The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Best Places To Travel In 2026 & Exploring Puerto Rico
So where will you travel to in 2026? If you're looking for some destination ideas, travel expert Onanta Forbes will join me on this week's show to review the 12 Best Places to Travel in 2026. That's at least according to Trafalgar Tours. Plus, you might want to consider visiting Puerto Rico in 2026 as they have a lot going on from new openings and events to emerging travel experiences. We'll chat with the Chief Marketing Officer from Discover Puerto Rico to find out more.
Hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. And I'm your host, Randy Sharman. So where will you travel to in 2026? If you're looking for some destination ideas, travel expert Onetta Forbes will join me in a few seconds to run through the 12 best places to travel in 2026. Well, that's at least according to Trafalgar Tours. Plus, you might want to consider visiting Puerto Rico in 2026, as they have a lot going on, from new openings and events to emerging travel experiences. So we'll chat with the chief marketing officer from Discover Puerto Rico to find out more. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onanta Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and ex at Onanta Forbes. OnantaForbes.com is her website. Hello, Onanta. Hey Randy. Getting into 2026, there's uh all kinds of lists for the best places to travel. Uh I'm sure everybody has a list of best places to travel, but we're gonna use uh just for argument's sake uh or for reference sake, uh Trafalgar's list came out with the 12 best places to travel. One thing for 2026, well actually two, if you're a sports fan, uh the World Cup and the Olympics, I think that'll have uh an impact on uh travel and destinations, yeah?
SPEAKER_02:I think so. I um I think football fever, soccer fever will be taking over North America with the FIFA World Cup and you know, landing across the three countries. Um we can probably expect a large uh uptick from international visitors as well as domestically going. Um it covers it takes place in 16 cities. So uh yes, you could go to the the tournament, but you can also, depending on where you go, uh have take time to explore other you know the place itself outside of the event. So um it's uh you know, for Canada, which is one of the uh a great place to go, um visit within our country, National Park, Cities, and wildlife, I think are some of the highlights of our country. Um topping the list, I think Japan is still busy. It's you know, with the cherry blossoms or fall colors, the mild weather, but I do recommend visitors who go plan really far in advance. Um, we're finding that uh tour operators that are there are taking longer to respond to inquiries. It can take two to three weeks. So um definitely the best time to go is March to May or October to November, but plan ahead.
SPEAKER_00:Hmm, interesting. Yeah, there are certain uh destinations that pop up just amount on just about every list. Japan is one of them. Morocco is another one, and I was surprised. I did do an interview with uh uh a company that does tours to Morocco, but just looking at Morocco in general, they're the sixth most popular visited destination in the world. I did not know that.
SPEAKER_02:No, I didn't either. But you know, it's not that bad to get to because it's just within a couple hours from Paris, and WestJet has nonstop flights to Paris in the summertime, so not that hard to get to, and you're right, the different diversity of Morocco, the food, the scenery, the landscape, I and just even the history and the culture would be very interesting to visit. Um so that that reigns high. Um, another place not that far away, and I'm quite interested in it, is Egypt. Um you know the uh the new museum that's opened up. It's supposed to be one of the largest to host a lot of um of their history, their antiquities, their um, it's I think it's quite amazing for history bus to go and enjoy.
SPEAKER_00:And along with uh Japan, there's all there's still the the main uh popular destinations that uh again pop up on the top 10 lists, top 12 lists, Thailand, um also Vietnam, and uh just the Asian destinations there.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, and I think it's very competitively priced when you get there. Our Canadian dollar does well. Um, the food is amazing. I would definitely enjoy the food when I go there, as well as just uh the opportunity to travel cheaply between the different countries, whether you're going to Malaysia or you're going to um uh like the Philippines and such. So I think that's a good destination to look at, maybe even for a long stay.
SPEAKER_00:Well, speaking of long stays, again, uh countries that pop up and they're on this list as well, Spain and Portugal.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they're uh Portugal especially is almost is very high in visitors. Um I've had quite a few clients that have gone to this destination and totally enjoy it. Whether you like golf or whether you want to experience port, you know what's a favorite way to visit the country is a river cruise, um, which uh again is one of the best um and most repeat types of travel that are trending these days. So it's it's good to spend time before and after. Um it's great walking destination. Yeah, it's uh as you say, a really good and popular place to go to. Um and also, you know, definitely think of when the time of year, because summer is super busy, but maybe mid September for a month would be good, or before school lets out in spring would be a good time to go as well.
SPEAKER_00:Well, if with every list, there's always an outlier, uh, and there's no exception here. Albania, to me, was a surprise uh as a top 12 visit.
