Travel & Hotspots

PLOTTED BY TRAVEL JOURNALISTS: THESE ARE THE 500 MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES ON EARTH

We all have a list of places we want to visit. You know, those destinations that friends gushed about after a vacation or that we've read about or seen photos of on that damn Instagram. Tokyo is one for me. And I find it quite serious that with a full-blooded Indonesian father, I've never sought out my ‘roots’. Oh, and I recently wrote about the most beautiful island in the world, Palawan in the Philippines. I wouldn't mind parking my butt there for a week or so.

But anyway, that list of special places. This time it's not just filled in randomly, but it's done by the editors of Lonely Planet. And I wouldn't just call it a list. People, this is a líst. Filled in by travel professionals who have seen half the world and can really determine which places were the coolest. And that's why they made the book ‘Ultimate Destinations’. About the five hundred most exciting, fascinating, and impressive places on earth. These are the places that, according to them, we really need to see. Because they will amaze you, surprise you, and leave a deep impression on you. I'm listening. Because the places touch you, make you think, and evoke the irresistible need to tell others about them. I'm listening even more. From the Taj Mahal to the Grand Canyon and from the Great Wall of China to South Africa's Kruger Park.

Rapapapam, meet the top 3:

1. Angkor

Wat Is Cambodia on your agenda? Lucky you. Then you're going to Angkor Wat, a temple complex that has been labeled the largest religious monument in the world. Fun fact: Angelie Jolie also frolicked around there for the filming of Tomb Raider.

2. Great Barrier Reef

My sister is moving to Australia soon, so I have extra reasons why I need to go here. Believe me: this is too beautiful. You want to go here. Please Google it. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. It consists of more than 2,900 individual reefs and 900 perfectly formed islets.

3. Machu Picchu

The ruins of Inca city Machu Picchu complete the top 3. A friend of mine was recently at one of the seven modern wonders of the world and found it so incredibly beautiful that she's considering emigrating to Peru. Says enough, I think.

Okay, and now I could go on to tell exactly which places are included, but hey, 500 is quite a hefty list, so you might as well get the book starting September 6 here for 30 euros. You can immediately start planning vacations for the coming years. Although, 500?! Oh god, I can't handle that with my choice stress not. First, let's finish that top 10. Thanks, Lonely Planet.