Lonely Planet highlights Barbados, Thessaloniki

Lonely Planet’s new May 2026 list puts Barbados and Thessaloniki near the top of its monthly travel inspiration, alongside destinations from Newfoundland to Botswana. (lonelyplanet.com) The guide names 11 places that are “at their best” in May, including Barbados for surfing, Thessaloniki for a European city break, Newfoundland for iceberg watching and Uzbekistan for rail travel. (lonelyplanet.com) Lonely Planet’s May picks also include Norway for exploring on the water, Belize for ancient ruins, Murcia in Spain for culinary trips, Bali for food and island life, and Botswana’s Chobe and Okavango for wildlife. (lonelyplanet.com) For Thessaloniki, Lonely Planet has separately pitched Greece’s second-largest city as a compact port city with major historical sites, museums, restaurants and bars, and says spring and fall are stronger bets than the hot, humid summer. (lonelyplanet.com) For Barbados, Lonely Planet says the island’s shoulder seasons run from mid-April to June and again in November, when prices ease after winter crowds leave. (lonelyplanet.com) Those recommendations arrive as U.S. travelers are reworking summer plans amid geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty and rising airfares, according to The New York Times. (nytimes.com) CNBC reported Tuesday that airlines are lifting fares to cover fuel costs, with March travel-agency ticket sales up 12% from a year earlier to $10.4 billion and domestic economy ticket prices averaging $570. (cnbc.com) That makes Lonely Planet’s May framing notable: several of its choices lean on shoulder-season timing, rail journeys or destinations where travelers can do more once they arrive without stacking extra flights. (lonelyplanet.com) (nytimes.com) The list is not a booking forecast or an airline survey. It is a travel-editor selection, but it lands at a moment when timing, route choice and on-the-ground costs are shaping where people go next. (lonelyplanet.com) (nytimes.com)