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Travel Babbo

A Family Travel Blog

The Best Countries to Visit (Our 20 Favorite Countries Ranked)

By Eric Stoen on May 13, 2020 • Last Updated August 12, 2024 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure here .

Rating Every Country We’ve Traveled To

During the COVID-19 shutdown we were at home and looking for ways to stay entertained, so I asked my wife and kids to rate every country they’ve been to from 1 to 10. I added in my votes and ranked every country that had at least two votes. The goal: come up with a list of the best countries to visit, at least from our experience.

Everyone could vote based on any criteria. In general the ratings were consistent from person to person, but there were some definite outliers – places where one person remembered things differently than the others. In a family of five, you can’t always keep everyone happy. We had some fun discussions when people disagreed!

Our Top 20 Countries (the 20 Best Countries to Visit)

In order to give you family travel ideas, here are our top 20 countries to travel to. Keep in mind that at the time we created this list our girls were 10 and 14 and our son was 12, and they had been to 62 countries. We split our travels between cities and nature and add in frequent cultural activities and cooking classes. We don’t go to a lot of museums or concentrate on history. Likewise we don’t spend full days at the beach or shopping.

Five continents are represented in our top 20. Australia came in at number 21, and our top African country is the Seychelles at 29.

Note that I’m including the average score after every destination.

20. The Netherlands (7.3)

Favorite Places: Amsterdam, the Keukenhof Gardens and the tulip fields throughout the country in the spring.

Relevant Blog Posts: None. Amsterdam is usually a 1-2 day layover for us, although even 8-hour layovers allow you to get a good feel for the city. We love Amsterdam but I’ve never written about it.

19. Chile (7.4)

Favorite Places: Patagonia, the Atacama Desert and Easter Island. Santiago is fun for a day or two as well.

Relevant Blog Posts: Spring Break in Patagonia | Chile’s Atacama Desert with Kids | Easter Island with a 6-Year-Old

15 (tie). Antarctica (7.5)

Favorite Places: Antarctica isn’t, strictly speaking, a country, but it’s an amazing place to visit with or without kids. We’ve taken our kids at 8 and 12 and loved everything about it.

Relevant Blog Posts: Antarctica with an 8-Year-Old ; Adventures By Disney Antarctica: A Magical Expedition ; An Antarctica Packing List

15 (tie). Indonesia (7.5)

Favorite Places: Indonesia is mainly about Bali for us, since my daughters love the island, but Borobudur is amazing as well. We want to keep exploring.

Relevant Blog Posts: Bali with Kids | How to Visit Borobudur

15 (tie). Norway (7.5)

Favorite Places: We love Oslo and Bergen, especially in the summer, and the Norway in a Nutshell tour is a great way to travel between them. The fjords are gorgeous as well, and Tromsø in the arctic circle is a good way to experience the midnight sun.

Relevant Blog Post: Oslo with Kids . Most of my Norwegian travels were pre-kids and I haven’t written about them.

15 (tie). Sweden (7.5)

Favorite Places: Stockholm and Gothenburg are both great cities to explore for a few days, but we love the coastal towns and the forests of Central Sweden.

Relevant Blog Posts: Exploring the Magical Forests of Central Sweden | The Icebug Xperience West Coast Trail

14. Turkey (7.6)

Favorite Places: Istanbul and Cappadocia. And we loved our day on a gulet near Bodrum.

Relevant Blog Posts: Istanbul with Kids | An Amazing Trip to Cappadocia with Kids | Bodrum with Kids

13. Switzerland (7.7)

Favorite Places: My wife and I have traveled all over Switzerland pre-marriage and loved all of the small towns – places like Interlaken, Crans-Montana and Luzern – and I recently hiked and biked from Engelberg to Interlaken. With the kids we’ve only explored Zurich on layovers and Lake Lugano on a day trip from Como. Definitely one of the best countries to visit – we just need to plan more Swiss trips with the kids.

Relevant Blog Post: Hiking in Switzerland: Engelberg to Interlaken

12. The Maldives (7.8)

Favorite Places: Six Senses Laamu in the Laamu Atoll.

Relevant Blog Posts: Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives: Our New Favorite Resort Anywhere | A Return to Paradise

11. Canada (7.9)

Favorite Places: Vancouver, Banff and Winnipeg and the surrounding areas. Victoria on Vancouver Island is fun as well.

Relevant Blog Post: Manitoba, Canada with Kids . All of our other Canada trips were before I started writing about our travels.

10. Croatia (8.0)

Favorite Places: Zagreb and Plitvice National Park. We still need to get to Krka National Park and Dubrovnik.

Relevant Blog Posts: Croatia With Kids: Zagreb and Plitvice Lakes

9. Brazil (8.3)

Favorite Places: The Amazon Rainforest and the Rio Negro. Manaus is worth a day or two as well. We haven’t been to Rio yet.

Relevant Blog Posts: The Amazon Rainforest with Kids: A Magical (Unplugged) Expedition

7 (tie). Laos (8.5)

Favorite Places: We’ve only been to Luang Prabang and loved it. We need to explore the rest of the country.

Relevant Blog Post: Asia with Kids: A Crazy Three-Week, Six-Country Itinerary

7 (tie). Japan (8.5)

Favorite Places: Tokyo, Kyoto, Naoshima Island and Hiroshima

Relevant Blog Posts: Kyoto to Hiroshima, a 10-Day Journey | 10 Places Not to Miss in Tokyo | Tokyo with Kids Made Easy | Kyoto with Kids | Hokkaido: Adventure in Northern Japan

6. Portugal (8.7)

Favorite Places: Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra. Still haven’t visited Porto or the Douro Valley.

Relevant Blog Posts: None. Definitely one of the best countries to travel to, but our trips have largely been focused around weddings.

5. New Zealand (8.8)

Favorite Places: The South Island. We’ve explored it far more than the North Island, even though we’ve visited Auckland several times.

Relevant Blog Posts: None. We need to go back and see more, and I’ll write about it next time!

3 (tie). Faroe Islands (9.0)

Favorite Places: Torshavn, Tjørnuvik, Saksun, Gjógv, Mykines

Relevant Blog Post: An Amazing Week in the Faroe Islands (with Kids)

3 (tie). France (9.0)

Favorite Places: Paris, Provence

Relevant Blog Posts: The Best Things to Do in Paris with Kids | Tips for Visiting Paris on a Budget | 10 Tips for a Perfect Family Vacation in Paris

2. Italy (9.1)

Favorite Places: Florence, the Dolomites, Venice, Cortona, Cinque Terre, Rome, Lake Como, Ravenna, San Gimignano

Relevant Blog Posts: Florence with Kids: What to Do and Where to Stay | Our Favorite Restaurants in Florence | How to Visit Cinque Terre | Positano Italy (and the Amalfi Coast) | Why You Should Never Do a Day Trip to Florence or Rome | A Week in Florence without Kids | A Perfect Trip to Florence with Kids | Venice in High Season with Kids | Italy Unplugged: A Week in Emilia Romagna | Hiking the Via Francigena Through Tuscany | Kid-Friendly Adventure in Trentino’s Stunning Val di Fassa | Adventures with Kids in the Dolomites: Trentino’s Val di Fiemme | Two Weeks on Lake Como with Kids | A Villa in Tuscany for a Month

1. Greece (9.8)

Favorite Places: Naxos, Paros and Crete (or pretty much any Greek island in the summer, unless it sees a lot of cruise ships)

Relevant Blog Posts: Naxos Greece: Our Favorite Island | Three Weeks on the Greek Island of Naxos with Kids | A Day Trip from Naxos to Santorini | Paros Greece with Kids

The Best Countries to Visit: Your Turn

What are the best countries to visit from your family’s experience? Do you agree/disagree with our ranking? Would love to hear your thoughts on the best countries to travel to in the comments below.

And I should note that a lot of people are finding this post when Googling “coolest countries to visit”. So I did a separate post on the coolest countries .

Travel Insurance and Credit Cards

We never used to travel with travel health coverage, or even trip cancellation insurance, but we regretted that when my wife broke her knee traveling recently. I write about it here . I highly recommend purchasing insurance – either on an annual basis if you travel a lot, or for individual trips. We went with G1G based on price and what they offer.

And if you don’t have a credit card that earns you miles/points with every purchase, get one! We’ve traveled to a lot of the countries above for free by redeeming miles for tickets. My favorite cards right now are HERE . I highly recommend getting one without foreign transaction fees .

More from Travel Babbo

May 14, 2020 at 11:13 am

This is such an inspiring list! I can’t wait to do some rankings with the kids. Our plans to spend a month in Greece this summer (inspired by your article on Naxos) have been derailed, but seeing it as number one on your list validates our decision to reschedule it as our long trip next summer.

May 14, 2020 at 11:16 am

Our June Naxos plans fell through, but we’re still optimistic about August – if they’ll let Americans in and if the airlines are flying, we’ll be there.

May 16, 2020 at 12:01 am

You have been to some amazing places. Interesting that Europe has scored so highly with all the family.

May 18, 2020 at 8:00 am

We’ve traveled to Europe the most, so maybe there’s a sense of familiarity and comfort, especially for the kids? If I was doing my own ranking there are a lot of non-European countries that would be in the top 20, including Ecuador, India and Tanzania.

November 15, 2020 at 9:06 am

Ecuador is the only country my kids have traveled to and we loved it!

May 17, 2020 at 5:38 pm

No. 1. Jordan. We all had a magnificent time there. Small Country so easy to see everything but every day was something different and a different period of history.

2. Grand Cayman. 7 mile beach is just gorgeous. Easy to get to and clean and friendly.

We had a disaster of a trip to Italy but I’d go back to Venice in a heartbeat.

May 18, 2020 at 7:57 am

I’ve only spent one day in Jordan, in Petra, but it’s at the top of my list to return to.

We haven’t been to Grand Cayman, simply because the Caribbean can be a hassle to reach from California. It’s easier to get to Fiji than Grand Cayman. But I’ll add it to our list!

May 22, 2020 at 2:37 pm

Great list, and so many places I need to visit! I’ll add the Czech Republic, in particular Prague, to the discussion. I love Prague for all of its magical architecture and the ability to walk everywhere. And, so many great little outdoor cafes either right in the center of town or along the canal.

May 22, 2020 at 2:40 pm

Thanks Megan! The Czech Republic actually finished towards the bottom of our list, but for the kids at least that was based solely on one August visit when Prague was very crowded. I think they would like it better if we were to return in the spring or fall. It’s an amazing city, just not fun with too many people. And I want to explore a lot more of the country as well.

May 23, 2020 at 4:58 pm

I absolutely love reading your blogs and post. Thank you. Though my kids are older now, we did go ‘round the world’ with them, with partners and a grandson in 2018. Tokyo to Porto then a week on a small (36 passengers) boat from Dubrovnik to Split, on to BC in Canada then a relax in Santa Monica before home. Every place held something special and was so different to the next. I would say the highlight for us all was Canada- we stayed in a small town called Smithers and the the younger ones did extreme mountain bike riding, fishing, hiking, shooting at the gun range and drives to nearby First Nation sites. Unbelievable. I loved it so much I went back in 2019 and did 5 weeks Canada/Alaska which was out of this world.

May 25, 2020 at 1:04 pm

Thanks Joanne! Your trip sounds amazing – a lot of our favorite places. We still haven’t been to Porto though. And we would love to explore Canada more. I’ll add Smithers to our list.

May 29, 2020 at 3:54 am

Great places.

How wonderful for the children. We are slow budget family travellers and often find ourselves saying that we want our kids to have places to discover on their own. Travelling as a family is truly wonderful and we love it. Maybe it will be the highlight of our lives as parents. Yet, as they get older we find ourselves thinking more of solo or exchange trips for them alone that doesn’t include us plus trips for just the two of us that don’t include them. Like much of parenting it is a tough call…

June 20, 2020 at 12:31 am

Pretty amazed that Greece beat out Italy (and by a large margin) given your love of Florence. What happened to Spain?

June 20, 2020 at 2:59 pm

Spain is roughly halfway down our list. The kids have only been 3 times, and only for a day or two each time.

September 5, 2020 at 10:03 am

You have missed cape Town as other interesting place to visit.

September 6, 2020 at 7:30 pm

1) I love Cape Town. 2) Cape Town is not a country. 3) We have not taken our kids to South Africa so it was not included in our voting.

June 1, 2023 at 12:13 pm

So far, South Africa, Israel and Switzerland have been my favs. Israel is so impactful, obviously, for different reasons. Costa Rica is pretty nice. The U.S. is up there if you think in terms of Kawaii, Hawaii and parts of CA, OR, WA. Austria was great. England was was as well. France nice, but overall, I would put South Africa at the top of the list of all the places we have visited.

November 28, 2020 at 9:26 am

Pointers for Switzerland travel from US for perhaps one full week in the country? Note: We are rather healthy but in our late 60’s. Love your blog and robust sense of adventure and open minds regarding diverse cultures!

November 29, 2020 at 2:26 pm

Hi Scott. I asked my friend Kate in Zurich for suggestions, since she knows Switzerland far better than I do.

Her thoughts: For a week in Switzerland I would suggest taking the train as it’s so easy, safe, and convenient. Plus, you get to see the Swiss landscapes the whole time. Spend a day exploring old town Zürich, the next day take the train to Luzern and explore it overnight. The rest of the week take the train to Lauterbrunnen and spend a few days exploring the beautiful hiking and waterfalls, sleeping in either Wengen, Grindelwald, or Mürren. If there’s extra time, visit Rhinefalls and the cute historic town of Stein am Rhine.

December 4, 2020 at 9:28 am

Have you visited mexico? Was expecting mexico on the list…..I’ve never been there though

December 4, 2020 at 9:43 am

Mexico was halfway down our list. We love San Miguel de Allende, I’m a huge fan of Mexico City, and my wife has a lot of family history in Mexico. But we’ve spent too much time in touristy, less-interesting areas like Los Cabos, Playa del Carmen and Cancun. We need to explore more of real Mexico.

June 1, 2021 at 7:25 am

You should visit Oaxaca and Chiapas…..amazing places

June 1, 2021 at 7:58 am

Of course! On our list.

January 27, 2021 at 4:27 pm

I’ve enjoyed perusing your lists! Since the majority of us aren’t doing much travel these days, our travel group likes to reminisce about our past travel adventures. You’ve done a country list and city list. Next up, consider a favorite experience/activity while traveling. Here’s our top 10 experiences: 1) Safari in the Serengeti & Ngorogoro Crater 2) Antarctica cruise 3) Amazon River cruise and live aboard 4) Diving and snorkeling in Palawan, Philippines 5) Live aboard and diving on the Great Barrier Reef 6) Great White Shark cage diving in Cape Town 7) Visiting Skellig Michael Island in Ireland 8) Southern Alps plane tour in New Zealand 9) Ziplining in Costa Rica 10) Spending the night in a treehouse in Sri Lanka

I would love to hear what you and your family’s top experiences have been. Gives others great ideas for future travel too.

Aloha, Bonnie

January 27, 2021 at 4:55 pm

Thanks Bonnie! I did a post back in 2016 with our favorite activities ( https://travelbabbo.com/ten-cool-kid-friendly-activities/ ) but it could definitely be time to update that with more recent things. I was thinking about having the kids rate hotels too.

May 24, 2021 at 12:21 pm

I have a soon to be 7yo & 2yo, we are trying to decide on where to go next year as a little family holiday and I am determined to take us somewhere that is more than just playing by the pool and beach. This list has given me more destinations to add to the TTT list. I am stuck between Croatia and Naxos in Greece to start off with as they both look amazing!

May 24, 2021 at 12:45 pm

Great! Both Croatia and Greece would make excellent destinations. Naxos will definitely have more beach/pool time, Croatia would be a little more culture and nature.

May 24, 2021 at 6:47 pm

My first thought is, will you adopt me. WOW your kids are lucky and I am sure so well educated. I was happy to see Portugal on your list. A kinda unknown, great value hidden treasure of Europe. And I gotta say, I love the southern coast of Spain. Your list was really fun to read and some never entered my mind and to be honest, one I have to look up as I have no idea where it is. I am excited to see what is coming from you and your family as being retired, it is time to get back to traveling. If you could note somewhere how the traveling would be for senior single female it would be great. Many years ago, I traveled to Isreal and Greece alone (not a senior back then), but I loved it.

May 25, 2021 at 9:40 am

Thanks Tracy! I’m glad you’re inspired! And I definitely need to explore southern Spain more.

I am unable to write about travel from a senior single female perspective as I am none of those, and I only blog from personal experience. There are so many good travel blogs though – if you search around you should be able to find someone who matches you and your travel style perfectly.

June 5, 2021 at 9:03 am

I vote for this location as NUMBER ONE ! ! Without a doubt ……

The Amalfi coast in Italy ! ! ! the most beautiful… people, hotels, food views, …… on and on ! ! !

June 16, 2021 at 8:44 am

Great list! Just a note, it’s Vancouver Island in Canada, not Victoria Island 🙂

June 16, 2021 at 10:37 am

Thank you so much! Change made!

July 23, 2021 at 9:36 am

Nice Post Eric! I am afraid to travel alone and you travel with kids. Hats off to you. Maybe some day I will also travel like you. Great Post Man.

Please visit India some day.

July 23, 2021 at 9:41 am

I have visited India many times, both with and without kids. One of my favorite countries!

February 7, 2022 at 8:44 am

Taiwan is definitely the best. I bet the only reason it’s not here is because they didn’t go. I recommend it!

February 7, 2022 at 9:13 am

We’ve been to Taiwan – you could have done a search for Taiwan on this website, or gone to my About Me page , to verify that. It finished roughly halfway down our rankings. Would love to return.

March 3, 2022 at 8:49 am

Love this list. Having traveled and lived abroad we are excited to return to travel overseas soon with our 9-year old daughter. Having lived in Estonia for four years, I highly recommend it. Very found memories of the people, land and sauna culture as well as the best intact historic city IMHO in Europe without the crowds. Even more memorable at Christmas time as the best uncrowded Christmas market we’ve been to. (birthplace of the Christmas tree as well as Riga, Latvia’s claim to fame). Thanks for your blog.

March 3, 2022 at 12:03 pm

I love Estonia! I’ve traveled around Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania several times, but before the kids were born. Would love to take them.

August 21, 2022 at 10:29 pm

Great list. Italy, Greece, France, Spain and Turkey are my favorites in Europe. Jordan and Israel were also fascinating.

Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico and Ecuador in the Americas.

Botswana, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya in Africa.

Australia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Palau and Japan in Asia/Oceania.

Still high on bucket list: New Zealand, Morocco, Egypt, Portugal, Croatia and Peru. So many places. So little time.

November 7, 2022 at 9:34 pm

“Sad that a beautiful country like INDIA is not in the list” . Especially when Taj Mahal is in seven wonders of world. Rajasthan mighty forts and rich culture. Gold beaches of Goa . Keralas back waters and greenery, Tibet and Kashmir mountains . Thousands of years old temples in Tamilnadu.

