Every year, the Matador Network team and our trusted writers travel to hundreds of small towns, big cities, and remote locales around the world. We reported stories and travel guides from every continent in 2024. The year brought us to Jamaica with our families, the Rockies for high-altitude breathwork training, and Norway for a food-focused road trip, to name a few.

Our editors traveled to Wyoming to investigate the booming state of wolf tourism as the 30th anniversary of Yellowstone’s wolf reintroduction program approaches, and to Washington, DC to learn how outdoor organizations use donations to advocate for climate change.

How we traveled led to many stories as well, from long European train rides to a journey on “The Greatest Foodie Destination at Sea.” We stayed in more than a few hotels along the way that are new favorites.

All of this travel makes narrowing down the winners of the Matador Network Travel Awards is an annual challenge, to say the least. Nominations are gathered from across the Matador Network team in five categories: Sustainable Destination, Adventure Destination, Wellness Destination, Next Big Destination, and Best Airline. Each nomination is graded on a point-based system. This year, we also posed the question to our readers in the same categories. Votes on a poll sent to our 300,000 newsletter subscribers and 600,000-plus Instagram followers were tallied through November, and the results speak to just how well Matador readers have their finger on the pulse of travel.

Next year will bring even more adventures. These award winners are a dream list of where to go on your next trip.