A new year means a new opportunity to travel to new destinations. We asked our favourite expert travel companies for insights into which destinations are trending in 2019. Below are six suggestions: The Balkans, Mongolia, Vietnam, Egypt, Sao Tome & Principe and the Arctic.

So what are you waiting for; grab your passport, stock up on sun cream, and get going. Bon voyage!

This superb walking holiday takes you through an undiscovered corner of the Balkans. Highlights include Montenegro’s stunning UNESCO National Park of Durmitor and and an exciting two day mini trek takes you through the magnificent Bjelasica Mountains whilst staying in nomadic shepherd huts perched on alpine pastures. From Montenegro you’ll cross into neighbouring Serbia where you’ll walk in the beautiful canyon of Uvac, home to one of the largest breeding colonies of Griffin Vultures in Europe. A night in a monastery offers a wonderful insight into Serbian Orthodox life. The final night is spent in the walled town of Trebinje in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina. An off-the-beaten track holiday suitable for those with a reasonable level of fitness.

From £925 land only, June to September, includes all airport transfers, experienced local guide and all accommodation.

On The Go Tours: Egypt

Our top travel destination for 2019 has to be Egypt, the land of the pharaohs. Where else can you marvel at ancient pyramids, explore temples covered in hieroglyphics and come face-to-face with the dazzling funerary mask of King Tutankhamun?

A trip to Egypt is a trip back in time with history to discover wherever you go. And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a destination that offers the perfect mix of culture and relaxation. Spend a few days cruising along the scenic River Nile by traditional felucca or upgrade to a 5 star ship, or enjoy the watersports on offer at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. And with the new Grand Egyptian Museum due to open in 2019, displaying artefacts for the very first time, there’s never been a better time to visit.

A three hour flight from Oslo will take you to the world’s northernmost city, Longyearbyen. From here, you can embark on an Arctic exploration in Spitsbergen in search of the elusive polar bear. This is only possible during the months of June to September when the ice has receded enough for a small ship to make access. Your expedition will take you through crunching pack ice, past glittering icebergs, to pebbly grey shores and up mossy green hills under a midnight sun. At this time of the year, the sun never sets so you can sit on deck looking out for wildlife such as whales, bird species and of course polar bears until the small hours.

Chimu’s first charter cruise to the Arctic, Arctic Unveiled, departs on the 23rd June 2019 and we are currently offering a 25% discount.

‘Naadam’ in Mongolian means “the three games of men”; consisting of Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery – incorporating lavish costumes, celebrations, dancing and partying! We will join this incredible spectacle both in the capital Ulaanbaatar and also in the countryside staying with local families in their warm gers (large felt tents or ‘yurts’) to learn about their ancient nomadic way of life. We will also hike or ride horses up to a mountain monastery and ride Bactrian camels across the windswept sands of the Gobi Desert.

We will explore the wild beauty of Mongolia’s vast grassy steppe, deep wooded forests and sandy deserts with chances to ride the small but incredible hardy and swift Mongolian horses. Staying with local families we will experience their delicious meat dishes and vast array homemade dairy products; including Mongolian vodka! Mongolia is one of the last great frontiers on the earth where you can witness the timeless nomadic pastoral way of life on the Central Asian steppe.

Join YellowWood Adventures Limited for this amazing adventure on Saturday 5th–Sunday 13th July 2019 for only £1,499. 8 nights based on twin sharing, full board, including all accommodation, transport, guides, horses and events entry.

Sao Tome & Principe are two little know tropical islands off the coast of West Africa. This dream tropical destination is full of unique landscapes, wildlife, and deserted beaches. Explore wild terrain, search for endangered birds, see turtles hatch in the early hours or just relax on the beach. It is the perfect place to holiday if you want to get away from the crowds and explore a Jurassic world landscape. Find out about Sao Tome & Principe before everyone else!

Far & Wild are offering an 11 day tour of Sao Tome & Principe from £2850 per person (based on two sharing a double room). Price includes return economy class TAP flights from London Heathrow (or selected other UK airports) to Sao Tome, air taxes, internal flights from Sao Tome to Principe return, transfers, accommodation and selected meals.

