth singing about in Nashville next year. 

Doha, Qatar, to host the International Horticultural Exhibition

Qatar’s capital, Doha, will host the six-month International Horticultural Exhibition in 2021/22 after the country’s application was approved by the International Association of Horticultural Producers.

The event, which is expected to attract over three million visitors, will run from 21st October next year until 17th March 2022 and will cover at least 50 hectares in the city. The theme of the event will focus on greening the desert and improving the environment looking at climate, water and soil as indispensable and endangered resources. 

Based on the Qatar National Vision 2030 the objectives of Expo 2021 Qatar include to; host the first horticultural exhibition in a region with a desert climate; lead the region in how the Green City Concept can be applied in the Middle East; encourage horticultural innovation around the climate, water and soil situation in Qatar; establish a connection between green, sport and human health; and develop an ‘international park’ in support of the FIFA World Cup 2022. 

Image by David Mark from Pixabay 

Experience the BMW Champions in Baltimore        

The BMW golf Championship is heading east to the diverse city of Baltimore from 17th – 22nd August 2021. Maryland’s largest city and economic hub, located on the east coast of the USA, is fondly known as ‘Charm City’ and features over 250 neighbourhoods and boasts historic, authentic and charm-filled localities.

For golf fanatics, Baltimore is home to Caves Valley Golf Club, designed by nationally acclaimed golf course architect Tom Fazio. As one of the few clubs in America focused solely on golf and golfer’s needs, it will be hosting the BMW Championships next year which is expected to bring more than 150,000 visitors to Baltimore County.

Baltimore has recently experienced one of the largest millennial booms in the nation and is undergoing a marked transformation with boutique hotels, chef-driven concepts, craft breweries and local boutiques bringing new energy to the city.

This urban renaissance fuelled by the city’s growing class of entrepreneurs and artists makes for an inspiring, quintessentially American, visitor experience in 2021. 

Satisfy the senses in Vienna

Voted the world’s most liveable city, Austria’s picture-perfect capital, Vienna, satisfies all the senses. Visitors can taste the authentic flavours of the wiener schnitzel, smell the strong aromas from the local coffeehouses and see world-renowned art and masterpieces at the likes of the Albertina, Leopold and Belvedere museums.

Travellers can also listen to a huge variety of musical performances in the ‘World’s capital of Music’, as well as immerse themselves in history, touching the very the stately palaces and baroque buildings once home to the sprawling Habsburg Empire. Furthermore, visitors in 2021 can also visit the newly renovated Sigmund Freud Museum due to open later this year.

Photo by Simon Clayton from Pexels

Stay in the new Ambiente Hotel in Sedona, Arizona

Nestled into the geology of the Arizona desert town of Sedona, surrounded by the rugged landscape and the protected preserve of the Coconino National Forest, lies the new Ambiente Hotel, which is due to open in late 2020 / early 2021.

The hotel is being built with a deep respect for the environment and a focus on sustainable methods including organic, modern architecture that complements the surrounding topography and minimises the impact on the land.

Ambiente comprises 40 cubed-shaped guest Atriums that are elevated above the ground, providing stunning views over the landscape which each Atrium offering a private rooftop lounge and fire pit. The hotel aims to be the city’s leading example of sustainable tourism and innovative hotel design that promotes long-term vibrancy within the community. 

Start planning a 2021 trip to Canada’s Manitoba region

Wildlife lovers looking for the ultimate 2021 holiday can start planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see polar bears in the wild. Nestled in the province of Manitoba, in the heart of Canada, is Churchill the polar bear capital of the world.

This is the place where people are outnumbered by polar bears, and Churchill is famed as one of the few human settlements where the creatures can be witnessed in their natural habitat. Travellers can witness this incredible spectacle throughout the four seasons, including in July and August with the beautiful backdrop of the wildflowers and lichens, or in the main ‘polar bear season’ in autumn.

From early October to mid-November, polar bears gather along the shore of Hudson Bay during their annual migration and travellers can view the bears from a specially designed, heated tundra vehicle, as well as during walking safaris, and helicopters tours. These wildlife experiences in Churchill are considered as some of the best opportunities to see polar bears in their natural environment.

Photo by Bryden from Pexels

Venture off the beaten track of Vučedol in Eastern Croatia

One of the greatest archaeological treasures of South-Eastern Europe lies on the banks of the Danube in eastern Croatia, as it has for more than 5,000 years. The Vučedol culture (‘Vučedolska kultura’) ancient civilisation flourished between 3,000 and 2,200 BC in Syrmia and eastern Slavonia, and coexisted with the Sumerian period in Mesopotamia, the building of pyramids in Egypt, and the early layers of Troy.

