Telegraph journalists share their lifestyle predictions for 2017, including must-visit travel destinations, top food trends and health breakthroughs.

Top travel destinations for 2017: city break in St Petersburg or sun in Sri Lanka?

By Nick Trend, Telegraph deputy head of travel

What a difference a year makes. When, 12 months ago, I wrote my travel predictions for 2016, sterling was enjoying a seven-year high against the euro.

I delighted in pointing out how a charming €200-a-night hotel in Barcelona – which cost £192 in 2009 – had fallen to £143 while an €80 meal for two in a Venetian trattoria had dropped from £77 to £57. Then Brexit happened, the pound plunged and although it hasn’t been as bad as the slump of 2009, it has been bumping along at about €1.20 and suddenly Europe is expensive again.

So, for those feeling the pinch, the priority in 2017 will be to find value destinations.

For skiers, Austrian and Italian resorts offer a sensible alternative to France. Those after a city break might want to avoid classic destinations such as Rome or Venice and look instead at more affordable, cheap-flight options such as Budapest, Kraków and Lisbon.

Expect there to be plenty of incentives, offers and early-booking discounts

Russia is on the up, too. There has been a surge of interest in Moscow and St Petersburg, fuelled by the weak rouble, the BBC drama War and Peace, and the impending 1917 centenary.

But the pound’s fall against the US dollar – nearly 20 per cent from its peak – is even more significant.

Many travel and international services are priced in dollars, including tours, cruises, and most importantly oil, which obviously affects the cost of transport of all types –from flying to ferries and driving.

There should be a period of grace on airfares – airlines hedge their fuel costs – but by the back end of 2017, the only credible way for fares to go is up.

Price isn’t the only troubling factor, however. Global confidence, which has been shaken by Brexit and Trump’s election, is key to the travel business. Potential travellers are unsure about the economy, their jobs and the future generally.

Top destination: St Petersburg, the former imperial capital of Russia Credit: Wendy Rauw

This has an impact on the holiday market but it cuts both ways. When people feel uncertain, they may value their holidays more than ever. Equally, if you fear for your job, you may not want to commit to an expensive holiday six months ahead, so you might delay making a decision and book late.

This makes life harder for travel companies but it can be good for some consumers because tour operators, airlines and travel agents will be desperate to win our custom.

Expect plenty of incentives, offers and early-booking discounts in 2017. These will be especially tempting for those who are not unduly affected by economic and political flux. If you have a protected, triple-locked pension or a tax-free lump sum in your bank account, you will be in a prime position to take advantage of what’s on offer.

So where will the best value be in 2017?

For straightforward summer sun (dependent on the unsettled political situation) the Turkish coast is still, as always, an attractive prospect. The country’s tourism industry was hit badly in 2016 and hoteliers and travel companies will be keen to avoid a repeat. Look out for a deal.

Further afield, countries where the cost of living is relatively low look set to do best: Sri Lanka rather than the Maldives, South America rather than North America, Cambodia and Vietnam rather than the dollar-based Caribbean.

Finally, while many are sure to opt for a UK staycation in 2017, assuming it to be a cheaper option, don’t forget that northern France still offers much better value than the British coast for a classic self-catering seaside holiday – even after you have paid the ferry fare. Vive la France.

Luxury travel in 2017: The Life House, railway journeys through Japan and the Louvre Abu Dhabi

By John O'Ceallaigh, Telegraph digital luxury travel editor

Just before the US election, I sought refuge in a white-walled house in rural Wales. Designed by John Pawson and launched by British holiday homes outfit Living Architecture earlier this year, The Life House makes a virtue of the fact that it is a place where there is nothing to do.

A haven of simplicity inspired by the architecture of Benedictine monks, the house near Llanbister has a reading room and a contemplation chamber rather than Jacuzzis and gadgetry. All conspires to ensure guests disconnect.

With many of us reeling from a tumultuous year, holidays that offer complete escapism will hold even more allure in 2017. Tour operator Black Tomato is capitalising on the trend with its new concept Blink: isolated and pristine settings around the world provide the sites for unique luxury camps developed to a client’s sole specifications, never to be reinstated. Blink and you’ll miss it.

New opening: the Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island opens this year

Holidays that celebrate travel at a slower pace should also find a receptive audience. Already lauded for its superlative rail-travel experiences, Japan debuts two exceptional train services next year. From spring, the 10-carriage Twilight Express Mizukaze will take just 30 passengers through the west of the country. Graceful art deco-style interiors will wow design fans: a signature suite features a freestanding porcelain bath. Similar delights await on Train Suite Shiki-Shima (the master suite’s bathroom is made of Japanese cypress). Exploring north-eastern Japan, its itineraries will include stops at local shrines, hot springs and markets.

But it is Abu Dhabi that’s set to be 2017’s most culturally exciting destination, with the opening of the Jean Nouvel- designed Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island. The first in a series of long-awaited museums and galleries, all designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects, it will be unlike anything seen before in the Middle East.

Holidays that offer complete escapism will hold allure in 2017

With the death of Fidel Castro, there is fresh impetus to visit Cuba before it changes for ever. But after so much tumult, perhaps a more assuredly tranquil destination appeals? Serenity is guaranteed in Madagascar’s Nosy Ankao archipelago. The 14-villa Miavana resort (accessible only by helicopter and opening in January) promises remarkable marine biodiversity and natural beauty.

Or for even more exclusivity, you could drop anchor at newly-opened Voavah in the Maldives. Four Seasons’ first exclusive-use private island, this 22-guest homestead has a spa, three pools, a staff of 28 and an unassailably private setting.

