There’s nothing worse than a jaded traveler. The second you feel yourself getting jaded, get off the road. Pack it up. Head home.
No shame in that; not in the least. Sometimes not even a hotel with a deep bathtub can beat cozying up on your threadbare couch.
Travel is not for the weary, it’s a remedy for weariness. It’s for enthusiasts. People who long to have their senses activated by new inputs. Those who are ready to be optimistic about… if not the state of humanity at large, then at least the brilliant, bizarre, endlessly unique humans they meet while out on the road.
Travel is for the mad ones. The life artists. Those who see a flawed world and crave more of it, not less.
If you are such a person, the 2024 Uproxx Spring Travel Hot List is for you. As ever, it was created by a collective of the least jaded travelers alive. Writers, photographers, and content creators who feel electrically enlivened by the drone of airport announcements or the furrowed brow of a customs officer. Who get a shiver of giddiness when they smell street food grilling.
Just like we did in the fall, we pressed the Uproxx team to find destinations, food and drink experiences, adventures, and hotel stays that all screamed “It’s my turn in the spotlight!” Their findings surprised me in all the best ways and left me making additions to my own “travel next” list.
If you give this list the time it deserves, I’m willing to wager that you’ll find some fresh spots to see, too. And absorb plenty of passion. And scope a whole bunch of coolness — from “shroom sound baths” in Jamaica to hiking the wilds of Kyrgyzstan to visiting a newly accessible Panamanian National Park — that you can text to your friend group accompanied by those five magic words:
“Who’s ready for a trip?”
And when you and your crew venture out into the wide world — whether following our advice or chasing your own whims — we hope that you will be the least jaded version of yourself. The person who doesn’t compare one white sand beach to another or scoff at Costa Rica’s mangoes because they aren’t as juicy as the ones you had in Uganda. The version of you that will put down your phone in favor of a conversation with a stranger or stop in your tracks to taste a flaky-looking pastry, even if you just ate. The you who finds at least a little bit more magic in our savage world than cause for despair.
And if these words resonate for you, if the ideas track, then you’ll know why we treat travel as an art to be practised often, savored always, and spent lavishly upon. You know why the people who made this list love travel so very much. Because you are one of us.
++ Steve Bramucci, Founding Travel Editor, Uproxx
