Chile takes the coveted top spot of the best country for travelers in 2018. Seville receives the accolade of number one city in the world to visit next year. Hot on the Spanish city’s heels is the American comeback city Detroit and Australia’s oft-overlooked capital Canberra. The region which Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018 declares the number one must-see in the coming year is Belfast and the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, with Alaska in second place. Tallinn, Estonia has been crowned Lonely Planet’s best value destination of 2018, closely followed by Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and Arizona in the USA.

San Juan is also showcased in the 10 best cities list. Lonely Planet’s Central America and Caribbean destination editor Bailey Freeman said, “While Puerto Rico’s capital was hit hard by the hurricane last month, San Juan’s resiliency will have it back on its feet for travelers in 2018.”

Deciding what destinations to include in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel annual selection is a considered process involving Lonely Planet’s most experienced travelers providing hundreds of recommendations of places not to be missed. These places are then shortlisted by a panel of in-house travel experts who consider criteria such as topicality, novelty and wow-factor to decide what to include in the inspirational travel yearbook – available in hardback for the first time this year.

“These are the places you shouldn’t miss next year,” said Lonely Planet’s US magazine managing editor Alex Howard. “From Alaska to South Africa, our community of travel experts have named the top places to experience. Whether they’re coming into their own, celebrating an anniversary or have seen a resurgence in recent years, all these destinations are worth a visit in 2018.”

Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018 features trends and experiences to prepare for in the year ahead. Top trends include destination races, vegetarian and vegan travel, and exploratory cruises. Lonely Planet’s experts also rank the top 10 best new openings, places to stay and culture trips for families.

The landing page, www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel, features all of the Best in Travel 2018 destinations and more advice on visiting them. Four videos accompany each of the number one destinations to reveal why they were selected as the top spots for travel in 2018, all captured using GoPro equipment by Lonely Planet’s experts on the road. Travelers can enter a My Best in Travel video competition to win round-trip flights for two to the number one country Chile and a GoPro HERO6 Black provided by this year’s sponsor, GoPro. Best in Travel 2018 is also the cover story in the upcoming issue of Lonely Planetmagazine, on newsstands November 7.