While some people prefer the countryside to the city life, let's face it, the latter is what makes the world go around. Everything from businesses to financial hubs are located in cities all across the globe, and that's the way it'll likely be for at least the next few decades. Even if you aren't a big fan of what it's like to live in a city, there's no doubting that a day out or two never hurts every once in a while.

The traditional locations are places like London, New York, Paris and places of that nature, but beyond all of those, there are a series of cities that are either severely underrated or are on the rise - and very few people even know it. Whether it be courtesy of a population boom or due to economic reasons, these twenty cities, as well as many others, are going to become household names in the years to come.

Some probably still won't have the same kind of numbers that you'd expect from a 'popular' city, but at the end of the day, all that matters is that you have a good time. Hell, a few of these places may even be possible contenders for you to go and live in, and while that may not seem like a viable option for some, you just never know what the future holds.

We're going to be moving across a sea of different continents in order to establish the final list, which will hopefully lead to this being one of the more comprehensive lists of this nature that can be found on the internet.

20 Bath, United Kingdom - Spa Central Of Planet Earth

From the Pulteney Bridge to the Roman Baths themselves, you won't struggle to find places of historical significance across Bath whenever you visit. The Somerset-city is one of the more unknown locations within the realms of travel culture, which really is an injustice.

Bath offers people an escape from the hustle and bustle of all the stereotypical cities you'd visit across the United Kingdom, and instead, provides you with some much-needed serenity. If you're a foreigner then you won't be short on discovering more about our culture, and if you're from the UK and haven't been yet, you're seriously missing out.

19 Istanbul, Turkey - European Empowerment

The city of Istanbul and the country of Turkey as a whole is currently going through something of a restoration phase. Courtesy of the many conflicts they've suffered, the so-called 're-building phase' of their reputation has been in effect for several years now.

As we look ahead, it's difficult not to imagine a scenario in which Istanbul bounces back in a big way. It's just full to the brim with architectural magnificence and a great deal of colour, and it'd be a shame for people to miss out on that in the grand scheme of things.

Don't be put off - visit Istanbul in your lifetime.

18 Vancouver - The Canadian Hub

Purely from images alone, it's hard not to be impressed by Vancouver. The city looks like the kind of place that can double up as both a perfect vacation spot and a hub for business, and that's quite the double act. It's a modern-day winter wonderland, and in truth, there are very few places like it.

Riding or walking through Stanley Park is a once in a lifetime experience, it's surrounded by mountains, and the art & music scene is stronger than it's ever been before. To be perfectly honest, we're struggling to think of many reasons why you wouldn't head straight onto Skyscanner and look for flights.

17 St Louis, USA - A Forgotten Treasure

The Gateway Arch and the subsequent national park may be what comes to mind when you think of St Louis, but the city has a hell of a lot more to offer than that. It's no secret that the rougher areas are pretty noteworthy for all the wrong reasons, but as a city, they work tirelessly every single day to improve their reputation - and as of late, they've been succeeding.

The City Museum tells you all that you need to know about their history, and while the city may be overshadowed by their overbearing neighbours, that makes room for less of the hustle and bustle associated with the Midwest.

16 Singapore - A True Safe Place

As an island city-state that some people mistake to be a country, Singapore falls into the unfortunate category of being somewhere that many tourists consider being 'too far away' - when, in reality, it isn't even that far, and it's one of the most underrated places on planet Earth.

Not only is it an incredibly safe place to visit, but it's also extremely diverse with the range of things you're able to do, it has a fantastic economy, and the people there are delightful to deal with. In the next five to ten years, Singapore could easily become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

15 Riga - Don't Sleep On Latvia

When you think of Latvia, you tend to think of it as one of those small and insignificant European countries that doesn't really have that much of an impact on pop culture, or anything, for that matter. Alas, you couldn't be any further from the truth, with Riga being a shining example as to why.

The capital city virtually looks like it's been created on Minecraft, possessing the kind of heart and passion that you don't often see from such a small portion of the planet. It's unbelievably cheap, and you could easily walk around for three days and still have things to marvel at.

14 Glasgow, Scotland - The Life Of The Party

It feels like the biggest stereotype of all when it comes to Scotland is that Edinburgh is a classic, well-kept city, whereas Glasgow is all about more shady activities and non-stop partying. While the first part of that theory is true, the Glasgow section couldn't be any further from the truth.

While it's still a little bit rough around the edges, there's a reason why the city was chosen to be the host of the Commonwealth Games four years ago. There's so much to see and appreciate here, and yes, you could probably define it as a city that never sleeps - but what's the harm in that?

13 Berlin - Big, Bright & Beautiful

Ironically enough we've been quite negative in the past when it comes to describing Berlin in comparison to other German cities when in reality, the grass is always greener on the other side, and by that, we mean that things are looking up for the German capital.

They're starting to find the perfect blend between appreciating their history and revolutionising their future, and that can only be a good thing. With endless forests, parks and landmarks to enjoy, Berlin is really making the most of its overwhelming size and presence in Europe.

You should never judge a book by its cover, and we've fallen victim to that.

12 Zurich, Switzerland - Modern Day Disneyland

The prices involved with travelling to certain cities around the globe can often put people off going there, when in reality, saving the money is more than worth it if your destination seems to be worth it - and trust us when we say that when you're in Zurich, you get what you pay for.

Switzerland is stacked with remarkable places from head to toe, but with Zurich, you'll get an entirely different experience to anything you've ever had before. You've got churches, wakeboarding, landmarks, mountains and so much more, and you'd have to see it in order to believe it.

