Underrated Travel Destinations around the World!
(Hidden Gems Included)

In our humble opinion, the most underrated destinations often the best vacation spots. True, some popular destinations are popular for a reason, but too often we’re caught up in visiting the places our friends said were great that we overlook everywhere else. And of course, mass tourism can unfortunately degrade local charm until it feels impossible to find local, authentic experiences somewhere. The beaten path can feel… well, beaten.

So, we’re spilling the tea. Because whether you're looking to travel for two weeks (boo!) or finally exploring a travel career break, you want your trip to be good.

Before you book your next plane ticket, read on below to hear about our favorite spots around the world that, for some reason, aren’t on everyone’s radar yet. We think of these as bucket list locations that people don’t yet know are bucket list locations. The best part of enjoying hidden crown jewels is that you’ll often find a great deal on your hotel, so you can have a great time for a far lower price.

Short on time? Skip ahead to the region of the world you’re most interested in using the bookmarks below. And if you'd rather chat about your travel plans 1:1, get started working with us for free by booking a free initial consult here!

Underrated Travel Destinations in Europe (Hidden Gems Included)

Bologna, Italy (Europe)

Eat, eat, eat. In 2023, I traveled to 14 cities in Italy, and Bologna had the best food. Bologna is the birthplace of quite a few different pasta dishes, and of course mortadella comes from this region. Go into any deli in the old town and ask for a tasting. (You can skip the ones that are packed full of tourists; it seemed to us that pretty much any deli offered tastings.) Try all the different meat and cheese cuts! Be sure to check out the basilica too, where you can see a sun calendar built into the floor and hang around in the main square outside to enjoy the street performers, who are incredibly talented.

In addition to being the culinary crown jewel of Italy, Bologna is also a great place to work off the calories. Enjoy a long urban hike through the porticoes (a unesco world heritage site) so you can make room for more pasta. American travelers seem very committed to the two-week sprint through Rome, Florence, and Venice and consistently overlook this city. In our opinion, it’s a big miss.

Naples, Italy (Europe)

Naples gets a bad rap. It’s a bit dirty, and in some places it feels a little sketchy. But Naples is underrated, in my firm opinion. For one, the pizza here is the best in Italy, and you can take a technical pizza-making class here. From here, it’s easy to travel to Pompei, which is also an absolute must on a trip to Italy. Naples also has some of the best pastries in Italy and is known for its sfogliatella and babà, among other delectable options. Plus, it’s the only place in the world we know of where you can enroll in a one-day semi-technical pizza school with a real pizzaiolo!

Menton, France (Europe)

Just west of the France’s border with Italy, Menton sits along the coast and presents a mélange of two cultures. No surprise, Menton offers a lot to enjoy. The streets are filled with plenty of places to shop and delectable restaurants. And, you won’t be able to avoid the extra-long beach right nearby, which offers a place to relax and to enjoy the view of the cliffside.

Menton is a lovely place to splurge on souvenirs (of course you need six bottles of jam!) and to unwind. Poke your head into old churches and local art galleries and slow down here. Menton is meant to be savored. If you’re taking the scenic drive through the small towns along the French Riviera, let Menton serve as your final stop and spend at least two nights here. In fact, the French Riviera is #1 on our list of places we recommend spending a month.

Èze, France (Europe)

Unlike most towns along the Cote D’Azur (the French Riviera), Èze does not sit directly on the water. (Èze-bord-de-mer does though). Èze itself sits at the top of a cliff, and your thighs will thank you later for exploring this quaint, almost medieval style town that sits perched above the water. Local art galleries and stores will welcome you (and your credit card), and you might struggle not to splurge here. My favorite part of Èze though is visiting the Fragonard factory, where factory floor tours are free, because they know just how much you’re going to spend in the gift shop. Learn how lotions and perfumes are made and then find your favorites!

Of course, plenty of people who are not raging shop-aholics like me enjoy Èze for its picturesque hike down to the water on the Nietsche Trail and for the beautiful gardens (Le Jardin Exotique).

