From enduring classics to the unexpected, the opportunities to wander (for a weekend or for weeks) are now listed for 2023!

If you’re looking for adventure above and beyond the typical, then our newly published Top 10 Travel Destinations for 2023 can help get your started. We’ve spent the summer researching locales, reaching out to old friends near and far, and wandering the globe ourselves to find the best adventure locales for 2023.

Our criteria for selecting the Top 10 was straightforward and based on our own experiences as wanderers:

• A destination should be safe for couples, singles, families, and seniors.
• It should offer a unique experience – this could be based on geology, weather, history, wildlife, etc. – something you won’t see in your day-to-day life.
• “Happy accidents” should abound, providing you unexpected opportunities to experience Creation
• A destination should be capable of creating a lifetime memory that you can revisit and enjoy in the future if you’re unable to physically or financially.

10 – Nashville, Tennessee USA

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, variety of adventures
• Why it made the list: Nashville is exploding in growth, culture, and things to do. While its primary focus is music, that music is no longer limited to Country. You can now find rock, soul, hip-hop, pop, and other forms of music emanating from once abandoned storefronts all over downtown. Broadway is the main drag, and it lives up to its name. Countless museums, live music venues (often with dancing), and great restaurants for all budgets combine to make it a great place for adults. While families can also enjoy the experience, it is best to do so in the morning and afternoon hours. Highlights of any visit are the Cash Museum, Grand Ole Opry, and Nashville Hot Chicken at Hattie B’s. Congrats to the people of Nashville for just squeezing into the list of 2023 Top 10 travel destinations.

9 – Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina USA

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, variety of adventures
• Why it made the list: The “Smokies” can provide a lifetime of wandering as they stretch along the North Carolina and Tennessee border. America’s most popular national park is also an International BIosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site. And with hundreds of unique natural formations like Clingman’s Dome (over 6,000 feet high), abundant waterfalls, black bears, and endless hiking (including the Appalachian Trail), you’ll never get bored. Best of all, it’s free! The Smokies are a perennial favorite of ours, we’ve been dozens of times – and each visit has been unique from the others. Start your trip by getting the GyPSy Guide App for the Smokies at a great price – we take GyPSy on every national park adventure:

8 – The mighty 5, utah USA

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, endless adventures
• Why it made the list: The Mighty 5 National Parks located in southern Utah are nothing less than rare jewels. Each offers a unique climate and geological environment. Each offers challenging terrain, if that’s your thing. “Happy little accidents” abound in the Mighty 5; totally unexpected but potentially life changing. They all offer a once in a lifetime experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else on the planet. Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and the great Zion are difficult to express in words or photography.

7 – Kentucky, USA (Horse country, bourbon trail, and world famous double-dipped barbeque)

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, rare and unique flavors
• Why it made the list: Kentucky is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the United States, but it is often overlooked. For wanderers like us, that means less crowds and more time to wander – all while experiencing world class flavors. From the legendary Bourbon Trail and the intoxicating flavors of double-dipped barbeque hidden away among rolling hills, to the world’s largest cave system, you can easily keep coming back for more. Kentucky’s respect for its past and enduring traditions of preserving outstanding flavors earned our respect as well, placing it 7th on our list of 2023 Top 10 travel destinations.

6 – Vail, Colorado USA

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, variety of adventures
• Why it made the list: If you’re into skiing, this is the place. And if you’re not, it is still a cool adventure sitting on the sidelines (though you won’t actually be doing much sitting). The snow-capped vistas will awe, and the intimate walkways (heated by the way) that wind by small shops and eateries will delight. Plus, the limitless trails and day-excursions that surround the ski village increase the chance for “happy little accidents”, if you like. Vail offers a unique combination of both nature and sophistication that is hard to beat, even in Europe. Just be sure to bring your wallet.

5 – Grand Canyon, Arizona USA

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, variety of adventures
• Why it made the list: It’s a legend. We have no choice but to include. But even if we didn’t, we still would. Expansive yet intimate, the Grand Canyon offers calming vistas that stretch for miles as well as quirky little vignettes tucked between natural outcrops and stone hewn structures that would impress even the great Frank Lloyd Wright. Rich with natural history and oral tales, the canyon is a place everyone should wander to. Other than Yellowstone, there is no other national park that so strongly exemplifies why the park system exists, and why we should continue to protect them. Start your adventure with a great price on the GyPSy Guide app for the Grand Canyon. We’ve used it ourselves and loved it:

4 – Rome, Italy

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, variety of adventures, rare and unique flavors, superior streetfood
• Why it made the list: Rome has long been a marquee destination for tourists. But for wanderers, it blossoms beyond mere adventure to offer unique experiences in romance, ancient history, and art as well – all walkable and available at your own pace. Overwhelming architecture and design, combined with some of the best food on the planet, propels this locale to the top of the list. As does its ability to consistently birth “happy little accidents” that you can plan for or expect. Things just happen in Rome. Your day will definitely not be what you had fully intended it to be. And thanks to the uniqueness of the locals, mystery and intrique can often be a part of that. Kudos to Rome for making our list of 2023 Top 10 travel destinations.

3 – Thailand (Bangkok, Chaing Mai, and Phuket)

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, endless adventures, rare and unique flavors, superior streetfood
• Why it made the list: I can never say enough about Thailand. It is like a second home. No matter where I travel around the globe, Thailand is always the gold standard of wandering for me. I compare all other experiences to those I’ve had wandering among its many temples and sois. And Bangkok, the city of smiles, is my north start for adventure. Outstanding architecture and endless sites and sounds greet you at every turn. While the friendliness of the Thai people is constant and endering to your spirit. Beaches pristine beyond belief . . . oh, and I hear the streetfood is pretty good – and safe to eat (find out why). But before you go, be sure to discover the Five critical things to understand before your 2023 trip to Thailand.
• Winner: Superior streetfood

2 – Yellowstone National Park (Jackson Hole, Cody, and Eastern Idaho)

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, endless adventures
• Why it made the list: The myth of Yellowstone is well earned. As the first national park in the United States, it holds a strong place in our nation’s mythos. Its expansive landscapes intoxicate the spirit, as does the abundance of wildlife and the world’s largest collection of geysers and hot springs. It’s one of the few places in the continental United States where one can still breathe in the complete freedom of Creation, if they so desire. And its all counterbalanced by the local spirits found in a dozen small towns, many still overflowing with the rambunqtious daring of the old West as witnessed by a vibrant rodeo culture and a brashness not afraid to be proud of its Old West History and the lessons that can be learned from it. That honesty to itself is what earned Yellowstone 2nd place on our list of 2023 Top 10 travel destinations. But avoid any surprises by getting up to speed on the five key things to prep before your 2023 trip to Yellowstone National Park.
• Winner: Couple/single/family/senior friendly

1 – Alaska (Denali, Seward, Anchorage, and Talkeetna)

• Pros: Couple/single/family/senior friendly, endless adventures, rare and unique flavors
• Why it made the list: For wanderers, Alaska represents the very foundation of what we desire – the opportunity to partake of a “last frontier” full of “happy little accidents”, before its gone. And though Alaska will never be “gone” completely, the impacts of humankind continue to scar its villages, glaciers, and wildlife, inflicting change. This is why we choose Alaska as our number one travel destination to wander in 2023. Alaska’s glaciers are retreating quickly and the ability to get up close to its wildlife is diminishing. We urge all of our readers to put other destinations on hold for 2023 and gather all their available resources to mount one last great expedition to wander Alaska before its too late. Take your first step by finding out the five critical things to do before you start planning your 2023 trip to Alaska.
• Winner: Endless adventures