We asked and you answered our latest travel question, “Where would you go if you were given a roundtrip plane ticket and $25K cash for your dream destination”. While most of us may never have that opportunity land in our laps, we have to admit it’s fun to fantasize about all the possible places in the world we could go if given the opportunity. From white sand and clear azure ocean waters of a secluded island vacation, a luxury Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise, or exploring the sites of a world-class city break, there are so many amazing places and types of vacations to choose from.
While the answers from our readers were somewhat expected and mirrored the world’s most visited countries and city destinations, we also found many people simply wanted to escape daily life and relax and unwind on an exotic island holiday. Additionally, there were plenty of readers who just wanted an opportunity to travel to be with family and friends. We also noted the uptick in interest in taking a cruise. With Covid restrictions a thing of the past, it seems more people are ready to hit the high seas again.
After tallying the results, here is the 2024 Vacation Wish List that we hope will give you some inspiration to grab your bags and go.
The Top 3 Cities
- Paris
- London
- New York City
Paris, once again, ranked as the number one city our readers dream of visiting. Art, culture, and cafe society come together to give Paris a romantic mystique that no other city seems to come close to. It also wasn’t a surprise to see London and New York City make the list of dream cities to visit.
The Top 3 Vacation Ideas
- An island destination
- A cruise
- Travel to see family/friends
It seems that escaping everyday life grabbing a tropical drink and heading to an exotic beach was on many readers minds. The number one island mentioned was Hawaii, with Bora Bora and Fiji taking in a close second and third place.
The second most mentioned place people said was their dream vacation was to hop aboard a luxury cruise line and hit the seven seas. The Caribbean was the number one mentioned cruise destination, with a European river cruise following a close second, for the type of cruise readers wanted to experience.
What was a surprise this year is the number of readers wishing for the time and money to travel to see their families and friends. This may be in part to the long separations we have had during the travel restricted Covid years.
The Top U.S. Destinations
The United States is a massive country with so many unique and fun places to visit and the list of States readers wanted to visit reflected the diversity of the country. The top most mentioned states were:
- Hawaii (this State also was the top island mentioned)
- Florida
- New York
Where California was always a top choice for a dream destination, this year it fell dramatically in ranking. Alaska and Texas were also places many people put on their vacation wish list.
The Top European Destinations
- Italy
- Greece
- Ireland
- France
- Switzerland
- Spain
- Scotland
A dream European vacation was the number one place our readers wished they could jump on a plane and explore. It is not surprising that Italy and Greece were the number one and number two destinations for yet another year. With romance associated with these countries, a rich history, and the incredible food just waiting to be enjoyed, it is no wonder why our readers wanted to experience Italy and Greece. France still ranked high on a wish list destination, but Ireland and Switzerland were new countries to make the list. Perhaps our readers know something we don’t know.
Other Highly Sought After Vacation Places
Although readers mentioned tropical locations, European countries, and world-class cities, there were many individual responses that mentioned emerging tourist spots. Asia is gaining in popularity with South Korea, Japan, and Singapore on many readers radars.
Turkey, Albania, and Romania were also new entries on our list. Each of these countries have a favorable exchange rate, making the travel dollar/euro stretch, and offer visitors an opportunity to experience countries without the crowds tourists have to deal with when visiting a more popular location.
So, did your dream vacation make this year’s wish list? Let us know in the comments section below. Bookmark, “Like”, “Share”, “Tweet”, or “Pin” this list for when you are looking for some travel inspiration. If you’ve been to any of the top places on our list, let us know what your favorite things to do were.