Nadova Tours: Vietnam

Vietnam is a country that will take you to a different world with its scenic landscapes, fascinating culture, tasty food, wonderful people and a diverse range of traveling activities.

Absolute Vietnam Holidays is the most typical Vietnam travel package, highly recommended for everyone as it suits all travel styles to discover the diversified beauty of Vietnam. Within 15 days, you can experience the best things Vietnam has to offer, from the bustling cities to remote rural areas, from the mountains to the prosperous deltas, from traditional values to modern faces of the country. The tour is private and flexible, you can start in Hanoi and end in HCMC or vice versa. It can always be customised to fully match your travel needs and budget.

Nagasaki is situated in Kyushu, the third largest island in Japan and the most south westerly. Of course you can’t miss the Atomic Bomb Museum and Memorial, but other attractions include the restored Dutch Trading Post of Dejima, for 200 hundred years Japan’s only contact with the outside world and Glover Garden, a collection of 19th century colonial houses. There’s volcanic activity nearby, with eruptions as recent as 1990, and a mountain village of hot springs, perfect for revitalising aching bones.

It was bad weather which forced American planes to divert from their original target of Kitakyushu and bomb Nagasaki instead. These days, if it were not for the memorials, museum and Peace Park, you’d never know that the quiet suburb of Urakami was completely destroyed. Over 75,000 died and 75,000 were injured but it could have been far worse – the valley and the mountains afforded some protection and two thirds of the city was spared.

A smooth black stone column marks the point where the bomb exploded 500m from the ground. This was the site of Urakami Cathedral, the largest Catholic Church in Asia, and only a fragment of wall remains.

The Peace Memorial Park, close by, is dominated by sculptor Kitamura Seibō’s muscular Peace Statue, unveiled in 1955. Every year, on the 9th August, there’s an official memorial ceremony remembering the dead, accompanied by antinuclear protesters determined to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

To appreciate the full scale and horror of the destruction, take the circular walkway leading down to the Atomic Bomb Museum. You’re greeted with pleasant views of pre-war Nagasaki, then you enter a darkened room showing videos with stills of the dead and wounded. A display of personal objects, including a schoolgirl’s charred lunchbox and a helmet with the remains of a skull, bring home the individual tragedy.

In spite of the tragedy this is a beautiful city, set on a huge bay where the shipyards are still busy and mountains frame the skies. From middle of the 16th century, for over 200 years, Japan’s only contact with the outside world was the Dutch trading post on the island of Dejima.

It’s no longer in the sea, a result of land reclamation, but the buildings have been restored to their 1820’s state. There’s just one street, with the architecture a strange mix of Dutch and Japanese, and it was linked to the mainland by a heavily guarded bridge. You can see their lavish lifestyle as the dining room in the Chief Factor’s Residence has a recreation of a Christmas banquet.

Another part of the city’s past is found in Glover Garden where houses of Meiji-period European residents have been reassembled. It’s named after Scotsman Thomas Glover who built Japan’s first railway and helped establish the shipbuilding industry here. His house, the oldest Western style building in Japan, sits at the top of the hill and halfway down is a statue of Japanese opera singer Tamaki Miura who found fame in the West as Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.

The glittering lights of Nagasaki meant it made the list “Best Urban Night View” along with Hong Kong and Monaco in 2012. A cable car takes you to the top of Mount Inasa and it’s best to get there just before sunset. The view is spectacular in the daylight but, as the sun goes down, the lights are switched on and the moon rises, you’ll probably agree it’s up there with the best.

In the early twentieth century, people came from Shanghai by steamer to Nagasaki to spend time at the thermal resorts nearby. It then was a boat ride to the seaside town of Obama (no relation to the former US President) and you boarded a sedan chair to be carried up to the resort of Unzen. These days it’s an hour’s bus journey, but it’s still worth stopping here to sample the longest foot bath in Japan which runs by the sea for 105m.

Unzen is still popular today, with a selection of high end hotels tastefully hidden in the woods all offering steam baths, or onsen. It feels like one of those Indian hill resorts and boasts the oldest public golf course in Japan, opened in 1913.

