7 Places Everyone Will Want to Travel in 2027
Hmmm where should you travel in 2027? Here’s our list—good luck with your decision.
Every year, somebody publishes a “best places to travel next year” list, and half of them read the same: a handful of familiar capitals, a stock photo of a hot air balloon, and a vague nod to “wellness.” We wanted to do something different. So instead of guessing, we looked at what’s actually driving travel search data, booking trends, and traveler reviews heading into 2027.
Here’s where 2027 is taking people, and how to get there.
The Great Wall of China
1. China
China has quietly become one of the most requested additions to EF Ultimate Break’s trip lineup, and it’s easy to see why. Ancient imperial palaces, futuristic 8D cities, spicy cuisine, PANDAS—China delivers in every way. Search interest in China travel has been climbing steadily as more young travelers look past the familiar spots for something that feels new.
Start in Beijing and walk through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City before heading to a lesser-crowded section of the Great Wall. From there, high-speed trains carry you to Chongqing, an intensely packed city straight out of Blade Runner, then on to Chengdu (the panda capital of the world) before wrapping up in Shanghai with 400-year-old gardens and some of the best dumplings you’ll eat all year.
Look for this China Quest: Ancient Wonders & Modern Marvels.
The ancient, walled city of Dubrovnik, Croatia
2. Coastal Croatia
Croatia keeps showing up in “most underrated” lists, and Adriatic coastal towns are one of the reasons why. Search interest in the Balkans has climbed steadily as travelers look for the beach, history, and nightlife combo of Western Europe without the price tag. Traveler reviews back it up, too: Cruise Croatia is one of EF Ultimate Break’s most-rebooked trips.
The appeal is straightforward. You’re on a private boat cruising the Dalmatian Coast, swimming in the Adriatic each morning, and exploring port towns like Hvar, Split, and Dubrovnik in the afternoon. Add optional day trips to Mostar in Bosnia or Kotor in Montenegro, and you’re covering four countries without ever repacking a suitcase.
Look for this on Cruise Croatia: Split to Split.
Ancient streets of Kyoto, Japan
3. Japan
Japan has fully crossed over from “trendy pick” to “everyone’s planning a trip here.” It shows up on nearly every major 2026 and 2027 travel forecast, and for good reason: nowhere else pairs neon-lit, ultra-modern cities with centuries-old temples and tea ceremonies quite like Japan. The catch is that demand is only going up, so getting there before it gets even busier is part of the appeal.
Highlights of Japan and Japan: Tokyo & Beyond cover both sides of the country’s split personality. Tokyo brings the sensory overload: Shibuya Crossing, arcades, and all the ramen you can eat. Kyoto slows things down with Edo-period streets and a traditional matcha tea ceremony that’s less about the tea and more about learning to sit still for a minute, and Osaka, Japan’s kitchen, brings the street food.
The Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland
4. Iceland
Iceland keeps landing on “where to go” lists for a real reason: its entire landmass sits inside the aurora zone, so you don’t need to trek to a remote outpost to see the northern lights. Pair that with waterfalls, geothermal pools, and black-sand beaches, and it’s one of the most complete nature trips you can book, no matter your fitness level or outdoor experience.
Iceland Winter Escape is built around this: a dedicated northern lights excursion, the Golden Circle tour, and a soak in the Secret Lagoon. Iceland’s winter weather is also mild in both summer and winter, and its fast-moving weather systems mean multiple chances to catch the aurora over a five- or six-day trip.
The Sahara Desert in Morocoo
5. Morocco
Morocco has been steadily climbing every “places to watch” list for the past couple of years, and it earned a top-10 spot in EF Ultimate Break’s own recent destination rankings. It’s not hard to see why: sand dunes in the Sahara, centuries-old kasbahs, and markets that reward a little bit of haggling confidence.
Highlights of Morocco takes you through five cities, including a night in the Sahara under an unbelievable amount of stars. If you’d rather pair it with more familiar ground first, Spain, Morocco & Portugal lets you ease in with Seville and Lisbon before the desert.
Mount Etna as seen from the Greek Theatre in Taormina, Sicily
6. Sicily
Sicily has become the answer for travelers who want Italy without mainland Italy’s price tag or crowds, and search trends around the island have been climbing accordingly. It’s the same food you already love (arancini, cannoli, fresh seafood) at half the cost, with ancient Greek ruins layered into the coastline.
On Sicily & Malta Getaway, you’ll take a cable car up to Taormina’s mountaintop Greek theatre, one of the more unexpectedly dramatic viewpoints on any EF Ultimate Break itinerary, before island-hopping over to Malta’s fortified capital.
The coastal city of Sarandë, Albania
7. Albania
Albania has spent the last couple of years showing up on nearly every “go now before everyone else finds it” list, and 2027 is shaping up to be the year that catches up to it. It’s the rare mix of untouched Adriatic beaches, rugged mountains, and Ottoman-era towns, at a fraction of the cost of its more famous neighbors. EF Ultimate Break added it to the lineup for exactly this reason: it’s still early enough to feel like a discovery.
Southern Balkans: Croatia, Albania & Greece strings it together with the destinations Albania borders best. You’ll cruise Lake Skadar, wander an Albanian bazaar, and pair it with Dubrovnik’s Old City and Corfu’s beaches, all without the tourist fatigue that comes with more heavily trafficked parts of Europe.
Why book any of this with EF Ultimate Break
You could piece together any of these trips yourself, but here’s what you’d be signing up for: comparing flights across three booking sites, hoping your hotel is actually close to anything, and figuring out logistics in a language you don’t speak. EF Ultimate Break handles the framework (transportation while you’re on tour, hand-picked accommodations, an expert Tour Director, and 24/7 support).
Add flights, an interest-free payment plan for the whole trip, and Welcome and Farewell dinners with a group of people who will become your new travel friends, and 2027 planning gets a lot simpler. Over 60% of EF Ultimate Break travelers book solo, so you don’t need a travel buddy lined up before you commit to a destination.
The trends point in a few clear directions for 2027: slower, more intentional travel in places like Croatia and Sicily; nature and dark-sky experiences in Iceland and the Sahara; and destinations like China and Albania that reward getting there before everyone else catches on. Wherever you land on this list, the hardest part is picking just one.
Key takeaways
China is one of the most requested new additions to EF Ultimate Break’s lineup, pairing 3,000 years of history in Beijing with the modern skyline of Shanghai on a single trip.
Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast is trending as a value-driven alternative to Western Europe, with Cruise Croatia ranking among EF Ultimate Break’s most-rebooked trips.
Japan and Morocco both show up across major 2026–2027 travel forecasts as destinations to visit before demand (and prices) climb further.
Iceland’s entire landmass sits in the aurora zone, making it one of the most accessible and complete northern lights destinations in the world.
Sicily offers the food and history of mainland Italy at a lower cost and with fewer crowds, while Albania is trending as one of Europe’s last relatively undiscovered corners.
Know before you go
Your most-asked questions about choosing where to travel in 2027.
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