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(CNN) — In 1973, young British couple Tony and Maureen Wheeler published a guidebook entitled “Across Asia on The Cheap.” Little did they know that one humble guidebook would lay the foundation for a worldwide travel brand called Lonely Planet.
Nearly 50 years later, their travel guide empire, Lonely Planet, is still chugging along.
As much of the world is slowly reopening following the coronavirus pandemic, travel is front of mind for so many of us. The hope is that 2022 will see families reunited, loved ones catching up after long stretches apart and hoarded vacation time used on once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
“After an enforced hiatus, it’s time to take those long-postponed travel plans off the shelf and make them a reality,” Tom Hall, Lonely Planet’s VP of Experience, said in a statement. “The lists celebrate the world in all its wonderful enticing variety.”
This year, Lonely Planet highlighted its top 10 cities, regions and countries — see the lists below.
10. Egypt
But don’t think that “old” is synonymous with “dull.” Despite their 4,500+ years of history, we are still learning more about these architectural marvels every year.
Malawi is considered one of the friendliest countries in the world.
Jonathan Gregson/Lonely Planet
9. Malawi
But there are treasures to be had in the “Warm Heart of Africa,” all with fewer tourists to compete with for space along the stunning Lake Malawi, the world’s ninth largest lake.
Malawi has many of the same attractions its African cousins are beloved for, like safaris where you can watch elephants, baboons, hippos and other animals in their native habitats, all at a fraction of the price.
8. Nepal
It’s nearly impossible to discuss Nepal without talking about Mount Everest. But this Himalayan nation has so much more on offer for travelers who aren’t climbing the world’s highest mountain.
The Middle Eastern kingdom of Oman scored high marks from Lonely Planet staffers.
Justin Foulkes/Lonely Planet
7. Oman
Think Norway is the only place in the world with fjords? Think again.
But that isn’t all that Oman has to offer. Within the same trip, you can also experience “the Empty Quarter,” an expanse of desert where Oman meets Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That’s four countries all at once — and you won’t need to pack a coat.
Anguilla is one of the Leeward Islands.
Anna Jedynak/Shutterstock
6. Anguilla
Okay, so Anguilla is an overseas British territory and not technically a country. That said, the gorgeous Caribbean island is deserving of a closer look.
She raved about the island’s “aquamarine sea, 33 public beaches, 80-degree temperatures, amazing hotels and food,” as well as its responsible approach to public health amid the pandemic.
5. Slovenia
Thanks to the country’s small size, visitors can cover a wide range of terrain in a short amount of time, from breathtaking Lake Bled to the buzzy capital of Ljubljana.
Lonely Planet isn’t the only one taking notice. This year, the Michelin Guide handed out stars to seven restaurants in Slovenia.
4. Belize
Want to explore Mayan ruins, swim in electric-blue waters and view incredible wildlife? Belize has all of this and more, accessible via direct flights from multiple North American cities.
If you’re waiting for Australia to open up its borders, try Belize instead: its UNESCO World Heritage-listed Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System is breathtaking, and US travelers won’t need to worry about jet lag you can play online pokies New Zealand.
Meanwhile, the language-cautious will appreciate that Belize’s national language is English.
3. Mauritius
The most-Googled topic about the island paradise of Mauritius is “where is Mauritius?” Let us handle that one: it’s in the Indian Ocean about 700 miles east of Madagascar.
Norway has more than 15,000 miles of coastline.
Nick Fox/Alamy
2. Norway
Norway is consistently included on lists of the world’s happiest countries. So what’s their secret? CNN asked two of the country’s royals, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, for their theories.
If you want to channel that peaceful energy for yourself, head to Bøkeskogen, the world’s northernmost beech forest. It’s about two hours from the capital of Oslo, so you can easily experience city and country in the same day.
1. Cook Islands
Fun fact: Air New Zealand only operates one flight from the United States that doesn’t go to New Zealand. It connects Los Angeles with Rarotonga, capital of the Cook Islands and gateway to some of the most beautiful places on the planet.
This group of 15 islands in the South Pacific was at the top of many Lonely Planet staffers’ wish lists for 2022 and beyond.
What’s on offer? Water-centric activities like snorkeling, diving and fishing, not to mention a look at the native Maori community in Te Vara Nui Village.
Considering choosing a city or region for your next trip? Here’s the rest of Lonely Planet’s 2022 selections.
