Triple-A of Arizona: Where to go next year to get away

PHOENIX — With 2016 just days away, you might be thinking about where you want to travel next year to get away.

The U.S. National Parks are turning 100 in 2016, and they are expected to attract record crowds.

Amy Moreno, senior travel product manager for Triple-A of Arizona, said if you procrastinate in making plans to visit any of the national parks, you might be disappointed.

“We’ve got to make sure people are prepping in advance to go to these places, because they will all be full and they do have capacity limits,” said Moreno.

She said some people go on their own, but the advantage of going with a tour group is that travelers can get hotel space already booked by the tour companies, and Moreno said to make sure to reserve not just park admissions, but hotels and rental cars, too, which could become scarce.

“A lot of these parks are bucket list trips for people that they’ve just put off, and once they start to realize it’s a big celebration, they’ll probably start to make those plans to go in 2016,” said Moreno.

There are also lots of options for interesting travel in 2016. People are trending toward destinations that are newly available to the public in the last year or two.

“Cuba is a perfect example. Now that the United States government has loosened travel restrictions on Cuba, it is becoming increasingly popular as a destination,” said Moreno.

Moreno said Cuba is rich with culture, but she notes that a trip to Cuba will not be run-of-the-mill.

“You have got to keep in mind that with Cuba you are escorted the entire time so it’s not a destination where you’re just roaming and going to the beach,” according to Moreno.

But, she said, the food’s fantastic and the scenery is beautiful.

Moreno said Croatia is another place that has only been accessible for the last couple of years but is now just starting to get some traction.

Cruises are still very popular and growing, according to Moreno. She said the biggest segment of cruises that has grown in the last year is the river cruises. Most of the popular river cruises are international, but some river companies are starting along the Mississippi and in the Northwest.

Moreno said river cruises are more intimate with about 60 to 120 people on board, versus ocean cruises that usually accommodate 600 to 5,000 people.

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