As a traveler, most of us yearn to escape our everyday routines in search of new sights, sounds, and experiences in new places. To travel the road less traveled. Some travel in search of some peace and quiet but it might be a little harder to escape the holidaying crowd in popular beach destinations like Bali and Phuket. Or you might have already visited or lived in popular cities like London, New York City, or Singapore multiple times and are searching for somewhere new to explore.
Well pack your bags and get your passports ready because, in this article, we're going through some of the most underrated destinations from around the world that you can visit in 2023!
Image Credit: Nick Wehrli via Pexels
Often overlooked due to the popularity of the neighboring island of Bali, Lombok is one of the underrated destinations you should visit in 2023. A Muslim-friendly destination and home to thousands of mosques, Lombok is a place where you can experience nature, food, and culture in one place. You can experience beautiful calm beaches all to yourself as beaches in Lombok have almost no one around. Visit Mawun Beach, one of the most picturesque beaches you'll find in Lombok. Most of the hotel in Lombok has a Halal room where you can practice your faith. You can find Qurans, Qibla, prayer mats, and prayer cloths in almost all the rooms in Lombok. If you're looking for a good hotel, check out Svarga Resort, the perfect place to retreat. The resort emphasizes "Healthy Tourism", highlighting Lombok's beauty, and will educate you about the local culture. The hotel's objective is to bring positive effects to your body and mind as this resort is surrounded by spectacular nature and provides you a personalized service. Be sure also to experience Halal, fresh, colorful, and flavorful traditional food at Lombok, which you can find almost at any food eateries there. Check out food such as Kangkung (Morning Glory), Ayam Taliwang, Sate Bulayak, and many more as these are some of the must-try local delicacies here. If you have more time, be sure to experience the local culture at Sasak Village Sade Rempitan. Here, you can learn about the native people or Sasak people's lifestyle, how to make traditional coffee, and join the intense but fun ceremonial fights to bond with the locals.
Check out the best things to do in Lombok, Indonesia here.
Deep forest towards Sinipung Hill of Long Pasia Borneo. Image credit: Deidre Casandra M.
Long Pasia is an underrated destination for the nature lover or anyone looking for a destination away from the world of technology. Most tourists traveling to Sabah Borneo had planned to visit attractions mainly in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, or Ranau, as these places are popular and heavily known today. However, this 6 hours drive from the city center of Kota Kinabalu to Long Pasia will guarantee a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At Long Pasia, visitors will be rewarded with treasures of nature and culture and made feel as if they are in a lost world. There is no resort in Long Pasia, so your experience here is rich with the provided homestay program where you live with a family or a host. Your guide will be native, coming from the region itself. Sinipung Hill, Maga Falls, Flower Garden, and Caves are some must-visit attractions here. At this small village of Lundayeh, you will also be introduced to remnants left behind by the ancestral and the interesting folklore called Upai Semaring existence that will leave you feeling in awe and respect for what it feels like a lost world.
Image Credit: INABA Tomoaki, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve never heard of this country, that’s because Tuvalu is the least visited country in the world and barely receives the recognition it should have. Here's why it’s an underrated beautiful country that you must visit at least once in your lifetime. Located midway between Hawaii and Australia in the South Pacific Ocean, Tuvalu is a thin country where you can see both sides of the untouched stunning white beach everywhere you go. Since tourist is rare here, you get to feel a deep sense of community radiate from the entire country. Everyone here is welcoming, kind, and warm, which makes you feel so loved and appreciated while you’re here. Some fun activities you can do here are snorkeling, visiting one of the 8 islands surrounding the country, and experiencing the local culture. Due to climate change, Tuvalu is predicted to sink in the future, and travel experts suggest travelers interested in visiting should come here when they can.
Balesin Island Club is an exclusive and private island club in the Philippines located in the Pacific Ocean, which is approximately a 30-minute plane ride from Manila. It’s a themed resort island like Disneyland vacationers due to the different themed villages on the island. Here, you can explore other countries' experiences in one place. You will see a blend of influences from Italy, Spain, Korea, Thailand, and Japan in terms of food and building architecture when you’re here. Private transport will drive you from one village to another, so you don’t need to spend energy on walking. This is a great place if you want to relax and unwind, as the beach is clean and clear. You will be surrounded by nature for you to take pictures. It is one of the most underrated places to visit, as not anyone can see it unless you are a member of this private beach or you have a friend who is a member.
Image Credit: Ljubomir Žarković on Unsplash
Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia and one of the underrated Europe countries you should visit in 2023. A destination with an ideal blend of lively city life and natural beauty, Belgrade is one of the most affordable places in Europe. Here, you get to experience a fascinating variety of architecture and vibrant café culture and visit beaches and parks where locals go. Go to the biggest park in the city called Kalimegdan Park, where you can see the Belgrade Fortress that lies over the river. Danube and Sava are two mighty rivers meeting from the fortress. The fortress will make you feel like you are in a movie scene, especially when walking on the cobblestone that leads you to an insane view of the rivers. You should also visit Skardarlija, a cute vintage street almost like small Paris. Here, you can see the beautiful original architecture of Belgrade and Bohemian vibes. As for activities, you can go to Ada Ciganlija, a five-mile round artificial lake where you can do wakeboarding, water skiing, and bikes.
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