Destinations 2014: And where are you going?

Paris? Have we ever heard. But Sikkim? These are the names of two of the travel destinations that Lonely Planet has identified as top destinations in 2014. Sikkim is a state in the northeast of India, sandwiched between Nepal, China and Bhutan in the Himalayas - and even for adventure travelers still an insider tip. As another exciting travel destination in 2014, "Lonely Planet" has named the European Capital of Culture Riga, Trinidad in Cuba and Cape Town. Brazil, Antarctica and Scotland are the most exciting travel destinations of the year according to the Backpacker Bible.

"The German is a habit animal"

By contrast, the German Travel Association (DRV) predicts that in 2014 Germans will head for less Sikkim and Riga than their favorite favorites: Germany, Spain - with Mallorca first - and Italy. "The German is a creature of habit," says Torsten Schäfer, Head of Communications at the DRV. But also Greece celebrate after the crisis years 2010 and 2011 a "bombastic comeback". Turkey, winner of the past years, will also continue to grow.

Nevertheless, Germany will most likely remain our most popular tourist destination in 2014 - more than a third of our holidays take us to domestic regions. In summer we prefer the beaches at the North and Baltic Sea, all year round Bavaria lies with its mountains and castles in front. Well-being and city trips are still on the agenda, with Berlin at the top.

More than 60 percent of our trips take us to the sun-safe Mediterranean countries, some seven percent into the distance - we prefer to fly to the USA, the Caribbean and Thailand. For long-distance travel, the Maldives and Seychelles are also on the rise. "We are spending more and more money on travel - and are increasingly placing value on high-quality offers: five stars and one day shorter," says Schäfer. Partly responsible for the growing desire to travel of Germans are the low unemployment rate and the low interest rates. Saving does not pay for itself right now.

And how do we travel? Cruises continue to boom, as the offers with the new ships are becoming more and more sophisticated. All-inclusive holidays are in high demand, especially from families - with no other form of holiday can the travel budget so well calculated.

And you? Do you fit in the statistics? Are you fulfilling a long-cherished holiday dream this year? Or will you spend the summer relaxing in your own garden? Tell your travel plans for 2014 in the ChroniquesDuVasteMonde community!