Lonely Planet recently posted their list of Top 10 Countries for 2013 online. 
The list is made up of an interesting group of countries. I’ve only been to a couple of places from the list (#s 5 & 8) and would love to visit all of the others in the future.

I was wondering how LP came up with this list. The countries are spread out around the world and each location has a few areas/ categories mentioning what they are “Best for”. 

Here is the list:

1. Sri Lanka: best for culture, off the beaten track, value for money
2. Montenegro: best for activities, adventure, off the beaten track
3. South Korea: best for activities, events, off the beaten track
4. Ecuador: best for food, off the beaten track, activities
5. Slovakia: best for culture, adventure, off the beaten track
6. Solomon Islands: best for adventure, off the beaten track, activities
7. Iceland: best for activities, off the beaten track, value for money
8. Turkey: best for off the beaten path, culture, food
9. Dominican Republic: best for activities, value for money, events
10. Madagascar: best for activities, adventure, off the beaten path

From this list I am most interested in visiting Sri Lanka, South Korea and Madagascar. I‘ve been to Europe many times but have never to the Balkan region so I’d love to visit Montenegro. 
I seriously considered going there this past summer but opted for a trip to Southeast Asia.

Find out more about each place from the Lonely Planet Top 10 Countries list HERE