November 8, 2022 at 9:44 am

This is a very strange comment. Have you not looked through my website? Have you seen all of the India photos I’ve posted to Instagram? This specific post is based on family voting, and only one of my kids has been to India. But India, and Rajasthan in particular, is one of my favorite places in the world and I have said that many, many times.

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Top 25 Best Countries to Visit: Your Ultimate Travel Destination Guide

Exploring different countries is super exciting, especially if you love travel and adventures. Each country has its own special things to offer: cool cultures, amazing nature, awesome buildings, interesting history, and, of course, delicious food!

If you want to discover a new place, this list of the top 25 Best Countries to Visit in the World is perfect for you to start your journey. From awesome places in Europe like Italy and Greece to fantastic spots in Asia like Vietnam, India, and Malaysia , this list has something great from every part of the world.

Get ready to explore because the world is waiting for you!

WHAT IS COVERED IN THIS ARTICLE?

Top 25 Best Countries to Visit

1. italy: the artistic jewel of europe.

The first on this list of best countries to visit , is Italy, the Artistic Jewel of Europe, a timeless masterpiece that beckons you with its rich history and cultural treasures. This European gem has something for everyone, from art enthusiasts to history buffs, making it a must-visit destination.

You must visit Italy at least once because it offers you an unparalleled blend of history, art, and culture to explore. Its cities, from Rome to Venice, offer a unique blend of ancient ruins, Renaissance art, and culinary delights, making it a captivating destination for all.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Italy: Don’t miss iconic sites like the Colosseum, Vatican City, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. You can explore the Uffizi Gallery, marvel at Milan’s Duomo, and wander through Pompeii’s ancient streets.

Best Time to Visit in Italy: For the best experience, you should plan a visit during spring or autumn. During these seasons, you’ll enjoy pleasant weather and fewer crowds, perfect for sightseeing and savoring the stunning landscapes!

Best Food You Must Try in Italy: You must indulge in authentic Italian cuisine, from pasta and pizza to gelato and espresso. Explore regional specialties like Neapolitan pizza, fresh seafood on the Amalfi Coast, and rich risotto in Milan, for a true taste of Italy’s culinary diversity. Your taste buds are in for a treat!

2. Germany: A Blend of Modernity and Tradition

The second one of the best countries to visit on this list is Germany, a European treasure that offers you a delightful blend of history, culture, and natural beauty. You must visit Germany as this is a country of rich contrasts, from the modernity of its cities to the timeless charm of its villages. It’s a land of diverse experiences, welcoming both history enthusiasts and lovers of contemporary art and culture.

Main Attractions You Must Germany: Germany boasts an array of must-see attractions. You can explore the historic streets of Berlin and Munich, visit the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, and take a step back in time to the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. The beautiful landscapes of the Black Forest and Bavarian Alps are perfect for nature lovers!

Best Time to Visit Germany: You should plan your trip for late spring to early autumn for pleasant weather and the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities. The Christmas markets in December offer a unique, festive experience.

Best Food You Must Try  in Germany: Delve into German cuisine by savoring dishes like bratwurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel, and pretzels. Don’t forget to pair these hearty meals with a refreshing German beer or sample the local wines. Germany’s culinary offerings are as diverse as its landscape, and there’s something to suit every palate!

3. Turkey: Where East Meets West

The next destination on our list is Turkey, a country where the East meets the West, offering you a rich tapestry of history, culture, and natural beauty.

You should visit Turkey at least once because here, you get to explore a captivating blend of ancient history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes. Undoubtedly one of the best countries to visit, It’s a place where you can witness the influence of both European and Asian civilizations, making it a unique and intriguing destination.

Main Attractions You Must in Turkey : You must visit Turkey’s historical treasures, including the magnificent Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the rock-cut churches of Cappadocia, and the ancient city of Ephesus. You should also explore the stunning landscapes of Pamukkale’s terraces and the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.

Best Time to Visit Turkey: You should plan your visit during the spring or autumn when the weather is mild and ideal for exploring the country. Avoid the scorching summer heat and the chilly winters.

Best Food You Must Try in Turkey: Don’t miss out on trying Turkey’s kebabs, baklava, Turkish delight, and the traditional Turkish tea or coffee. Be sure to sample local street food for an authentic taste of Turkey’s culinary heritage!

4. Spain: A Fiesta for the Senses

The next destination on our list is Spain, a vibrant and passionate country known for its rich history, stunning landscapes, and world-renowned cuisine. You must visit Spain because it offers you a diverse range of experiences, from the historic cities of Madrid and Barcelona to the tranquil beaches of the Mediterranean.

Additionally, you can feel the fiery energy of flamenco dancing, adding an electrifying touch to your experience in this captivating country. One of the best countries to visit, in Spain, you can immerse yourself in both tradition and modernity.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Spain: Spain is teeming with iconic landmarks. You can explore the historic Alhambra in Granada, take in the surreal architecture of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, and marvel at the ancient Roman aqueduct in Segovia. Don’t forget to savor the beautiful beaches of Costa del Sol and Costa Brava.

Best Time to Visit Spain: To make the most of your Spanish adventure, consider visiting in the spring or autumn. The weather is pleasant, and the summer crowds have dispersed. It’s an excellent time for sightseeing and enjoying the outdoor activities!

Best Food You Must Try in Spain: Spanish cuisine is a gastronomic delight with savory paella, tapas, churros, and delectable seafood dishes that you must try. Be sure to pair your meals with some fine Spanish wine, such as Rioja or Cava, and experience the rich flavors of this vibrant culture through its cuisine.

5. Greece: Mythical Landscapes and Ancient History

The next one on our list of the best countries to visit in Europe is Greece- a country steeped in ancient history, surrounded by the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean, and offering a captivating blend of culture and natural beauty.

You must visit gorgeous Greece and explore the land of myths and legends, where ancient ruins, such as the Acropolis in Athens and the Palace of Knossos in Crete, coexist with picturesque islands and a warm Mediterranean spirit. It’s a place where you can explore the birthplace of democracy and enjoy stunning seaside landscapes.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Greece: No trip to Greece is complete without visiting iconic sites like the Parthenon in Athens, the ancient city of Delphi, and the white-washed buildings of Santorini. You can also explore the historical treasures of Rhodes and the breathtaking monasteries of Meteora.

Best Time to Visit Greece: You should consider visiting Greece during the late spring or early autumn when the weather is pleasant, and the tourist crowds are thinner. This provides the perfect opportunity to explore the rich history and beautiful landscapes.

Best Food You Must Try in Greece: Greek cuisine is a delight for food enthusiasts. Savor dishes like moussaka, souvlaki, Greek salad, and baklava. Don’t forget to try local specialties like fresh seafood and Greek yogurt. Pair your meals with traditional ouzo or Greek wine for an authentic taste of Greece’s culinary heritage.

6. India: A Mosaic of Cultures

The next destination on our list is India, a country that offers a kaleidoscope of experiences, from its rich history and diverse cultures to its magnificent landscapes and mouth watering cuisine.

One of the best countries to visit, India is a land of contrasts and a melting pot of traditions, where ancient temples and modern cities coexist harmoniously. It’s a place where you can immerse yourself in spirituality, explore historical treasures, and savor the flavors of a cuisine that’s as diverse as the nation itself.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in India: You must explore the Taj Mahal in Agra, witness the spiritual fervor of Varanasi, and discover the historical grandeur of the forts and palaces in Rajasthan. Don’t miss the natural beauty of Kerala’s backwaters or the serene Himalayan landscapes.

Best Time to Visit India: The ideal time to visit India depends on the region you plan to explore. Generally, the post-monsoon period from October to March offers pleasant weather for most parts of the country. However, be sure to check the climate for specific regions and experiences.

Best Food You Must Try in India: Indian cuisine is a tantalizing journey of flavors. Savor classics like biryani, samosas, butter chicken, and dosa. Be sure to explore regional specialties, such as the street food in Delhi, spicy curries in Goa, and the delectable sweets of West Bengal. Your taste buds are in for an unforgettable adventure through India’s culinary traditions.

7. Japan: Where Tradition Meets Innovation

The next destination on our list of best countries to visit in Asia is Japan, a land where tradition meets modernity, offering a unique blend of ancient culture, futuristic cities, and breathtaking natural beauty.

Japan is a country of contrasts, where you can explore ancient temples and shrines in Kyoto, experience the bustling metropolis of Tokyo, and immerse yourself in traditional tea ceremonies and sumo wrestling. It’s a place that seamlessly integrates a rich heritage with cutting-edge technology.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Japan: When in Japan, make sure to visit iconic landmarks like Kyoto’s Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing, and Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park. Explore the beautiful cherry blossoms in spring and the stunning autumn foliage in places like Nikko and Kyoto.

Best Time to Visit Japan: To make the most of your Japanese adventure, you should consider visiting during the spring (late March to early April) for cherry blossoms or in the autumn (late September to early November) for colorful foliage. These seasons provide a visual feast and comfortable weather for sightseeing.

Best Food You Must Try in Japan: Japanese cuisine is renowned worldwide for its exquisite flavors. You must savor dishes like sushi, ramen, tempura, and takoyaki. Explore local specialties such as okonomiyaki in Osaka, kaiseki in Kyoto, and street food delights in Tokyo. Don’t forget to pair your meals with traditional sake or green tea to complete your culinary journey through Japan.

8. Thailand: The Land of Smiles

The next destination on our list is Thailand, a land of vibrant culture, beautiful landscapes, and mouthwatering cuisine that offers a sensory adventure like no other.

One of the best countries to visit, especially to enjoy beaches and warm weather, you must visit Thailand as it is sure to enchant you with its rich traditions, stunning temples, and bustling markets. It’s a place where you can explore ancient history, lounge on pristine beaches, and sample some of the most delectable street food in the world.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Thailand: When in Thailand, you should make sure to visit iconic sites like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho in Bangkok, the ancient city of Ayutthaya, and the temples of Chiang Mai. Don’t miss the serene beauty of the Phi Phi Islands or the lively markets of Chiang Rai.

Best Time to Visit Thailand: The ideal time to visit Thailand depends on the region you wish to visit. Generally, the cool and dry season from November to February is a great time to explore most parts of the country. However, be aware that some regions may experience variations in climate.

Best Food You Must Try in Thailand: If you love Thai cuisine, you must try it at its place of origin! You must savor dishes like pad Thai, green curry, mango sticky rice, and som tum (papaya salad). You can also explore local specialties like seafood on the Andaman coast, boat noodles in Bangkok, and street food in night markets. Thai food offers a delightful blend of sweet, spicy, and savory flavors that you won’t want to miss.

9. New Zealand: Adventure and Nature’s Beauty

The next destination on our list is New Zealand, a land of natural wonders, outdoor adventures, and a rich Maori heritage, making it a paradise for explorers and nature enthusiasts.

One of the best countries because of its breathtaking landscapes, you must visit New Zealand and explore its snow-capped mountains to pristine beaches, lush rainforests and crystal-clear lakes. It’s a place where you can experience the thrill of adventure sports, enjoy the tranquility of nature, and immerse yourself in a vibrant Maori culture!

Main Attractions You Must Visit in New Zealand: You must explore New Zealand’s iconic landmarks, such as Milford Sound, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, and the glowworm caves of Waitomo. Don’t miss the stunning fjords of Fiordland National Park or the geothermal wonders of Rotorua.

Best Time to Visit New Zealand: The best time to visit New Zealand largely depends on your interests. The summer months from December to February are ideal for outdoor activities, while the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn offer milder weather and fewer crowds.

Best Food You Must Try in New Zealand: While in New Zealand, sample local delicacies like green-lipped mussels, lamb, and pavlova. You should also explore the world-renowned New Zealand wines, particularly the Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region. The country’s culinary offerings reflect its diverse landscape and rich cultural influences, making it a treat for food lovers.

10. France: Elegance and Romance

The next destination on this list of best countries to visit in Europe is France, a country that epitomizes elegance, romance, and a rich cultural heritage, making it a dream destination for travelers worldwide.

You must visit France and experience the rich land of art, fashion, and culinary excellence. It’s a place where you can explore world-class museums, stroll along charming streets, and savor exquisite cuisine and wine. The country’s rich history and diverse regions ensure there’s something for every traveler.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in France: Don’t miss the iconic landmarks of France, including the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Palace of Versailles, and the historic Mont Saint-Michel. Explore the artistic treasures of the Louvre Museum, the picturesque vineyards of Bordeaux, and the stunning lavender fields of Provence.

Best Time to Visit France: For the best experience, you should consider visiting in the spring or autumn. During these seasons, you’ll enjoy pleasant weather, fewer crowds, and the opportunity to witness the stunning landscapes and gardens in full bloom.

Best Food You Must Try in France: French cuisine is celebrated worldwide for its sophistication and flavors. You must savor classic dishes like croissants, coq au vin, escargot, and crème brûlée. Explore regional specialties such as bouillabaisse in Marseille, duck confit in Gascony, and Alsatian tarte flambée. And, of course, pair your meals with some of the finest French wines for an unforgettable gastronomic experience in this culinary haven.

11. Malaysia: A Tropical Paradise with Cultural Riches

The next one of the best countries to visit, especially in Asia, is Malaysia. It is a lovely country of diverse culture, breathtaking landscapes, and a fusion of flavors that make it a captivating destination for travelers seeking a mix of experiences.

You must visit Malaysia and experience its vibrant blend of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous cultures, creating a unique cultural tapestry. It’s a place where you can explore bustling cities, pristine beaches, tropical rainforests, and experience a harmonious coexistence of tradition and modernity.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Malaysia: When in Malaysia, make sure to visit iconic sites such as the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur , the historic city of George Town in Penang, and the stunning beaches of Langkawi. You should also explore the cultural diversity of Malacca, the lush Cameron Highlands, and the wildlife in Borneo.

Best Time to Visit Malaysia: Malaysia has a tropical climate, so it’s warm and humid throughout the year. The best time to visit is during the dry season, from December to February or June to August, when the weather is more pleasant for outdoor activities.

Best Food You Must Try in Malaysia: Malaysian cuisine is a true delight, with a mix of flavors and influences. You must savor dishes like nasi lemak, laksa, satay, and roti canai. Explore regional specialties such as rendang in Kelantan, Hainanese chicken rice in Penang, and seafood in Sabah. Don’t miss the opportunity to try the diverse street food, where you’ll discover a culinary paradise in every bite.

12. Switzerland: Alpine Splendor

The next destination on our list is Switzerland, a country renowned for its stunning Alpine landscapes, precision engineering, and a rich cultural heritage that beckons travelers from around the world.

Known as one of the best countries to visit, Switzerland is a picturesque wonderland that you must explore. This amazing country is an ideal mix of natural beauty and modern amenities. It’s a place where you can explore the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps, indulge in world-famous chocolates, and experience a sense of order and tranquility that is second to none.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Switzerland: You must explore the iconic Swiss landmarks like the Matterhorn, Lake Geneva, and the Swiss National Park. Don’t forget to explore the charming cities of Zurich, Lucerne, and Bern, each with its own unique character. Take a scenic train journey on the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express to immerse yourself in the breathtaking mountain scenery.

Best Time to Visit Switzerland: The best time to visit Switzerland largely depends on your interests. Winter is perfect for skiing and snow sports, while summer offers opportunities for hiking and outdoor adventures. The shoulder seasons of spring and autumn are great for milder weather and fewer crowds.

Best Food You Must Try  in Switzerland: Swiss cuisine is a delightful blend of German, French, and Italian influences. Here, you can try out dishes like fondue, raclette, rösti, and Swiss chocolate. Explore regional specialties, such as rosti in Zurich, Swiss cheese in Gruyères, and pastries in the Engadin. Don’t forget to pair your meals with fine Swiss wines and discover the culinary treasures of this alpine paradise.

13. Canada: Wilderness and Urban Wonders

The next destination on our list of best countries to visit, especially in North America, is Canada. It is a vast and diverse country known for its natural beauty, multicultural cities, and friendly locals, offering an array of experiences for travelers.

You must visit Canada and explore its wide-open spaces, pristine wilderness, and a rich tapestry of cultures. It’s a place where you can explore vibrant cities like Toronto and Vancouver, witness the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains, and experience a welcoming and inclusive society.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Canada: When in Canada, make sure to visit iconic sites such as Banff National Park, Niagara Falls, and Old Quebec. You should also explore the multicultural city of Toronto, the coastal beauty of Vancouver, and the historic charm of Quebec City.

Best Time to Visit Canada: The ideal time to visit Canada depends on the region. Summer (June to August) is perfect for exploring most parts of the country, while the fall (September to October) offers stunning foliage displays. If you enjoy winter sports, visit during the snowy months.

Best Food You Must Try in Canada: Canadian cuisine reflects its diverse culture and regional influences. Savor dishes like poutine, butter tarts, Nanaimo bars, and tourtière. Also, don’t miss out on trying out regional specialties like fresh seafood in the Maritimes, maple syrup in Quebec, and wild game in the northern territories. Don’t forget to pair your meals with Canadian craft beer and ice wine for a true taste of the country’s culinary diversity.

14. Mexico: Ancient Ruins and Vibrant Colors

The next destination on our list is Mexico, a country brimming with vibrant culture, ancient history, and a culinary tradition that is celebrated worldwide.

Undoubtedly one of the best countries to visit for a relaxing, beachy vacation, Mexico also offers you a rich tapestry of experiences, from exploring the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza to lounging on pristine beaches and savoring the flavors of its diverse cuisine. It’s a place where you can immerse yourself in colorful traditions and explore the past while enjoying modern amenities.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Mexico: Don’t miss out visiting iconic Mexican landmarks such as the Mayan temples in Tulum, the historic center of Mexico City, and the lively markets of Oaxaca. Explore the stunning beaches of Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula, and delve into the natural beauty of places like Copper Canyon.

Best Time to Visit Mexico: The best time to visit Mexico depends on your interests. Winter is ideal for beach destinations, while the spring and fall offer pleasant weather for exploring cultural sites and cities. Be mindful of the hurricane season in some coastal regions during the summer.

Best Food You Must Try in Mexico: Mexican cuisine is a feast for the senses, known for its bold and diverse flavors. You must try out dishes like tacos, enchiladas, guacamole, and chiles en nogada. Explore regional specialties, such as mole in Puebla, ceviche in Baja California, and street food delights in Mexico City. Pair your meals with traditional Mexican beverages like tequila and mezcal to complete your culinary journey through Mexico.

15. Vietnam: History and Scenic Beauty

The next one of the best countries to visit is Vietnam. It is a beautiful country with a rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and a cuisine that’s known for its flavors and diversity.

You must visit Vietnam because it is a captivating blend of old-world charm and modern dynamism. It’s a place where you can explore ancient temples and pagodas, sail through picturesque limestone karsts in Halong Bay, and savor the taste of street food that’s beloved around the world.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Vietnam: When in Vietnam, you must not forget to visit iconic landmarks like the ancient town of Hoi An, the bustling streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and the vibrant floating markets of the Mekong Delta. Also, explore the natural beauty of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and the historical significance of the Cu Chi Tunnels.

