Need a holiday? Try one of 2017’s top new travel experiences
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- Amy Swales
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In need of a getaway? Join the club.
Instead of turning to your old faithfuls come holiday-booking time, why not let the experts point you in the direction of something new?
Lonely Planet has compiled a list of the best new openings around the world to seek out in 2017. From the museums and cultural hubs making their debut this year to new wilderness trails and sleeper trains through Peru, scroll through our gallery below for 10 of the places to eco-glamp and mega-cruise your way through the next 12 months.
And if that’s whet your travel appetite, head to lonelyplanet.com for the full list of 35 new openings (11-20 here and 21-35 here).
Take us with you?
Museum of the American Revolution, US
It’s not just current American politics that has divided opinion; Philadelphia’s new museum, opening in April 2017, will be an unmissable experience about a tumultuous period that shaped a nation. amrevmuseum.org
Image: Museum of the American Revolution
Lava Centre. Iceland
This state-of-the-art volcano and earthquake centre in Hvolsvöllur, opening spring, will feature an earthquake simulator and a viewing platform overlooking the volcanoes Eyjafjallajökull, Katla and Hekla. lavacentre.is
Image: Lava Centre
Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, Australia
This soon-to-be-iconic trail will take you around some of the South Australian island’s most spectacular landscapes in 2017.
kangarooislandwildernesstrail.sa.gov.auImage: Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail
Musées Yves Saint Laurent, France and Morocco
Two museums are set to open in September in honour of the iconic fashion designer, sited in Paris and Marrakech. fondation-pb-ysl.net
Image: 2016 Studio KO Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent
Akagera National Park, Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is famous for its gorillas in the mist, but Akagera is the park making headlines for reintroducing black rhinos. african-parks.org
Image: Vyskah R Nambiar
American Writers Museum, US
The new museum in Chicago (opening spirng 2017) will offer a look into how US literature has documented and influenced American culture.
americanwritersmuseum.orgImage: American Writers Museum
The Viking World Cruise, worldwide
The Viking World Cruise, a mammoth 141-day journey from Miami to London on new ship Viking Sun, will set sail in December 2017 and stop at 66 different locales, including Cuba and Bora Bora. vikingcruises.co.uk
Image: Viking Cruises
Pinky’s Eco Retreat and Beach Club, Australia
The glamping retreat on Rottnest Island will open in summer 2017 and include dozens of luxury, family and backpacker tents.
facebook.com/pinkysrottnestislandImage: Grant Taylor
Belmond Andean Explorer, Peru
South America’s first sleeper train will travel one of the world’s highest rail routes through the Peruvian Alps, Lake Titicaca and Cuzco. belmond.com
Image: Richard James Taylor
Design Society, China
The Shekou area of Shenzhen will welcome a brand new cultural hub in 2017, focusing on 20th- and 21st-century design in collaboration with London’s renowned V&A Museum (exhibits in 2017 and 2018). designsociety.cn
Image: Design Society