Family life in 2017: parenting apps, holidays in Britain and old-fashioned adventures

By Sally Peck, Telegraph family content editor

My son, who is three, does a disturbing thing: whenever he finds my mobile phone lying around, he immediately picks it up and trots it over to me – he doesn’t believe that I can function without it.

It is cold comfort but I am not alone: 2016 was the year that parents finally conquered tech. But we’ve peaked. While our children are still whizzier than us, we’ve harnessed technology – in the main, for good. Just as the dishwasher liberated women from the kitchen in the 1950s, parenting apps are giving us more freedom than ever before.

Family first: use technology to free up quality time Credit: Cath Kidson

Are you a lonely first-time mother? Then sign up for Mush, which is the Tinder of female friendship, and you’ll never want for playdates. Having trouble juggling the school run with work? The OneLane app will send a qualified nanny to your door, ready to drive your child to school. There are meal-balancing apps, health-monitoring apps, exercise apps and weather apps. Nothing is left to chance.

It is time, then, to harness the advantage that all of this efficiency gives us. Technology has freed up more time than ever before for us to engage with our children. The only question is: how?

In 2017, we will live more purposefully and put this liberated time to good use: not tweeting or stalking people on Facebook, but engaging with our children in real life. We’ll even see a rise in retro pleasures for families.

Parenting apps are giving us more freedom

Holidays will be bucket and spade, quite possibly here in Britain. If you’re the sort of family that usually looks for a sports-laden, all-inclusive around the Med, then this may be the year to try glamping. From Cath Kidston-clad shepherd’s huts to New Age yurts, high-end camping isn’t just for festivals – it’s for spending time outside, away from the Wi-Fi, with your kids.

And books will be the new go-to for simple pleasures – I gave a six-year-old a knitting book the other day and she was transfixed.

The slow-food movement will trickle down to families, and youngsters will become increasingly involved in preparing their meals (thank you, Jamie Oliver).

Playing to your own strengths (or realities), you might try to find an old-fashioned adventure for your family this year. I travel a lot with my children for work. This year, I’m going to try to get us lost. I’m putting away my GPS – just to see what happens.

Maybe I’ll even teach them how to read a map.

Health in 2017: no-drill fillings, the HIV vaccine, a new antibiotic and an Alzheimer's blood test

By Cherrill Hicks, health writer and Telegraph contributor

No-drill fillings

This year could be the start of a new era in dental care, consigning “drill and fill” dentistry to the history books thanks to the development of a revolutionary new filling that can regenerate decaying teeth.

Vegetable power: healthy diet trends show no signs of abating Credit: Trinette Reed

The synthetic biomaterial, developed by scientists at the University of Nottingham, is inserted into teeth to repair dentin – the hard, bone-like tissue that is a major component of teeth and which can be destroyed by bacteria. Injected into the tooth like a regular filling, the new material stimulates stem cells to grow into dentin, allowing the tooth to heal itself. The innovation could mean an end to repeat fillings, expensive root-canal treatment and even tooth loss.

Meanwhile, another dental technique promises to reverse the kind of tooth decay that involves the loss of minerals such as calcium and phosphate. Called electrically accelerated and enhanced remineralisation (EAER), it has been developed by researchers at King’s College London, and uses a tiny electric current to “push” minerals back into the tooth, effectively rebuilding them. No drills or discomfort involved.

Final nail in the coffin for HIV?

An effective HIV vaccine could emerge in 2017 – and would be the final nail in the coffin of a disease which has killed more than 35 million globally. While antiretroviral drugs have succeeded in keeping millions alive, HIV/AIDS remains one of the world’s most serious health challenges with more than two million people newly infected each year. Yet so far the search for a vaccine has proved elusive. Now a promising new trial in South Africa – the first human HIV vaccine study in a decade involving more than 5,000 recruits – will take place next year. Called HVTN 702, it aims to improve on the results of a 2009 trial in Thailand of a vaccine that was more than 30 per cent effective at preventing the infection.

The nose for a cure

Scientists have developed a blood test that can give early warning of Alzheimer’s with an accuracy of 87 per cent

Could 2017 herald the first new antibiotic to be developed in more than 30 years? German researchers have uncovered a promising new compound that appears capable of fighting superbugs. It originates in bacteria that live in the human nose.

With no new antibiotics developed since the 1980s, and a steady increase in the bacteria resistant to those in use, experts are warning of a return to an era where patients could die of minor illnesses and medical procedures. The new drug, lugdunin, has been found to kill the superbug Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause drug-resistant infections. So far it has been tested only in mice, but if further trials succeed, it could be the breakthrough we need.

Early diagnosis and treatment for Alzheimer's

The development of a new blood test for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease looks set to make crucial progress in 2017. The chief cause of dementia, which affects 850,000 people in the UK alone, Alzheimer’s is thought to develop 10 or even 20 years before symptoms occur – and scientists now think, if it could be diagnosed at this stage, early treatment could prevent this distressing condition.

After 10 years of research at Oxford University, scientists have developed a blood test based on a combination of 10 proteins that can give early warning of Alzheimer’s with an accuracy of 87 per cent. Meanwhile, there are promising early results from a new drug that prevents the brain making the amyloid proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s. Bigger trials of the drug, verubecestat, are now under way.

Wondering what the New Year holds? Read more predictions for 2017 from Telegraph writers sharing what they think will happen in the worlds of science, money, style, sport, politics and culture.