Holiday Extras' top twenty picks for a trip in 2020

Here at Holiday Extras we travel a lot. Our video team visits and reviews all of the most popular holiday destinations for our original video travel guides. As a company, our "wanderlust" perk lets everyone on the team spend two weeks a year working overseas, on top of their holidays. And every year, we help eight million UK travellers have a better trip by sorting out their airport parking, hotels, lounges and other holiday extras - more than anyone else in the business.

So we know where's hot - and where's cooling off - in 2020. Here's our picks for the top 20 destinations in 2020.

Watch our latest video guide - top 20 destinations in 2020

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Our top 20 for 2020

From Brexit-proof beaches to newly-opened flight routes, from the fastest-growing hotspots to simply our favourites, from cities where we've filmed the top guide on YouTube to places we've never been (but travel experts assure us are 2020's next big thing) - our top 20, in reverse order, are...

20. Tenerife

There's no getting away from the fact that for yet another year, Tenerife is our customers' favourite destination.

Miles of beautiful beaches, year-round sunshine and a mind blowingly epic volcano that will quite literally take your breath away! It’s no wonder this spanish Island comes up as a Holiday Extras customers favourite time and time again.

Like the airport hotels and car parks we offer, our reviewers have visted Tenerife plenty of times to make original video reviews - check out our very latest video guide below.

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19. Cape Verde

An archipelago of volcanic islands west of Africa with white sand beaches and turquoise waters only 6 hours from London - the perfect winter sun getaway.

Cape Verde is almost due south, like South Africa, so you've got that rare treat of a truly exotic destination with no jetlag. It's outside (way outside!) the EU, so Brexit shouldn't affect your plans here. And we've been to this one ourselves and can thorougly recommend it - check out our video guide below.

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18. Cancun

Third on the list is another resort we've checked out ourselves - Cancun. Cancun is famous for its colourful nightlife and flashy hotel complexes, but there is another side to the region. Driving no more than a couple of hours from the city you will come across real mexican culture inland and along the coastline which boasts natural beauty, authentic Mexican food and Mayan culture.

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17. Ghent

Belgium's unspoiled, undiscovered gem. While Bruges is now so over-touristed the locals are complaining, Ghent is an even more beautiful Belgian city resplendent with rivers, churches and a castle, just hours from London on the train.

_{Courtesy of theTravellers}

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16. Cyprus

This is a country that is so much more than just a beach holiday, did you know you can experience the sea, mountains, history and city life all within a 2 hour drive from each other? We recommend renting a car and exploring for yourself!

The beautiful coast of Cyprus

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15. Tashkent, Uzbekistan

You can divide the capital of Uzbekistan into 3 contradicting parts. The first is a newly built up a modern city, the second is leafy Soviet residences, and the third part makes you feel like you have gone back hundreds of years with farmers driving carts and living in mud walled houses! You've got to see it to believe it!

_{Courtesy of Vagabrothers}

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Book your holiday extras early

It pays to book your airport parking, airport hotel or your lounge as soon as you book your flights. Prices usually go up nearer the date you fly, and last year Holiday Extras saved our airport parking customers £59 each on average when they pre-booked their airport parking instead of paying on the day.

Book my hotel and parking today

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14. Rotterdam

Rotterdam is like the cool younger brother of Amsterdam. In world war 2 the city centre was almost totally destroyed. But that meant it was rebuilt with this crazy mix of modern architecture and for 2020 it’s gearing up to hold the 65th Eurovision song contest...

We visited Rotterdam a couple of years ago and tried to get there without packing a single piece of single-use plastic - see how we got on, below.

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13. Egypt

Egypt offers year-round sun and a captivating culture that is rich in history and storytelling! More than 415,000 British tourists chose Egypt for their holiday last year - up more than 25% on the year before - and we like it for 2020 because it’s one of those destinations that can’t be uprooted by Brexit. Flights resumed from the UK to Sharm El-Sheikh at the end of 2019, reopening a previously very popular Egyptian beach resort to UK visitors. And the opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, planned for 2020, adds another good reason to make a trip to Egypt a priority in 2020.

_{Courtesy of touropia}

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12. Fuerteventura

The skies above this popular Canary Island come alive with colour every November for the annual International Kite Festival. Head to La Playa del Burro situated in the dunes of Corralejo to watch this spectacle!