Best Time to Visit Vietnam: Vietnam’s climate varies by region. Generally, the best time to visit is during the dry season, which is from November to April, when you can enjoy pleasant weather for traveling and exploring.

Best Food You Must Try in Vietnam: Vietnamese cuisine is celebrated for its fresh and flavorful dishes. You must try out the classics like pho, banh mi, spring rolls, and goi cuon (fresh spring rolls). Also, try out the regional specialties such as cao lau in Hoi An, bun cha in Hanoi, and seafood in coastal regions. Vietnamese cuisine is a culinary adventure that offers a delightful burst of flavors and a rich cultural experience.

16. Maldives: A Tropical Paradise in the Indian Ocean

The next destination on our list is the Maldives , one of the best countries to visit to have the experience of a tropical paradise. This gorgeous country is known for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and a tranquil ambiance that makes it the ultimate escape for sun and sea enthusiasts.

Why You Should Visit Maldives: The Maldives is a picture-perfect destination where you can relax in overwater bungalows, snorkel amidst vibrant coral reefs, and experience the epitome of luxury and serenity. It’s a place where you can create unforgettable memories in an idyllic setting.

Main Attractions You Must Visit Maldives: While the Maldives is renowned for its laid-back, beach-centric lifestyle, you must ensure to explore its underwater world through snorkeling or diving. Also, don’t forget to discover the stunning marine life, coral gardens, and the beauty of nature on islands such as Maafushi and the cultural nuances of Malé.

Best Time to Visit Maldives: The best time to visit the Maldives is during the dry season, which runs from November to April. This period offers the most favorable weather for sunbathing and water activities. Be cautious about the monsoon season, which typically occurs from May to October.

Best Food You Must Try Maldives: Maldivian cuisine is a delightful blend of fresh seafood, coconut, and aromatic spices. Savor dishes like mas huni, garudhiya, and curries. Sample the catch of the day, as well as international cuisine available at luxury resorts. Fresh fruit and coconuts are abundant, making it a tropical culinary experience for every visitor.

17. Morocco: A Blend of Desert and Medina

The next destination on our list is Morocco, one of the best countries to visit to experience a mesmerizing blend of exotic landscapes, vibrant culture, and a rich historical heritage, making it a captivating destination for adventurers and culture enthusiasts.

You must visit Morocco because it is a land of diverse experiences, where you can explore ancient medinas, ride camels through the Sahara Desert, and immerse yourself in the lively markets and Moroccan cuisine. It’s a place where you can step back in time while enjoying the conveniences of the modern world.

Main Attractions You Must Visit Morocco: Don’t miss iconic Moroccan landmarks such as the medina of Marrakech, the historic town of Fes, and the blue city of Chefchaouen. Explore the Atlas Mountains, visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis, and take a camel trek into the Sahara Desert for a magical desert experience.

Best Time to Visit Morocco: The best time to visit Morocco is during the spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) when the weather is moderate and ideal for outdoor activities and sightseeing. Summers can be scorching, and winters can be chilly in some regions.

Best Food You Must Try in Morocco: Moroccan cuisine is a feast for the senses, known for its vibrant flavors and aromatic spices. Savor dishes like tagine, couscous, kebabs, and pastilla. You must explore its regional specialties such as harira in Marrakech, seafood in coastal towns, and street food delights in markets. Don’t forget to enjoy Moroccan mint tea, a symbol of hospitality, and a wide array of pastries and desserts. Your taste buds will be delighted by the culinary treasures of Morocco.

18. South Africa: Safari Adventures and More

The next destination on our list is South Africa, a country known for its stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and rich cultural heritage, offering a unique blend of experiences for travelers.

One of the best countries to visit in Africa, South Africa is a land of contrasts, where you can explore breathtaking national parks, experience vibrant cities, and delve into its complex history. It’s a place where you can go on safari to witness the “Big Five” and enjoy modern amenities in a country with a rich cultural tapestry.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in South Africa: you must explore the iconic South African landmarks such as Table Mountain in Cape Town, the historic Robben Island, and the stunning Garden Route. Explore the wildlife of Kruger National Park, the Zulu heritage in KwaZulu-Natal, and the scenic beauty of the Drakensberg Mountains.

Best Time to Visit South Africa: The best time to visit South Africa depends on the region and your interests. Generally, the dry winter months (May to September) are ideal for wildlife safaris, while the summer months (October to March) are great for coastal and cultural experiences.

Best Food You Must Try in South Africa: South African cuisine is a delightful mix of flavors and influences. You have to savor dishes like bobotie, boerewors, bunny chow, and milk tart. Explore regional specialties such as seafood in Cape Town, boerekos in the Karoo, and braai (barbecue) in various regions. Be sure to pair your meals with local wines, particularly the celebrated wines from Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, for an authentic culinary journey through South Africa.

19. Portugal: Coastal Beauty and History

The next destination on our list is Portugal, a country known for its rich history, beautiful landscapes, and a warm, welcoming culture that makes it a delightful destination for travelers.

One of the best countries to visit in Europe, Portugal is a country that offers you a treasure trove of experiences, from exploring historic cities like Lisbon and Porto, to savoring world-renowned wines and enjoying the tranquil beaches of the Algarve. It’s a place where you can immerse yourself in tradition while embracing modern comforts.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Portugal: you must not miss iconic Portuguese landmarks such as the historic neighborhoods of Alfama and Ribeira, the charming town of Sintra, and the Douro Valley wine region. Explore the coastal beauty of the Algarve, the ancient University of Coimbra, and the cultural diversity of Madeira and the Azores.

Best Time to Visit Portugal: The best time to visit Portugal is during the spring (April to June) and autumn (September to October) when the weather is mild, and the tourist crowds are thinner. Summers can be hot, especially in the south, and winters are generally mild and great for cultural exploration.

Best Food You Must Try in Portugal: Portuguese cuisine is celebrated for its flavors and variety. Savor dishes like bacalhau (salted codfish), pastéis de nata (custard tarts), and francesinha (a hearty sandwich). You should also explore regional specialties such as seafood in Lisbon, the famous Porto wine, and the spicy peri-peri chicken in Algarve. Don’t forget to try the local cheeses and indulge in the wines of the Douro Valley. Portugal’s culinary offerings are a gastronomic delight for every traveler.

20. Iceland: Land of Fire and Ice

The next destination on our list is Iceland, a land of breathtaking natural beauty, dramatic landscapes, and a unique blend of geothermal wonders, making it a captivating destination for adventurers and nature enthusiasts.

You must visit Iceland at least once in your lifetime because it is a country that invites you to explore its otherworldly landscapes, including glaciers, volcanoes, and geysers. It’s a place where you can witness the mystical Northern Lights, soak in natural hot springs, and experience a culture deeply rooted in Viking heritage.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Iceland: You must visit its iconic Icelandic landmarks such as the Golden Circle, including Geysir, Gullfoss waterfall, and Thingvellir National Park. Explore the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, the Blue Lagoon, and the volcanic landscapes of Landmannalaugar. Witness the stunning waterfalls of Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss.

Best Time to Visit Iceland:

The best time to visit Iceland depends on your interests. Summer (June to August) is ideal for exploring the highlands and the Midnight Sun. Winter (November to February) is perfect for witnessing the Northern Lights, but the weather can be quite cold.

Best Food You Must Try in Iceland: Icelandic cuisine offers unique and hearty flavors. You must try out dishes like lamb stew, skyr (a type of yogurt), and Icelandic hot dogs. Explore regional specialties such as fermented shark (hákarl), rye bread baked in geothermal springs, and fresh seafood like arctic char and langoustines. Be sure to try the traditional Icelandic schnapps called Brennivin, and experience the local culinary culture with its distinct charm. Your taste buds are in for a distinctive Icelandic culinary adventure.

21. Australia: Down Under Adventures

The next destination on our list is Australia, a vast and diverse country known for its stunning natural beauty, unique wildlife, and a laid-back lifestyle that makes it a fascinating destination for travelers.

Another one of the best countries to visit, Australia is a land of contrasts, where you can explore bustling cities like Sydney and Melbourne, experience the tranquility of the Outback, and witness the distinctive wildlife, including kangaroos and koalas. It’s a place where you can enjoy both cultural attractions and the great outdoors.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Australia: you must definitely visit the iconic Australian landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, and Uluru. Don’t forget to explore the urban sophistication of Sydney, the artistic flair of Melbourne, and the wilderness of the Daintree Rainforest and the Kimberley region.

Best Time to Visit Australia: The best time to visit Australia depends on your interests and the region you plan to explore. Generally, the spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) offer pleasant weather for sightseeing and outdoor activities. Be mindful of the summer heat and tropical monsoon seasons in some areas.

Best Food You Must Try in Australia: Australian cuisine is a mix of fresh, diverse flavors influenced by various cultures. You just have to savor dishes like meat pies, Vegemite, Tim Tams, and lamingtons. Explore regional specialties such as seafood in Tasmania, Barramundi in the Northern Territory, and coffee culture in Melbourne. Be sure to pair your meals with Australian wines, particularly the world-renowned wines from regions like the Barossa Valley and Margaret River, for an authentic culinary journey through Australia.

22. Peru: Inca Ruins and Amazon Rainforest

The next destination on our list is Peru, a country known for its ancient history, breathtaking landscapes, and a culinary tradition that is celebrated worldwide, making it a captivating destination for adventurers and food enthusiasts.

One of the best countries to visit in South America, Peru is a land of contrasts, where you can explore the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu, traverse the Andes mountains, and savor the rich flavors of its diverse cuisine. It’s a place where you can immerse yourself in the vibrant traditions and history of the Inca civilization.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Peru: You must explore the iconic Peruvian landmarks such as Machu Picchu, Cusco’s historic city center, and the Nazca Lines. Explore the Amazon Rainforest, Lake Titicaca, and the colorful Rainbow Mountain. Witness the condors at Colca Canyon and the bustling markets of Pisac.

Best Time to Visit in Peru: The best time to visit Peru largely depends on the region. The dry season from May to September is perfect for visiting Machu Picchu and exploring the Andes. The shoulder seasons are great for less crowded experiences, while the Amazon is best visited during the rainy season from November to April.

Best Food You Must Try in Peru: Peruvian cuisine is known for its flavors and diversity. Don’t forget to try dishes like ceviche, lomo saltado, and causa. Explore regional specialties such as rocoto relleno in Arequipa, cuy (guinea pig) in Cusco, and Amazonian cuisine in Iquitos. Be sure to savor the famous Pisco Sour and enjoy local fruits like lucuma and chirimoya. Your taste buds will be treated to a gastronomic adventure through Peru’s culinary heritage.

23. Indonesia: Tropical Paradise and Cultural Riches

The next destination on our list is Indonesia, a vast and diverse archipelago known for its natural beauty, vibrant culture, and a culinary tradition that tantalizes the taste buds, making it a captivating destination for travelers.

Another one of the best countries to visit in Asia, Indonesia is a land of endless possibilities, where you can explore ancient temples like Borobudur, relax on pristine beaches, and discover a rich tapestry of cultures across its islands. It’s a place where you can experience lush rainforests, majestic volcanoes, and an underwater paradise for divers and snorkelers.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Indonesia: Don’t miss iconic Indonesian landmarks such as Borobudur and Prambanan temples in Java, the serene beauty of Bali’s rice terraces, and the Komodo Islands. You should also explore the vibrant city of Jakarta, the cultural heart of Yogyakarta, and the natural wonders of Raja Ampat.

Best Time to Visit Indonesia: The best time to visit Indonesia varies by region and your interests. Generally, the dry season from April to October is ideal for most destinations. Be aware of the rainy season from November to March, which may affect some areas more than others.

Best Food You Must Try in Indonesia: Indonesian cuisine is a culinary adventure filled with rich flavors and aromatic spices. Some of the must-try dishes here are nasi goreng, rendang, satay, and gado-gado. Explore regional specialties such as mie ayam in Surabaya, soto in Jakarta, and Padang cuisine in West Sumatra. Be sure to try traditional Indonesian beverages like teh botol and es cendol, and enjoy exotic fruits like durian and rambutan. Your culinary journey through Indonesia will be a sensory delight.

24. Bhutan: The Land of Happiness

The next destination on our list is Bhutan, a land of pristine landscapes, rich culture, and a deep spiritual heritage that makes it a unique and captivating destination for travelers seeking a Himalayan escape.

One of the best countries to visit to explore untouched beauties of nature, Bhutan is a country that you must visit. Explore its gorgeous snow-capped peaks, deep valleys, and ancient monasteries because it’s a place where you can witness the spiritual devotion of its people, experience traditional festivals, and appreciate a commitment to sustainable living.

Main Attractions You Must Visit in Bhutan: the  iconic Bhutanese landmarks you must visit are such as the Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest) Monastery, the capital city Thimphu, and the Punakha Dzong. Explore the serene valleys of Phobjikha and the biodiversity of Jigme Dorji National Park. Immerse yourself in Bhutan’s unique culture by attending a local festival or exploring the traditional architecture of its dzongs and monasteries.

Best Time to Visit Bhutan: The best time to visit Bhutan largely depends on your interests. The spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer pleasant weather, clear skies, and colorful flora. The winter months are great for enjoying snowfall in the highlands, while the monsoon season from June to August brings lush green landscapes but occasional rain.

Best Food You Must Try in Bhutan: Bhutanese cuisine is known for its unique flavors and use of chilies. You must try out dishes like ema datshi (chili and cheese), phaksha paa (pork with radish), and momo dumplings. Explore regional specialties such as yak meat and butter tea. Be sure to try ara, a local spirit, and enjoy Bhutan’s culinary traditions, which reflect its mountainous terrain and agricultural lifestyle. Your taste buds will be treated to a distinct culinary experience in Bhutan.

25. Netherlands: Canals and Windmills

The final best on our list of best countries to visit, is the Netherlands. It is a lovely country known for its picturesque landscapes, rich history, and a vibrant cultural scene that makes it a captivating destination for travelers.

You must visit The Netherlands and explore this magical land of charming canals, historic windmills, and world-class art. It’s a place where you can explore picturesque cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht, witness the beauty of tulip fields in spring, and enjoy a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Main Attractions You Must Visit the Netherlands: The iconic Dutch landmarks you must visit are such as the canals of Amsterdam, the historic Anne Frank House, and the Keukenhof Gardens during tulip season. Also, don’t forget to explore the windmills at Kinderdijk, the historic city of Delft, and the tulip fields in Lisse. Immerse yourself in Dutch art at the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum.

Best Time to Visit the Netherlands: The best time to visit the Netherlands depends on your interests. Spring (March to May) is ideal for witnessing the tulip fields in bloom. Summer (June to August) is perfect for outdoor activities, and autumn (September to November) offers milder weather and fewer tourists. Be prepared for cooler temperatures in winter.

Best Food You Must Try in the Netherlands: Dutch cuisine offers a mix of hearty and flavorful dishes. Savor dishes like bitterballen, haring, erwtensoep (pea soup), and poffertjes (mini pancakes). You must also try out regional specialties such as stamppot in the north, Dutch cheese in Gouda, and seafood in Zeeland. Don’t forget to pair your meals with Dutch beer or genever (Dutch gin), and experience the country’s culinary heritage, which reflects its maritime history and agricultural traditions. Your culinary journey through the Netherlands will be a delightful experience.

In conclusion, the world of travel is a realm filled with boundless possibilities and incredible experiences. Among all of these best countries to visit, you are going to witness the extraordinary diversity our planet has to offer. From stunning natural landscapes to rich cultural heritage, each destination invites you to embark on a transformative journey.

Don’t you also wish to explore and experience all the beauties of nature and culture these unique destinations have to offer?

If you enjoyed reading this article, check out our article on the best cities to visit in the world . Do leave us a comment and share your adventures! 

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Home > General Travel > Best Countries to Visit

The Best Countries to Visit for 18 Unique Types of Trip

In this post: We subjectively, naively, and unabashedly select the best 18 countries to visit for 18 types of trip and rate each from 1 to 10 on various criteria.

It makes no sense to trust some random online writer's opinion on the best countries to visit in the world. They haven't fully explored all of them. Plus it depends entirely on if you're a budget backpacker, granny fanny-packer, or Gucci hand-bagger. It also makes no sense that travel publications somehow pull new best country to visit lists out of their a**es atlases every year. Countries don't change that fast.

So we've tweaked the format:

• Indefinitely awarding 18 countries the titles of the best to visit for 18 unique reasons.
• Subjectively but honestly rating each country on 6 criteria: cost, food, ease, friendliness, safety, and exoticness.

Our opinions are just as uninformed as anyone else's. But at least this format might give you a better idea of where might be the best country to visit for your unique tastes. (And we get to respond to comments from pissed off Filipino food-lovers.)

The Best Countries to Visit For 18 Unique Types of Trip

In no particular order, the best country to visit for:

• Time-Travel
• Experiencing a Parallel Universe
• Appreciating Africa
• Sanitized Third World
• Budget Travel
• A 7-to-10 Day Road Trip
• Connecting with Nature
• A Month-Long Adventure
• 5-Star Travel On a 3-Star Budget
• Feeling Out of Place
• Just a Few Days
• First-Time Foreign Travelers
• Understanding the World
• Getting to Know Locals
• A Long Airport Layover
• Idly Passing Time

The Best Country to Visit for Gazing Is…

🇳🇦 Namibia

There's not much to do in Namibia.

Only 2.5 million people live in this mostly desert country that's 20% bigger than Texas.

But there's a lot to see.

Here's how a typical day goes when traveling in Namibia:

• Wake up to gaze at the sun as it comes up over the empty horizon and makes all the rocks and sand go technicolored.
• Drive all day gazing at peculiar and pretty desert landscapes and the surprising number of animals who survive on it (especially in Etosha National Park).
• Gaze at an encore performance by the sun at sunset.
• Gaze at all the stars from your campsite in the middle of nowhere.

How We Rate It

• Consider driving one-way from South Africa to avoid backtracking and have more time in the less-overrun south of Namibia.
• The roads are TERRIBLE in Namibia, so it's worth paying more for a rental car that can handle them.

Our Most Popular Namibia Post: Why Visit Namibia? [Spoiler Alert] , Part 1 of our Namibia Dusty-Nation Guide

The Best Country to Visit for Time-Travel Is…

🇨🇴 Colombia

Colombia has come so far so fast that some parts of it have yet to keep up.

This makes for a fascinating opportunity to time travel between the modern present and traditional past.

In Medellin , the top city to visit in Colombia (though Bogota is underrated ), you can travel from glitzy, gringo-central El Poblado back into the pre-tourism era by simply taking a 20-minute bus ride south to Envigado .

You can also walk back in time just by hiking from an urban metro station into traditional Antioquian farmland (or by taking the urban cable car).

Drive a couple hours outside of modern cities and you'll enter pueblos like Venecia , where men still ride horses to the bar in their traditional attire. Or jump on an hour flight to visit the raw and rustic Pacific Coast , which has no road access and only recently reopened from travel.