One of the major places they occupied is present-day Vučedol (“Wolf’s Valley”), located 6km downstream from the town of Vukovar, Croatia. It is estimated that the site had once been home to around 3,000 inhabitants, making it one of the largest and most important European centres of its time.

The culture is famed for producing the first bronze, the first wagon on four wheels in the world and the oldest calendar in Europe. Visitors in 2021 can head to the Vucedol Culture Museum which opened in 2015 on the banks of the Danube next to some of the excavation sites of which only 10% have been excavated so far.

Plan a sunny break to Greater Fort Lauderdale

Travellers to Greater Fort Lauderdale can make 2021 a bright one, as the destination boasts an average year-round temperature of 25˚C, 3,000 hours of annual sunshine and 23 miles of Florida beach in which to enjoy it.

Also known as the ‘Venice of America’ with its extensive canal network and waterways, travellers can enjoy the endless sunshine whilst weaving through the city’s waterways aboard a water taxi or enjoying up-close viewing of plant and wildlife on an airboat ride through The Everglades.

For those who prefer to stay ashore, travellers can enjoy a downtown walking tour of the city’s colourful art murals or dine on the local and fresh, Floribbean cuisine, all whilst soaking up those rays.

Photo by David Mark from Pixabay 

Discover one of the world’s smallest nations Bahrain

The Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the world’s smallest nations, home to welcoming people, a hot and sunny climate and, despite its size, has a lot to explore and discover in 2021. Located in the Arabian Gulf, Bahrain is the only island country in the Middle East and comprises of 33 natural islands, with Bahrain Island being the largest.

Travellers can explore the islands by boat, including the secluded, picture-perfect island of Jarada. Although small in size, Bahrain is rich in history, with the nation dating back to over 5,00 years to the ancient Dilmun civilisation.

Guests can enjoy the treasures of exploring the nation’s three UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the Dilmun Burial Mounds, the Bahrain fort and the Bahrain pearling trail.

Leaving home for a few weeks?

Holidays are something to look forward to, no matter your age! But there are many factors to consider when going on holiday; these more exciting factors and the more trying ones, including ensuring your home’s safety while you are not there.

Understandably, it is not as fun as planning which hotel you want to be drinking cocktails at, but it is something that should be at the top of a priority list. The last thing you want upon your return is to find that your home has received preventable damage while you were away.

Internal Damage

This can range from having a gas leak through to having flooding due to a burst pipe. Either way, we are confident that as a homeowner or as a tenant, you do not want to return to a home with damage. While some things are complete accidents, which could not be avoided, there are often times when things are preventable.

Water Pipes

Mainly when going away in the colder months for some winter sun, it is advised that you do one of a few things to minimise the risk of having water damage to your home. By either turning the stop valve on your water supply off before you leave the property or by leaving your heating on low heat, you are further reducing the risk of your pipes freezing and bursting while you are away. 

If you do happen to have some problems when you return and need to make a claim, first you need to see how much damage there is. If there is only a small amount of water damage, it may not be worth you making a claim through your insurance, particularly if you have a large excess payment. If you’re unsure about more information about water damages and domestic insurance claims, then this article might help.

Gas Supply

Like water pipes, you want to ensure that they are adequately secured so as not to experience any sort of gas leak while not at the property. Gas leaks can significantly impact your home and cause a dangerous environment.

Before heading off on your holidays, you want to ensure that you have turned off the gas supply if that is what you feel comfortable doing. If you are someone who would prefer that the gas supply stays on while you are on holiday, make sure that you have carbon monoxide alarms in your home and that they are up to date with fresh batteries and testing complete.

To prevent any exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning, all occupants of a home should ensure they get as much fresh air into the property as possible. Suppose you find yourself in a situation where you cannot open the doors and windows, stay outside the property and contact a certified gas engineer.

My Travel Tips and Recommendations

Flights

To book flights, I always use flight search engine, Skyscanner, I regularly use the Everywhere tool to find the cheapest places to travel. It’s how I get to travel so much all around the world. I find it the easiest way to compare flight prices across airlines and get the best deals. 

Accommodation

For accommodation, I usually book most of my hotels or hostels through Booking.com. I love using this platform as it provides me with some amazing deals for accommodation all around the world. Or if you prefer, I also recommend using Airbnb. If you haven’t signed up with Airbnb already, you can use this link to get £25 off your first visit!

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Thank you for reading and as always happy adventuring! If you have any questions about the destination please leave these in the comments below.

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Sophie X