Tom Hall, travel editor, Lonely Planet, and regular Guardian contributor
If there's one country that provokes more exclamations of affection than any other when I'm doing the Q&A on the Guardian website, it's Colombia. The country has the rare gift of turning visitors into zealots, and security fears are sufficiently outdated to provoke outbreaks of eye-rolling.
I'm intrigued – and am determined to make 2014 the year I pay a visit myself. Cartagena, understandably, hogs the headlines, but there's more to the country than this cruise hotspot. The choice seems tough between lazing on the beaches of the laid-back Caribbean coast destinations of Capurganá or Sapzurro and the Tayrona national park, or exploring Bogotá's museums and nightlife – the latter is going to be in the spotlight thanks to the British Museum's Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia exhibition, which opens next month in cooperation with the Bogotà's spectacular Museo del Oro.
Among many reasons to go is the fact that Colombia's years in the wilderness means development and prices lag at least a decade behind established Caribbean destinations.
Best of all, the weather is perfect from December to April, and flights, usually via the US or Spain, start at around £500 even in usually pricey January. Good luck getting to the Caribbean for that.
• lonelyplanet.com
Lisa Fisher, Africa programme manager, Rainbow Tours
One great option to consider is combining a big five safari in Zambia with a beach escape to Zanzibar or northern Mozambique. From October, this will become much more affordable with the introduction of direct flights between Lusaka in Zambia and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania – it's then an easy hop to resorts in either place.
Until now, combining Zambia with a beach holiday has been expensive and time-consuming, requiring going back to Johannesburg for connections to Mozambique and the Indian Ocean islands, so this new flight should make quite a difference.
Sierra Leone is another amazing option. You'll find beautiful beaches, fascinating culture and wildlife, and inspiring community projects there.
Slightly more mainstream, but still full of wonder, is South Africa, in particular Cape Town and the Garden Route, where the prime-time summer months are during our winter, with wall-to-wall sunshine, wonderful food and superb wine.
There are peak-season supplements everywhere, which can mean huge increments, in particular over the festive season. But there are also excellent deals to be had for the green season of November to April in Botswana and Zambia. Big savings can be made without any loss of quality or experience on holidays to these traditionally high-cost destinations. One good tip is to go for one of the safari camps of the Lower Zambezi. Traditionally they start to close in the November rainy season, but a handful, such as Potato Bush Camp , stay open; it has access to a tarred airstrip and is connected by elevated walkways, making for a very comfortable stay.
The very big advantage of visiting at this time of year – which includes Christmas and New Year – is that visitors also get this vast national park almost to themselves. The spectacular thunder showers will bring quick and ferocious rainfall, but it dries up quickly – and there are good chances of seeing young animals being born.
• rainbowtours.co.uk
Alistair Luxmoore, managing director, Fleewinter
South Africa is an obvious destination this year with such a fantastic exchange rate – prices are down around 20% year on year. We are also seeing big growth for Morocco as flights are so cheap compared with long-haul (around £80 return in January).
People tend not to think of Morocco for winter sun but the temperature is lovely during the day (20-25C), although it's cooler at night, so my tip would be to choose somewhere with a heated pool.
However, the real bargain at the moment is the island of Tobago: a family of four can get tropical perfection for a week from around £750pp for flights and villa accommodation – long-haul winter temperatures for short-haul prices.
• fleewinter.co.uk
Michael Cullen, editor in chief, i-escape.com
My latest winter sun discovery is the overlooked Canary island of La Palma, which now has direct flights with Thomson, but none of the mass development of neighbouring Tenerife.
It's a small, beautiful, mountainous island with black-sand beaches and friendly villages of pastel-coloured houses – perfect for outdoorsy types and escapees. I did a stunning hike through the Caldera de Taburiente, with jagged peaks and whispering pine forests more reminiscent of the Pyrenees than the Canaries. In the south, climb the still-smoking volcano of Teneguia (one-hour round trip), then head to the pirate-like coves of Zamora to jump in the breakers.
The south is the place to base yourself, as sunshine is guaranteed: we found a gorgeous house with stunning ocean views for a snip.
My other top tips for this winter are the Unesco-listed coastal town of El Jadida in Morocco (an hour from Casablanca), with its ancient sea walls and lively arts culture. Its first boutique hotel, L'Iglesia, has just opened and it's gorgeous. And in Tunisia – which still has a green light from the Foreign Office – the 2012 opening of the Dar Hi hotel brought Gallic chic to Nefta in the Sahara desert.
• i-escape.com
Chris Pickard, chairman, Latin American Travel Association
Strangely, travellers from the UK in search of winter sun don't think first of one of the best and most obvious destinations for a break: Latin America. With most of South America being in the southern hemisphere, this is the region's summer.
Options range from Mexico in the north, right through Central America, which Lata members note is growing in popularity, on through South America to Patagonia and even Antarctica (November to March are the best months to explore) in the south. For sun worshippers, the region even has Chile's Atacama Desert, considered the driest place on earth.
Of course, with the World Cup being held there in 2014, Brazil is going to be on many people's radar – and it has more than 4,500 miles of beaches that make up part of the longest continuous coastline of any country in the world.
The World Cup host cities of Fortaleza, Natal, Recife and Salvador in the north, Porto Alegre in the south, – plus Rio de Janeiro, of course – are all on this coast.
Another attraction of South America is that carnival season is looming, with the main activities in 2014 taking place between 28 February and 5 March.
• lata.org
Tim Chester, editor, Rough Guides
We've got our sights set on a number of places over the coming months. The Rajasthan region of north-west India is spectacular at this time of year, as post-monsoon temperatures drop to a comfortable level and rainfall is almost non-existent. The extravagant palaces, forts and temples dotted across the "land of kings" are must-sees, while anyone able to get there next month can take in Jodhpur's International Folk Festival (17-21 October).
One of the best options in the Med is Crete, which defies Europe's march into winter by retaining the heat that little bit longer, allowing for pleasant swimming until November. Also, November holidaymakers will get to enjoy the annual tsikoudia (raki) festivals in several towns.
Other top tips include surfing in Senegal, with Dakar in particular offering a quieter alternative to Morocco. There are numerous surf camps to the north and on Ngor Island. Or head to Hurghada, on Egypt's Red Sea coast, for a spot of kitesurfing.
Personally, I'd recommend Turkey's turquoise coast in the immediate future. I zipped up and down it for the next edition of the Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget, falling for the ramshackle charms of Butterfly Valley and backpacker favourite Olympos, where accommodation is mostly perched in trees. Their pastırma yazı, or Indian summer, starts about now.
Another favourite of mine is the sunny Californian wine region of Paso Robles, halfway up the coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco and a great alternative to Napa. It's home to buckets of exceptional Zinfandel and, as a bonus, the annual Harvest Wine Weekend takes place 18-20 October.
• roughguides.com