Syros, Greece (Europe)

We’ve been to Greece many times now and am slowly visiting more and more of the Greek islands. For many, a trip to the Greek islands means a trip along the same beaten track: Athens to Mykonos to Santorini. We’ll spare you my opinion on that for now and just say that, to date, the island that has stuck with me is Syros, both because of how lovely a time we had there and because of how few tourists put this place on their list. Especially if you’re keen to learn a bit about Greek cooking or local food (on the island, there’s a great multi-day course for which you can stay in a nice villa), Syros offers a more local version of Greek island living.

Though I struggled to pull myself out of the pottery stores and local spice stores downtown, I also loved the quiet hikes Syros offered. On a clear day, one can get a few of a good half dozen nearby islands. Plus, especially in the shoulder season, you’ll find few others to bother you on the hike, and you may even have (some of the) beaches to yourself.

Underrated Travel Destinations in Southeast Asia (Hidden Gems Included)

Gili Air, Indonesia (Southeast Asia)

Gili Air is paradise, particularly on the less-traversed northern half of the island. There are three Gili Islands in Indonesia, all right next to each other. Gili “T” is known as the party island, Gili Meno is the least developed, but Gili Air is the perfect retreat for a couple in search of paradise.

Technically, you could visit Gili Air in a day trip from Bali (or better yet, Lombok, which is much closer), but we think that would be far too fast of a trip. Gili Air is worth a week. You can walk the entire island in an hour, and there are lots of great beaches and snorkeling options. Renting a boat and hopping between snorkeling locations in the Gili Islands is a great option for spending a half-day. Plus, somehow, the island has some of the best Californian-style, vegetarian and vegan cuisine we’ve ever had in our lives. We loved one restaurant – Pituq – so much that we went seven times in six days. (Seriously, we are still talking about this fantastic food.)

Plus, if you’re a cat person, know that the island has tons of adorable stray cats that the islanders care for. This was truly one of the most relaxing places we’ve ever been. One note – while most international visitors prioritizing visiting Bali, we actually enjoyed Gili Air so much that we would say skip Bali, and spend a week here instead.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Southeast Asia)

Yogyakarta is often used as a home base to see two “nearby” temples – Prambanan and Borubudur, both of which are incredible and unesco world heritage sites – on day trips. Yogyakyarta offers so much more than this though. There’s a bustling local street food scene, and we really enjoyed a food tour here because it helped us to try delicious food we would have otherwise overlooked. You’ll find amazing art on the walls outside (ok, technically it’s graffiti – but we thought it was beautiful), and areas like Malioboro Street come alive at night. Go to Hamzah Batik store to see a demonstration of how Batik fabric is made (if you’re lucky) and buy some clothing. Yogya felt a lot more like “real” Indonesia instead of the well-trodden tourist path in Indonesia.

Port Barton, Philippines (Southeast Asia)

Port Barton was another secret paradise, similar to Gili Air. There were few people here when we visited, and it seemed as if tourism was just starting to help the local economy flourish. There is a treasure trove of things to do here. Though there are only a few roads in the town, there are glorious beaches (some of which you have to reach by kayak), the food is fantastic, and the snorkeling here was some of the best we’d ever done. The city only got 24-hour electricity about 6 years ago (as of the writing of this in 2023), so many hotels here don’t have wifi yet. (You can still find a place that has wifi and AC; we did.) It’s a bit of a pain to get here, but if you’re already planning on going to El Nido in the Philippines, I highly recommend adding a good 4 nights here to relax in a less touristy paradise.

Siquijor, Philippines (Southeast Asia)

If you’re traveling to the Philippines, you’re probably wondering which islands to visit. We can understand why. There are a few thousand to pick from. Most tourists end up on Palawan and tackle the touristy towns of El Nido before heading further north to Coron. We enjoy those places too, but my favorite island to date is Siquijor. It sits a ferry-able distance from Cebu (which you can fly into) and offers a great number of activities to enjoy for as small an island as it is. You can take a tuktuk around the island to see waterfalls, caves, a butterfly sanctuary, and to bop between beaches and marine sanctuaries. Beach living is easy here, and in fact it’s almost hard to find a hotel that isn’t a few minutes from the beach. Those eager to peer underwater will be delighted by a nice variety of tropical fish too.

