The Savvy Traveler's Top Travel Destinations 2012

England
If you had to choose only one of 2012's top travel hot spots, you couldn't go wrong with England. Getting Olympic tickets may be a world-class event all its own, but if you make it to London in 2012, the Olympics won't be the only game in town. The summer Olympics hasn't been hosted in the UK since 1948, and England is taking this opportunity to turn the whole country into a stage. Gala celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation, the public opening of the Harry Potter studios at Warner Brothers and a metric-sized list of celebrations and cultural events across the country will make any day on the 2012 calendar into a good day to plan a visit.

Space (Sort of) If Richard Branson has his way, the average tourist will be able to say they spent the some of their PTO in low-earth orbit sometime in 2013. Today, you can beat the crowds and visit Spaceport America, the first commercially-licensed space port, located outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Sun Tours offers exclusive access to the site that includes tours of the vertical launch pad, Mission Control, Spaceport Operations Center, and Virgin Galactic's iconic hangar facility. When it's a historic landmark for everyone else, you'll be able to say that you were there first.

Travelpro Platinum 6 22 in. Expandable Rollaboard Suiter

Tokyo, Japan
Before you call us crazy, take moment to temper public perception with a bit of reality. One year after Japan's worst nuclear disaster, US officials only discourage travel to the immediate area around the Daiichi Reactor complex, situated almost 200 miles from Tokyo. Business travel and tourism is still down roughly 10%, making it the perfect time to see one of the most vibrant cities on Earth. Previously impenetrable hotel reservation books can now fit around your schedule, and restaurants that used to have three-month waiting lists now take last-minute reservations. It may take a few more years for the rest of the world to warm back up to Tokyo, but you're in the know and you've got your luggage ready.

Poland
You may not be a soccer fan but you'll appreciate it a bit more when you can visit historic Poland in posh style thanks to a pre-event buildup that's happening in anticipation of 2012's UEFA Cup soccer tournament. You'll want to shout GOOOAAAALLL after you take advantage of the infrastructure buildup and glut of new hotels, restaurants and cultural venues built to accommodate and entertain the faithful travelling for Europe's 2nd largest soccer tournament. After the Cup is over, it's expected that rates for travel and accommodations will drop almost 20% when the crowds vanish. We expect that when the packs of rabid fans disappear in September, you and your carry-on will swoop in and enjoy the breezy weather and ample savings from historic Krakow to seaside Gdansk.