• Colombia's cool, but if you’re only going to visit one South American country, we’d recommend Peru first.
• Colombia's also the best country for partying with sexy people, particularly in Medellin and Cartagena.

Our Most Popular Colombia Post: Medellin Travel Guide: An Instruction Manual for an Unforgettable Trip

The Best Country to Visit for Experiencing a Parallel Universe Is…

🇯🇵 Japan

Japan isn’t just a different county; it’s a different universe. 

Everything in Japan looks similar to our own universe, but different.

It's a world where politeness is prioritized, standing out is avoided, vending machines sell everything, and cuddle cafes are an actual thing.

"Weird" was the word Kim and I most often found ourselves saying while visiting Japan. In a good way. Every day, we'd see something or have an experience that wasn't quite from our universe but made sense in this parallel one.

Japan isn't a world we'd want to live in forever, but to visit it's a truly out-of-this-world experience.

• Japan's not as expensive as everyone seems to think. It can be if you want to travel lavishly, but our favorite experiences in Japan included 3 USD onsen (hot springs), 25 USD twelve-course meals, 6 USD mega-ramen bowls, and 35 USD ryokan (guesthouses).
• No matter who you are or what your budget is, a one or two-week JR Rail pass is the best way to see the country.

Our Most Popular Japan Post: Japan's Wild, Delicious, Drunken Saijo Sake Festival

The Best Country to Visit for Appreciating Africa Is…

🇰🇪 Kenya

Spend enough time traveling* in Kenya and you'll appreciate the good and the bad of Africa.

You’ll appreciate:

• The wildness of the animals and how vulnerable we are to them.
• The seemingly insurmountable challenge many African nations face to change from a short-term, survival-of-the-fittest mindset to a longer-term one.
• What amazing innovations, like the M-Pesa mobile payment systems, are coming from the constraints to create hope.
• The historical importance of coastal cities like Lamu , which retains much of its history and still relies on donkeys as the main form of transport.
• How pleasant and organized your home country is.

(*By "traveling" we mean not spending a night hiding out in a 5-star Nairobi hotel before helicoptering straight to a luxury game lodge where you sit around as people point out animals for you.)

Our Most Popular Kenya Post: The Good News and Bad News of Backpacking in Kenya

The Best Country to Visit for Sanitized Third World Is…

🇷🇼 Rwanda

Rwanda's infamous for the horrible insanity of the 1994 genocide. Now, it's gaining fame for being so sanitized .

The country's clean. And not just by African or third-world standards. By any standard. With a tradition of umuganda , mandatory community service on the last Saturday of each month (mostly cleaning), and a ban on plastic bags that's been strictly enforced since 2006, cleanliness is part of the culture in Rwanda. When we drove around its calm, well-maintained highways (at almost too-civilized speed limits of 40km/h), we'd frequently see people picking out debris from the gravel of the side of the road.

And Rwanda's safe. A tourist can walk around at night even in the capital of Kigali.

Rwandans might say there's too much law and order. Heavily armed police and soldiers are all over and the justice system has a no-tolerance reputation, especially if you say something bad about the president. But as a tourist it's hard to complain.

Even Rwanda's most famous wildlife is civilized. You can get so close to the gorillas you can touch them and they don't mind.

There are downsides to all this civility, sanitization, and cleanliness. Rwanda was too sanitized for our liking. Something felt off. But if you want a third-world experience minus the grit, grime, and chaos, this is the place.

• As an exception to the rule, prepare to get dirty for Volcanoes National Park, home to the Gorillas and Mount Bisoke .
• Bring some warm clothes. Rwanda may be just south of the equator, but it's a mile above sea level and often cloudy and rainy.

Our Most Popular Rwanda Post: Is Rwanda Worth Visiting?

The Best Country to Visit for Budget Travel Is…

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

Most other crazy cheap countries are dirty, dangerous, and/or disorganized.

Sri Lanka is none of those. It's just straight-up delightful.

The people are delightful. Multiple times a day a random stranger would approach us just to say "Welcome to my country!" then walk off with a smile on their face for having put a smile on ours.

The food is delightful. Kottu roti, sambol, hoppers, lemon coconut smoothies, and Chris' all-time favorite, chocolate coconut roti taste extra delicious when you eat with your hands like the locals do.

The scenery is delightful. For a small island, Sri Lanka's variety of jungle, safari land, mountains, tea plantations, and beaches was impressive.

Enhancing the delightfulness of all of the above is that everything costs about a quarter of what it does back home.

• Sri Lanka's position on this best countries to visit list is endangered, so go before over-Instagrammification of the same cliche photo of travelers dangling from the side Sri Lanka's super slow scenic train drives its delightfulness to extinction.

The Best Country to Visit for a 7-to-10 Day Road Trip Is…

🇯🇴 jordan.

Maybe Kim and I are biased in saying Jordan is the best country to visit for a 7-to-10 day road trip because that was the first trip we ever did together…

…. but nah.

Objectively:

• The roads are in pristine condition.
• The country is just the right size to explore without spending all your time in a car (from Amman up north to Aqaba in the far south is only a 4-hour drive ).
• Jordanians are as hospitable as their desert surroundings often aren't.
• The scenery is out of this world (so much so that Wadi Rum was used as the set of The Martian).
• There's so much more to Jordan than Petra, which, for us, wasn’t even a top three highlight of our trip. Number one was wandering down a wadi, as pictured above.
• For a longer, 2-to-4 week road trip, South Africa is the best country we know of.

The Best Country to Visit for Connecting with Nature is…

🇨🇦 Canada

[Full disclosure: We're proudly Canadian.]

Forget Canada's cities. They're better for living in than traveling to.

The real reason to visit Canada is to connect with nature.

There's a lot to connect to. Our homeland is a big ass place with a lot of trees, gigantic lakes, bigger oceans, mountains, plains, some bears and moose, and not many people.

No matter which part of the country you fly into, you'll be no more than a two-hour drive away from completely escaping the sprawl of civilization and engaging in a one-on-one meeting with Mother Nature.

• Come during the months just before and after summer, June and September, to avoid huge crowds and huge prices while still enjoying good weather. Or come in the winter to understand why some Canadians (definitely not us) call it their favorite season.

Our Most Popular Canada Post: Answering the 11 Questions Everyone Asks Before Visiting Our Hometown, Vancouver

Bonus Destination:

Your own town.

Traveling in your own city is like cooking at home versus going out for dinner. You have to put in more work and it won't be quite as exotic, but toss in some unusual ingredients and it can still be a novel and memorable experience.

Our post on the 5 things you need to be a tourist in your own city has the recipe.

The Best Country to Visit for A Month-Long Adventure Is…

🇵🇪 Peru

Here's a somewhat crazy take:

Machu Picchu so overwhelmingly shrouds potential visitor's impression of Peru that it limits the country's wider tourism potential.

If Machu Picchu didn't exist (or hadn't been discovered), Peru would be famous for so much more:

For its Amazon jungle in the east, for its high-end cuisine in Lima, for its sand dunes to the south, for its surfing beaches in the north, for its Andes mountain ranges in the middle, and for its colorful traditional culture throughout.

Peru's awesome variety makes it the best country in the world for a month-long backpacking adventure.

You don't even need to visit Machu Picchu.

• For a higher-end version of "everything," go to South Africa, a close runner-up to Peru in terms of having everything.
• One of my fondest memories of my own month-long Peru trip was floating along the Amazon on a barge from Yurimaguas to Iquitos.

The Best Country to Visit for Eating Is…

🇲🇽 Mexico

Other countries arguably have better fine-dining than Mexico, but nobody except royalty exclusively fine-dines when they travel.

Most of the calories us common folk consume while traveling com in the form of informal food.

Taking that into consideration, on average deliciousness per calorie eaten, Mexico is the best country to visit.

Tropical batidos, fresh ceviche, spicy candies, mouth-watering mole, tacos, tlayudas, tortas… there's good reason Mexican restaurants can be found all over the world. And the Mexican food tastes even better in Mexico.

The best, actually.

Not the most sophisticated. Not the healthiest. The best.

• Don't expect anywhere near the same quality food in neighboring Central American countries. Their food sucks in comparison. Moreover, we wouldn't recommend visiting any Central American country until you've been to Mexico first.
• Mexico City is our favorite city to visit in the world.
• Kim will kill me if I don't mention Japan as a close runner-up for best food.

Our Most Popular Mexico Post: Mexico City Travel Tips: Dos and Don'ts to Know Before You Go

The Best Country to Visit for 5-Star Luxury on a 3-Star Budget…

🇿🇦 South Africa

Before Kim and I first came to South Africa, we hadn't heard much hype about it aside from a couple of friends who raved about Cape Town.

Now that we've been in the country for four months, we think we know why:

South Africans want to keep it for themselves.

They rather keep the incredibly well-maintained roads empty, not have their views of the incredible scenery marred by others' heads and selfie sticks, maintain the exclusive feeling of the luxurious wine estates, not scare away all the wildlife, not have all their fynbos wildflowers picked, and always have tables available at their favorite restaurants.

And they want to keep it all affordable, around half the price of what it would cost in Western countries.

• Safety concerns are definitely the biggest source of discomfort in South Africa, but I also suspect the locals overstate the risk to keep pesky outsiders away. You'll be fine if you stay out of sketchy areas, don't walk around dark places at night, and don't draw undue attention.
• Instead of doing the Kruger safari + Cape Town combo that 90% of tourists get sucked into, rent a car and explore the country on your own. (But do check out our Kruger Park Safari Tips to see more animals, save money, and improve your experience.)
• The Garden Route is nice and all (as we share in our 4-part Unearthing the Garden Route Series ), but for something different and a broader South African experience, try The Hectic Route between Cape Town and Johannesburg .

Our Most Popular South Africa Post: Is South Africa Worth Visiting? Some Honest Observations

The Best Country to Visit for Feeling Out of Place Is…

🇲🇦 Morocco

Morocco is not everyone's cup of tea (…ironically, given the immense popularity of tea in the country).

Some visitors are turned off by all the attention from souk vendors, the disorienting medinas, the dirt and poverty compared to home, and cultural and language challenges.

Others love it for those same reasons. That was our verdict after living for a month in Essaouira.

Either way, what's certain is you'll feel out of place when you visit Morocco.

• Ensure a positive first impression and give yourself time to acclimate to Morocco by organizing a shuttle from the airport to your hotel (or riad, the traditional Moroccan accommodation). You don't want your first experience to be haggling with taxis or getting lost in the medina with all your luggage.
• Get a guide on day one. Whether it be a friendly Airbnb host, an expert tour guide, or a friend of a friend, having a local show you the ropes and answer your questions at the beginning of your trip will set you up for success the rest of your time in the country.

Our Most Popular Morocco Post: Marrakech Medina Guide: How to Prepare to Be Amazed

The Best Country to Visit in Just a Few Days Is…

🇵🇦 Panama

I lived two-and-a-half of the best years of my life in Panama City, Panama.

I loved it and I wish I could say Panama is the best country to visit for all sorts of things, but I can't. Many other countries have better beaches, more interesting jungles, more exotic cultures, and better (WAY better) food.

What Panama does have going for it is it's small and tons of flights between North and South America go through it, so I guess it could be the best country to visit and get to know in just a few days.

Spend one day in Panama City eating Panamanian food , another in the surrounding area and visiting the canal , and another day or few on one of the Pacific Beaches or in the Guna Yala (a.k.a. San Blas) or even Bocas del Toro. That's enough.

• I highly recommend reading The Path Between the Seas , by David McCullough before you go to get a much deeper appreciation of the Panama Canal and the country as a whole.
• If crazy Captain Karl is still leading his Jungle Land Panama tours , they're a fun way to see the canal from a different perspective.
• Further afield, my favorite weekend getaways were Santa Catalina and Playa Venao.

Our Most Popular Panama Post: The Best Panamanian Food in Panama City

The Best Country to Visit for First-Time Foreign Travelers Is…

🇹🇭 Thailand

First-time foreign travelers have a lot to be scared about including language barriers, scams, food sickness, poor internet connection, missing Mommy, and cultural faux-pas.

For them, the best country to visit is one that minimizes those risks while still being exciting and encouraging more travel (and more "risk") in the future. It adds a dash of spice, but not so much to leave you panting and sweating.

Thailand provides that balance.

Bangkok, in particular, is exotic and spicy, but in a friendly way. The locals are used to dealing with foreigners, they generally speak great English, the prices are low, and the food's different but familiar. Plus, it's easy to get to.

And if you get overwhelmed and want to escape and relax, Thailand's resort beaches and islands are just a short flight away.

Our Most Popular Thailand Post: Where to Find the Best Exotic Food in Bangkok

The Best Country to Visit to Understand the World Is…

🇺🇸 The USA

From movies to music to politics to business, America dominates global culture, whether you like it or not. And that's exactly why it's the best country to visit to understand the world.

If you resent America, a visit there will hopefully teach you to at least not hate Americans and find some parts of the country and their culture that you can't help but admire.

And if you idolize America, a visit there will hopefully help you realize that it's not all it's caught up to be and appreciate the many advantages your home country has over it.

Either way, you'll leave the USA with a different, and hopefully better, understanding of it and therefore the world as a whole.

• Visit well-known American cities to enhance your appreciation of books, music, movies, and TV shows where they take place. From then on, references to the places in those cities that you visited will bring back fond memories from your trip.
• Wherever you go, search Facebook groups to connect with and get tips from expats from your home country.

Our Most Popular USA Post: The Good, the Bad, and the Unusual of Visiting Washington, D.C.

The Best Country to Visit for Getting to Know Locals Is…

🇵🇭 The Philippines

Generally, the fewer visitors a country receives, the friendlier the locals are. They're not used to meeting tons of foreigners, so us travelers are as much a novelty to them as they are to us.

In most cases, though, language barriers limit that friendliness to smiles and hand gestures.

Not in the Philippines.

Most Filipinos speak excellent English and most of them aren't shy to use it to welcome you to their country, which is less overwhelmed with tourists than other Southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Vietnam.

Plus, for whatever reason—all the beautiful island beaches probably help—Filipinos generally have contagiously happy-go-lucky attitudes.

This makes the Philippines the best country to visit to get to know the locals.

• The Philippines has also got to be the best country in the world for kayaking. There are so many islands to explore and the water's so crystal clear you can "snorkel" without even putting your face in the water. Consider a multi-day kayaking tour to experience it and escape the crowds.
• Manila sucks. Spend as little time there as you can.

Our Most Popular Philippines Post: 11 Less-Touristy Things to Do in Coron

The Best Country to Visit for a Long Airport Layover Is…

🇰🇷 South Korea

Ok, we're not being fair to South Korea here.

Undoubtedly, South Korea is the best country to visit for more reasons than an airport layover. We just haven't been there long enough to find out.

Our only experience in South Korea so far has been an awesome 5-hour airport layover tour in Seoul.

They shuttled a group of us downtown in a bus while a (possibly unintentionally) hilarious guide shared all sorts of sometimes culturally insensitive facts, toured us around a castle, fed us, let us wander around town a bit, then brought us back to the airport.

All pretty much for free!

The strategy worked. We really want to visit South Korea now. And we wouldn't mind another layover in Seoul airport either.

• Pack something warm if you're coming through Seoul from Southeast Asia. The layover tour actually gives out jackets, but we were still freezing when we did the tour in January.
• Taipei, Taiwan may be even better than Seoul for a 24-hour layover . On our way back from Namibia to Vancouver, we spent 24 hours there, ate 24 different foods and only spend $100 all-in.

Our Most Popular South Korea Post: Long Layover in Seoul? Lucky You!

The Best Country for Idly Passing Time Is…

🇪🇸 Spain

Here's a typical day in Spain, the best country in the world to visit for idly passing time:

• ~9 a.m : Wake up… whenever. Later than at home. Go outside to the nearest corner for a coffee and bread or pastry for desayuno (breakfast).
• 9 – 10 a.m : Walk around for an hour, admiring the architecture and all seemingly effortlessly stylish people who seem to be in no rush to be getting anywhere.
• 10:30 – 11:30 a.m: Almuerzo, a mid-morning snack of a sandwich and a beer.
• 11:30 a.m – 1:30 p.m: Go to a museum. Do a bit of boutique shopping. Relax at the beach.
• 2 – 3:30 p.m: Eat a multi-course menu del dia: a hearty starter (or three), bread, a main course, dessert, and a generously-poured cup of wine (sometimes a whole bottle).
• 4 – 5:30 p.m: A well-earned, extended siesta.
• 5:30 – 7 p.m: Relaxing mid-afternoon snack.
• 7 – 8:30 p.m: Wander / window-shop.
• 8:30 – 10 p.m: Tapa bar hopping.
• 9 – 11 p.m: Dinner (or continue with tapas).
• 11 – late: Drinks and more tapas until you tapa-out.

And repeat.

• Rent a car. While Spain is famous for its cities, it's most enjoyable to explore its small towns and the best way to do it is by car.
• Keep an eye out for festivals. Spain seems to be always celebrating something. Look up festivals near where you're going to join in the fun.
• Avoid August. The weather's horribly hot, the tourists are out in full force and the locals have shut up shop to go somewhere more comfortable.

Our Most Popular Spain Post: How We Stumbled Off the Beaten Path in Spain

The Best Country to Visit for ______________ Is…

🏳 you tell us.

What countries have you visited and loved and what type of trip would you say they're the best for?

Even if it's one of the countries we mentioned, but for a different type of trip, please let us know in the comments below .

If you do, we'd think you're one of the best readers to visit our site!

Recapping the Best Countries to Visit for Unique Trips

• Namibia for Gazing
• Colombia for Time-Travel
• Japan for Experiencing a Parallel Universe
• Kenya for Appreciating Africa
• Rwanda for Sanitized Third World
• Sri Lanka for Budget Travel
• Jordan for 7-to-10 Day Road Trips
• Canada for Connecting with Nature
• Peru for Month-Long Adventures
• Mexico for Eating
• South Africa for Comfortable Adventure
• Morocco for Feeling Out Of Place
• Panama for Visiting in Just a Few Days
• Thailand for First-Time Foreign Travelers
• The USA for Understanding the World
• The Philippines for Getting to Know Locals
• Spain for Idly Passing Time
• Korea for Long Airport Layovers
• You Tell Us for Our Next Trip

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Disclosure: Whenever possible, we use links that earn us a cut if you pay for stuff we recommend. It costs you nothing, so we'd be crazy not to. Read our affiliate policy .

59 thoughts on “The Best Countries to Visit for 18 Unique Types of Trip”

Love this! Can't wait to go to Peru.

Thanks Alice! Have you got a trip to Peru planned? We'll be curious to hear your take on how it compares to Colombia.

Europe needs you to visit.

Indeed! We're actually considering living there this summer—maybe Spain or Georgia or… well we don't know yet and are taking suggestions.

Do yourself a favor and go to Georgia! Very inexpensive, wonderful architecture, fabulous food, amazing culture. It's a magical place. I visited Tbilisi for 2 weeks in 2017 and I'm aching to get back there. When I go back, I'm going to give Batumi a visit.

