Four International Travel Destinations for 2015

Merry Christmas from the Talking Travel desk. As the year draws to a close, here are four places to keep in mind when you're planning holidays for 2015:

1. Cuba: In the wake of President Barack Obama's announcement that the United States will begin normalizing relations with Cuba, quite a number of Europeans have jumped to declare that they've been visiting the place for years. Well, good for you. Is that why it looks like it's trapped in 1957? As Cuba's tourism scene is about to be transformed into southern Miami, get there now so you can say then you went before.

2. Brazil: Same as last year: in 2014 Rio de Janeiro hosted the World Cup. In 2016, it will host the Summer Olympics. This year is a good shoulder year to enjoy all it has to offer, with all the buzz of both events but none of the crowds. Not to mention Brazil is an enormous country, a growing economy, and an outdoor enthusiast's dream. Few Chinese tourists visit the place. Just bear in mind it's one helluva flight (or series of flights) to get there.

3. Myanmar: Southeast Asia's hottest destination in 2014 will remain so in 2015. Although hardcore expats in Bangkok recently told your correspondent they were getting tired of hearing about it, it's the one place (except for Laos) that doesn't yet have a worn tourist path, there's still plenty of discovery to be done there, and it's an exciting time to witness a country going through significant change. It's Thailand without the banana pancakes.

4. Kyrgyzstan (pictured): Your correspondent's best trip of the year was to this friendly, gorgeous Central Asian nation that is visa-free to a whole host of passport holders (although not PRC passport holders). It's like Xinjiang without all of the, um, recent, um, issues there, although the food isn't as quite as good. Expect amazing snow-capped vistas, the vast and beautiful alpine lake Issyk-Kul, and a country that borders China that exhibits almost no Chinese influence whatsoever. Fly via Urumqi to avoid paying for an expensive Kazakhstan visa.

For all your 2015 travel plans, we wish you one road flat safe.

Photo: Wikimedia