Bubbling hot springs, known as hells, gush with steam and 33 Christians were tossed into Oito Jigoku in 1630. These days they only boil eggs here, and there’s a strong whiff of sulphur.

To catch the mountain air, take advantage of an extensive network of hiking trails in the Unzen National Park, all handily signposted in English. Active volcanoes tower above the town and Mount Fuken last erupted in 1990, although it’s still steaming. You can take a cable car to Myoken and get extensive views of the Ariake Sea. Time your visit for late spring when the pink Azaleas are blooming or autumn when the leaves are turning technicolour reds and yellow.

Lying in the middle of the North Atlantic are nine volcanic islands that make up the Azores archipelago, an autonomous region of Portugal.

Get there in May and the lush land lights up with the pinks and blues of the long stretches of hydrangeas in Sau Miguel. At any time you can see the basalt lined vineyards growing out of the dark land of Pico Island and watch the steamy plumes escape from the calderas Lagoa des Furnas.

It may be the Azores’ most populated and developed city, but with delightful cobbled streets, 16th century churches and a charming seafront promenade, visitors to Ponta Delgada will feel like they’ve stepped back in time.

Gaze through the iconic city gate, Portas da Cidade, at the imposing church, Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião, and marvel at how islanders have ingeniously incorporated their volcanic surroundings into everyday life. For these two structures, the city’s benches and even the pavements are largely made out of volcanic basalt, adding a classy monochrome filter to the city.

The dazzling facade of the Palacio de Sant’Ana strikingly detours from this palette and is well worth the short stroll inland, while the serenity of the António Borges Garden is a pleasant stop-off point along the way.

While the Azores are blessed with endless displays of natural beauty, nothing comes close to the simply staggering Sete Cidades. This enormous volcanic caldeira and its mystical green and blue lakes are legendary – literally – said to be formed by the tears of a shepherd and princess who shared a forbidden love.

Start in the quiet town, located on the water’s edge in the centre of the crater, and marvel at the fairytale-esque Sao Nicolau church – an enchanting basalt structure at the end of a tree-lined walkway. From there, stroll down to the lakeside and be dwarfed by the imposing caldeira walls that encompass the area.

Then take the meandering, blue hydrangea-lined road up to the abandoned Monte Palace Hotel and from its enviable location at the top of the crater rim, look down on the spectacle that is Sete Cidades. From here, you can appreciate the collosal geological forces required to carve out a caldeira of such scale, for the captivating scene extends as far as the eye can see.

On the roof of the Monte Palace Hotel, there’s a colourful piece of graffiti which reads “welcome to the best view”, and with the glory of Sete Cidades sprawled out in front of you, it would be hard to disagree.

There are many places on earth that are home to sites where people can bathe in waters warmed naturally by geothermal activity. Those at Sao Miguel, however, differ in that it is possible to experience such heated water while swimming in the sea.

Ponta da Ferraria lies about 16 miles northwest of Ponta Delgada and is accessed by a rather precariously steep road, which twists and turns down to a luxury spa – Termas da Ferraria. Continue along a coastal path to where the real attraction waits – a gorgeous, naturally-formed basalt pool where cool ocean water blends with thermal currents to produce a relaxing haven.

The warm waters of Terra Nostra in Furnas are also great for a dip. Do not be put off by the pool’s muddy brown appearance, for this is created by the volume of minerals in the water which are said to do wonders for the skin.

The bath lies in the serene landscaped grounds of Terra Nostra Park, which was built in 1780 by the American consul Thomas Hickling. Hickling’s magnificent mansion overlooks the water and is surrounded by a garden which beautifully showcases over 2,000 species of tree.

Tip: While Caldeira Velha is a popular thermal site, skip its expensive and often over-crowded pools in favour of the more peaceful Terra Nostra.

Faial is just a short one hour flight away from Sao Miguel and like its larger neighbour, the landscape is littered with evidence of a volcanic past. Nowhere is this more obvious than the picture-perfect, island-dominating crater that is Caldeira do Faial.