1. Westfjords, Iceland
2. West Virginia, US
3. Xishuangbanna, China
4. Kent’s Heritage Coast, UK
5. Puerto Rico, US
6. Shikoku, Japan
7. Atacama Desert, Chile
8. The Scenic Rim, Australia
9. Vancouver Island, Canada
10. Burgundy, France
1. Auckland, New Zealand
2. Taipei, Taiwan
3. Freiburg, Germany
4. Atlanta, US
5. Lagos, Nigeria
6. Nicosia/Lefkosia, Cyprus
7. Dublin, Ireland
8. Merida, Mexico
9. Florence, Italy
10. Gyeongju, South Korea
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Traveling has been extremely difficult—and even downright impossible—during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless as vaccinations turn into much more prevalent and travel-similar restrictions have loosened, vacations that take you further than your backyard are at the time once more doable. Some international locations are nonetheless closed …


The Damron Co.’s historic, pocket-sized “Address Books” are vacation guides that inform a “story of survival” for LGBTQ communities in the United States, stated Eric Gonzaba, Cal State Fullerton assistant professor of American studies.
Given that January 2020, Gonzaba and his exploration crew have plotted more than 30,000 establishments described in the guides for the interactive Mapping the Homosexual Guides undertaking. The nationwide listings spanning 1965 to 1980 involve bars, restaurants, bathhouses, cinemas and other institutions.
The challenge previously this year garnered a almost $350,000 grant from the Countrywide Endowment for the Humanities. The researchers will use the award to retain the services of graduate pupils as a result of 2024 and incorporate at minimum 116,000 new Damron listings that had been printed from 1981 to 2005.
Mapping the Homosexual Guides gained one of 34 humanities collections and reference means grants “to protect and give accessibility to collections essential to scholarship, education and learning and general public programming in the humanities,” in accordance to the Nationwide Endowment for the Humanities.
According to Gonzaba, the travel guides are just one of the longest-working sequence of its style — posted yearly from the 1960s right until 2021 — and are viewed as to be the “gold normal.”
Gonzaba famous how a undertaking like this receiving funding from the federal agency 20 several years in the past would have been unheard of.
“To me, it is tested this point that homosexual heritage is now extensively accepted as a area of inquiry, a single that we must instruct in community universities,” Gonzaba stated. “The tales of queer people today have earned to be told and comprehended.”
Gonzaba’s task staff contains Amanda Regan, co-key investigator and lecturer in historical past and geography at Clemson College, and CSUF graduate students.
7 graduate college students have contributed to the challenge from its start through fall 2021. College students are oftenshocked by the selection of LGBTQ spaces that have existed as far back again as the 1960s, Gonzaba mentioned.
“There’s this false impression about queer tradition that they thrive in the underground wherever they have to survive in hidden areas,” Gonzaba claimed. “They are a assorted community. It was not just bars, but it was also gay cafe communities, bookstores, softball leagues and push publications.”
A few graduate learners were lately employed to do the job on the challenge this semester. Their operate includes scanning the guides, typing in facts by hand and actuality-examining the listings for precision.
Gonzaba, co-primary investigator and content material supervisor of the undertaking, reported growing the project’s listings through the 12 months 2005 will handle “different, big parts of gay heritage since the 1980s,” like the AIDS crisis, 9/11 and the federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy launched in 1994 and repealed in 2011.
“The ’80s are the beginning of the AIDS crisis, which disproportionately hurts queer people, particularly people of color,” Gonzaba mentioned. “We question no matter whether or not the guides will mirror that collapse in homosexual ecology. Is there extra notice in these guides to overall health centers or to hospices?”
Meanwhile, Gonzaba notes the 1990s guides do reflect their era — a ten years of enhanced visibility — by which includes extra worldwide listings.
Although the guides will likely be discontinued at the end of 2021, the investigate team’s extensive-time period ambitions include mapping the remaining Damron guides and securing a everlasting, on the internet house for the facts indefinitely.
“One of the annoyances of the modern homosexual group is that their stories are not becoming advised and their histories are staying ignored,” Gonzaba stated. “By putting this on the web, generating it obtainable to additional men and women, it is more difficult to ignore.”
The guides and Damron’s other print supplies can present patterns more than both location and time in techniques that might not be available elsewhere, Gonzaba explained. He hopes researchers can use this info to superior understand historic LGBTQ activities and troubles in the United States.
Gonzaba is producing a reserve about the Damron Co., and intends to build a Mapping the Gay Guides archival collection at Cal Point out Fullerton with elements donated from the publishing firm.
“The key function of this resource is to allow for other men and women to think about gay history in a different way and to start out their very own tasks with our knowledge,” Gonzaba reported. “We’re dedicated to creating anything we have obtainable to other scientists.
“I want Cal State Fullerton to be the dwelling of a selection that little by little grows about time,” Gonzaba mentioned.