SPEAKER_02:You know what that wouldn't that till I kind of read the list, that wouldn't be something that popped up in my um my to-do or to go places. But it's underrated beaches, there it's quite affordable. Um, good times to go is May, June, and September. So again, maybe to avoid overtourism in other places, to consider Albania. Another place that is interesting is uh Mongolia. Um, only in warm months uh with regards to June to September. And they I'm not gonna I don't know if I'm saying this right, Nadam Festival is supposed to be a highlight as well. So something different and unique. And if you're looking for something a little bit off the beaten track, I think those two destinations would uh would definitely click for some people.
SPEAKER_00:And with every list too, there's always uh people that will say, well, what about this place? What about that place? Uh places that are missing or they're they were missed out on a on a top 10 or top 12 list. Is there anything that that you would add to this list that's say this is a this is a great destination, this is a place you should look at for 2026?
SPEAKER_02:You know what's becoming more and more popular, and I think it was because it was um one of the destinations on the White Lotus TV show is Sicily. It's quite it's a small place, you know, still within the Italian realm, but that's becoming more and more popular. So I would suggest Sicily um for people to go and also Sri Lanka. Um I know it's it's a it's a long way to go, and you probably would recommend other destinations to combine in your trip, but Sri Lanka, you see it in a lot of shows that are um as a backdrop when they're maybe saying that they're in India or in Malaysia. Um it the scenery with the tea plantations and um the opportunity for to visit the beaches, I think would be quite amazing to go to. And it it one day I would like to. I've been there on a day trip for like as a cruise stop, but I think it would be good to stay longer.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm. Well, and and that's the thing about some of these destinations. You don't necessarily have to just just go to that destination. You can make it part of a whole uh tour, especially if it's a European destination or parts of South America or Central America.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there's um i again, you know, chat with your travel advisor because you know, they they get different educational opportunities with our suppliers, with our tour operators, with the tourism boards to discover um maybe places that might not be in your, you know, your thoughts. Another place that's popped up is Saudi Arabia. Um that's supposed to be quite interesting to go to. I think anywhere in that part of the world would be interested if you respectfully observe their traditions and their culture. Um Dubai, Oman, really good stuff. But again, I would definitely take it um in conjunction with another destination because it's a journey.
SPEAKER_00:And you want to get the best of your time and your dollar. There are lots of choices, like there is every year. Uh, looks like 2026 is going to be another exciting travel year. So uh here's to here's the good travels in 2026.
SPEAKER_02:Safe and good and just fun. Yes, I agree.
SPEAKER_00:Onanta Forbes is a travel expert. You can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and X at Onanta Forbes. Onantaforbes.com is her website. Uh thanks, Onanta.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Happy New Year.
SPEAKER_00:This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, the informedtraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions or show segment ideas you might have. My email address is randy at the informedtraveler.org. And you can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at Informed Traveler. That's where you can find a number of videos and reels from our adventures throughout the year, and audio clips from our past shows. Plus, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our December issue is now available. Just go to our website, the informedtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, one destination you might want to consider visiting in 2026 is Puerto Rico. They have a lot to offer from local music and cuisine to art and festivals, lots of festivals. So joining me now to tell us more about Puerto Rico is Storm Tussi. She is the chief marketing officer for Discover Puerto Rico. DiscoverPuerto Rico.com is the website. I think a lot of people, including myself, uh, their first experience visiting Puerto Rico is by uh taking a cruise out of San Juan. Is that what you find? And I found that uh San Juan is an absolutely gorgeous city. I enjoyed my time there and it was too short. So is that uh what you what you find for for well, some people, a lot of people?
SPEAKER_01:I always say that if you do a cruise, you only touch about 15% of the island. So you have to come back many times more to get the whole taste.
SPEAKER_00:I can attest to that. You only get a small portion of the island because there is so much more to Puerto Rico than than uh San Juan. So uh but I would I'm guessing that's a good starting point, and for anyone who wants to explore the rest of Puerto Rico, that's gonna have a good home base. So is that how a lot of people do it?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. San Juan is centrally located, so you can get from one side of the island to the other side of the island um from San Juan in about three, three and a half hours. So it's a great place if you're trying to have a single location um to always come home to and then go and visit the different sides of the island. But we're also a really great road trip destination. So uh a lot of people start in San Juan and end in San Juan so that they can experience um the city while also getting a taste more of the island.
SPEAKER_00:So explain some of the regions. I am looking on your website, uh discoverPuerico.com. On there, there's a cool uh map, interactive map, where you can just kind of hover over and it and it shows you the different regions. Uh, but uh what what are some of the differences uh culturally, uh maybe uh food-wise, that type of thing?
