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A coast-to-coast guide to the coolest experiences happening in all 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.) right now

In the far-off Faroe Islands, where sheep outnumber people and intense weather has shaped the local diet for centuries, an unlikely food star is born.

Your guide to adrenaline-pumping, wildlife-filled, off-the-beaten-path experiences across all 50 states, plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

They’re some of the safest places to travel—and some of the most beautiful, too.

Mark our words: 2025 will be the year of crowd-free travel. Here are our picks for the world’s 25 most exciting, lesser-visited destinations to plan a trip to right now.

It’s probably a lot different than you might think.

When in Reykjavík, do as the Vikings do.

Wondering where to travel in 2018? We’ve got you covered.

The Arctic isn’t necessarily the barren tundra you might imagine.

Overview

Overview

Try something different and experience wildlife on board a traditional Icelandic schooner operated by North Sailing Húsavík.The crew is fun and very knowledgeable. They take you to Lundey, the Puffin Island, as well as the traditional whale watching areas. While on the tour we saw over 10 humpback whales, a few Minkey whales, dolphins, puffins and other arctic birds including Northern gannets which are the largest seabirds in the North Atlantic, with a wingspan of up to 2 meters. It was a gorgeous day too. It was an unforgettable experience and something I would do again and again. At the end of the trip the Captain is offering hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls.

This short 13km drive is worth taking for the panoramic views of the northwest coast, stretching from the Rosguill Peninsula to the Bloody Foreland, and out to Tory Island to the north. There’s plenty of seabird life on the cliff ledges, with puffins, storm petrels, gulls and guillemots. When you get to the tip of Horn Head, walk to the viewpoint at Faugher, for views of the cliffs and the ruins of a signal tower from the 17th century.

Reaching the remote Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge is part of the fun. The four-hour boat journey from Seward to the only lodge within the 700,000-acre Kenai Fjords National Park is a prime opportunity to spot porpoises, puffins, and whales. On arrival, guests disembark and make their way to the lodge, where they’re briefed on bear safety: No food allowed in the 16 cabins. Calving tidewater glaciers provide the wake-up call for days filled with sea kayaking, canoeing, and hiking. Come evening, relax in the main lodge with a cocktail or with a book from the lodge’s natural history library. From $725, all-inclusive. This appeared in the June/July 2015 issue.

Reykjavík’s old harbor, built between 1913 and 1917, has seen quite the transformation in recent years, morphing from a mainly functional area dominated by ships and their fishermen to a lively, modern tourism area that’s almost a new city district of its own. The sparkling, award-winning Harpa concert hall and conference center has dominated the area since it opened in 2011, and several restaurants and cafés, along with offices, now line the harbor promenade, interspersed with the occasional cultural spot such as the fascinating Reykjavík Maritime Museum. The boats, trawlers, and whaling ships are still there, of course, and remain a big part of the atmosphere, but they’re today joined by a number of tourist boats offering whale-watching and puffin tours.