Episode 49: Hot Destinations for 2024 with Paula Twidale - Part II

Angie Orth:

Have you been daydreaming about cruising down the Douro in Lisbon? Snacking on fresh ceviche in Lima or seeing your favorite Game of Thrones scenes come to life in Split? How about sampling street food in Fukuoka or warming up for winter on the sandy beaches of Melbourne?

If any of the above got your travel wheels turning, then you are obviously paying attention to our most recent episode. In our last installment, Paula Twidale, the senior vice president of Travel at AAA, joined us to explore some of the most-talked-about destinations for 2024. Today, she's back to tell you about 5 more of the hottest destinations for the new year.

Welcome back, Paula! To start us off, let's dive straight into the turquoise waters of one of my favorite island-hopping destinations. Greece is always on my bucket list. I've been a couple of times, it never gets … I mean, as old as it is, it never gets old. The food is amazing, the people are so fun and nice, and it's gorgeous. Why are people going to Greece in 2024?

Paula Twidale:

It is gorgeous. It's really laid back. It's just pristine. It has a very unique culture and a unique look to it. You clearly recognize those rooftops when you see them in any postcard or any commercial. You can do the 5-island tour. You can do Santorini, Mykonos, and let's not forget, just coming into Athens, right? Seeing the history and culture of Athens, and then going out to the Port of Piraeus to take a cruise out to the islands.

One of the first islands you usually visit is the island of Crete, the largest Greek island. It has rich history, several major attractions, unique food culture, vibrant nightlife, magnificent nature, and pristine beaches. The first prehistoric European civilization to the Bronze Age, the Minoans, were part of and flourished on Crete, and its majestic palaces can still be visited. A lot of people who like history, culture, and museums, and want to go to the palaces usually go to Crete for all those things. It very historic because of the Bronze Age, right? A lot of that is a draw.

Then we have another must-see which is Rhodes, which is a UNESCO-listed medieval city. Rhodes was famous for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In addition to its history, it's also popular for beaches, hot springs, butterflies, cafes, and shopping.

Angie:

I remember I went to Rhodes on a cruise. There were a lot of cats, so many cats just roaming around the medieval city and they just owned the place. I have done a cruise around the Greek islands, what an incredible experience. You don't have to pack, you're just in a different, amazing historic place every day. You get to watch the sunrise in the Aegean, and it just doesn't get better than that.

Paula:

For people who haven't seen Greece, I would suggest doing a combination of land and cruises. You're going to sail out of Port of Piraeus, so you get into Athens, see the Acropolis, visit the ruins, and just see as much as you can for a day or 2 in Athens before you head out and take the cruise.

Then the cruise allows you to visit multiple islands. You can do 3 islands, you can do 5 islands, and you get a little taste of everything. There's so much to look forward to. I always suggest if you've never been to a destination, sometimes it pays to do a more comprehensive tour of that location so you can pick out a favorite area that you want to go back and revisit.

Angie:

That's how I like to do it. I love to see a bunch of it and then decide what I want to go back to and do a deeper dive on. But Greece is a tough one because there is so much on land, on sea, everywhere you look is a postcard.

Ireland is another destination where everywhere you look is a postcard. I was there a couple of years ago. It's an important cultural hub for a lot of Americans because a lot of us trace our roots to Ireland. Where do you recommend people go in Ireland? We could start with the capital.

Paula:

Most people do start with the capital in Dublin, right? And actually, you could hub and spoke from there. There are a few things you want to see in Dublin. For instance, you're going to visit Trinity College and view the Book of Kells, have a pint of Guinness. You want to definitely do that.

Angie:

The Guinness Tour is wonderful.

Paula:

It is a great tour. It is a great tour, and I'm not a Guinness drinker. My husband is, but you got to try it there because it tastes so different. To me, Dublin is kind of a must-see.

Killarney is a fun town, it's quaint. You're going to find your way along the Ring of Kerry. Killarney is a fun place to stroll. You want to visit the singing pubs and really get in with the culture. Then, you can take a trip along the rugged coastline and loop around to picturesque Ring of Kerry at that point and shop for local artisan-made crafts. There are always fun things to pick up because you're just immersing yourself in the culture. If you look at Ireland itself, you can do all these cities. We're talking about Dublin and Killarney, but we are leaving out Waterford. We're leaving out the Cliffs of Moher. There's just so much. If you can do a complete circle, I'd say fly into Dublin, then fly out of Shannon, so you can see the entire trip. Or fly in and out of Dublin to complete a circle from one end of the country, down to the tip, and right back up the left coast and really hit the highlights.

Angie:

There's so much to see in Ireland, and then you want to couple it with Northern Ireland, which you can absolutely drive all the way around. There are castles, villages, live music, and every pub, every little family-owned restaurant you stop in, you meet the nicest people and they want to know where you're coming from, and you start talking about your last name, and if your relatives are in the cemetery down the way. It's such a nice, friendly place to go, and it's so easy to get to from the East Coast.

Paula:

In fact, if you go into Shannon from the East Coast, it could be 5 hours, so it's really a short trip. Ireland's always on people's bucket list. It'll continue to be an all-time favorite.

Angie:

Ireland is another good destination to see on a cruise because you can couple it with the British Isles, and you can see a lot of different ports that way if you're limited on time, or not comfortable road-tripping yourself around because driving on the other side of the road is not for everyone. I will attest to that. Maybe a cruise for folks who don't want to drive.

