What are the best places to visit in 2026? — featuring Ryan Shirley

0:00 What's up, guys? My name is Ryan, and with almost all countries open for tourism, I think we're all excited to travel to some new destinations this year. So, here's my top 10 places to visit in 2026. With tourism back to normal, 2026 is going to be a year full of travel. Whether you explore the tropical

0:23 landscapes of St. Lucia or experience the unique cultures of Africa. I hope you can all visit some new places this year. Let's start this view off at Patagonia. This was the first place I traveled to last year and it quickly became one of my favorite destinations I've ever been. Located in both bottom

0:40 halves of Chile and Argentina, Patagonia is easily one of the most beautiful regions in the world. It has fjords like Norway, sounds like New Zealand, and mountains comparable to the Alps. One of the most famous places in Patagonia is Tori Delpine. Located on the Chilean side of Patagonia, Tories Delvine is a

0:58 national park home to [music] animals such as quinacos and pumas. One of the main reasons people come to this area is to do the hike to the Miridor Basto Tories. It's a 12 1/2 mile roundtrip trek with about 3,000 ft of elevation gain. We did the hike and it took us about 8 hours round trip. So, it was a

1:14 little difficult, but it was one of the most rewarding hikes once we got to the lake and could see the massive granite towers. Another one of the most well-known places in Patagonia is Fitzroy. It's this mountain range located on the Argentinian side of Patagonia and I think it's possibly one

1:28 of the most beautiful mountains in the world. To get a great view of the Fitzroy, we hiked to the lake called Lagona Deos Trace. It's another long hike, but it's definitely worth it. The trek there was 14 mi round trip and on the way you just walk through some pristine nature. Once we reached the

1:43 end, the view of Mount Fitzroy is just hard to believe. If you love hiking and epic views, you got to visit Patagonia this year. After we're going to head to Europe to visit Albania, located just north of Greece, Albania is easily one of Europe's most underrated countries. One of my favorite places that I visited

1:59 in the country was the Albanian Alps. The mountains here are next level. I really like this place called Te. We stayed here a few days and there was just so much to do. We hiked to this place called the Blue Eye and it had some of the clearest and coldest river water I've ever swam in. Another one of

2:14 my favorite places in Albania is its Riviera. Located on the Aonian Sea, the Riviera is home to some amazing coastline. We did a boat tour and explore the coast and our captain took us to the sea cave. To get in, we waited through the water into the entrance of the cave. It looked pretty small, but

2:29 then we turned to the left and had to go through this small opening. Then it opened up in this huge dome-shaped room. I mean, I couldn't believe this place. I've been in a lot of sea caves in Europe, [music] but I think this was the coolest I've ever experienced. After it, we're ahead to Italy to visit Pulia.

2:44 Located on the boot hill of southern Italy, Pulia is famous for its seaside medieval towns, and world-class beaches. We spent some time here this last summer, and it quickly became one of my favorite regions in Italy. One of the most famous places in Pulya is Polano Amari. It's a seaside town that's built

3:00 right upon these sea cliffs. I mean it was fun to walk around the city and there's also a beautiful but often crowded beach there. Albero Bellow is another famous city in the region with its beehive shaped truly houses. One of my favorite places in Pulia was a Toronto. It's this heavily fortified

3:15 medieval city right on the Adriatic Sea. I love the contrast between the clear water and the medieval walls. Now just 20 minutes from Otronto is San Andrea. It's this incredible swimming area with crystal clear waters and rock monoliths. [music] To get in, there was this little ledge

3:29 you could jump off of. It was just so much fun to swim here. If you want good Italian vibes in 2026, you got to give Pulia a visit. Afterwards, we're going to head to the Caribbean to visit St. Lucia. Of all the Caribbean islands, I think St. Lucia is one of the most impressive. Located in the Eastern

3:45 Caribbean, St. Lucia is home to volcanic terrain and tropical landscapes. My favorite feature of St. Lucia is its pones, which are these jagged mountains that rise straight out of the ocean. You can get a great view of them from the town of Sofrier and you can also take a boat tour and experience the Bones from

4:00 the sea. Afterwards, we're going to head to Asia to visit Thailand. Home to some of Asia's best scenery, Thailand is a great destination to visit in 2026. One of the most iconic places in Thailand is the Pee Islands. Now, to reach the Pee Islands, you can take hour-long fairies from the nearby [music] cities. The main