The gigantic cone is Faial’s highest point, standing over 1,000m high, and its car park is reached via a winding, scenic drive up from the main town of Horta. From here, stroll through the dramatic rock tunnel before coming face-to-face with the vast crater. It’s a breathtaking sight over Faial and Pico on the horizon and can be appreciated from all angles by hiking the complete 8km rim.

When you wander amongst such timeless beauty, it’s easy to assume that it’s all the product of a distant era. Capelinhos, a volcano on the western coast of Faial, is proof that the Azores are still very much a geographical work in progress. For the majority of the scorched, Martian-looking land mass only emerged from the ocean in the late 1950s, when a dramatic eruption destroyed nearby villages.

Remarkably, the traditional lighthouse standing guard over this stretch of coastline survived the explosions and the top of its tower is now a fantastic spot to take in the unearthly panorama. It’s said that during the 13 months of eruptions, the lighthouse keeper continued his duties to protect passing ships from the chaos.

There is an excellent Interpretation Centre at the site which describes the historic event in full detail.

By wandering through the charismatic and colourful streets of Horta, visitors are following in the footsteps of tens of thousands of sailors who have harboured in the city while crossing the Atlantic. The ocean marina is actually the fourth most-visited on the planet and to appreciate the scale of this popularity, scan through the dazzling mosaic of paintings left on the jetty by each arriving vessel.

Head slightly northwards out of town and you’ll soon reach Miradouro de Nossa Senhora da Conceição – a small roadside viewpoint which takes in the whole harbour area, the sweeping beaches and the distant Mount Pico. A little further on lie a couple of attractive 19th century red windmills, providing the perfect foreground to photos of the imposing volcano.

Look northwards from Miradouro de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, a few kilometres up the coastline from Horta, and your eyes will be drawn to the unusual sight of Praia do Almoxarife. This quiet beach is made up of striking black sand which is the by-product of ancient eruptions washing up to shore.

Its dusky nature means that the sand retains heat well, so it always feels pleasant between your toes.

The towering Mount Pico is a constant companion as you explore the area. Its dramatic isolated summit rises sharply to over 2,350m, making it the highest point in Portugal, and dominates the skyline for miles around.

Hiking the volcano is a challenge, you’ll scramble over twisting lava flows, feel the steaming heat from unrelenting volcanic activity and brush through intense greenery, a result of the area’s enviable fertility. The path is steep and untamed, but eventually you’ll scramble over a ridge to enter the main crater, a vast rugged landscape, punctuated by the actual summit, Piquinho. This final section is the most testing and you’ll need to use your hands to negotiate the near vertical ascent.

The reward for doing so undeniably justifies the four hours or so of hard hiking. From the top, all five of the central islands are visible, as are Pico Island’s ancient labyrinths of UNESCO world heritage vineyards. Breathe in the crisp, clean air, warm your hands over the bubbling vents and take in the mesmerising 360 degree vista, before reluctantly beginning your descent.

Pico Island is equally famous for its superb marine life. This is one of the best places in the world to go whale watching, with a variety of species calling its waters home all year round.

Head to Lajes do Pico, a small settlement in the southwest corner of the island, to Espaço Talassa, one of the first companies to bring commercial whale-watching to the Azores. Their mantra of protection and sustainability is admirable and their level of expertise means you’ll be in good hands.

Any time is a good time to go as both whales and dolphins are in abundance. Sperm whales, Bottlenose dolphins and Risso’s dolphins make frequent appearances, while Blue whales can be seen in the Spring months.

Sitting cheek by jowell with the Mexican border, in sight of the Laguna mountain range and the Pacific Ocean, this San Diego offers an Hispanic heritage, with a huge dollop of Californian cool and a laid-back vibe of anything goes.

And as it is San Diego’s 250-year anniversary this year there has never been a better time to visit the land where California was born.

First time tourists to San Diego will find this beach city gloriously yielding in terms of attractions. Within its confines are 100 neighbourhoods, 70 miles of coastline, 33 beaches and 120 craft breweries (wine takes a back seat here).

There’s nightlife, heaps of culture and living history to keep you busy.