_{Courtesy of Expedia}

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11. Dubai

Not only is Dubai a classic winter hotspot, in 2020 it will be hosting the world expo showcasing themes of Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity with the motto “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

View from the Burj Khalifa

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10. Aruba

A favourite all-inclusive destination for American tourists, this Carribean island is set to make big changes in 2020. Aruba has announced a total ban on all single-use plastic from making it the Caribbean’s leading environmentally-aware nation and a good reason to be in our top 20 list.

_{Courtesy of GOGOvacations}

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9. Somerset

Glastonbury - one of the world’s most famous festivals will be celebrating its 50th birthday in somerset's stunning countryside. But don’t worry if you weren't one of the lucky ones to get tickets, it’s still worth going for it’s stunning countryside, renowned cider farms, and its newest pull - The Wave, Bristol - the UKs first-ever inland surfing lake, just outside Bristol where you can book a short break exclusively with Holiday Extras.

Glastonbury Tor

Used under a creative commons license from Ed Webster

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8. Akureyri, Iceland

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the power of a true Icelandic winter, then head to Iceland’s 2nd largest city Akureyri, sitting just 60km south of the Arctic Circle. Home to fewer than 20,000 people, this small community has generated a buzz of art galleries, boutique shops and cute cafes surrounded by its stunning polar landscape.

Iceland is one of our favourite places to visit - check out our guide below.

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7. Amorgos

Amorgos is one of the most beautiful of the Greek Islands. The fact this small Cyclades island has no airport is a highlight as it’s remained untouched by mass tourism and maintained its natural beauty. See the getting there as part of the adventure!

_{Courtesy of Greece Travel Guide}

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6. Lebanon

In early 2019, the British Foreign Office changed its travel advice regarding Lebanon deeming it safe for travellers to visit. Tour companies are offering exciting itineraries for 2020, and Lebanon is ready to share its warm culture, beautiful scenery, ancient and delicious cuisine to the world!

Byblos, Lebanon

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5. Bhutan

At a time when we have to think about looking after our planet more than ever, Bhutan is ahead of the game. This small country in the Himalayan mountains follows a ‘high-value, low-impact’ tourism policy to protect its environment and the people who live there. Travellers are asked to pay a high daily fee to enjoy its wonders. 50% of Bhutan is a national park, it’s the world’s only carbon-negative country, and it’s set to become the first fully organic nation in 2020. A pretty magical place if you ask us, and with that tourism tax in place there’s little chance of Bhutan ending up on the lists of over-touristed destinations any time soon.

Punakha Dzong, Bhutan

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4. Trento

Trento is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. Situated in the north, near the Austrian border, it’s only a short drive away from the snow-capped Dolomites and Lake Garda, meaning you’re never far from incredible natural beauty. It also has a charming old town that’s dripping with history, culture and delicious food.

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3. Barbados

It’s no wonder Barbados is Holiday Extras’ customers’ fastest growing destination. For British holidaymakers, it offers the perfect mix of the familiar and exotic. It’s English-speaking, you drive on the left and the supermarkets even sell Waitrose products! However you will also find green monkeys, year-round sun and warm turquoise waters that are a far cry from the cold English channel! The perfect winter getaway if ever there was one.

Take a peek at our Barbados Travel Guide to find out how to prepare for your next hassle-free trip.

The white sands and turquoise seas of Barbados

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2. Turkey

Brexit-proof beach holiday destination I hear you ask? Turkey is just outside the EU and just 3-4 hours from London. Fastest-growing destination for our customers for the last two years, and in 2020 BA have announced a new route to popular holiday hotspot Antalya. And if a city break is more your thing then its uber-cool capital Istanbul is a great cultural centre where east meets west.

_{Courtesy of touropia}

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1. Japan

Our very top pick for 2020. Wildly exotic yet astoundingly easy to navigate around, this Brexit-proof country has a unique and winning combination that makes it our number 1 place to head to in 2020. In very recent times Japan has established itself as quite the host, looking after the rugby world cup in 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this coming summer. This means the country is totally set up and ready for an influx of tourism and can’t wait to share the wonderment of their culture with the world.

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