Opinions, though, differ significantly from those who are familiar with the countries.

“Of all the amazing places I lived in during my 18 years as a diplomat — including highlights like Paris and New York — Haiti is the place that sticks in my mind the most, because of its beauty and the character of its people,” said Peter Kujawinski, a writer who, as an American diplomat, lived in Haiti for a total of four years since 2000.

Avid readers of travel journalism may have also noticed many of these same countries on a number of prominent 2018 “best of” destination lists.

Our own 52 Places to Go in 2018 featured several African destinations, including Kigali, Rwanda; Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia; Tangier, Morocco; and São Tomé and Príncipe. Elsewhere, Harar and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia were recommended by National Geographic and Condé Nast Traveler, respectively, and Forbes flagged destinations in Haiti, Tanzania and Senegal as “Best Budget Travel Destinations for 2018.” And Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park was chosen by National Geographic as one of its “Places You Need to Visit in 2018.”

"Traveling is so much more to me than sightseeing. It also means sharing, learning and feeling,” said Ana Sánchez, who writes about solo female travel at anianywhere.com. Ms. Sánchez, who has spent significant time in Senegal, Turkey and Iran, added, “it was in these countries where I felt most alive.”

In this spirit, here’s a small window into a few of the countries that Mr. Trump has brought new attention to — including travel recommendations from those who have spent time there.