14 Up-and-Coming Places That Should Be on Your Travel Radar

Move over, Portugal. Step aside, Iceland. These 14 overlooked global travel destinations should be on your radar for 2019, if they aren't already.

In 2019, the Taj Mahal will emerge from a year-long restoration project involving, of all things, mud paste. It's one of Architectural Digest's top travel picks for that alone.

The happiest place on earth isn't actually Disneyland, folks—it's Bhutan, high up in the Himalayas. It's considered the world's last Buddhist kingdoms.

There's its proximity to Machu Pichu, a classic bucket list destination. But Cuzco, high up in the Andes, is worth the trip on its own, for the food, the history, the architecture, the textiles—and the people.

One of National Geographic's picks for 2019, as well as a pick for Lonely Planet, Dakar, on the edge of Western Africa, is known for its gorgeous Atlantic beaches and rich sense of style.

Egypt is safer, now that the Arab Spring has passed, and the Grand Egyptian Museum opens in 2019. Fodor's suggests seeing the country from a riverboat on the Nile.

Two and a half hours east of Montevideo, the once-sleepy fishing village of José Ignacio is now a bohemian-chic resort town.

Matera's mayor says, "We don't want tourists," but all other indicators say to go now. In 2019, the ancient mountain village of Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be recognized as the European Capital of Culture.

Gorgeous colonial architecture and delectable, modern Yucatan cuisine make Merida more or less irresistible.

Norway's capital city is not so much "hygge" as it is "high design." Says Fodors, "Oslo has been experiencing a cultural renaissance of late, with an emphasis on the modern and cool."

Sitting on its own out on the western coast of Australia, Perth, the country's capital, has big-city amenities, world class beaches and the ever-Instagrammable Blue Boat House.

Reader's Digest calls historic and newly chic Tbilisi one of the best budget travel destinations of the year. And if that doesn't convince you, it's also a favorite of the late Anthony Bourdain.

Yes, it's a real place—and as one of the last truly medieval landscapes in Europe, it's simply gorgeous.

Go for the lochs and castles, stay for the whiskey.

The name itself conjures an exotic vacation. Head straight to this autonomous island nation, part of Tanzania, in Eastern Africa, for the sun, sea, sand and safaris—so says Vogue.