Not booked your 2026 vacation yet? Get moving, as the must-visit destinations lists for next year are starting to drop.

The venerable travel guide Lonely Planet published its “ Best in Travel 2026 ” book on October 21, featuring a list of 25 great places and 25 great experiences to try out in the year ahead. It’s accompanied by a set of unique itineraries curated on the new Lonely Planet Journeys travel-planning service.

CNN Travel caught up with Nitya Chambers, Lonely Planet’s executive editor and senior vice president of content, to find out what made the cut and why.

Best places

One of Chambers’ favorite picks on this year’s list? Brazil’s “Little Japan,” otherwise known as the São Paolo neighborhood of Liberdade.

“Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside of Japan;

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