SPEAKER_01:We'd like to break them out into four. So we've got San Juan in the Metro region, which is what a lot of people see. Um and that's a great blend of historic and modern. Um we have centuries old forts, we have cobblestone streets, elegant architecture, we've got beautiful beaches, nightlife that is on it can easily rival Miami and Santro Bay. Um, and then we've got great, great cuisine. We also have Isla Verde and Condado, which offer great beach relaxation, a lot of water sports, casinos, and a ton of cultural landmarks. I actually just read that in the condado lagoon, our um manatees have just started to return for the season, so we're really excited about that. Then we have the Central and Mountain region, which is um a lush and cooler region. It's where all of our coffee haciendas are. It's also a great way to see the mountains, um, really get into the waterfalls and taste some of the countryside gastronomy. And so if you go out to um Utah or Latin's, uh, we have farm tours and artisanal crafts, um, great cave systems. We have the third largest cave system in the world, and amazing river adventures where you can actually see some of the Teanu um hieroglyphs from yesteryears. Um it's perfect for travelers seeking tranquility and authenticity. And then we have the east, the northeast, which is the L UK region. Um, and so for that, we're home to L UK, you know, the only tropical rainforest in the US system. Um, it's great for hiking and bird watching and swimming holes and panoramic views, Lokillos, beaches, um, and has amazing food kiosks that offer a laid-back vibe of like surf sand and street food. And the fajardo really serves as the gateway if you're really into sport fishing, sailing, snorkeling, and visiting some of the caves. Um, and then it's also a great place to learn how to dance bumba and find out about Puerto Rican traditional dances. Um, and then it's also a great place to learn about um some of the local legends that are a part of the forestry in that area. And then the west side of the island is really known for its heritage-rich towns, its coastal drives, the beautiful festivals, and the much quieter beaches. Um, our northwest coast, particularly, the seaside town of Isabella offers a huge contrast to the mountains. It's um got wild beaches, dramatic cliffs, um, and it really moves at a much slower pace. It's often overlooked in favor of more of the crowded spots. But Isabella really rewards travelers with some of the island's most beautiful coastal scenery. Joba's Beach is the heart of the local surf scene, attracting wave riders from across the world, while Playa Montanos and the natural pool at Middles Beach provide calmer waters perfect for swimming and snorkeling. So there isn't a bad region of the island. It's just about what your energy level is and what you want to do.
SPEAKER_00:Well, it's it sounds like the the perfect kind of uh situation where you could you could start in San Juan, spend a day or two, and then just do a loop of the island and stop at various spots maybe for a night or two. Uh can you do it that way? Is that a is that a good way to get a whole taste of uh of Puerto Rico?
SPEAKER_01:I think that's the best way to get a good taste of Puerto Rico. I tell all of my friends and everybody I know, I would stay two days in San Juan and then go and spend about a day, day and a half in each section of the island, and then finish in San Juan. That way you really get a taste of the whole island. And you'd be surprised that we have so many different ecosystems. We have seven different ecosystems on the island. And so most people don't realize that they only view us as um historic and beautiful beaches. They don't realize the mountains, the caves, uh, the adventure that exist here.
SPEAKER_00:Mm-hmm. Uh is it easy to navigate? Is there formal tours you can you can hire to do all of this? Or uh is it more of an on-your-own kind of thing, or a little bit of both?
SPEAKER_01:You can definitely do a little bit of both. So there are formal tours that will take you around the island, and some of them are um gastronomy tours, some of them are dance tours, some of them are adventure tours, depending on what you're looking for. But my favorite is that it is so easy to navigate once you're outside of San Juan. And it's super easy to rent a car, and it follows all the same US um US road laws. So as long as you can get around, um, as long as you are comfortable driving, then it's a great experience. And you can kind of just let uh Puerto Rico lead you on an adventure. I always say um, you know, the people the best part about Puerto Rico is you can start your day with a plan and end up with something totally different just because of the people you meet, and it's well worth the flexibility because the people of Puerto Rico make such a difference in your experience.
SPEAKER_00:So I need to learn Spanish a little bit. It helps probably a bit, yeah?
SPEAKER_01:I mean, it's really good to know at least a couple phrases in Spanish. Um, my Spanish is really terrible. Um I really focus on knowing one sentence, which is I'm sorry, I don't understand, I don't speak Spanish. Um, but beyond that sentence, um, most of the areas uh do speak English and can communicate clearly. And if you can't communicate clearly, um, the local people will try very hard to meet you halfway. And you always have your phone for translation.
SPEAKER_00:I was just gonna say there's an app for that. There is an app for that. There's also Duolingo Storm. That's true.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I take classes four times a week, and my Spanish is still not great.
SPEAKER_00:Good for you. Let's talk about the culture. Language is part of the culture, but so is the food. So is like you mentioned, you touched on the the music and and and the arts and things like that. But uh that that's a big part of it, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the culture is pretty much everything um for this island. We're really, really blessed because we get to have while we have a remarkably small island, what we really have is a huge amount of passion and um history, and that allows us to really showcase the different characters across the island, and each region really does have a different character. And then when you add in the music culture with the salsa and the plana and the boomba and even the country and the rock, um, you really start getting a different type of energy. And then you as you work your way across the island um and you taste all the different foods from the peonis to the fritters to the Lechant to the seafood at the roadside kiosks, and then the rum distilleries, and then you get to the festivals. There's so much to consume, there's so much to engage with that you sometimes forget that we're that it's so easy to get to us, and that you are on only a very small island because there's so much sensory rich experiences to have.