4:17 islands have lots of amenities such as hotels and restaurants, and it's a great place to venture off to the other islands. I think my favorite one is Co Peep Lee. Is this insane island you can boat around and snorkel. Now, one of my favorite beaches in Thailand is Raleigh Beach. I mean, the scenery of this place

4:32 is just insane. You can reach Harley Beach by taking a boat in. Now, my favorite feature of this place is the massive limestone rock that overlooks the area. I mean, beaches don't get more epic. Afterwards, we're going to head to the mainland of Thailand to visit Cowoke National [music] Park. This place is

4:46 really interesting. is this massive lake. And even though it was created as a result of a dam, the landscapes here are otherworldly. There's limestone [music] mountains and rainforest vegetation home to animals such as the Asian elephant and tigers. If you can, I recommend staying here more than one

5:01 day. You can spend the night on one of the lakes floating houses and just go hiking or boating throughout the park. While we're still in Asia, we're going to head over to South Korea. With neighboring countries like Japan and China, I think South Korea often gets overlooked as a travel destination, but

5:15 I think it's an amazing place to visit. Seal is the capital of the country and probably where you'll fly into when you come. Just outside Seal is the Bhansen [music] National Park. It's home to some of South Korea's most beautiful mountains. Another great place to see South Korea's nature is Su Rockson

5:29 National Park. The rock formations here are so unique and beautiful. I mean, it's a scenery I think of when I'm out in South Korea. Now, another stunning place in the country is Jju. It's South Korea's largest island and it's located off its southern shore. Juju is home to some peculiar landscapes and beautiful

5:45 beaches. The Halosan Mountain is located on Jju and it's the tallest mountain in all of South Korea. After we're going to head back to Europe to visit Hungary. I visited Hungary a few months ago and I was pleasantly [music] surprised. It's a beautiful country home to magical castles and Europe's most famous thermal

6:01 pools. Now, Hungary's capital city is Budapest. When people think of Hungary, [music] this is often the first place that comes to mind. I think it's easily one of Europe's most charming cities. While we were here, I really enjoyed walking across the Chain Bridge. It spans over the Danu River and from the

6:16 bridge we could see the Hungarian Parliament building which is one of the largest parliament buildings in the world. Another one of the most famous places in Budapest is a Sachena thermal bath built in 1913. Sachena is the largest medicinal bath in all of Europe. And this place is huge and it had three

6:31 outdoor pools and then 15 indoor baths. I really enjoyed relaxing in the pools here. It's definitely a must if you're in Budapest. [music] Now, another beautiful place in Hungary outside the city is Lake Balaton. Located about a 2-hour drive from Budapest, Lake Balaton [music] is the largest lake in central

6:46 Europe. It's absolutely huge, and it felt like an inland sea. One of the main reasons I wanted to come here was to visit Tihan. It's located on this peninsula, and it's this beautiful village with lots of shops and places to walk. The main attraction of Dihan is its abbey. [music] It was first built in

7:02 the 11th century, and the churchy city day was rebuilt in 1754. I really enjoyed just walking around the abbey. Hungary just has so many beautiful places to see. Afterwards, we're going to head to Africa to visit the incredible country of Ethiopia. Located in Eastern Africa, Ethiopia is one of

7:18 the most fascinating countries on Earth. It's the most populous landl country in the world, and it's one of only two African countries that wasn't colonized by Europe. So much of its culture, language, and food are extremely unique. One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Ethiopia was to visit the mountains

7:33 of Geralta. The area is famous for its monks and churches which are built into the mountains. One of the most famous ones is Abuna Yamata, also known as the church in the sky. Abuna Yamata is one of the most incredible and inaccessible churches in the world. It's built in an elevation of 2,580 m into the side of a

7:51 cliff. Now, to get there, the hike honestly wasn't too bad. It took about 45 minutes, but the difficult part is this area where you have to rock climb. You take your shoes off and the guides help you. I mean, honestly, it wasn't too bad. When we got to the top, the monk was waiting for us. You walk the

8:04 narrow path with the dangerous cliff on one side with no rope or anything else to hold on to. After the cliff lock, you enter the famous Abuna Yamat church. According to legend, it was founded in the 6th century AD. I mean, I was blown away by this place. The fact that it was carved straight out of the mountain is