Underrated Travel Destinations in Africa (Hidden Gems Included)

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia (Southern Africa)

Tiny but mighty, this was one of our favorite national parks in Africa. Stay inside the park and see if any animals pass through your campsite or wander nearby. The park has the Big 4 (the Big 5 minus rhinos) and marvelous spots to see the beautiful African sunset. It’s the perfect spot for nature lovers keen to enjoy watching the wildlife. It’ll be the first place we head next time we go back to southern Africa.

Etosha National Park, Namibia (Southern Africa)

We were surprised to find some of the best wildlife viewing of our trip in Etosha. We were expecting minimal viewing; the park is so large after all, but we saw at least a dozen rhinos. (Obviously, no one can guarantee any animal sightings; it’s a bit of the luck of the draw.) What’s unique about Etosha is that the campsites in the park, run by the Namibian government, are really well run and offer watering holes. In the evening, you can sit in stadium-like seating and watch the watering hole quietly to see what comes by. Maybe you’ll get as lucky as we did and see rhinos fighting!

Also, right nearby you can find the Etosha salt pans, where you can take whatever perspective shots come to mind. Want to emerge from a banana? Go for it.

Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe (Southern Africa)

Matopos National Park is a must-see if you’re really keen to see rhinos up close. Here, you can go rhino trekking. This is inherently a dangerous activity. Rhinos are massive creatures who can speed up very quickly, so this is something you do only with a knowledgeable guide. Leave anyone who wouldn’t listen to the guide at home; they’d just put everyone else in danger. But for the responsible, animal lover, you can get about 15 feet away from a white rhino here in the wild, and the experience is incredible.

Chobe National Park, Botswana (Southern Africa)

Once again, incredible wildlife viewing and an ideal outdoor adventure. In Chobe, we saw some of our most unique sights on our own adult gap year. Who knows if we were lucky or if there is simply something special about Chobe, but here we saw a good dozen lions reuniting. I will simply never forget this moment. It also makes for beautiful, wild landscapes. In the middle of Chobe, you’ll see the Chobe River, which in the dry season causes streaks of green to erupt across an otherwise dry plane.

Essaouira, Morocco (Northern Africa)

Essaouira is different from the rest of Morocco, and Morocco is definitely worth a good amount of time. (It made our list of places we'd recommend spending a full month.) It’s a beachy community with a somewhat toned-down medina that is easier to navigate and less overwhelming than in other parts of Morocco. Everyday life simply feels a bit calmer. The food is just as good as it is elsewhere in Morocco, there are just as many stray cats ready to keep you company during meal times, and you get all the benefits of the beach. Surfers come here because the surf conditions are apparently great, and you’ll see people learning to windsurf here too.

Tangier, Morocco (Northern Africa)

I’m always surprised at how poorly planned Morocco itineraries are. For one, everyone goes to Casablanca (consistently the first city locals will recommend you skip). But worse, tourists consistently miss the best spots. Tangier is one of those. Formerly an international zone, Tangier offers a rich history with a fusion of cultures, religions, and foods. Sometimes call the Bride of the North, many of its buildings are painted white, and the view at sunset is nothing less than picturesque. Bop through the local markets with a great guide, and you’ll taste the best olives you’ve ever had in your life, see meticulously maintained spice pyramids, and sample local pastries that will leave you taking notes so you know how to make them at home. Though you’ll need to navigate a border crossing, Tangier is also a relatively easy trip from Southern Spain, so it’s a relatively accessible city to tack onto your European adventure too.

Nairobi, Kenya (Eastern Africa)

Nairobi is sometimes nicknamed Nai-Robbery (and rightly so if you read the travel advisory today), so you might be surprised to see it on this list. I think skipping Nairobi is a miss if you’re heading to East Africa. It’s home to two especially wonderful sites: Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage and Giraffe Manor. In the former, you’ll get up close and personal with over a dozen orphaned elephants of all ages (and some rhinos and warthogs) who are being cared for with the hope of re-wilding them. In the latter, you can stay overnight in perhaps one of the most unique hotels in the world (where else will a giraffe poke its head through your window?) or simply visit the sanctuary and feed the endangered giraffes who call this place home from your palm.

