As the summer months roll by people all over the world look for different travel destinations. Geography often plays a role in these choices as people look at a destination's proximity to home and other characteristics like the physical environment of the site and biodiversity and climate. After researching numerous travel websites (e.g. Hotels.com, Travelocity and Sherman's Travel), the same ten locations kept coming up as popular summer destinations.
The following is a list of those ten places and some information about each. Feel free to read through and post comments about your ideal summer travel spots.
1. Capri
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Capri is an island located on Italy's Amalfi Coast in the Bay of Naples and was included on several different summer travel lists as a popular summer destination. The island is only 4.02 square miles (10.4 sq km) in area and is known for its beauty, limestone rock formations, beaches, villages and ease of accessibility from the rest of Italy. One of the main attractions on Capri is its Blue Grotto - a sea cave that appears blue as the sunlight enters the cave and reflects off of the rocks through the seawater. Capri's main population center is the City of Capri itself and the island has been a resort destination since Roman times.
2. The Hamptons
The Hamptons are a popular summer travel destination for those living in New York City as they are just 120 miles (193 km) away and easily accessible via train and bus for those living in the City. However, the Hamptons are also growing in popularity as a summer travel spot for those living outside of New York as well. The Hamptons are known for their seaside towns, long beaches, vineyards and historic mansions. The region is divided into Southampton which consists of the older, higher priced neighborhoods, Bridgehampton which is famous for its vineyards and horse shows, East Hampton which is favored by younger people and Montauk which is most by fishermen.
3. Greece
Source: CIA World Factbook, 2007
Greece and its over 6,000 islands known as the Greek Isles are a popular summer travel destination for people all over the world and was included on most summer travel lists. Although only about 227 of the islands are inhabited, they are popular because of their villages, beaches, historic spots and the Aegean Sea. Most of the inhabited islands are easily accessible, but Santorini, with an area of 475 square miles (184 sq km), and Mykonos, with an area of 229 square miles (89 sq km) are the largest and most popular. Santorini, a volcanic island, is known for its white houses and blue roofed churches, as well as its black sand beaches and views of the sea. Mykonos is also known for its white villages but it is popuar for its nightlife.
4. London
Matt Rosenberg
London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, is a popular summer destination for those around the world because summer is the season when the city is most active. London has a population of 7,556,900 (2007 estimate) and it is known as the world's largest financial center, as well as a center of education, entertainment, fashion and culture. London's long history, architecture, arts, shopping and the presence of four UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Tower of London, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the site of of the Palace of Westminster and Greenwich) are all popular among tourists. London is also known for being the host of the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympic Games and will play host to the summer games in 2012.
5. Montreal
Montreal is the second-largest city in Canada based on population (behind Toronto) and is the largest city in the province of Quebec. It is popular for tourists from around the world, but especially those from the U.S. and the rest of Canada. It is located in southewestern Quebec and the majority of the city itself sits on the Island of Montreal at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Ottawa River. Montreal is known for its heavily French influenced culture and the official language of Montreal is French (over 50% of its population speaks the language). It is the second largest French-speaking city outside of Paris. Montreal is the cultural capital of Canada and has been ranked as one of the world's most liveable cities.
6. United States National Parks
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There are 388 national parks within the United States and most of them rank high on the list of top summer destinations.Most of the national parks are in undeveloped and protected natural sites and they are scattered throughout the country in each state. The first area to become a national park was Yellowstone after President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law to protect the land on March 1, 1872. The most popular national parks in the U.S. today include Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Yosemite is famous for its glacial carved valley, while Yellowstone is know for its volcanic landscape and geysers, and the Grand Cayon features 277 mile long cut in the Earth that was carved by the Colorado River millions of years ago.
7. New England
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New England is a region in the northeastern part of the U.S. and is made up of the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. It covers an area of about 71,992 square miles (186,459 sq km) and is popular for visitors year-round. The summers are the most heavily visited by tourists because of a variety of summer festivals in big cities such as Boston but also in smaller villages around the area. New England is known for its historic sites, culture and small coastal and mountain towns. Activities in the region vary with location as does topography because it is a formerly glaciated area. As such, lakes, rolling hills, mountains, valleys and a rugged coastline are common throughout New England.
8. Russia
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Russia, the largest country in the world based on area (6,592,800 square miles or 17,075,400 sq km), is included on many summer travel lists because of its short summer that is dominated by festivals that last all night because the sun never sets due to the country's high latitude. Moscow (the capital of Russia) and St. Petersburg are the largest and most visited cities by tourists because of their historic areas such as the Kremlin and Red Square. Outside of its larger cities, Russia is home to 40 national parks and over 100 nature reserves, as well as many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Russia also has access to the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans and thus has a economy and culture dominated by fishing - particularly that of caviar.
9. Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a region in Europe that includes the countries of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. The region is included on many summer travel lists, because, like Russia and its high latitude, the countries included do not experience long periods of darkness. As such, they have festivals that last all night long. Large cities like Stockholm, Sweden are also popular among tourists for their cultural activities, shopping and historic sites. In addition, Scandinavia has abundant outdoor activities and a highly varied, glacially carved landscape with fjords, glaciers, mountains and valleys. Iceland is also known for its volcanic features. The climate of Scandinavia varies, but it is mainly Arctic to continental humid in the south.
10. Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Finally, the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan is included on many summer travel lists for its miles of unspoiled nature, dense forests and waterfalls. The Upper Peninsula is surrounded by Lake Superior, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron and includes about 1,700 miles (2,735 km) of popular beaches and shoreline. The region itself has an area of 16,452 square miles (42,610 sq km) and has a varied topography that includes flat swamps, hills and rugged coastlines. It also has a climate that is heavily influenced by the Great Lakes. The Upper Peninsula is famous for fishing, hiking, camping and other outdoor activities as well as festivals and other summer activities that take place in the small villages and towns that dot the area.