Tuscany has long been a world renowned Bucket List destination for cycling trips—but it's hardly the only one.GettyActive Travel is a hotter vacation category than it has ever been, and this is a big topic, so I am breaking it into three parts. In Part One I explained what active travel is, why it is hot, how trips work and the three major subcategories, hiking/walking/ cycling and multi-sport. I also covered the best companies running these trips at the higher end. This is Part Two, Where To Go for The Best Active Travel Vacations right now and in the near future, including classics and trending hotspots. For Why You Should Try A Private Active Travel Trip, see Part Three.Where To Go for The Best Active Travel VacationsCycling—The ClassicsThere has always been something sVermont has long been one of the top cycling vacation spots in the U.S.gettypecial about wine country and cycling, and in the U.S., California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys have long been a marquee spot, while globally the most iconic biking destinations are Tuscany, Burgundy and Provence. If you have never been on a cycling vacation and want to hit it big your first time, it’s hard to top Tuscany as a first choice, and every quality outfitter covers it. Some other longstanding classic cycling destinations include New England and especially Vermont, often done inn to inn; U.S. National Parks, especially Glacier and Zion; Girona and Mallorca, Spain, both popular training grounds for pro teams; France’s Loire Valley and Italy’s Dolomites, which just keeps getting hotter and hotter as an all season active travel fantasy land.MORE FOR YOUCycling—The New HotspotsIn the U.S., the area around Santa Barbara, CA and Tucson, AZ are both hot, while Bentonville, AR has quickly soared into pre-eminence as a world class mountain bike destination but also has lots of exceptional road and gravel riding. Just a few years back the state of Kentucky rolled out a cycling version of the popular “Bourbon Trail,” and top tour operator Backroads was the first to do a fully-supported luxury ride, which began as an experiment and has turned wildly popular—there are 16 different trips scheduled for 2027. I did this trip and loved it, a true hidden gem I still regularly recommend to fellow cycling—and bourbon—enthusiasts. I wrote in detail about what makes this trip so good here at Forbes.Why not combine an active travel vacation with UNESCO World Heritage site Angkor Wat, in Cambodia?gettyCycling is surprisingly high-quality in Japan, most of which is rural; southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and Vietnam, often combined and including Angkor Wat has become big and is on my personal Bucket List; while Morocco and South Africa have gained ground for both road, gravel and mountain bike trips.In Europe, all of Italy is popular, and much of Spain and Portugal, as are routes of the biggest races, the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, La Vuelta a Espana, and so on. But the big push has been into Eastern Europe, and there are now scores of cycling trips all over Slovenia, Slovakia and especially Croatia, which is extremely popular. I did a cycling trip to there last year and wrote about why Croatia is so hot right now here at Forbes. Backroads just introduced its first trip to Poland and Hungary, beginning in Krakow which is a city about to have its big moment. Greece is just starting to come into its own, and active travel is a great way to beat the crowds and over-tourism of places like Santorini. Tuscany has always been a top spot for road riding but has more recently emerged as the world epicenter for gravel riding too, and these trips are on fire. Iceland is another fast emerging gravel destination in Europe.Hiking—The ClassicsFor hiking it doesn't get much more iconic than Zermatt and the Matterhorn gettyIt’s hard to beat the Alps for scenery, ambiance and cuisine, and just about every top outfitter covers Switzerland, France and Italy. The Tour du Mont Blanc, a challenging loop that circles the highest peak in Western Europe while passing through France, Italy and Switzerland is widely regarded as one of the top multi-day hikes in the world, a Bucket List trip, and one I covered in detail here at Forbes. But pretty much anything based in Chamonix, France or Zermatt, Switzerland is a classic, while another of the world’s best hiking destinations is Italy’s Dolomites, as stunning an example of mountain landscape as you will find on this planet—plus great food, lodging and charming towns.Patagonia is another Bucket List hiking destination, as is Peru around Cusco and Machu Picchu. New Zealand is a dream trip for many, and the world’s most famous pilgrimage route, Spain’s Camino de Santiago, has always been popular but is red hot right now. This one is a bit confusing because there are actually a dozen different “official” Camino routes that vary widely, but in almost every case top outfitters offer weeklong sections of this longer classic.Patagonia, especially Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, is another hiking Bucket List spot.gettyIn the U.S., there are the Blue Ridge Mountains in the mid-Atlantic, and the great “red rock” landscape of the Southwest, especially Arches, Zion, Canyonlands and Capital Reef National Parks. One of the top spots in North America is the Canadian Rockies, especially Banff National Park and Lake Louise.Hiking—The New HotspotsMany new and notable multi-day trails have been popping up and the recently opened border-to-border Trans-Bhutan Trail has been getting a lot of attention and drawing new trips from top outfitters. Italy’s Dolomites have long been a super popular spot for hiking but the Cammino Retico, a new 105-mile trail in a less visited part of the region linking 10 more remote villages is worth a look, while Tuscany, the most iconic cycling destination, has the Sentiero Italia hiking trail. Portugal is opening the 2,000-mile Palmilhar Portugal, the world’s longest circular hike in stages, many of which are already open. Another new long distance trail that has been getting a lot of buzz is Romania’s 1,400-mile Via Transilvanica, which Backroads just added its first trip on.There are a lot of different ways to hike in Japan, and many of them are far from the crowded cities.Walk JapanThe Camino de Santiago is more famous, but the only other UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage hiking trail is in Japan, a country that is full of excellent hikes and has been experiencing record tourism from the U.S. the past several years. Walk Japan is a superb specialist I traveled with and wrote in detail about here at Forbes that offers this pilgrimage and many other options. Another ultra-popular tourist destination that has been growing for active travel is Greece, as visitors look to get off the beaten path, especially on Crete, the nation’s largest island.Multi-Sport—The ClassicsFamous for its jungle canopy zip lines, surfing and everything in between, Costa Rica has long been one of the top multi-sport destinations, and nearby Belize and Guatemala are popular as well. In the U.S., Alaska is a place many travelers want to experience, and it is perfect for multi-sport trips combining hiking, cycling and sea kayaking. Hawaii, Maine’s Acadia National Park, and the Tetons/Yellowstone/Jackson area of Wyoming are all popular. In Morocco, the landscapes are huge but the traffic is tiny—other than the occasional cyclist.Butterfield & RobinsonOutside the Western hemisphere, Italy’s Dolomites, Switzerland and Northern Spain’s Basque region around San Sebastian are all proven winners for multi-sport trips. Further afield both Australia and New Zealand have long very popular, and in Southeast Asia, Vietnam in particular has been a top choice.For adventure lodge-based multi-sport trips (see Part One), the top destinations are Patagonia and Chile’s Atacama Desert.Multi-Sport— The New HotspotsWith world class cycling and hiking as well as plenty of gorgeous coastline, Spain’s Mallorca has been rising in popularity, especially with increased airlift from the U.S. Just as with cycling, eastern Europe has been one of the top growth areas, especially Croatia. Iceland is big right now and Norway has recently heated up as well. With a unique combination of some of the world’s most beautiful desert, empty roads and excellent hiking in the Atlas Mountains, plus fascinating food and culture, Morocco has been hot lately. Tourism to Turkey has been soaring and it is another country with uniquely varied geography that lends itself to multi-sport. These are now all on the list of where to go for the best active travel vacations.