11 Bucharest, Romania - A Restored Reputation

Romania isn't necessarily viewed as an illustrious country and neither is it viewed as a bad one, and for the most part, it's just kind of 'there'. Thankfully the renaissance of Bucharest over the last few years has changed that for a lot of people, with the city serving as a reminder of what Eastern Europe has to offer.

Bucharest is a strong city in the sense that there's very little that can break the residents that live there, and in many ways, you can get the best of both worlds from the city side of things as well as the countryside which is just a stone's throw away. Trust us, this isn't something you'd want to miss out on.

10 Valencia - The Spanish Middle Child

Spain is a country that most people, especially those from Europe, will either visit or have already visited in their lifetime. That's either due to the holiday destinations provided with their many islands or because of high-profile cities like Barcelona and Madrid.

Yet, for some reason, Valencia doesn't get anywhere near as much love as the others - although it should, and soon, it will. The city is starting to build a foundation for tourism that showcases some of its finest features, and eventually, we're confident in saying that it'll be on the same kind of level as our two previous examples above.

9 Porto - Portugal's Finest

We could go on and on about how beautiful the weather is in Portugal or how you're able to have a summer holiday whilst also exploring a gorgeous city, and in truth, we'd love to do so. Alas, we can't talk about Porto without speaking of the utterly incredible food and drink available to you upon arrival.

The portions are large, the waiters are friendly, the views are incredible, and the drinks are quite literally out of this world. What's not to love? You could wake up in the morning dreaming of doing any one of a thousand different things here, and you'd be able to have accomplished your goal by lunchtime.

8 Incheon, South Korea - Meet The Future

Seoul may represent South Korea as its most notable city, but Incheon is all about the future. We all know that many nations and cities in Asia are much further along in terms of technological advancements, but Incheon is ahead of the game in pretty much every conceivable way.

They're always looking ahead to what can be done next in order to improve their standing not only as individuals but as a community. Hell, they've even got their own Central Park which is modelled after the equivalent in New York City.

It sounds like a cheesy place, but from a business perspective, there are very few places that have more potential than Incheon.

7 St Petersburg - Russian Splendour

Despite being such a large and intimidating country, most travellers gravitate towards visiting Moscow as opposed to anywhere else. However, as the recent World Cup taught us, that'd be a big mistake.

St Petersburg is a gorgeous city full of heritage and a growing tourism board, and it's the kind of place that you'd visit if you just want to experience a little bit of tranquillity. You could be walking through the parks or admiring the buildings, but either way, you'll feel like you're completely closed off from the rest of the world - and that's not always a bad thing.

6 Doha, Qatar - The New (New) Dubai

Aside from the fact that there's a lot of negativity surrounding the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there are actually quite a few reasons to believe that Qatar is a place that'll be booming in a few years time. If we were to be more specific, the capital city of Doha is a promising place to be right now.

The economy is on the rise, the skyline is phenomenal, and we don't need to tell you just how incredible the weather is. It's starting to build a reputation for itself as something of a new alternative to Dubai, and while that may seem a little 'far-fetched', it may not seem that way once 2022 rolls around.

5 Gdansk - You Can't Beat Poland

If you haven't noticed by now, we can't stop saying enough good things about Poland - and can you blame us? If you've never been then a simple Google search of their finest towns and cities should suffice, but if you've been lucky enough to visit the country, then you know exactly what we're talking about.

Gdansk, in particular, is our favourite city, mainly because it's just so charming. There are few places where you can get on what can only be described as a pirate ship before being taken on a really lovely tour, and then when you come back, you still feel like you've only explored 1% of what the city has to offer.

4 Knoxville, USA - They Really Never Sleep

The University of Tennessee is probably a good enough reason for you to want to visit here, purely to see the volunteer footballers playing in front of 100,000 screaming fans. Unfortunately, not everyone loves American football, so we'll have to come up with some alternates, and there are plenty to choose from.

The downtown has a great vibe with the student life combining perfectly with the art and culture, the Sunsphere is an iconic building in the realms of US architecture, and it's difficult not to fall in love with the essence of Knoxville and the friendly response you'll receive from the locals.

3 Copenhagen, Denmark - Meet Scandinavia

Scandinavia is one of those sections of the world that many people always dream of going to, but never quite pull the trigger. That's partly due to the prices associated with doing so, even but though things there are expensive, it's more than worth it when you consider what you're getting for your money.

It doesn't matter if you're walking along the colourful houses that resemble an episode of Balamory or whether you're in Tivoli Gardens, because either way, you're going to have a great time. It's one of those cities that just gives off a positive vibe from the minute you step foot off the plane, and that's hard to do.

2 Tallinn - The Heart Of Estonia

While stag & hen parties may be the norm for people travelling to Tallinn, that's not all it has to offer. Sure, it's a city full of great bars and even better prices, but the sights that can be seen deserve to be viewed in every aspect, not just after a big night out.

This place will make you feel like you've travelled back to the Middle Ages as you sit oh so close to the Baltic Sea. The people of Tallinn are quiet, unassuming and go about their day to day lives as anyone else would when in reality, they don't even realise how remarkable their city is.

1 Philadelphia, USA - The City Of Brotherly Love

NYC? Fine. LA? Whatever. Philadelphia? Yes, please.

It doesn't matter whether you want to climb the Rocky Steps or enjoy a cheesesteak, because Philly will be able to accommodate all of your needs and so much more. The people here have character and personality, which is more than can be said of so many different cities across the United States of America.

It's the City of Brotherly Love for a reason, and the Eagles' recent Super Bowl only served to highlight what a growing city this is. As our unofficial capital of the USA, we couldn't recommend it any more if we tried.