And funky local wine, too, right? Kim and I still have it high on our to-visit list. Lots of friends and fellow digital nomads have said good things, too. Gotta get there before it's inundated. Thanks, Ray!

You should visit Mendoza, Argentina. I was the last October there and was an incredible experience. You could visit Aconcagua park and the vineyards for drinking some wine.

I from Colombia, but that place is amazing.

Oooh, that's a good idea Esneider. We're actually thinking of spending the next Canadian winter in Brazil and if we do we'd most certainly try to follow your suggestion. Our time here in Cape Town has made us wine-farm-visiting addicts, so the Mendoza area sounds like a good spot for a heavy dose.

Hi I strongly recommend Singapore to people who wants to have fun, play, visit historical buildings, find out more about other things. There's many different types of food to choose from, the locals are friendly and nice, do drop by and experience the unique way on how Singaporeans spent their day. I'm a proud Singaporean! By the way, June 19 is my birthday

Hope you guys have fun after covid!!!!

I'm Brazillian, and recently I've been ashamed of how little I appreciated my home country in the last few years. Brazil has EVERYTHING, from rain forest and bold hikes to european architeture and a vibrant people who will take you with our arms open. If you guys come, you will never want to leave!

You're right, Daniele. Brazil does seem to be under the radar relative to its assets. Why? I think crime and cost (it's more expensive than other South American countries) are big ones.

I was in Rio for Carnaval in 2012. I'd love to go back and explore the rest of the country, soon.

Best country to learn a new language, best country for off the beaten path adventure and best country for underwater diving – Indonesia (no, not Bali; that big arhipelago with thousands of islands that almost no one explores, guess most of the backpackers can't travel without wi-fi)

That's a really good one, Sandu. Thanks! When we get a couple more suggestions from readers, we'll add a section to this post with yours and their input.

I'm curious about why you say Indonesia is the best country to learn a new language. Is that because Indonesian is known to be easy to learn? I do remember reading that somewhere. Or is it because once you get far enough away from Bali you've got to learn to get by?

Hey Chris, Yes, it's because the language is fairly simple, it doesn't have past, present future tenses in the classical way. Time is very relative to the islanders 🙂 the words are not intuitive at all, but once you learn them you don't have to bother much with sentence structure. Also if you want to explore and have a chat with locals you need to learn the language.

Philippines' food gets a 1? With all possible respect- f*ck you, man. Filipino food rocks, and is a huge part of our culture.

Thanks for chiming in Chrissy. No doubt Filipino food is a huge part of the culture, just as it is in any country, but I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on its quality relative to food in other countries.

Yeah u're right. They might have missed out sampling our very own lechon de leche to give us just a rating of 1? If they're adventurous enough, they can try our balut and see for themselves.

USA and Canada both for unique experience? I don’t think so. Don’t get me wrong I love both of the countries but the culture is not that different.

You mean the Canadian and US cultures aren't that different from each other, or they aren't that different on a global level? In any case, I nominated Canada for its nature, not its culture, which yeah isn't that exciting. Just friendly. And even if the American culture isn't that interesting, it's powerful and not always accurately portrayed abroad, hence my nomination there.

Hi Chris, thanks for that summary, I really enjoyed reading it and comparing to my own experiences so far. Looking forward to check out some of your hot tipps in the coming years! As you ask for countries you have missed out on yet (or not mentioned them) I would like to give you the following recommendations: From a professional point I would recommend you Tanzania and Uganda, as you seem to be a fan of African countries, their nature and their diversity as well as Nepal and Buthan for a very different experience of the life up in the Himalayas. (Disclosure: We offer amazing adventure trips in all of those countries on followalice.com ;). On a personal note you are definitely missing Australia. You probably have not gotten that far yet and it will not get a high rating for the costs, but its definitely worth a trip for you, as Australia has it all: Vibrant cities, great beaches, hot rainforests, empty deserts, the amazing great barrier reef, dreamy islands, friendly people, good food and so many other things.

Hey Joel. Thanks for all the recommendations. Rather than Follow Alice (the tour company you mention) maybe we should Follow Joel!

You should visit Montenegro, skip Dubrovnik because it's swamped with tourists. And Hike the peak of the Balkans.

Greetings from Belgium

Thanks Jonas. I had to google the Peaks of the Balkans. The snippet says it's "a 192-km cross-border trekking trail through the Accursed Mountains of Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro." Accursed Mountains! Fabulous name. And it's a circular route! Yep, it's high on our list now. p.s. no Belgium recommendation?

The best country to visit for a diversified trip is Egypt! Usually when people think of Egypt, they imagine pyramids, sand, and a historical adventure but it got way more than that if you researched well and know where to go. I honestly cannot list everything you do there (it's best for you if you want to know to search it yourself), but Egypt got a diverse culture, a diverse set of food, and numerous activities that vary according to the location you are in! It's definitely worth a visit. My favorite 3 places in Egypt are Luxor, Hurghada, and Sharm El Sheikh. https://youtu.be/mfxQy5A_tHs

Awesome suggestion, Omar, thanks. What stands out in my memory from my visit to Sharm in 2010 was the contrast between the desert offshore and the colorful, teeming-with-life reefs under the surface of the sea. I only went there and Cairo. You've inspired me to want to go back and explore further. Thanks!

Very disappointed to read what you had to say about Spain. Theres so much more to do then just being lazy. Spain receives 82 million of foreigners a year which makes it the 2nd most visited country in the world. Sure there is a lot more to do then drinking wine and slagging around guys…

Hola Camilla. You're right that there's so much more to do in Spain than be lazy. Spain just happens to be the best country to visit (in my mostly worthless opinion) for passing the time in the way I described. I can't wait to go back soon.

Extremely impressed by your write-up because the picks I agreed with, I felt like you really hit the nail on its head; the picks I didn't agree with, I was at first skeptical but then I read your reasons and thought, "Ok that's fair." *****…With the exception of Mexico taking second place to Japan for best food!!! Even if you're approaching the choice from a "street food"/low-end perspective I'd pick Thailand or Singapore over Mexico.*****

Lastly, and this is what I most wanted to comment on: For best country to understand the world, I nominate Israel and Palestinian territories, the place where 3 of the world's most popular religions originated. I cannot overstate how overwhelming the crushing weight of this area's historical/cultural significance is. You stand at site so-and-so and learn that so-and-so was believed to have happened here and think: "So…This…THIS is what inspired gorgeous massive cathedrals as far west as Peru… a rich tradition of art and literature as far north as England and Italy…terror and violence as far east as Sri Lanka…impetus for wars and governmental policies, (our very way of life!) across millennia," and it's all just so mind blowing! You may not resolve everything in your head by the end of your trip but at least you will have an understanding that is more nuanced and in greater depth.

Thanks Robert. I'm extremely impressed by your comment, too!

I see where you're coming from on the best food. What about Malaysia? It's cheaper than Singapore, has a Thai influences, but also Indian, Singaporean, Chinese, too. I was only there briefly—too briefly to include in this post—but felt it had the best food in Southeast Asia.

Fantastic suggestion on Israel and the Palestinian territories. I'm with you. I was only in Jerusalem for a day, but could feel the heaviness of the history—and the present. Honestly, I didn't feel very welcome. No joke, I got stones thrown at me by people from two different religions that day. And I was just walking around. My only reservation with suggesting it as a place to understand the world is that it maybe gives too negative of a vibe. Didn't you feel the separation between the people there based on religion? Whereas most everywhere else you go, even if the local culture and religion's completely different from yours, when you get to know the people you realize they're way more similar to you than they are different.

Iran. Had a wonderful three weeks there last year. The people are fabulously friendly and hospitable. Great diversity of countryside, hiking, cities, culture and things to see. Oh so cheap. Safe. Good, and cheap sking I believe.

Thanks Terri. Iran is right at the top of our list. If not #1, then #2. I'd like to ask you for some tips for whenever we go, if you don't mind.

First best country for everything: India. After that, you can’t miss with Turkey, Syria and Tajikistan. I love Chile, close second- Argentina. Try an island: go to Ponape. Africa favorite: Senegal or Ghana (esp. far north). Missing Indonesia is criminal, another- better world. I think perhaps you should stop your blog and travel another twenty years, then comment. You’re obviously astute and fun, but a touch innocent.

Thanks, Stuart, for all the recommendations. What are each of these countries "the best" to visit for? We've been to some of the countries you mention, and enjoyed them all for one reason or the other, but they didn't wow us for a specific reason like the ones we featured. (Or maybe we got tired or writing…) Senegal is high on our list of yet-to-visit. Syria… maybe in these times it's a bit much for innocent us?

I'd recomend Iceland 4 its super hot springs Its marine life And star gazing like the northern lights. Hospitality is also a great plus… I could go on but I'd let you figure some stuff out.. You missed Australia the vast land Has so much to offer words can't do it right… But I'll try.. Marine life, great barrier reef, horse back riding…motor sports ..Rock climbing..sheep shering…etc….there is just a lot …it doesn't cost so much people are ultra friendly… but it's hot.. This is my last after that lol stop As there are lots of wonderful places on this planet. Israel is a conflict area that right now is not as funny as it should be. But.. Historical travel.. eye opener. Marine life. Hiking, food …..leisure and people. Cost effective etc…

Thanks for the recs, Adean. The way you structured your comment is almost poetic!

Pakistan is without a doubt the best place for time travel.

Some competition for Colombia, eh? Nice! Kim and I'll have to visit Pakistan sometime to see how it compares. Thanks for the suggestion, Arabela.

Colombia is the best since the food, the activities, and moving around is so cheap. You can also be in a modern city like Medellin and then take a plane, which is super cheap, and go to Cartagena or San Andres to enjoy the beach in 1 hours, and then if you decide after a few days that Cartagena is too hot you can then take another plane and go to Bogota where it’s mainly like 13 degrees.

Or go to the Pacific Coast, which has a completely different vibe from the Caribbean!

Interesting ideas and perspectives. I like a bit of adventure travel away from just the main touristy sites. It’s a big world out there. Enjoy

Absolutely. The main point of this post is everywhere in the world is the "best" for something, especially if you visit it with a sense of adventure and open mind.

I find your perspective interesting, but some of your ratings absolutely lose me. Rating the United States a "5" for food is just silly. I would contend that the United States has the best food in the world. I've been to over a hundred countries and have a culinary background, and no place has ever exceeded the best of what the States has to offer. I've had sushi on the West Coast which rivals anything in Tokyo. I've had Italian food in NYC that put Florence to shame. And I've had Mexican food in Texas which would be revered south of the border. French. Peruvian. Thai. Ethiopian. Indian. Chinese. You name it. What makes the United States' cuisine so special is not merely its own unique contributions (e.g. BBQ, contemporary American, etc), but the contributions of its immensely talented immigrants. The States is a melting pot of culinary tradition and excellence. McDonald's and KFC may be national icons, but they're certainly not the benchmark for American cuisine.

You're probably right Billy. If I had to only eat from one country's restaurants for the rest of my life, it'd be the US. Most variety by far. And top-notch everything… if you splurge on it.

The thing is, when I travel I don't only go fine-dining. I'm in one city at a time, not picking and choosing the best of each part of the country. And even if the sushi in the West is indeed better than Tokyo, the restaurant experience is not the same. Overall, the quality of my food experience from a trip to the US is an average meh compared to that of other countries. Completely subjective.

Pakistan! you should visit Pakistan once in a lifetime at least for the following reasons: – It is the country where you can interfere with natural sports like climbing over the world's second highest mount. K2 – you can visit the highest plains on Earth – the 5th biggest masjid in the world, Faisal Masjid, located in the green capital of Pak, Islamabad – World's highest ATM, located at the Pak-China border – Saif-ul-Malook, the crystal clear lake of Pakistan, located in Naran-Kaghan Valley, – Pakistan has the best and the most enthusiastic national anthem known as Qaumi Taranah. go and search and listen! – there's a lot more but i will cut short

The world's highest ATM! You've convinced me, haha. Seriously, though, we'd love to visit. Thanks for the suggestion, Maham.

Have you been to Malaysia Simply Asian Diversity culture and nature Best food King of fruit

Hey Salmy. I have! Way back in 2008. Agree with everything you say. We thought the food was the best in SEA because of the diversity, like you mention. Gotta go back to get a better understanding of it and add it to the list!

Tanzania is without a doubt the best place for time travel.

Oh yeah. Whereabouts specifically would you recommend going?

no Australia yet ?

Probably not for a while given our 2 young kids and how far it is from both our home bases, Vancouver and Cape Town. What do you think Australia's the best country to visit for?

I will recommend Tanzania as your Next Destination,

Here are some compelling reasons to support my recommendation:

Spectacular Wildlife Safaris: Tanzania boasts some of the most famous wildlife parks in the world, including the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. Travelers can experience unforgettable safaris and witness the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros) along with countless other species in their natural habitats.

The Great Migration: Tanzania hosts a significant part of the Great Migration, a breathtaking spectacle where millions of wildebeest and zebras move across the Serengeti. This annual event offers unparalleled wildlife viewing opportunities.

Stunning Natural Landscapes: From the snow-capped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro to the pristine beaches of Zanzibar and the diverse landscapes of the national parks, Tanzania offers a wide range of breathtaking natural scenery for travelers to explore.

Rich Cultural Heritage: Travelers can immerse themselves in the vibrant cultures of Tanzania, including interactions with Maasai and other indigenous communities. Experiencing traditional dances, ceremonies, and local cuisine adds depth to the travel experience.

Adventure Activities: Tanzania offers various adventure activities, such as trekking to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro(one of 7 Summits), hot air balloon safaris, and snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean.

Warm Hospitality: Tanzanians are known for their warm and welcoming nature. Travelers often feel a sense of belonging and appreciation for the hospitality they receive.

Serene Beaches: The idyllic beaches of Zanzibar and the Tanzanian coastline provide the perfect relaxation spot after a safari or adventure-filled journey.

Historical Sites: Tanzania also has historical and archaeological attractions, such as the Stone Town in Zanzibar, Olduvai Gorge(it is believed to be the site of found remains of the first human beings to walk on Earth), and the ancient ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani.

Hope those will convince you to come and I will be happy to help on this adventure.

I'm sold! I guess we've been overlooking Tanzania because of thinking it's so similar to Kenya (which we enjoyed visiting, but don't need to go back to before checking out other countries). But if we can find cheap flights from South Africa for a visa run, we'll make it happen. Thanks for the inspiration!

You are welcome Chris. I promise you won't regret coming here, there is a lot to see and discover. Either us or any operator can make your trip special if you plan it together.

Thanks so much

I think leaving out Tanzania on your list it is unfair as it is currently world known as the number one Africa destination for wildlife safari as it offers the experience that you wont be able to witness anywhere in the world such as calving season experience in southern Serengeti every February-March whereby thousands of baby wildebeest are born everyday, it is really unforgettable experience and many more other attractions

Absolutely shocked by some of the low food rankings, especially for Colombia and Philippines, which I think have some of the best cuisine in the world, competing with Peru, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Lebanon, and Greece. Overall a great list though!

Thanks Alex. If you had to rank the food of the countries you've visited, which would you put at the bottom?

I have a few suggestions for your list: Gazing – Mongolia Time Travel – Bolivia Nature – Botswana/Antartica Month Long – Egypt/Argentina Eating-Turkey/Argentina Getting to Know Locals – Myanmar Idly Passing Time – Greece/Italy

What do you think? (Leave a Comment.) Cancel reply

18 Best Places to Visit in the World

Written by Lana Law Updated May 11, 2023

Author Lana Law has traveled the globe extensively, including two year-long world trips, the most recent one in 2022/2023.

The world is filled with such a wide variety of wonderful destinations and beautiful places to visit, it can be difficult to compile a list of the best ones. Thinking about a traveler who, for whatever reason, has never set foot outside his or her hometown, where would be the first places they might visit?

The list of the world's best places to visit has to include great cities, like New York, Paris, London, and so on, each of which is filled with a multitude of individual sites or must-see places to visit. The list also includes specific sites, monuments, and locations, each also worthy of a visit in their own right.

For more ideas on where to go and what to see, read our list of the top places to visit in the world.

1. Machu Picchu, Peru

2. the grand canyon, arizona, 3. rome, italy, 4. maui, hawaii, 5. masai mara, kenya, 6. new zealand, 7. istanbul, turkey, 8. angkor wat, cambodia, 10. london, england, 11. manhattan, new york, 12. paris, france, 13. montreal, canada, 14. san francisco, california, 15. marrakesh, morocco, 16. cartagena, columbia, 17. the canary islands, 18. hong kong, map of places to visit in the world.

Highlights : Ancient 700-year-old city with an incredible location high in the Andes

Located high in the Andes mountains of Peru, Machu Picchu is now believed to have been a sacred royal retreat for the Incan rulers. Built in the 15 th century CE and abandoned less than 100 years later, the remote site continues to amaze with its perfectly joined, mortarless, intricate stonework. Huge multi-ton blocks of stone are perfectly joined with each other, without the use of mortar or cement.

The journey to Machu Picchu typically starts in the mountain city of Cusco , which was the capital city of the Inca Empire . Cusco is a fascinating place to explore-be sure to spend a few days there before or after your Machu Picchu adventure.

It's possible to hike the Inca Trail from Cusco to Machu Picchu. The full hike takes five days, but you can also start closer and do a one-, two- or three-day hike along the trail. Most people take the train from Cusco, which takes about three and a half hours.

Machu Picchu has taken steps to avoid over-tourism and has limited the number of visitors to the site each day. All visitors need a permit prior to visiting. They are easily available from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture reservation page up to four months in advance. Many websites, hoping to sell tours, do not share this information.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Peru

Highlights : The earth's geological history opens before your eyes in a mile-deep chasm

This incredible sight, one of the seven natural wonders of the world , is in the U.S. state of Arizona. It's one of those beautiful places for which photos or video just don't do it justice-its sheer size and scope are hard to comprehend.

With geology formed over the past two billion years, yes billion, the 277-mile-long canyon itself is believed to have been started around five to six million years ago. It was formed by the flow of the Colorado River, which still flows through it and continues to erode the geology along its course. The Grand Canyon is up to 18 miles wide in places and up to a mile deep. Imagine standing on the edge, looking down a sheer rock wall almost a mile to the river below.

Most visitors come to the area referred to as the South Rim . This is where a number of impressive hiking trails into the Grand Canyon begin and great overlooks are spread along the rim road, known as Desert View Drive. A range of accommodations is available here and nearby, from tents to a rustic luxury canyon-side resort built from logs. A few accommodations are also found on the remote North Rim .

Many visitors access the canyon via the historic Grand Canyon Railway , which runs from the town of Williams, Arizona. The 64-mile rail line provides an entertaining way to get to the canyon with food and live music onboard. For those who prefer to drive, see our articles on driving north from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon or driving from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon .

Read More: Top Attractions & Things to Do at the Grand Canyon

Highlights : History around every corner; the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Pantheon are must-sees

The Eternal City is more like a giant, living museum. Visitors are immersed in and surrounded by thousands of years of history. It's a relatively compact city, and a three-day itinerary gets you to the minimum number of must-see places.

