Looking ahead to a year when it is hoped that travel will regain some semblance of normalcy, Lonely Planet has unveiled its top 10 cities, countries, and regions, to visit with its Best in Travel 2022 collection of the world’s hottest destinations and must-have travel experiences for the year ahead.

This year’s 17th annual edition places particular emphasis on the best sustainable travel experiences – ensuring travellers will have a positive impact wherever they choose to go.

In 2022, the No. 1 city has been given to Auckland, New Zealand, recognized for its blossoming cultural scene where the spotlight is on local creativity, while Taipei, Taiwan, is second-ranked, with Freiburg, Germany in third place.

Remote and proudly independent The Cook Islands – one of the world’s smallest countries – claims the coveted spot as the No. 1 country to seek out in 2022, while Norway places second and Mauritius third.

Adding to the 2022 Best in Travel list, Lonely Planet’s top region for 2022 is the Westfjords, Iceland, an area of the island nation untouched by mass tourism where communities are working together to protect and promote their spectacular landscapes.

Each year, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel lists start with nominations from Lonely Planet’s vast community of staff, writers, bloggers, publishing partners, and more. The nominations are then whittled down by a panel of travel experts to just 10 countries, 10 regions and 10 cities. Each is chosen for its topicality, unique experiences, ‘wow’ factor and ongoing commitment to sustainable tourism practices.

Lonely Planet’s VP of Experience Tom Hall says the release of Lonely Planet’s annual “hot list” of destinations and travel experiences could not be timelier. “After an enforced hiatus, it’s time to take those long-postponed travel plans off the shelf and make them a reality,” he says. “The lists celebrate the world in all its wonderful enticing variety – from the lagoons and forests of the Cook Islands to the waterfalls and mountains of Iceland’s Westfjords, via Auckland’s natural and urban delights.”

New entries on the list this year popular destinations such as Norway, and Dublin, Ireland, plus some lesser-known gems like Shikoku, Japan and arguably Germany’s most sustainable city, Freiburg.