SPEAKER_00:I am a bit of a history buff, so uh I'm I'm imagining there's probably a lot of great historical sites. Especially like well, even in uh San Juan area, the fort area is is amazing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we have some wonderful history. Um, you know, the most most people do go see El Moro, um, which is absolutely gorgeous. But as you go across the region, you will find a lot more. Um, I find the Spanish architecture in Bonce absolutely gorgeous. And then when you get to the north, you find some beautiful architecture in the patadores and some and the craftsmanship that is in each of the each of the hotels. Um, you really can't, you really can't beat it. And I would say that the more time you spend in Puerto Rico, the more you notice about um the history of it. And it'll also tell you about the piracy. That's my favorite part about the Rum Tours, is thinking about how pirates actually shaped the island.
SPEAKER_00:That would be a cool story to to learn about. Um, what are some of the events? We're in the holiday season. Uh uh, what's the what's uh New Year's celebrations and then and then maybe get into some of the events and festivals uh coming in the new year or in 2026?
SPEAKER_01:We have a really big New Year's celebration. Um, this year we are hosting Dick Clark's um Rockin' New Year's um in the T-Mobile Distrito in San Juan, which is really great. And then we lead into San Sebastian, and San Sebastian is absolutely the probably one of the largest festivals that Puerto Rico has, and it is the final party of the holiday season, so people go all out. And then in February in Ponse, we have Carnival, um, which is also a very huge festival. So it just begins. Um, it's the end of one year and the beginning of a new year, all with parties and festivals, really making sure you embrace your community, make new friends, and enjoy the food and beverages on island.
SPEAKER_00:Speaking of beverages, uh we didn't mention rum. There's lots of that, I think.
SPEAKER_01:There are. So we actually have about 20 rum distilleries on Island, um, which is fantastic, uh, including um Casa Bicarte, and then we also have Don Q. Um, and so there is actually a rum road that you can drive on to try all the different distilleries. Um in addition to rum, what people don't realize is we also have four wineries on island, and we have um we have about 18 microbreweries on island. So there is actually a beer road as well. So it's whatever beverage you want, we have it here for you.
SPEAKER_00:Best get a driver for that, though.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I would definitely recommend either taking a formal tour or bringing somebody that can be your DD for that.
SPEAKER_00:Is there a best time to visit? I know you mentioned some of the festivals and things, but uh I I would assume that uh any time is a good time.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I always say that Puerto Rico really is a 365-day island. Um, we don't really have bad weather. Um, I mean, yeah, you might catch a little rain during certain periods of the year, but it's not consistent enough to really disrupt your day. Um, everybody needs a little afternoon nap anyway. So, you know, that's what we've got. Well, I would say for Canadians craving warmth right now. I mean, I can uh I'm from Vermont originally, so I know how cold it can get in the north. Um, you know, for us, we really think that there is a lot of opportunity for people to come really focused on November through May. It allows them to escape the cold and enjoy um the golden beaches, the turquoise water, and our beautiful, beautiful moderate temperatures with our um trans-Pacific breeze that's going on right now. So right now it's probably, you know, we cap at maybe 85 right now, and then our low is like a nice breezy 75. So it's not a huge variation between night and day.
SPEAKER_00:I would think the ideal vacation would spend a week in in Puerto Rico, do a cruise, come back and do another week.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, that's what I think people would do. I think you can have a great time if you do that.
SPEAKER_00:Anything else you want to add?
SPEAKER_01:I mean, I think for us, I think the best thing we can do is really help people understand that Puerto Rico chasing the off-the-beaten trip path experiences is sometimes the best experience you can have. Because there is no two days that are exactly the same. And while we while we have so much to offer, it's really is about what you want from your vacation. If you really want to just kind of lay on the beach and have a good time, we've got that. If you want to, you know, have your heart pumping and get excited, we have that offering. If you want to see art and music and dance, we have that. So, really, it's about what do you really want to get out of your vacation? And then Puerto Rico can make sure that you do that.
SPEAKER_00:I want to do it all, Storm. That's the trouble.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, that's why you need to be here for a minimum a week. I always say, I don't think, I don't, I think if you're less than five days, you don't really get the full experience of Puerto Rico.
SPEAKER_00:Storm Tussey is the uh chief marketing officer for Discover Puerto Rico. You can uh check out their website, discoverPortoRico.com, and plan your visit there. I appreciate your time, Storm. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01:No, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00:That is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is Randy at the Informed Traveler.org. If you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at the informed traveler.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.