Franschhoek, South Africa (Southern Africa)

Franschhoek sits on the western side of South Africa and is known for one thing: wine. Filled with wineries, South Africa in general offers a marvelous hazy of emerald cliffs and the occasional well-organized field of grape vines. In Franschhoek, tourists book specific lines on the “wine tram” to bop between any number of wineries and vineyards over the course of the day. You’ll be ushered around either by an old-timey trolley car or a mini-bus as you pretend to taste the difference between an unreasonable number of wines. (Don’t worry, there’s plenty of food options too.)

Underrated Travel Destinations in the Americas (Hidden Gems Included)

Isla Holbox, Mexico (Central America)

When your friends are raving about Cancun, you’ll know you one-upped them by heading to this totally underrated destination: Isla Holbox. A bus and ferry ride from Cancun, this island paradise is replete with great food, fun (touristy) shopping, and magnificent beaches. You know what this island doesn’t have, at least currently? Hordes of tourists. It’s the perfect place to work on your tan with a cold beer next to you. Expect great sunsets, real opportunities to disconnect, and just a little bit of dust. Most people get around the island on massive ATVs, and they kick up just a bit of sand as they drive by. It’s a small price to pay to relax in a quiet Mexican paradise.

Bonaire (The Caribbean)

Fair warning, once you go to Bonaire, you will ruin virtually every other Caribbean island. One of the least touristed island destinations, Bonaire is an overlooked gem of a vacation spot – especially if you like to scuba dive or snorkel. Bonaire is part of the ABC islands, near the cost of Venezuela and near Aruba (“A”) and Curacao (“C.”) But while Aruba and Curacao receive over a million tourists annually, Bonaire receives only a fraction of that. Suffice it to say, people are missing out – especially because it’s not that hard to get to the island, with direct flights from the US from Newark, Miami, Atlanta, and Houston currently.

Here’s the thing – Bonaire is completely surrounded by a national marine park. Because it sits so far south in the Caribbean, it’s generally been protected from hurricanes, which have left its elaborate and colorful corals intact. The consequence? An underwater cornucopia ready for you to explore. What’s more – the island has a ton of great restaurants, hiking, flamingos, beautiful beaches for relaxing, and even a series of caves to explore – though, be warned, you might need a helmet, a flashlight, and a harness.

Talkeetna, Alaska, United States (North America)

You’ll see quickly we have a deep love for Alaska. We think it’s the most beautiful part of the US, and we’ve spent many months exploring here. We know more than a few hidden gems, and we have strong opinions on where the outdoorsy touristy should head here. One place we consistently recommend is Talkeetna, and we recommend it for a few reasons. First, it’s one of the best places to view Denali. Denali often hides under cloud cover. Like so many massive mountains, it’s so large it can cause localized weather patterns that shield it from view. If you’re lucky to catch a glimpse of it, Talkeetna will offer a marvelous view.

Get up early for your best chance to see it. This brings me to the second-best part of Talkeetna: you can camp right in the middle of town. That means you can wake up at sunrise, open your tent, and peer outside bleary-eyed to view Denali. Of course, if you’re not moved by mountain vistas, Talkeetna still has plenty to offer. It’s a town that you could accurately call “cuuuute” with many “U’s” and is replete with local stores offering souvenirs, art, and pottery all made in Alaska. It also makes a great nightly pit stop if you’re driving up to Denali National Park or making the super long drive up to Fairbanks.

Homer, Alaska, United States (North America)

Homer is a fishing community on the water about 4 hours south of Anchorage. In the summer, it’s flooded with pink flowers called fireweed. It’s beautiful. If you’re into fishing or hiking, this is a must. We love to take the water taxi across the bay and hike out to Grewingk Glacier, where we camp for the night until the water taxi picks us up on the beach the next morning. Just be Bear-Aware here.

Ready to start exploring? Check out our other tools for long-term travel budgeting and our world packing tips. And if you'd rather cut to the chase and get help from the experts, you can get started for free here!