These must-see sites for any visitor include the Colosseum and adjacent Roman Forum ; the Pantheon ; and Vatican City , a separate country in the middle of central Rome.

Take some time to explore the outskirts of Rome, too. Consider a hike along a tomb-lined section of the Appian Way, the ancient Roman superhighway, and a visit to one of the aqueduct ruins outside the city.

If you feel like hitting the beach after all your exploring, Rome has a wonderful assortment of beach towns just a short drive away on the Lazio Coast. Escape the heat, hustle, and bustle of the city to bathe in the cool waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Rome

Highlights : A tropical paradise with stunning beaches and five-star luxury resorts

This Hawaiian island offers a wide range of experiences for visitors. You can surf, enjoy a meal on the beach at a five-star luxury resort in Wailea, ride a horse across a dormant volcano in Haleakala National Park , or hike through a rainforest in the West Maui Mountains. The natural scenery is amazing-it's truly one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

When it comes to accommodation, there is something for everyone here, from rustic hippie bungalow bed and breakfasts to five-star luxury resort hotels . Wailea has all the luxury resorts-it's like the beachfront Beverly Hills of Maui. If you're staying here, be sure to venture out and spend some time in Kihei, where the locals hang out.

• Top Attractions & Places to Visit in Maui
• Best Beaches on Maui

Highlights : Wild animals in their natural environment, luxury safari lodges

Kenya's Masai Mara is an incredible bio-diverse area and a popular safari destination. It's an opportunity to see the "big five" animals (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo) all during one trip or, if you're lucky, during one afternoon.

The protected Masai Mara National Reserve park area is huge, with over 1,500 square kilometers of mainly grassland, extending all the way to the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania. The popular times to visit are during the twice-yearly migrations, the main ones being in July and August. Over a million wildebeest and other animals cross the area in huge groups to go from one feeding area to another. Most visitors fly into Nairobi , then take a small bush plane to the Mara.

• Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Kenya
• Best Game Reserves in Africa

Highlights : Amazing natural sights in one easy-to-visit country

With its striking natural beauty , friendly citizens, and recent popularity due to its use as the filming location for the Lord of the Rings films (as well as many others), this island nation is one of the world's great places to visit. The biodiversity here is amazing — it's believed New Zealand was one of the last places on Earth to have human inhabitants.

Start your visit off in Auckland , with its culture, history, and museums. Spend some time on the water and at the beach — Waitemata Harbour has beaches, along with a range of sailing and boating activities.

Visit the Rotorua area to learn about and experience Indigenous Maori culture and head to Queenstown to experience the country's wide range of outdoor extreme action sports. Remember, this is where bungee jumping was invented.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in New Zealand

Highlights : Shopping in the bazaars, the Blue Mosque, and Hagia Sophia are not to be missed

Turkey's capital city is another destination that offers a great mix of culture, food, and history. There are thousands of years of history here, starting with Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans and leading up through the Ottoman Empire.

There's a mix of the new and the timeless here unlike anywhere else. You can spend the day shopping and the night at a wonderful restaurant eating great Turkish food and dancing to Turkish music, then rise (very early) in the morning to the sound of the Ezan or morning Islamic call to prayer. It echoes across the rooftops as it's broadcast from loudspeakers set atop the minarets of the city's mosques.

Istanbul has excellent public transit, which means it's easy to get around and explore all the major sites and monuments. Must-see places include the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia , and Topkapi Palace.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Istanbul

Highlights : A stunning ancient jungle city with hundreds of intricately constructed temples

Located just outside the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is the largest religious site in the world. Angkor Wat is Cambodia's top tourist attraction.

It was created originally as a Hindu temple and mausoleum for the Khmer ruler in the early part of the 12 th century and was converted to a Buddhist temple at the end of the 12 th century. Just part of an enormous ancient city. Angkor Wat is the temple area, and Angor Thom was the city and palace area. There are hundreds of other ruin sites in the area, all part of the ancient capital of Angkor.

Siem Reap and its temples and ruins are now very easily accessible via daily flights from Hong Kong and other large Asian cities. Accommodations range from inexpensive guesthouses to lavish luxury resorts, with everything in between.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Siem Reap

Highlights : Tropical beaches, volcano hikes, ancient temples, and friendly people

The tropical Indonesian island of Bali is a lush, tropical destination that should not be missed. A bit of everything can be found here, from towering volcanoes and sun-kissed shores to lush jungles complete with mischievous monkeys.

Add in the cultural aspect of vibrant temples and the friendly Balinese people, it becomes very easy to spend longer here than you may have planned. Bali has a long list of interesting things to do including rice terrace tours, volcano climbs, surfing lessons, and handicraft markets.

In the evening, enjoy the delights of Balinese dining with a tasty plate of Nasi Goreng or satay followed up by the rhythmic beats of a Kecak dance performance.

Highlights : History, architecture, dining, and world-class shopping

This historic English city is another destination just filled with incredible places to visit. A trip to London is an opportunity to visit iconic places like the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace , and the Tower of London .

Take advantage of the city being a cultural center as well by seeing a West End theater show or watching a musical performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Modern London is also a city of fine dining, luxury hotels, and world-class shopping.

Don't miss the museums, the vast British Museum is free, and usually quite crowded. Make time to visit The Wallace Collection , a free museum on Oxford Street. It has one of the world's greatest collections of furniture and porcelain, along with some important Old Master paintings.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in London

Highlights : Shopping, dining, Broadway shows, museums, and the Statue of Liberty

One of the five boroughs of New York City, Manhattan is actually an island, bordered by the East River and the Hudson (and a little bit by the Harlem River). This island is a bit less than 23 square miles and is home to almost two million residents. Add in the daily influx of workers, and the island routinely holds close to four million people.

No other city in the world offers the frenetic energy of New York City. It's filled with the world's best shopping and dining, along with incredible museums .

Manhattan also has a giant green heart, Central Park . No matter the season, it provides a playground for the city's residents, offering a range of activities from museums to a zoo. There's also a lot of green space where you can play and relax, along with miles of running, biking, and skating trails. You can also enjoy plenty of things to do in winter in NYC , from skating and sipping hot chocolate, to shopping and Broadway shows.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in New York City

Highlights : Dining, shopping, the Eiffel Tower, museums, Seine River cruises

No visit to the French capital is complete without a trip to and a trip up its most iconic structure. The 300-meter-tall Eiffel Tower was quite simply, the tallest man-made structure in the world, from its opening in 1889 for 41 years until 1930.

Use your visit as a stair workout and climb the 300 steps from ground level to the first of three levels on the tower. If you're in great shape, climb another 300 steps to the second level. Then hop on the elevator here to get to the top. Aside from the workout, you'll also skip most of the crowd who want to take the elevator the whole way.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Paris

Highlights : Notre Dame Cathedral, historic Old Town and waterfront, delightful dining options

As you listen to the sound of French being spoken around you and explore Old Montreal , wandering down its narrow cobblestone streets-you might think you're in France. The historic area is filled with quaint shops and cafés; this Canadian city can be a chance to experience a bit of Europe in North America.

The city also has a thriving food scene, with several popular farmers' markets, including the Atwater Market and the Jean Talon Market. It's also known for its bagels, cooked hot and fresh by several iconic must-visit bakeries.

Be sure to visit the beautiful Notre-Dame Basilica and take a drive up to Mount Royal, the big hill (or low mountain) the city is named after. You'll be rewarded with some amazing views extending all the way to the port.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Montreal

Highlights : The iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, historic streetcars

San Francisco is a truly unique American city and one of the world's great vacation spots. Explore its hills, ride the cable cars that climb them, and eat some seafood at Fisherman's Wharf . Also spend some time exploring Marin County on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge , including the picturesque town of Sausalito . The giant redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument are only 30 minutes away and also well worth a side trip.

Be sure to also make time for a visit to or even better, a drive across, the Golden Gate Bridge. This monument to modern engineering genius spans the strait that connects San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The almost two-mile-long, six-lane bridge connects the Northern California city with Marin County.

Opened in 1937, the bridge has a unique, geometric beauty and can be viewed from many areas on either side of its span. Some of the best views are from the Marin Headlands, a hilly part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a national park that includes areas on either side of the bridge.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in San Francisco

Highlights : Old walled city, shopping in the bazaars, and a sensory overload

Start your Marrakech adventure in the Jemaa el-Fnaa , the main, open square in the Moroccan city. It's the gateway to the medina or old walled city. The square is like nowhere else in the world, presenting a constant show of humanity. There are musical performers, snake charmers, monkey trainers, amateur boxing matches, and transvestite belly dancers.

It's also a giant food market, as well as a giant antique market and swap meet. You can even get a haircut or have some dental work performed. At night, there are fire performers, and an outdoor food fair is set up in the center, with rows of food stalls fronted by counters lined with chairs.

This exotic African destination is only a short flight (usually less than four hours) from most major European cities. As a popular getaway destination, there are frequent flights available. Accommodations range from riads , traditional houses remade into luxury boutique hotels in the medina to five-star luxury resorts just outside the city in an area called La Palmeraie.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Marrakesh

Highlights : Incredible 500-year-old walled city with historic 19th-century architecture and some of Colombia's best dining

Colorful Cartagena, one of the great historical Spanish cities of the Caribbean, pulses with life along the north coast of Colombia. Founded in 1533, its old walled city has seen its fortunes rise and fall through the centuries and has more recently experienced a resurgence and revitalization.

Significant restoration of the old city has resulted in once-dilapidated 16th-century buildings springing back to life as modern, yet historical hotels, world-class restaurants, and shops. Wander through the narrow city streets to see an impressive church, an open plaza with public works of art, or an eclectic shop selling that perfect souvenir.

Be sure to wander along the ancient city walls, and as you watch the sunset over the ocean, think back to what life used to be like here nearly 500 years ago.

It's easy to get to Cartagena from the United States, with daily flights from Miami and good connections through Panama City. This is the perfect destination for an exotic long weekend getaway from almost anywhere in North America.

Read More: Top-Rated Attractions & Things to Do in Cartagena, Colombia

Highlights : White-sand beaches, rugged mountains, luxury resorts, island adventures

Off the coast of northwestern Africa are a delightful chain of islands that should be on every sun-seeker's to-do list. The Canary Islands are all a bit different from one another, allowing the intrepid traveler to have four or even five (or more), experiences in one trip.

The Canary Islands are especially known for their beaches. Stunning white-sand beaches washed by crystal-clear waters are among the best beaches in Spain . Many people come here to stay at the multitude of luxury resorts that line the waterfront, and rarely venture off the property.

Those that have a taste for adventure will find towering volcanoes, stunning hiking trails, towering pine forests, and authentic old towns dating back to the time of Christopher Columbus.

Some of the most popular islands are Tenerife , Gran Canaria , Lanzarote , and Fuerteventura . Each of these offers its own unique experience and landscape.

Highlights : Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor, skyscrapers, Victoria Peak views, awesome dining

Asia's largest city can feel like an Asian Manhattan, with giant skyscrapers in a compact area and a serious focus on business. But venture deeper, and you'll find the city's unique mix of ancient Chinese culture and remnants of its British Colonial history as well. Gleaming skyscrapers are built with hand-assembled bamboo scaffolding in a fusion of new and old.

The city is divided into two main sections: Hong Kong Island and Kowloon , separated by Victoria Harbour . Take the Star Ferry across the harbor, still one of the great travel bargains, given the spectacular scenery on both sides. You can also venture into the more rural areas to discover the sparsely populated Outlying Islands , hiking trails , and beautiful beaches .

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Hong Kong

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

More Great Places to Visit Around the World: If you are heading to Europe, be sure to see our guides to the best places to visit in France , Italy , and Portugal . Our lists of best places to visit in Scotland and Ireland will also point you in the right direction in these countries. For ideas on where to go in America, see our recommendations for the best places to visit in the United States .

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The 17 Best Countries to Visit in Europe

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It’s no secret Europe is an appealing continent for country-hopping. Once you’re there, cycle-friendly streets, extensive train systems, and relatively cheap inter-country flights make it highly accessible. Scenery wise, Europe has everything from snowy mountains, lush forests, and glittering beaches to ultra-modern cities, medieval villages, and Neolithic structures. Wherever you go, you can just as easily spend your time immersed in local history, art, and architecture as you can lingering over a four-hour meal, wandering cobblestone streets, or dancing the night (or day) away.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in planning a trip to Europe is deciding where to go. To make it a little easier, we’ve put together a guide to our favorite places. The first nine are the obvious contenders; there’s a reason why these countries are frequently talked about—they’re easily reachable, they’re well-adjusted to tourists, and they feature a wide range of activities, experiences, and landscapes. The remaining eight countries represent equally great options for something similar but slightly more off the beaten path (for non-European tourists, at least). Whichever you choose, you'll find something for every type of traveler.

United Kingdom

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With four separate countries—England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland— the U.K . offers a taste of European diversity. From mountains, lakes, and valleys (like the Mourne Mountains , Snowdonia National Park , and the Scottish Highlands ) to rocky coastlines, rolling hills, and pebble-strewn beaches (like Seven Sisters , the Lake District , and the Pembrokeshire Coast ), it’s a hiker’s paradise. Beyond its natural wonders, the U.K. also boasts lots of lively, inclusive cities packed with bustling literary and expat scenes, LGBTQIA+ history, some of Europe’s best comedy, music, and drag festivals, and a culture centered around food and drink.

Whether you’re exploring some of the world’s best cocktail bars or restaurants in Barcelona and Madrid , lounging in the turquoise waters of the Costa Brava or Tenerife , browsing the art of Bilbao , or marveling at the medieval architecture of Seville or Toledo, one thing unites all of Spain —its warm, welcoming people. Known for closing shops to eat lunch with loved ones and later chatting for hours over pintxos and wine at dinner, Spaniards make time to appreciate life and its simple pleasures, and that energy is delightfully contagious. Solo travelers especially will never feel alone here.

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Contrary to Hollywood portrayals, France is more than high-end fashion, delicious pastries, and top-quality wine—though of course those are prevalent. While you can easily live out your ritzy cinematic montage via shopping on the Champs-Élysées , sunbathing on wind-swept piers in the French Riviera , or touring chateaux in wine country, the affordable ways of experiencing French culture are what make it special. Most museums offer free or discounted hours, cabarets often have cheaper performance nights, some of the best meals come from Paris street vendors or Aix-en-Provence markets, and five euro grocery store wine is better than most table wines.

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Whether you’re traveling solo, with friends, with a partner, or with family, Italy has something for everyone. You can have a city break filled with art and shopping in Milan or Florence or immerse yourself in harrowing history in Pompeii . You can relax on white sand beaches in Sardinia or the Amalfi Coast . You can have an action-packed skiing trip or hiking trip. Whatever you choose to do, there is one thing you can and should explore everywhere, at every opportunity: the country's food and wine scene. Local cooking classes from the village nonna are especially fun.

Although Iceland is slightly harder to reach and could get overcrowded at popular spots like The Blue Lagoon , once you’re here, any hassle is forgotten. There are so many jaw-dropping waterfalls , glaciers , mountains , caves , and hot springs everywhere you look that you’ll forget you’re still on Earth. If you road trip (or travel by horse ) around the Ring Road that circles Iceland’s perimeter, you can also branch off to lesser travelled lava rock fields, fjords, and potential Northern Lights viewing spots. For an extra dose of Icelandic magic scenery, keep an eye out for elf walks .

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An excellent choice for nature lovers, history buffs, and partiers alike is Greece . Islands like Santorini , Crete , and Mykonos attract the most visitors and press, but there are literally hundreds of inhabited islands made for hiking, snorkeling, and dancing in the sun. If you prefer city life on the mainland, Athens is the heart of Ancient Greek history with modern levels of fine-dining and nightlife, and Thessaloniki is rich in Byzantine art and international festivals. To combine history and art all in one experience, visit during the brief public opening times of Ancient Greek theaters to catch a play. 

Jakob Radlgruber / EyeEm / Getty Images

With long, dark winter nights and long, bright summer days, Sweden is prime territory for Northern Lights viewing and Midsummer celebrations, but its friendly locals, buzzy student population, and inviting bakeries make it entertaining year-round. Stockholm is a great gateway city, as it has everything you’d want from an urban hub—museums, restaurants, nightclubs, and a distinct mix of architectural styles—plus easy access to day trips , farther afield Swedish cities, and the equally appealing neighboring countries of Norway and Finland. Always make time to enjoy fika , a daily social hour with friends over coffee and pastries like kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns).

Known for its breweries , meat-heavy meals, exclusive nightclubs and festivals , and eclectic art scene, Germany is often seen as a hipster’s paradise or the perfect backdrop to a rowdy night out. While it is both of those things—especially Cologne with its university life and Berlin with its extensive street food, street art, and prevalence of eerie abandoned spaces—it’s also a country with impressive architecture, meandering scenic drives , an appreciation for literature , kid-friendly attractions, some of the best Christmas markets in Europe, and a strong commitment to remembering its darker history . 

The Netherlands

Most people associate the Netherlands with three Ws: windmills, waterways, and weed. While it’s difficult to go anywhere without encountering at least one of those—and you should wander canals and frolic in tulip-covered fields—it’s home to more than just natural and “herbal” beauty. The first country to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, the Netherlands is a welcoming place for LGBTQIA+ visitors and hosts queer-celebratory festivals, performances, and events throughout the year. It’s also edam gouda destination for cheese aficionados, with dedicated cheese museums in Amsterdam and traditional medieval cheese markets easily accessible from the capital city.

Evan Schiller/Courtesy of Ballybunion Golf Club

If dramatic scenery and its culturally-ingrained love of alcohol attract you to the U.K., Ireland has both—plus even greener landscapes and even kinder locals. You’ll pay steeply in Dublin, especially for attractions like the Guinness Storehouse , but its unique architecture , literary heritage, and theater scene are worth the coin. The best way to see the country, though, is to drive along the western coastline via the Wild Atlantic Way . Accommodation ranges from homestays to full-on castles , and you can traipse woodland waterfalls , befriend Connemara horses, hike the Cliffs of Moher , and hear live music in Galway along the way.

Take everything great about Spain while subtracting the heftier crowds and costs, and you'll get Portugal . In addition to wine and sangria, you can sip on local drinks like port, ginjinha (sour cherry liquor), and vinho verde (green wine) for a few euros a glass, plus intercity train travel and rideshare apps are often cheaper than the bus. Approachability is a big plus, but the highlights are river tours around Porto and the Douro Valley , sampling pastel de nata (egg custard tarts) and pão de deus (coconut bread) in Lisbon , exploring fairytale castles of Sintra , and hopping beaches and coves along the Algarve .

Switzerland

Manuta/Getty Images

As with France, people often associate Switzerland with elaborate indulgences, like fancy ski resorts , the wealthy city of Geneva , and internationally acclaimed dining . While no trip to Switzerland would be complete without a surplus of fondue and chocolate, some of the best experiences in the country are found outside its cities. Hiking and skiing around its lakes , mountains, and parks will give you the chance to get up close and personal with its natural charm, but you don’t even have to be an active traveler to partake: there are also many ways to catch the views by train .

