Lonely Planet’s doling out accolades to these ten countries as being very topping, with El Salvador being the toppingist of them all. Okay, they don’t really elaborate as to what this list mean, other than being the “hottest countries for next year,” but I assume they mean destinations that are, or have been, under the radar and are just coming into their own as hot spots for travelers. Which usually means one thing: Get there now before they’re firmly on the tourist trail.

Rounding out the top five are Germany, Greece, Malaysia and Morocco. And at number 10, experiencing a little Obama bounce, the U.S.A., which given the likelihood of a an anemic dollar for the near-term future, will likely be at the top of the list for many visitors, especially those carrying the enviably strong euro.

So what’s missing here? I may sound like a broken record, but let’s give a shout out to Colombia, a country whose culture and diversity, not to mention accessibility, makes it a great “top” country in 2010. A few of my own honorable mentions: Panama (have you seen how cheap it is to fly there in the winter?), Ireland (see Panama), and Namibia (everyone I met in Africa who was visited the country raved about the outdoor adventures that can be had there).

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How cool would it be to tell your friends back home how you spent your vacation volcano-hopping in El Salvador? Well, it’s not out of the question. With 22 volcanoes, crater lakes, and beaches to knock the breath out of your lungs (as well as really cheap flights from the U.S./Canada), it’s not long before the word’s out on El Salvador.

Over at the Guardian, one curious traveler heads out swimming in El Salvador’s largest lake, Ilopango (a crater lake formed by a massive eruption in 1880), then through the capital of San Salvador and south to El Sunzal, a beach some say has the best surfing in Central America (and is one of the region’s best kept secrets — until now, mwahahaha).

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