Unpacked: Five Neat Places To Fly to in 2024, as Well as a Few To Forget

“I used to watch men my age jog and think there are better ways to solve the midlife crisis. Since the war started, I’ve been jogging too. Every morning. I promised myself to continue until it’s over. Like Forrest Gump. I have no choice. It’s impossible to start the day with all this sadness…”That is no way to start a travel-oriented article, I can almost hear the internet clapping back. Yet these are not ordinary times. Reading Israeli writer Eshkol Nevo’s recent essay “War Diary: fake normality and the sudden tears,” from which the preceding paragraph is excerpted, reminded me of that.As did an unusual email from one of my favorite hotels anywhere, The Carlton Tel Aviv. It is a solid bulldog of a hotel built in 1981. From the rooftop pool deck you can see the sandy ribbons of Tel Aviv’s famous beachfront unfurled all the way to Jaffa. This year’s annual holiday greeting was accompanied by a short video of the volunteer work hotel employees have been doing since the attacks from Gaza on October 7 flung Israel into a state of war. Prior to that, at least according to Google, Tel Aviv was trending as a travel destination. Riyadh is spending billions on tourism right now, with celebrities peddling scripted experiences that reflect the more superficial side of so much of the oil-enriched Middle East. Yet none of the Arabian peninsula’s glittering cities have what Tel Aviv has: a freewheeling spirit and energy found nowhere else in the world. For that reason, Tel Aviv tops the list of places to go in 2024.Forget Paris, however — you can rent the movie, après tout. Global hospitality and data company STR reports that hotel prices in the French capital were up 38 percent in May compared to 2019 — but according to multiple sources Paris has not become 38 percent more interesting. Neither, sadly, has Portugal. Some years ago this correspondent made a leisurely pass through Lisbon. Despite the unexciting food and charmless lassitude the sojourn was not wholly unamusing. But that was before Portugal started giving away passports to anyone who could claim Portuguese ancestry, or something to that effect, and the tiny country swelled with expatriates who will try to convince you that salted cod is great and that Portuguese wines rival Italy’s. Sorry, dreary and overrated Porto — not quite.If you ever wondered why Italy, unlike Saudi Arabia, does not have to spend billions on selling itself, it is because nobody needs convincing. A trending island destination in 2024 will be Sicily, “the eternal triangle of intensity, excess and carnal beauty,” guidebook authors Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls write, “sitting at the crossroads of Europe and Africa.” That said, the beaches are better in Sardinia.It’s worth noting that in winter Rome’s international airport is less prone to the weather delays that frequently cause snafus at London’s airports and those in some other northern European cities. Rome’s airport: Better in winter. Anthony Grant/The New York SunIn terms of Africa and West Asia, good bets for 2024 are Zimbabwe — no wars, splashy waterfalls — and Oman. According to Jacada Travel, a bespoke travel services company, Oman offers an “intriguing mix of history, culture, and incredibly diverse landscapes.” They vouch for Salalah during the summer monsoon season “for lush foliage and rushing waterfalls” or the Al Hajar Mountains in the spring for traditional Damask rose harvest. Muscat rocks an authentic vibe, and luxury retreats tempt beyond the capital.Greece was the country that was the most “googled” by prospective travelers in 2023, and arrivals at Athens’ international airport are predicted to break records in 2024. For those who want to see the ancient sites of Athens without crowds, get your trip in before Easter. Island-hoppers will want to avoid Santorini and Mykonos. Crete is a good bet almost anytime of year. If you want to find a good place to stay in the Peloponnese, book early at spots like Kinsterna and the dreamy Tainaron Blue. Amsterdam is another no-no next year, reeling as it is from post-pandemic overtourism. Its boisterous southern cousin, Brussels, may get a bad rap for the burglars and bureaucrats (which are sometimes synonymous) but the Dutch will never be able to make pommes frites as perfectly crispy as les Belges.As many savvy travelers know, the best way to save money on a London weekend is to skip the Thames altogether and take the Eurostar train to Brussels, where the Art Nouveau architecture beguiles and the eating is as fattening and fabulous as the skies are alley cat gray and cold. Yet a bottle or two of good raspberry Belgian beer will have you seeing different colors in no time at all.Unpacked is a periodic travel column from Mr. Grant in which he highlights or otherwise deconstructs a destination or experience of potential interest to today’s curious traveler.

Unpacked: Five Neat Places To Fly to in 2024, as Well as a Few To Forget

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