Let's go a bit south and go to France. The Olympics are coming up next year in Paris, which is very exciting. We just did an episode focusing on all the fun things to do in Paris. So, if people aren't going for the Olympics, why should they think about Paris next year?

Paula:

Who doesn't love Paris, right? You are going to sip wine and people watch along the Champs-Élysées. You’re going to visit the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay, or spend a whole day at Versailles. Take the Bateaux Mouche over the river Seine and then sample the best pastries that you've ever had in your lifetime, anywhere, and I'm a foodie. I'm serious, if you like eclairs or anything, you'll taste the best chocolate mousse. You'll have the best eclairs in the world in Paris. Similar to Dublin, you can hub and smoke from there. You can start in Paris and really enjoy all that, then make your way south and go to the port city of Nice. It's the gateway to the French Riviera for a reason because they have great restaurants there, art, cathedrals, museums, fun shops, and cafes all rolled into one.

Angie:

You can get to Nice by train from Paris, right? So, if you fly in to Charles de Gaulle, you can hang out there for a few days, see the sights, then off you go to the French Riviera, and then fly back from there.

Paula:

That’s right.

Angie:

I imagine summer gets pretty busy. Is shoulder season a better choice?

Paula:

I feel shoulder season is always a better choice. Summer has always been busy and the weather is delightful, but it can get rather warm. So, the shoulder season makes a beautiful time to enjoy scenery, walk around, pleasant atmosphere, pleasant temperatures, and not too cold. There's not really a bad time to go to France.

Angie:

Let's go to a neighbor of France. Switzerland is a great place to eat chocolate. So, if we're starting in Zurich, where do we go from there? And what's the highlight?

Paula:

You got to start with cheese. Swiss cheese, right? Cheese and fondues. The cheeses are wonderful to have great fondues. Again, I'm talking about gastronomy everywhere I go because it's part of the local culture. Everybody has their signature dishes and that makes it fun. You want to get away from the things you do every single day. Cheese and wine tours, from Zurich you can go to Rhine Falls, the Black Forest, Liechtenstein. You can see a little bit of everything if you get there a couple of days without really leaving.

Then I would make my way to Lucerne. I love Lucerne. It's one of my favorite places in Switzerland. It's gorgeous in the lake region, of course. And what's really special about it is so picturesque, absolutely so picturesque. I stayed at the Grand National Hotel on Lake Lucerne with a panoramic view of the lake. It was just like waking up every day going, “Oh, I'm in heaven.”

Another must-see is the Schweizerhof Hotel if you want to stay there. It's a 170-year-old property still in business. It's historic and a real gem.

Angie:

I was there in spring one time, all the flowers were coming up. Of course, you can't swim in the lake because it is cold. It is just straight snow melted down from the top of the Alps. But you can take boat cruises of the coast and there's chateaus, little castles, and like you said, all these historic hotels. There are scenic train rides.

It's amazing, and all this time, you’re eating the best chocolate. Once you go to Switzerland and eat that real, real chocolate, it's hard to come back and eat the stuff off the shelf. Last but not least, I want to wrap up our top 10 with Singapore. An island, an amazing airport, what else are we looking at when we go to Singapore?

Paula:

You can experience just about every type of Asian cuisine possible and enjoy architecture like historic Chinatown-type shops, British colonial hotels, and skyscrapers in avant-garde-type shapes. It's very eclectic. A lot of open space, beautiful gardens, tropical indoor gardens, and outdoor gardens.

Angie:

And it's so clean and it's so safe. If you've never been to Asia at all, it's a great gateway to get acquainted. The airport itself is a destination, which I love. There's always something new there. If you can schedule a long layover in Changi, do it. That's a great place to spend 12 hours en route to somewhere else. I've done it. It's a great spot for such a densely populated city, such a compact area. There is so much to see and do for whatever you're into, food, architecture, history, all the things.

Paula:

Don't forget the airport has the world's tallest indoor waterfall. There are always little hidden gems. You hit a lot of great points already, but even the airport itself is awe-inspiring. Again, it’s a new experience and I think people should just take advantage of it. Cross these things off your bucket list rather than repeat the same destinations all the time.

Angie:

It's nice to add new places because I feel like the older we get, the more we like to just go back to the same favorites because they're familiar. It's important to keep going to new places, learning new things, getting into new cultures, trying new food.

Paula:

You're really speaking my language when you talk about that desire to go someplace new and explore. I have a background in sociology and psychology, so I loved different cultures. I want to learn. I just want to absorb everything I can about how people live and how they sustain themselves. That's one of our obligations as worldly travelers.

Angie:

The more we travel, the more we realize that as different as we are, and maybe we do things differently, but we all kind of want the same thing. We have the same goals. We all just want to be healthy, happy, take care of our families, and learn about other people in responsible sustainable ways.

Paula:

Exactly.

Angie:

I love it. I love it. Paula Twidale, thank you for being here today.

Paula:

It’s been my pleasure, Angie. I've enjoyed speaking with you and learning about all the destinations you've explored, and I'm excited for you to explore a lot more.

Angie:

Paula Twidale, thank you for joining us, and thank you to our listeners for being with us.

If you're planning a trip, be sure to connect with a AAA Travel Advisor, check out AAA.com/travel, or visit your local branch.

This podcast is a production of Auto Club Enterprises. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe and leave us a review. I'm Angie Orth, thank you for traveling with AAA.