Around this time of the year we are traditionally swamped with articles highlighting the supposed hot spots for the year ahead. The list typically includes obscure destinations that merit their place on the strength of having being overlooked by tourists for many years; often with good reason. The author creates the list in the hope that a few of his picks do indeed become the hip places to visit, and he/she can then presumably sit back and bask in the glory of being the latest self-appointed Nostradamus of the travel world.

Not to be outdone, I've chosen to create our own list and it's one that is relevant to all of us. We've all found ourselves at some point struggling to get our tongues around the name of a place that we happen to be visiting. In many cases even having been there for a few days doesn't make the multisyllabic name trip off the tongue any easier. We're left to wonder if the local people have named the town deliberately in such a way so as to make the tourists' life a misery.

So here, after some painstaking research, is the definitive guide to the world's 8 most unpronounceable destinations.

1.Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - a small village in north Wales on the village of Anglesey, the name actually means the church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio's of the red cave. Anyone who has visited this place will have seen how shamelessly they have cashed in on their claim to fame.

2. Szczodrzykowo - being Polish I don't have a problem with this one, but I wouldn't expect anyone not versed in a Slavic language to know where to start here. That's an awful lot of consonants bunched up together. To be fair I could have chosen almost anywhere in Poland for this entry.

3.Tápiószentmárton - this small town outside the Hungarian capital Budapest is likely to remain a hidden secret, given the difficulty any traveller will have in telling anyone that they want to go here. Most football commentators will also be hoping that their football team never qualify for the Champions League.

4.Molodogvardeyskaya - if you find yourself in this utterly remote outpost of Kazakhstan, you might have more to worry about than how to pronounce your whereabouts. A quick glance on Google Maps confirms that this truly is the end of the world.

5.Tlalpujahua - just north of Mexico City, this small town boasts a easy laid-back lifestyle. The same peace of mind is not shared by those making enquiries at the bus station on how to reach it.

6. Eyjafjallajökull - this mischievous Icelandic volcano created a lot of trouble for European air travellers in 2010, but despite being the centre of attention for several weeks was constantly referred to as 'the Icelandic volcano'.

7. Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu - this Maori-named town on New Zealand's North Island is without doubt a leading contender for the longest most unpronounceable name in the world. Not surprisingly, it is better known as Taumata. 

8.Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä - this place in Finnish Lapland has the distinction of being the longest place name in Finland. It was also home to a pub which boasted the longest commercial name for a business in Finland. But it closed down, presumably because no-one was able to ask for directions to find it.

Have you found a place that you couldn't pronounce no matter how hard you tried? Feel free to share with us the most unpronounceable place that you've ever had the fortune to visit.