Author: BootsnAll Staff

Gearing Up for 2010: Recap of 2008 & 2009 Top Destinations for Independent Travel

We’re coming up on the end of 2009, and because there obviously aren’t enough “top 10” lists out at this time of year (ahem), we thought we’d fill the void with another edition of our top 10 destinations for independent travelers for the coming year.

But before we get to our 2010 list, we decided to take a quick look back at the lists we made for the past two years.

BootsnAll’s 2008 Destinations

2008 was the first year we decided to make a list of the top destinations for intrepid travelers. Our list included places like Buenos Aires, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Ethiopia, Sicily, Jordan, and Belize – and we gave Nepal the #1 spot.

I don’t know how many of those places BootsnAll community members got to in 2008, but notably one of the company’s founders, Sean Keener, went trekking in Nepal that year – and even did some dancing in the Himalayas.

>> Here’s our list of top destinations for 2008 – did you go to any of them in 2008?

BootsnAll’s 2009 Destinations

At the end of 2008 we started thinking about making our 2009 list, and that time we decided to not only poll the staff members at BootsnAll but also involve the community in the process, too. We set up an online nomination form and took suggestions from anyone who had one. From the pool of destinations we chose (among others) Tasmania, Siem Reap, Panama, Bangladesh, Sardinia, Senegal, Berlin, and Syria. In 2009, Colombia got our top spot.

Again, I’m sure plenty of people with ties to BootsnAll made it to all of those places in 2009 – although a couple of BootsnAll staffers jumped the gun a bit by visiting them a year early. In particular, Julie Blakley spent a month in Panama in 2008 – but it meant that during 2009 she could write some really helpful articles for us, including one about how to enjoy Central America on $25 a day and an expert guide to using the bus in Central America.

>> Here’s our list of top destinations for 2009 – did you go to any of them in 2009?

What’s in store for 2010?

randomtravelersTomorrow we’ll release our list of the top destinations for independent travelers for 2010 – and, as always, we look forward to your feedback.

But just for fun, what do you think is going to be on the list?

And perhaps more important, what places are in your travel dreams for 2010?

Leave a comment below, and check back tomorrow to see what cities and countries actually made our list!

photo by wili_hybrid