The Rough Guide to 2021

updated 26.02.2021

What is the Rough Guide to 2021?

The Rough Guide to 2021 is a campaign intended to keep you travelling – both safely and ethically – throughout the coming year. With flexibility being key for everyone planning to travel in 2021, the project will be ongoing throughout the year, with a selection of hot deals, competitions, excellent experiences, how tos and more. We’ll be helping adventurers around the globe to navigate the constantly evolving coronavirus regulations and restrictions, tips and essentials, and to holiday with total peace of mind.

In addition to our annual guide to the year’s top destinations, the Rough Guide to 2021: kickoff, Rough Guides will be releasing a range of practical and inspirational content throughout the year to help you make the most of your time on Earth in 2021. Unlike previous years, the living site will be updated regularly, functioning as your trusty travel companion as the world opens up once more. From the latest coronavirus information to travel inspiration and hot deals, we’ve got you covered.

Hvar in Dalmatia, Croatia © xbrchx/Shutterstock

As flights ground to a standstill in 2020, travellers around the globe started to think about their next bucket-list trip, but also about how they wanted to travel in the future – and here at Rough Guides it’s been no different. In 2021, we will be guided by the values that are shaping the future of travel. For us, that means a focus on responsible travel, guided by sustainable principles and – more specifically – a drive to support female travellers and female-owned businesses. We have begun by highlighting extraordinary initiatives, charities and community businesses run by women that travellers can support on the ground, from chatting with traveller bloggers like Shannon O’Donnell of A Little Adrift to learning about the Chocal Chocolate Factory, a women’s cooperative based in the Dominican Republic. We’ve also been busy promoting trips with female entrepreneurs, such as the Female Empowerment Tour and Blessing Women of Uzbekistan itinerary.

While there is light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel, with a vaccine bringing our travel dreams closer to becoming a reality, the face of travel will continue to look different in 2021. By signing up to our mailing list, you’ll receive all our expertly curated articles, experiences, top tips, competitions and hot deals via our partners throughout the year directly to your inbox. Our competitions and hot deals are exclusively available to subscribers: keep your eyes peeled for our next competition, which will be coming in March. If you're already signed up with us, you'll be added automatically.

By subscribing, you will be automatically added to our next competition – going live in March 2021 – where you can win one of the following book packages to fuel your travel dreams:

Discover cities from a different perspective. We all know about Amsterdam’s canals and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, but there’s so much more to the world’s best cities than their most popular attractions. Instead, discover cities away from the crowds and take in a collection of fantastic hidden gems. Covering:

Tokyo
Dubai
Singapore
Amsterdam
BONUS: Make the Most of Your Time on Earth

Explore the great outdoors. There are certain countries defined by their spellbinding landscapes, from the jaw-dropping mountains of Canada to the stark desertscapes of Namibia. Hiking, trekking and mountaineering? Yes please. Get out there and discover:

Australia
Sweden
Argentina
Canada
Namibia
BONUS: Make the Most of Your Time on Earth

Make 2021 your European adventure. Europe is one of the world’s most enticing continents, with a rich history and culture, lovely landscapes and vibrant cities. A 2021 European adventure will mean staying closer to home for some, while others might be tempted to take a longer trip to combine work and leisure. Covering:

Croatia
France
Italian Lakes
Portugal
Mallorca & Menorca
Romania
BONUS: Make the Most of Your Time on Earth

Trinity Church in Plaza Mayor, Trinidad, Cuba © Maurizio De Mattei/Shutterstock

What’s included in the Rough Guide to 2021

This page is the place to come for all the tailored content you’ll need to keep travelling throughout 2021. From inspirational features to practical tips and too-good-to-be-true (but they are!) deals, you’ll find it here.

The Rough Guide to 2021: kickoff

With a vaccine ready, Rough Guides is proud to reveal the Rough Guide to 2021: kickoff, the ultimate list of 10 dream destinations for the coming year, carefully compiled by our expert authors and editors. From livin’ the pura vida in Costa Rica to discovering Inuit culture in Greenland and trekking with gorillas in the hauntingly beautiful Virunga mountains, it’s guaranteed to fuel wanderlust. The list also includes up-to-date travel information related to Covid-19, as well as selections of sustainable and ethical experiences to boot.

What’s coming up?

There’s plenty of practical and inspirational content in the pipeline, including a guide to what you need to know before travelling in 2021. From everything from covid-proofing your trip to travel insurance and entry regulations, we’ve got you covered.

Following on from the Rough Guide to 2021: kickoff, we’ll be keeping up to date with what destinations are good bets throughout next year, including what travel corridors are up and running – backed up with a range of exciting deals. There’ll be a continued focus on staycations, too, helping our UK-based readers to make the most of their time in Britain. Slow, ethical travel is what 2021’s all about, after all.

Beyond a collection of informative articles, Rough Guides will be bringing you a range of special deals throughout 2021. Check this page to get your hands on books at great prices, to bag a bargain trip or to learn about the destinations bringing back the punters with irresistible promotions.

January 2021

January sure felt like a slow month, with travel prohibited across the UK and most of us only able to dream of our next trip. In addition, the impact of Brexit has started to affect travellers. To help you navigate the new regulations, visa controls and guidelines, we're here to guide our community through the transition. Think Brexit might affect your travel plans? Read up on Brexit's impact on travelling from Britain.

If you're still contemplating where to go this year, don't forget to check out our inspirational overview of what’s hot next year, the Rough Guide to 2021: kickoff, too. And if you really want to keep your finger on the pulse, read our 9 travel trends for 2021. From a surge in sustainability to deeper pre-trip research and more multi-generational escapes, there are some new and exciting changes in the wings. Think travel will move in a different direction? Discuss with us on Twitter @RoughGuides.

Keep an eye out, too, for Rough Guides new British Breaks series – a collection of UK pocket guides celebrating some of the best destinations right here on your doorstep. Domestic travel is on the up, and with (sometimes unsung) showstoppers like the Isle of Wight, Skye and Liverpool, there’s plenty to get excited about on the green island we at Rough Guides call home.

February 2021

With the release of Boris Johnson's "road map" to recovery here in the UK, the end of February has put a spring in our step. You can start thinking about a domestic trip with our fantastic new coffee-table book, Make the Most of Your Time in Britain. From the fresh air of the Yorkshire hills and virbant food markets in London to finding the Northern Lights in Scotland, learn more about your incredible surroundings. And if you're still feeling unsure about when you'll be able to take that post-Covid trip, our useful guide to when we will travel again is your starting point.

March 2021

Don't forget about our amazing competition kicking off in March, with a number of spellbinding book packages up for grabs. Sign up to our newsletter today – you've got to be in it to win it!

written by Helen Fanthorpe

updated 26.02.2021

Helen worked as a Senior Travel Editor at Rough Guides and Insight Guides, based in the London office. Among her favourite projects to work on are inspirational guides like Make the most of your time on Earth, the ultimate travel bucket list.