Favorite Islands Winners

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Last week, TripAdvisor announced this year’s winners of its Travelers’ Choice Islands awards. And it’s a good list, full of islands that deserve the praise they’re getting.

The islands were judged on the “quality and quantity of the most highly rated hotels, restaurants, and attractions listed for each island on TripAdvisor gathered during a 12-month period.”

So here they are, the top 10 islands in the world:

Ambergris Caye, Belize
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Marco Island, Florida
Lewis and Harris, Scotland
Naxos, Greece
Aitutaki, Cook Islands
Nosy Be, Madagascar
Easter Island, Chile
Ko Tao, Thailand

And the top 10 islands in the U.S.:

Marco Island, Florida
Chincoteague Island, Virginia
Anna Maria Island, Florida
San Juan Island, Washington
Maui, Hawaii
Kauai, Hawaii
Island of Hawaii, Hawaii
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Hilton Head, South Carolina
Key West, Florida

Which of the winners have you been to? And what islands aren’t on the list that you think should be?

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