This central European country shares more than just a border with Italy: it also shares a passion for local wines, truffle-laden pastas, mountaintop skiing, and lakeside castles and hiking—and all at a fraction of the price. Capital city, vegetarian-friendly Ljubljana, is completely walkable, with lots of meandering canals and small farmers’ and flea markets even on the coldest of days. If you head to Slovenia’s most popular lake—Lake Bled—during the off season, you can avoid touristy beach parties and instead enjoy a virtually uninterrupted view of crisp, turquoise water shimmering beneath the mountains.

Faroe Islands

It’s hard to find unspoiled nature, but the Faroe Islands get pretty close. Located between Iceland and Norway, this remote sovereign nation offers the same rugged, otherworldly landscapes as its neighbors, but with significantly less foot, car, and boat traffic. If you’re more of an indoor cat, you may want to give this trip a skip, but otherwise suit up with layers and waterproof gear and get ready to fall in love with puffins. Stay with a local if you can—it’s more traditional, more affordable, and you’ll learn more about respecting the ecosystems around you.

Much like Greece, Croatia can impress steadfast city-breakers as much as die-hard nature-chasers. From summer festivals in Split and Dubrovnik to dedicated booze-cruise boats that take you to islands like Hvar and Brač, it has plenty of opportunities to indulge hedonistic tendencies. Equally prominent, though, are chances to rejuvenate on more remote islands , plan a leisurely food crawl , or hike through forest, mountains, and waterfalls at national parks like Krka or Plitvice Lakes .

Czech Republic

If Germany’s castles, scenic road trips, and literary appreciation are as appealing as its vast quantities of alcohol, the Czech Republic offers all of the above but with smaller crowds and, especially outside its capital, significantly lower costs. With its Franz Kafka museum, striking Jewish quarter, and black light theater performances as well as its thriving restaurant , nightlife , and absinthe scenes, Prague is definitely worth a visit, but make sure to take advantage of the extensive domestic train system to take day trips or spend time elsewhere to see some of its best architecture, World War II history, and wine and beer producers.

If you can’t decide whether to go to France, Germany, or the Netherlands, Belgium has elements of all three. It has the excellent chocolate of France, the impressive range of architecture like Germany, and the walkable, canal-filled cities like the Netherlands. Plus, the Belgians are the inventor of frites . The bilingual capital of Brussels is an ideal gateway to other cities and neighboring countries, and with its diplomatic ties, it also offers a great cultural melting pot. Eat at least one meal in Matongé, its African quarter, before traveling out to other cities like Antwerp or Bruges .

Useful Maps of Europe for Planning a Trip

May in Eastern Europe: Weather, What to Pack, and What to See

September in Europe: Weather, What to Pack, and What to See

Fall in Eastern Europe: Weather, What to Pack, and What to See

Before You Go Backpacking in Europe

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Norway's National Independence Celebrated on Constitution Day

Can a Eurail Pass Save You Money in Eastern Europe?

Is It Safe in Europe?

What to Know Before You Travel to the Baltic Region

The Best 17 Places to Visit in Switzerland

Is It Safe to Travel to Europe?

Low Countries in Northwestern Europe

Planning Your Motorhome Vacation in Europe

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November in Europe: Weather, What to Pack, and What to See

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Sample Answer: 

“In my inquisitive mind, I want to see every place on the planet, but I won’t be able to do so because I don’t have an endless supply of money or all the time in the world. So, to put my goals into perspective, I want to visit at least 5 to 6 countries in the next few years, with Switzerland being at the top of my list.

Switzerland is unquestionably one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, and I’m awestruck by the sheer grandeur of the wide-green plains and snow-capped mountains I’ve seen on TV and in publications. One of my schoolmates used to live there with her family, and it was because of her that I became interested in this country. I’ve heard stories of her mountain skiing, fascinating excursions in the countryside, and fabulous cuisines. Despite the fact that they are merely stories and experiences, they piqued my interest in how gorgeous the country would be and how much I would like to explore it.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in Switzerland in the middle of next year. My parents have previously heard about my plans, and they are fine with me going with one of my close friends. As a result, I may travel to this country known for its celestial beauty, delectable chocolates, and beautiful watches with Elizabeth, who also wishes to travel to Switzerland with me.

Visiting Switzerland, I suppose, would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It will provide fascinating and thrilling adventures while also allowing me to realize my dreams. I’ve also learned and heard a lot about incomparable Swiss timepieces and Swiss people’s punctuality, which I’d like to see for myself. While in Switzerland, I’d like to take in the gorgeous scenery, culture, gastronomy, and other sights that the country has to offer.”

Follow-up Question :

1. Who do you prefer to go with when traveling, family or friends?

“It depends. I think that there are places where I want to be with my family whereas there are also places where I would prefer to be with my friends instead. Since my parents are devoted Christians and have strong religious beliefs, let’s say I would go to Israel or The Vatican, I would prefer to be with them.

On the other hand, if I want to go to Africa and explore the wildlife there, I would rather be with my friends.”

2. Lots of countries now do not accept unvaccinated travelers, do you think that’s fair? 

“Yes, I think it’s only fair. I mean if you think allowing unvaccinated travelers into your country is a threat, because of the current situation, then it is up to that country’s prerogative who to allow and who not to allow entrance.“ 

Another Sample: Describe a country you would like to visit (Japan)

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Student Opinion

Where in the World Would You Most Like to Travel?

By Michael Gonchar

• Jan. 12, 2017

“There are thousands of getaways to explore this year. Here are some ideas to get you started.”

Thus begins this year’s Travel section’s Places to Go issue . Even if you don’t have any big travel plans to venture further than your home city or state this year, it’s hard not to look at this list — and the photos and videos within — and not get inspired.

Dubrovnik, Croatia? Marrakesh, Morocco? Great Barrier Reef, Australia? Which destination on this year’s list would you most want to visit? Why?

In past years the Travel section has generally selected cities, like Rio de Janeiro (2013) or Cape Town (2014), or relatively small nations like Panama (2012) or Sri Lanka (2010), to hold the annual list’s No. 1 spot. This year they picked a huge country: Canada.

Canada is huge — the second-largest country by area. It’s also a world unto itself, with cosmopolitan cities, barely explored natural wonders and everything in between. And this is the year to visit: In honor of the 150th anniversary of its confederation, when the original colonies came together as one country, Canada is rolling out the welcome mat. All of the country’s more than 200 national parks and historic sites are offering free admission through the year, from the turquoise lakes and mountain peaks of Banff in Alberta to the rolling dunes and red sandstone cliffs of Prince Edward Island along the Atlantic Coast to the newest reserve, the glacial-rounded Mealy Mountains in Labrador. Meanwhile, in the capital, Ottawa, a full year of celebration is planned ; more events will be on offer in Montreal, which turns 375 . And did we mention the exchange rate? A weak Canadian dollar means American travelers get more for their money. So 2017 offers an ideal time to go north.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us:

— Which of these places seems most appealing to you? Why?

— Where in the world would you most like to visit if money were not an issue?

— Where is the best place you’ve ever traveled, whether half the globe away or a neighboring town or state? Why?

— What do you look for when thinking about where you’d like to travel? Are you more excited by cities or nature? Adventure or peace and quiet? Nightlife or daytime activities? Going somewhere new or revisiting old places you’ve always loved?

— If you wanted to pitch your local area to Times editors for next year’s list, what sentence or two could you write to make people want to visit?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Published on February 15, 2022 by English Proficiency Editorial Team

IELTS Cue Card Sample Question – Describe a Country that You Want to Visit

One of the areas where you should focus your time and attention while studying for the IELTS test is the ‘cue card’ component, often known as the IELTS Speaking Part 2 . It is a must that you maximize your time because this component of the test is only two minutes long. 

We have included sample responses to the cue card topic ‘Describe a country that you want to visit ‘ in this article. Continue reading to learn more.

What is the IELTS Cue Card Question?

How to answer this specific question: “describe a country that you want to visit”, sample response 1: , sample response 2:, vocabulary list to answer the question: “describe a country that you want to visit”.

You will be presented with a task card on a specific topic in the second portion of the IELTS Speaking Test . The subject of your speech is written on this card, which is also known as the ‘cue card.’

This section of the IELTS Speaking Test allows you to talk about a topic for a longer period of time. You have one minute to prepare to speak on the cue card’s topic. You will be provided a pencil and paper to take notes with.

After your speech, the examiner might ask you one or two follow-up questions about the same topic. The IELTS Cue Card component takes about 3-4 minutes to complete.

Topic/ Question

Describe a Country that You Want to Visit

Guidelines to answer this question

You should say:

• What country this is
• How you know about this country
• When you plan to visit this country

And explain why you want to go to this country.

• Think of a country that you have been intending to visit. It could be any country. However, you have to make sure that you have enough knowledge about this country so you would have a lot to discuss and share later on. 
• The moment you have a country in mind, stick to it and start writing down notes. Remember that you have only a minute to prepare. 
• Take notes on what country it is and in which continent it is located. Include how you come to know about the country and the things that make it appealing and interesting to you.
• Remember to mention too when you plan to go there. Bear in mind that you should not write sentences, just keywords and phrases. 
• Employ sophisticated vocabulary. Form complex grammar structures as well. These will help you get a high mark in this part of the test. 
• Write quickly but ensure your handwriting is understandable, by you. The examiner will not mark you based on what and you write on the paper but by how you discuss the topic. 
• From time to time, do take a look at the notes you have written to ensure that you cover everything. It is fine. You do not get deductions if you do so. 

Sample Responses: “Describe a Country that You Want to Visit”

“In my inquisitive mind, I want to see every place on the planet, but I won’t be able to do so because I don’t have an endless supply of money or all the time in the world. So, to put my goals into perspective, I want to visit at least 5 to 6 countries in the next few years, with Switzerland being at the top of my list.

Switzerland is unquestionably one of the most beautiful countries on the planet, and I’m awestruck by the sheer grandeur of the wide-green plains and snow-capped mountains I’ve seen on TV and in publications. One of my schoolmates used to live there with her family, and it was because of her that I became interested in this country. I’ve heard stories of her mountain skiing, fascinating excursions in the countryside, and fabulous cuisines. Despite the fact that they are merely stories and experiences, they piqued my interest in how gorgeous the country would be and how much I would like to explore it.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in Switzerland in the middle of next year. My parents have previously heard about my plans, and they are fine with me going with one of my close friends. As a result, I may travel to this country known for its celestial beauty, delectable chocolates, and beautiful watches with Elizabeth, who also wishes to travel to Switzerland with me.

Visiting Switzerland, I suppose, would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. It will provide fascinating and thrilling adventures while also allowing me to realize my dreams. I’ve also learned and heard a lot about incomparable Swiss timepieces and Swiss people’s punctuality, which I’d like to see for myself. While in Switzerland, I’d like to take in the gorgeous scenery, culture, gastronomy, and other sights that the country has to offer.”

Follow-up Question 1:

Who do you prefer to go with when traveling, family or friends?

“It depends. I think that there are places where I want to be with my family whereas there are also places where I would prefer to be with my friends instead. Since my parents are devoted Christians and have strong religious beliefs, let’s say I would go to Israel or The Vatican, I would prefer to be with them.

On the other hand, if I want to go to Africa and explore the wildlife there, I would rather be with my friends.”

Follow-up Question 2:

Lots of countries now do not accept unvaccinated travelers, do you think that’s fair? 

“Yes, I think it’s only fair. I mean if you think allowing unvaccinated travelers into your country is a threat, because of the current situation, then it is up to that country’s prerogative who to allow and who not to allow entrance. “  

“Life drives us to areas we don’t want to go, whether we like it or not. Nevertheless, there are instances when we simply feel compelled to visit a specific location/country in order to improve our awareness, understanding, and respect for a country and its culture about which we already have a decent understanding. When you hear about a nation like Japan from your father so often as a child, you know it’s worth seeing at least once in your life. I intend to visit this wonderful country next year. 

Japan is an East Asian country. This lovely country is located in the Pacific Ocean, off the eastern coast of the Asian continent. So, why would I want to go to Japan? I could definitely come up with thousands of answers to answer the question, such as how Japan is probably one of the most exceptional countries in the world because of its modern comfort, rich history, and culture is a perfect blend, but that doesn’t exactly capture how one should perceive Japan as a country. I could mention hundreds of words describing the delectable Japanese cuisines, but it would still fall short of portraying Japan in its real light. We can claim that Japan has some of the most beautiful buildings because of Mount Fuji, but it doesn’t begin to describe what Japan has to give the rest of the world. We could also claim that Japan is undoubtedly the world’s most resilient country because it withstood the most awful and destructive repercussions of WWII, but that still doesn’t tell much about this amazing country. Japan arguably has the world’s most beautiful cherry blossoms.

I hope to be able to visit this country next year, as it is somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve never been to a snowy country before so this is a fantastic chance for me.”

What climate do you prefer, tropical or temperate? Why? 

Response: “ I think that having a tropical and temperate climate has its advantages and disadvantages. Living in a tropical country does not need a lot of adjustments when it comes to the change in climate in a year because the temperature is pretty much the same. Living in a temperate climate on the other hand is completely different. The variations in temperature are drastic and people need a lot of adjustments to adapt.”

Here are some words in the sample responses for the cue card topic ‘ Describe a country you want to visit.’ with their meanings and sample sentences for your reference. 

Additional Reading — IELTS Speaking Cue Card Questions

• Describe a Person You Admire
• Describe Your Best Friend
• Describe Someone Famous that You Want to Meet
• Describe a Person Who You Think is a Good Leader
• Describe a Neighbor You Like
• Describe a Place You Want to Travel Next
• Describe a Historical Place that You Have Been to
• Describe a Place You and Your Friend Went to Recently
• Describe a Place Where You Spend Most of Your Free Time
• Describe a Gift that You Have Received Recently
• Describe an Item of Clothing that You Bought for Someone
• Describe a Piece of Art that You Want to Buy
• Describe Something that You Recently Lost
• Describe a Vehicle that You Want to Buy
• Describe an Activity that You Find Enjoyable
• Describe a Place Where You Love to Shop
• Describe an Event that You Recently Attended
• Describe One of the Busiest Days of Your Life
• Describe a Hobby that You Do with Your Family
• Describe a Difficult Decision that You Made
• Describe a Time When You Felt Lucky
• Describe the First Time You Had a Mobile Phone
• Describe a Time When You Helped a Stranger
• Describe a Time When You Tried to Do Something but Weren’t Successful
• Describe Your Favorite Teacher
• Describe Your Favorite Subject in School
• Describe a Situation that Made You Upset
• Describe a Time When You Had an Argument with Someone
• Describe One of the Happiest Travels You Ever Had
• Describe an Incident When You Got Scared
• Describe a Time When You Felt Relieved
• Describe a Workaholic Person You Know
• Describe an Interesting Course You Took
• Describe a Time When Someone at Work Gave You a Compliment
• Describe a Quiet Place at School Where You Like Spending Your Free Time
• Describe a Time When Something Unfortunate Happened at Work

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More From Forbes

The 22 best places to travel around the world in 2022: where to go next.

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Where to travel in 2022? What are the best places to travel during Covid? Where should I travel next? These are the questions that everyone is asking now that international travel is coming back to life, thanks to the loosening of travel restrictions in many destinations around the world and a pent-up demand for all those far-flung vacations that were put on hold during the pandemic. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council , travel numbers will reach pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the CEO of Expedia predicts that this summer will be the busiest travel season ever and the airlines are encountering unparalleled demand.

Note: This story is from 2022. To read about the best places to travel right now, see “The 23 Best Places To Travel Around The World In 2023, Chosen By The Experts”

Every year, I round up the best places to visit. This year, in honor of Women’s History Month in March, I tapped into a handful of women travel experts and influencers to find out the destinations that they have on their radar around the globe for 2022. The choices for where to go in 2022 range from cutting-edge urban capitals to dreamy Caribbean islands to African destinations worthy of a bucket-list vacation.

Tanzania—one of the best places to travel in 2022.

One thing to remember, though: The world is still in a state of flux. So if you’re planning a trip anywhere these days, you should check travel restrictions for the destination you are hoping to visit and consider warnings from the State Department and the CDC . And even if you decide not to plan a trip right now, consider this your ultimate travel bucket list for 2022—and beyond.

Want to stay closer to home? For more ideas of where to travel in America, check out “The 22 Best Places To Travel In The U.S. In 2022.”

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Best covid-19 travel insurance plans, best places to travel in 2022: mexico.

Overlooking Mexico City.

Where to Go: Mexico City

Chosen By: Nneya Richards is a speaker and travel blogger at ’N A Perfect World , a curated intersection of travel, food, fashion and geopolitics inspired by the global-citizen lifestyle of the millennial. Nneya aims to empower young people, especially those of color, to travel, as she believes it is through exploring the world that we will bridge cultural gaps and misunderstandings.

Why: A long time destination for notable creatives like Joan Didion and Jack Kerouac, Mexico City is experiencing a resurgence on the travel scene in 2022 with in-the-know travelers flocking there for its vibrant food, art and nightlife. “Mexico City is the kind of place you visit once and immediately start planning how you’re going to relocate,” says Richards. “While Americans have continued going to Mexico during the pandemic, travel has been more escapism. People looked to get away from city life when they traveled. Nightlife, restaurants, theatre, the pulses of cities were shuttered. As the world re-emerges, Mexico City has this in spades.”

One of the best places to visit in the city, Bosque Chapultepec is undergoing a major renovation this year. “President Obrador is hoping to make it the biggest and largest cultural center in the world, adding an aquatic center, skate parks and updating the soccer fields,” says Richards.

When it comes to travel in Mexico City, Richards recommends taking a Xochimilco floating gardens tour . “You might think the colorful music and booze-filled rides through the canals of the Xochimilco floating gardens only attract tourists—but you’d be wrong,” she says. “When I posted on my insta-stories, friends from Mexico City replied, “Yes! That’s the way to do Mexico City!”

Also on her radar: a hot air balloon over the Teotihuacan pyramids and a Temazcal ritual performed by a shamana in your hotel. “Life in Mexico City seems to really be lived, composed of a series of once-in-a-lifetime experiences that become a way of living,” says Richards. “As a New Yorker, I get it. Bucket-list living.”

Best Places to Travel in 2022: The Caribbean

A rooftop pool at the O2 Beach Club & Spa in Barbados.

Where to Go: Barbados

Chosen By: Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, founder of Jet Set Sarah , where travel, fitness and style meet.

Why: “I love Barbados (I’m half Bajan),” says Greaves-Gabbadon. “I am looking forward to returning in 2022 to enjoy some familiar favorites (a fish cutter from Cuz's food truck on Pebbles Beach is definitely a priority) and new-to-me places such as the O2 Beach Club & Spa .”

