(CNN) — From the gloomy depths of a Northern Hemisphere winter like no other, it can seem futile thinking about vacation plans for the year ahead.
With most of the planet still in the grips of the pandemic and vaccines a long way off for so many of us, traveling for pleasure could be thought of as at best foolish, at worst, downright risky.
One thing we do know, however, is that this situation isn’t forever. For some of us, escape could be a matter of weeks away. For others, it could be coming in the middle, or even the end, of the year.
But it will come eventually, and freedom to explore will be back in the cards.
It’s in this spirit that CNN Travel has compiled its list of 21 places to visit in 2021. We’re fully aware that some of these destinations may remain off-limits for some time to come and that embarking on a trip may not be advisable.
But in an era where tourism is part of the global language, we’ll continue to look ahead to the time when we can take our first tentative steps back out into the world and make good on those dreams we’ve been saving up.
With that in mind, we’ve assembled a collection of mostly blockbuster destinations that we think are going to be high on your travel wish lists. The 21 places YOU want to go.
These are not the obscure or undiscovered gems that often populate places-to-go rundowns (although we did throw in a couple of unexpected spots).
To help with getting you there, for each destination we’ve also built a separate guide to what you need to know before you go, covering entry restrictions, current Covid guidelines, and safeguards, plus what kind of vacation you can expect when you finally make it.
See somewhere you like: bookmark the guide and keep checking back for updates. We’ll keep you posted with all the latest developments as they happen.
