You might have already seen our guide to the best new things in travel for 2018, and it's already looking like one heck of a year. The thing is, though, travel is a whole lot more personal that just what's new. That's why we asked our editorial team to sit down and have a think about the places they're most excited to head this year – and as you'd probably expect, the ideas are pretty varied.
From leg-busting cycle tours of the French Pyrenees to glacier kayaking expeditions in western Canada, and a huge piece of heritage that's coming to Liverpool later in 2018, here are a few of our recommendations for the year ahead.
Jon Hawkins, Editor
I spent most of 2017 out of action with a dodgy knee, but my leg and I are now back in the game and I'm already eyeing up the 2018 Tour de France route.
I can't get enough of cycling in the Pyrenees and I'd like a crack at stage 17's route – a brutal 65km mountain 'sprint' that finishes with a slog on unpaved roads up to the Col de Portet. I reckon this'll be the iconic climb of this year's Tour (and hopefully of my cycling summer).
Because sometimes I want a taste of travel without leaving London, I'll head to the V&A's Ocean Liners exhibition (3 Feb-10 Jun). The V&A's exhibitions are reliably brilliant and I can't wait to see their take on the days when travel was as much about the journey as it was about the destination.
Lydia Winter, Associate Editor
Having visited Peru twice last year, I'm already planning my third trip. This time I'd like to check out northern Peru, particularly the Kuélap Fortress, a Chachapoyan ruin that sits at 3,000m above sea level, thanks to a new cable car that makes it much easier to access.
You'll also find me hopping over to Lubeck, a Hanseatic city on Germany's northern coast. It's got stunning gothic architecture, fascinating medieval history and is also allegedly the home of marzipan – all of my favourite things.
Closer to home, I'll be getting my geek on at the Terracotta Army exhibition at World Museum Liverpool and exploring the vibrant northern city while I'm at it, because that's just the kind of cool kid I am, la'.
Tom Powell, Staff Writer
New flight routes from London Gatwick to Seattle with Norwegian are one of the things that have me most excited, because they'll finally connect British travellers to the epic scenery of the Pacific Northwest – as well as the San Juan Islands and British Columbia – at an affordable price. Basically, expect way more pics of Brits glacier kayaking in BC, hiking through misty forests and, er, posing with prize-sized fish at Pike Place Market from here on in.
Aside from that, I also think we'll start to see younger people start going on small-ship cruises, as well as a continued trend towards countries like Montenegro and Georgia, where holidaymakers are likely to get more bang for their buck than more tourist-laden cities in the rest of Europe.