8:18 just crazy to me. Another one of the most famous places in Ethiopia is the Omo Valley. Located in southern Ethiopia near the border of Kenya and South Sudan, the Omo Valley is one of the most famous places in Ethiopia, mainly for its diversity of local tribes. I mean, there's so many tribes here with very

8:34 unique cultures and traditions. We visited several of them, but my favorite were the stick boys, part of the Bono tribe. The stick boys are these young kids and teenagers who use stilts to help them see the cattle above the long grass and also it protects them from snakes. I remember when I first saw

8:48 these guys just standing in the middle of the street. I couldn't believe it. I mean, their sticks are huge and it makes these kids over 10 ft tall. They had so much energy and we're just absolute homies. They even let us try the sticks and it's way harder than it looks. Now, we told them we wanted to film them for

9:02 sunset. So, we went to this different spot and we got some of the most epic shots of them just walking along the road. I mean, these kids were so happy. It was a perfect way to end our time in Ethiopia. While we're still in Africa, we're going to head to Tanzania to visit the Serengeti. If you've ever dreamed of

9:17 going on an African safari, I believe the Serengeti is the best place on earth to see Africa's wildlife. From massive herds of elven roaming the savannah to rides or lions relaxing on rocks, the Serengeti is a lion king in real life. Now, to get to the Serengeti, we first flew into the town of Arouchia, and then

9:33 we made the 7-hour drive there. As for accommodations in the Serengeti, you can stay in places ranging from budget to luxury. On the more affordable end, you could stay in a tent camp. Even though you're in a tent, the interior can be very comfortable. On the more expensive side, you could stay in a place like the

9:49 Four Seasons that has all the comforts of a luxury hotel while being immersed in the heart [music] of the African savannah. The best way to see the Serengeti is by going on game drives. Every day we would wake up and be out from sunrise to sunset witnessing so many incredible moments. One thing that

10:04 I thought was so interesting about the Serengeti was that it had different areas with certain types of landscapes and wildlife. For example, there was this one place that had termite mounds and just long grass and that's where we saw a majority of the cheetahs. There was also this swampy area and that's

10:18 where there is these huge groups of hippos. One of my favorite features of the Serengeti was the copies. There are these stone islands and there was always lines on them. The most memorable moment was when we escaped a massive thunderstorm and we were able to watch these zebras grazing accompanied by

10:33 massive thunderbolts and the craziest sunset I've ever seen in my life. If you're wanting to go on an adventure in 2026, you got to add the Serengeti to your list. For our final destination, we're going to head to French Polynesia to visit Bora Bora. Of all the islands in the world, I think [music] Bora Bora

10:49 is the most iconic. The geography of Bora Bora is pure perfection. There's the main island with its towering dormant volcano. And then it's surrounded by this reef that protects the island from the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Inside the reef, there's a lagoon which is home to some of the world's

11:04 clearest water and is full of wildlife such as sharks and rays. Now, to reach Bora Bora, we flew into Tahiti. And then from there, we took a short 50-minute flight and landed on Bora Bora. The airport here is on a Motu, which is a little island on the reef. So, to get to the mainland or the [music] resorts,

11:20 you'll take a ferry. We were staying on the mainland, so we hopped on the ferry and then made the quick 15-minute boat ride to the island. Now, as for accommodation in Bora Bora, there are several options. The most famous resorts are located on the islands or MOTUS that surround Bora Bora. The resorts on the

11:36 Motus are definitely the most scenic and offer incredible experiences and views of Bora Bora, but they are also the most expensive and were out of my budget for this trip. Maybe next time I'll get one of them. But if you're looking for a more affordable accommodation, I'd recommend looking for places on the

11:51 mainland. There's some really nice resorts and Airbnbs there. Now, I wanted to experience Bora Bora from the sea. So, we stayed on a sailboat for the last few nights, and it [music] was absolutely amazing. I mean, it was like we were on a bungalow, except we could go somewhere new each night and

12:04 experience Bora Bora from all angles. Now, one of my favorite things that we did in Bora Bora was snorkeling. The water was just incredibly clear, probably some of the best I've ever swam in, and it was such a wild experience. Swim with sharks. If you want to experience tropical paradise this year,

12:18 you got to give Bora Bora a visit. Well, that is it for my 2026 top 10. Let me know where you want to travel this year in the comments below. You can follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok at Shirley. It's Ryan and we will see you later.