The South Coast of Barbados is traditionally known for barefoot hotels, but now this gorgeous region is seeing a spike in luxe hotels and restaurants, including the Sea Breeze Beach House, Sandals Barbados and O2 Beach Club, where you'll find three pools (including one of the only rooftop pools on the island), six dining experiences, seven bars, a teen lounge and a spa with panoramic ocean views. The resort tapped Caribbean designer Michelle Leotaud to give 02 a true sense of place.

The South Coast’s culinary scene is buzzing, too. The open-air Worthing Square Food Garden is a new street food hall with live music and 20 pop-ups serving global flavors from sushi to jerk. Foodies can also head to new Buzo for pizza, Cocktail Kitchen for light bites or Champers for waterside dining. New cocktail bars include Tabú, Mimosa , Chill Bar & Café and Tiki Bar, which has amazing sunset views. Also not to be missed: the beachfront Barbados Boardwalk , with pools and stunning views of the open sea.

Grenada's Grand Anse Beach.

Where to Go: Grenada

Chosen By: Diane Bair (@dianebairtravel), travel writer and author of more than two dozen books on travel, outdoor adventure, and wildlife.

Why: “My goal is to eventually visit every island in the Caribbean, but darn you, Grenada! You keep enticing me back,” says Bair. “Snapshot moments—like paddling a clear kayak in an aqua lagoon while nibbling a local chocolate bar—sum up what is amazing about this three-island nation.”

Bair says she encounters something new and terrific on every visit. “Besides the burgeoning bean-to-bar chocolate business (five chocolate factories), Grenada’s food scene is a vibrant mashup of fresh seafood and aromatic, locally grown nutmeg and other spices,” says Bair. Dining hotspots include The Aquarium , La Luna and Rhodes Restaurant . “Any foodie worth the label should discover Grenadian specialties, like oildown (a breadfruit stew with meat and coconut milk) and lambie (conch),” she says. “Sample those, and more, at the Dodgy Dock at True Blue Bay Resort , which feels like a lively island version of a church supper.”

Grenada will celebrate Spicemas 2022 (Carnival) this August, a sure sign that festivities are revving up again. And ferry service is once again available to Grenada’s sister islands Carriacou and Petit Martinique. Besides stellar beaches (Carriacou’s Paradise Beach was recently named best in the Caribbean), Grenada claims bragging rights to the first underwater sculpture park in the world. “Recently renovated, the park features 82 life-size sculptures, modeled after local people. Snorkeling or diving alongside them is always a joy,” says Bair. “Waterfalls and rainforest also make this destination a slam-dunk for me.”

If you’re inclined to add to your time in paradise with some feel good deeds, Grenada’s newly launched Voluntourism initiative is something to check out. And more good news: “Grenada’s Simple Stays program highlights 16 affordable accommodations, making it easy for more travelers to experience this incredible island,” says Bair.

Nneya Richards in Martinique—one of the top travel destinations for 2022.

Where to Go: Martinique

Why: “Do you guys look at Rihanna’s Crop Over looks every year and promise that one year you’ll do a Carnival? If you’re not quite bold enough for a full-on Crop Over and want to ease into Carnival life, head down to Martinique,” says Richards.

“This beautiful island’s annual Carnival is the perfect place for you and your tribe to do your first Carnival, as it’s the only one that’s really participatory: there are no barriers separating the spectators and marchers,” she says. “Everyone is encouraged to participate and everyone does.”

Martinique was recently named the top emerging destination in the world by Tripadvisor—and it’s no wonder. Beyond Carnival, travelers will love exploring Martinique’s verdant mountains and spectacular white and black sand beaches. Some big news for the island: UNESCO recently named the entire island a World Biosphere Reserve (the second UNESCO distinction for the island). Another tip from Richards: “This year JetBlue has well priced flights there.”

Best Places to Travel in 2022: Canada

A panorama along Bow River Parkway in Alberta's Banff National Park.

Where to Go: Alberta, Canada

Chosen By: California Chaney, global travel writer, DJ, photographer and editor at Fathom . Follow along on her travels at @californiastarchaney or californiachaney.com

Why: Alberta holds wonder around every bend and corner, from the spectacular Canadian Rockies to the Badlands to the culturally rich cities. Perfect for travelers with passions for learning and the expansive outdoors, Alberta offers a wide variety of festivals and museums, rich and interactive history, exquisite provincial parks, delicious cuisine with small batch spirits and an impressive number of daylight hours to maximize time. In early July, the sun rises before 5:30 and sets close to 10 p.m.

Explore the newly expanded Metis Crossing , an interpretive destination offering immersive and authentic Indigenous Métis experiences. For city culture, the Edmonton Queer History Project has launched its new interactive website and walking tours that map 27 historically significant landmarks. For those who like to travel slow, Vacations By Rail has routes through the Rockies and the cities. “It’s the most spectacular way to truly experience the Rocky Mountains and unplug while taking the scenic route, winding through the mountains and valleys with luxury sleeper cars, dinner on board and cozy nooks to get lost in the passing scenery,” says Chaney.

For adrenaline, cycle the windy and scenic Bow Valley Parkway between Banff and Lake Louise. Chaney also recommends taking a river tour with Urban River Adventures , which “leads trips to the secluded islands in the North Saskatchewan River with overnights in geodesic glamping tents.” Dine in a 360° Dome , surrounded by panoramic views of the Canadian Rockies and a 132-year-old castle or join a “ peak nic ”—part interpretive-guided hike, part backcountry cooking lesson and part gourmet picnic. Some other tips: “The Dark Sky Festival in the fall hosts under the illuminated sky,” says Chaney. “While the winter is all about being in the mountains, the summer is focused on Alberta’s bounty of cerulean-blue lakes and cascading rivers.”

Best Places to Travel in 2022: Central and South America

Peggy Bree in Huacachina, Peru.

Where to Go: Huacachina, Peru

Chosen By: Peggy Bree, a part-time digital nomad from Toronto, has been working remotely and traveling since she was 23. She is a remote project manager, podcast host of Branding Gems and the owner of Blank Room (find everything here ). Follow her on Instagram for her faith, digital nomad and brand/business life.

Why : Peru is known for Machu Picchu, but 200 miles south of Lima and 10 minutes from the busy city of Ica, you’ll find the latest place to explore: Huacachina, an arid coastal desert town that is home to the world’s second highest sand dune. “This is a new find that people should flock to when they think of Peru. A true oasis in the desert,” says Bree. “There is just no other place like this one—it’s a hidden gem of a find where I fell in awe of the change of scenery.”

Adventurers come here from all over the world to check out 3,860-foot Cerro Blanco’s desert thrills, from riding dune buggies to sand boarding. “The Jeep rides are so fun and adventurous. Imagine a wild ride with no roads and no set direction,” says Bree. “You can also just look over the desert in deep thought—whatever floats your boat. Personally, I had such a grand time just in reflection of how beautiful Huacachina is.”

Whatever you do, be sure to wake up early. “You’ll have the oasis to yourself before the tourists come,” says Bree. “The sunrise and sunset view is also a gem.”

Placencia beach in Belize.

Where to Go: Belize

Chosen By: Stephanie Vermillion , a travel journalist and photographer covering stories at the intersection of culture and adventure for publications like Outside Magazine, National Geographic and Travel + Leisure . Follow her work and adventures on Instagram .

Why: Home to mystical Maya sites, wondrous aquatic habitats and lush national parks, Belize is one of Central America’s most biodiverse countries, touting tropical jungles, wildlife reserves and cascading flora and fauna. “There’s a reason Belize is buzzing this year: new hotels like sustainable glamping oasis Hills and Valley promise the ultimate Central American immersion, while a host of new nonstop flights make getting here a breeze,” says Vermillion. “But these tourism additions are merely supporting characters in my ultimate reason to visit Belize right now: connection. It’s something we all crave after two odd years of paused travel; it’s also where Belize shines.”

“There’s connection to wildlife via dive and snorkel trips along the awe-striking Belize Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the second-largest coral reef system in the world. The new Marriott Autograph Collection property Alaia Belize , the country’s first and only luxury resort to offer PADI dive certification, gets you outside your comfort zone and into the heart of the Caribbean Sea action via its onsite dive shop,” she says.

The Belize Tourism Board is increasingly building pathways for travelers to connect with and support indigenous communities, especially on the southeast coast of Belize, where a blend of culture and adventure provides a perfect getaway for culture enthusiasts, thrill seekers and beach lovers. The charming laid-back villages and seaside communities of Dangria and Hopkins are the cultural heart and pride of the Garifuna people, who invite visitors to join in cultural dances and musical drums at Lebeha Drumming Center and delicious exotic foodie indulgences at the female-owned Tugucina Gloria . Belize is home to the world’s only jaguar preserve in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, spectacular jungle vistas, ziplining and waterfall rappelling in the Mayflower Bocawina National Park . And then there’s Placencia, the traditional Kriol (Creole) fishing village, which is known locally as “Barefoot Perfect.” It’s the ideal location to enjoy 16 miles of unspoiled beaches.

Galapagos sea lions sunbathing at the beach of Espanola island in the Galapagos Islands.

Where to Go: Ecuador

Chosen By: Katie Jackson has somehow made a living as a full-time travel writer since 2015 when an African safari turned into seven years of living out of a suitcase. In between trips, she can be found recuperating in Montana. She shares her adventures, and misadventures, on IG @katietalkstravel .

Why: In January, Jackson had the pleasure of sailing on Hurtigruten’s first Galapagos Islands expedition . “I returned with a newfound appreciation for wildlife, especially for birds, which I never thought would happen,” she says.

Also in January, the president of Ecuador established a new reserve that will triple the size of the Galapagos Islands’ protected area. It will extend all the way to Costa Rica, effectively creating a superhighway for fragile marine life. Among the unique species travelers can only see—or perhaps better said, encounter—in the islands are marine iguanas (the only seafaring iguanas), Galapagos tortoises (who can live to be 150 years old) and Darwin’s famous finches (essential to the theory of evolution).

“There’s nothing comparable to the thrill of snorkeling alongside utterly adorable—and equally playful—sea lions,” Jackson explains. “They were so curious and comfortable around us. One even hopped aboard our ship and tried to be a stowaway.”

Of course, mainland Ecuador—one of the most bio-diverse places on earth—is also worth checking out, whether your ideal destination involves volcanoes, rainforests, beaches or all three. Then there’s Quito, the first city to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated high in the Andes at an elevation of 9,350 feet, it’s also the highest constitutional capital in the world.

Jackson says she has heard phenomenal things from her travel writer friends about Mashpi Lodge : “It has won numerous industry awards and boasts a sky bike, an open-air cable car and a hummingbird garden.” She’s also eager to try Zazu —a Michelin-star worthy Relais & Chateaux restaurant in Quito. “The chef handpicks the fishermen he sources from and uses produce grown in his personal greenhouse.”

A pool at the Met Hotel in La Paz.

Where to Go: La Paz, Bolivia

Chosen By: Canela Ugalde, cofounder of How To La Paz , experience designer for Salar Art+Travel and gallery owner.

Why: While the Salar de Uyuni salt flats remain Bolivia’s top tourist attraction, La Paz—the city that touches the clouds and is the gateway to this natural wonder—has proven to be much more than a mere stopover. “Before the pandemic, La Paz was well under way to becoming the region’s top destination,” says Ugalde. “I truly believe we are picking the ball right up where we left it and coming out stronger than ever.”

New hotels, restaurants and experiences are popping up that reflect the culture’s values: authenticity and uniqueness. “ Met Hotel is a good example—a hotel built during the pandemic,” she says. “It will honor different cultural aspects of contemporary Bolivia. The hotel doubles as an art platform for local artists, which focuses on giving the visitor a taste of Bolivia through its architecture, design and cuisine.”

Other projects on the horizon that will be delivering unforgettable and unique experiences include the Panorama Hotel and Casa Gastón. “These will be one-of-a-kind spaces, unlike any other place you’ve ever visited, where you’ll feel the sense of wonder that only the Salt Flats can offer,” says Ugalde.

Best Places to Travel in 2022: Europe

Le Comptoir at The Ritz Paris.

Where to Go: Paris

Chosen By: Lindsey Tramuta is a travel and culture writer based in Paris and the author of the bestselling book The New Paris and the newly released The New Parisienne . Follow her on Instagram .

Why : “This city is super resilient,” says Tramuta. “You have this reawakening of the city, which is really beautiful.” For starters, there was the recent opening of the Hôtel de la Marine museum. “It’s extraordinary—it was closed to the public since the 1800s,” says Tramuta. “And its new museum restaurant, Mimosa by Michelin-starred chef Jean François Piège, is also a huge new reason to visit.” More cultural highlights: the reopening of the Musée de la Chasse et de La Nature (“super eclectic and super funky,” says Tramuta) and the new Bourse de Commerce art museum. And everyone’s talking about the reopening of Samaritaine , the Art Deco and Art Nouveau department store. “Even if you’re not necessarily in the market to shop for anything, architecturally it’s worth seeing, both outside and inside,” says Tramuta.

Tramuta also notes that there’s a lot of buzz happening at the Ritz Paris . “François Perret, their extremely talented pastry chef, has opened Le Comptoir , which is a dedicated pastry shop and tea salon where you can go and try pastries exclusive to this space—and it’s beautiful.” More big news from the Ritz includes the opening of the new astrologically inspired Ritz Bar and the upcoming reconcepting of the Ritz Club Spa.

Some other new culinary hotspots on Tramuta’s radar include Jugaad (“a terrific modern Indian restaurant”) and La Petite Epicerie de la Tour , a gourmet grocer from La Tour d’Argent, one of the most iconic restaurants in the world. “If you don’t want to take the time or the money to eat at the restaurant, you can have a taste of it here,” says Tramuta.

Another noteworthy development in Paris is the extraordinary extension of all of the bike lanes. “It really changes the way we navigate the city, and from a traveler’s perspective, it means that the pedestrian and the bike rider are all kings of the road,” says Tramuta.

Calton Hill in Edinburgh.

Where to Go: Edinburgh and Fife, Scotland

Who : Emily Goldfischer, London-based writer, hotel lover and founder of the website hertelier .

Why : A five-hour direct flight from the East Coast of the United States, those looking to dip their toes back into travel can look no further than Edinburgh and Fife in Scotland. “You’ll fall in love with the compact, hilly and history-filled capital of Edinburgh and the stunning peninsula of Fife, considered the Hamptons of Scotland but better known as the birthplace of golf,” says Goldfischer.

The big news in Edinburgh is St. James Quarter , a hub of shops, restaurants and hotels like the W Edinburgh (which will add a contemporary twist to the ever-changing skyline) and Roomzzz (a boutique living experience). Other Edinburgh hotel news includes The Gleneagles Townhouse (opening in St. Andrew Square) and 100 Princes Street Hotel (a bold statement by Red Carnation set to breathe new life into one of the city’s more important addresses). “You will be spoiled for choice of ways to spend a few glorious days,” says Goldfischer. “Edinburgh is perfect for strolling and there’s a burgeoning food scene with amazing farm-to-table options.” Check out Edinburgh’s first food hall, the Bonnie and Wild Scottish Marketplace , and the new Johnnie Walker Princes Street , which brings to life the story of the brand and its makers.

Beyond the city is Fife, a 50-mile drive along the Scottish coastline. “St. Andrews is perhaps the most glorious of all the towns in Fife, with its West Sands Beach, a two-mile stretch made famous from running scenes in the 1981 movie, Chariots of Fire ,” says Goldfischer. Its seven golf courses include Old Course (where the British Open will be held in 2022) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (founded in 1754 and considered the birthplace of golf). “Even if you have no interest or never played golf, don’t miss the Himalayas , a manicured 18-hole undulating putting course that changes every week,” says Goldfischer. “Stay at the Old Course hotel , home to the only Kohler spa outside the U.S. and a Mecca for golfers.”

A view of Porto in Portugal.

Where to Go: Portugal

Why: Once the most underrated country in Western Europe, Portugal is now on every traveler’s radar—and for good reason. It’s more affordable than neighboring Spain and France, its home to the world’s first demarcated wine region and its comfortable climate makes it a year-round destination.

“In April, my girlfriend and I are sailing to Portugal on the maiden voyage of Celebrity Beyond , captained by Kate McCue, America’s first female cruise ship captain,” says Jackson. “It’s our second trip to Portugal since August—we can’t seem to stay away.”

New nonstop flights from the U.S. on Azores Airlines mean it’s never been easier to reach Madeira , a stunning subtropical archipelago off the coast of Africa and basically Portugal’s answer to Hawaii. Thanks to new nonstop flight service from United, Americans can also conveniently island hop in the Azores , where dolphin and whale watching is practically an Olympic sport. Other Insta-worthy beaches can be found in the always-sunny Algarve , or if you’re a surfer, in the north, where the world’s largest standing wave attracts surfers from as far away as Australia.

For the past few years Jackson’s home-away-from-home in Portugal has been Onda Pura Surf Center in Porto . “Their local instructors—who speak perfect English—had me catching waves in the very first class.”

As far as accommodations go, booklovers will think they’ve died and gone to heaven in Obidos at The Literary Man whose collection includes more than 65,000 titles. In Lisbon, all the buzz is about the newest hotel, The Ivens , and its culinary offerings including a crudo bar, gastro bar and Rocco , an elegant Italian restaurant complete with a red carpet entrance.

Rooftop with a view at Six Senses Rome.

Where to Go: Rome

Chosen By: Laura Itzkowitz , a Rome-based travel writer.

Why: With a treasure trove of artistic, cultural and architectural wonders, Rome is coming back to life in 2022—and then some. “In addition to welcoming a handful of exciting new hotels, including Six Senses Rome , the Eternal City is creating new museum and pedestrian walkways that will give visitors an up-close view of the Sacred Area of Torre Argentina , the ancient site where Julius Caesar is believed to have been assassinated,” says Itzkowitz.

Set in a palazzo in the center of ancient Rome, just blocks away from the Fontana di Trevi, the new Six Senses is the brand’s first property in Italy and will have an emphasis on wellness and sustainability, from local, seasonal food to interiors from designer Patricia Urquiola. One of the highlights is the rooftop terrace, showcasing 360-degree views of Rome.

Other big news for the Eternal City: “Last year, the Mausoleum of Augustus —the world’s largest circular tomb—reopened to the public after an €8 million restoration,” says Itzkowitz.

Big Ben and Westminster Bridge in London.

Where to Go: London

Chosen By: Melissa Klurman —travel expert and contributor at Reader’s Digest , The Points Guy and Travel Awaits .

Why: “It’s been more than two years since I was in Europe, a length of time I couldn’t have imagined pre-pandemic,” says Klurman. “And I’m excited to cross the pond again and visit London, one of my favorite cities, which is easy to visit in 2022 since Great Britain no longer has Covid-testing requirements for entry.” One big highlight in 2022: the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. There will be royal watching and events and, in June, a weekend of pageants and parades worth a special visit.

“In addition to lots of royal excitement, there are some creative new theatrical offerings I’m excited to explore, including outdoor Shakespeare at the Globe and museum exhibits like the Van Gogh Self-Portraits at the Courtald Gallery,” says Klurman, who is also looking forward to taking advantage of GoCity passes, which are completely digital now. “So we can pop into iconic spots like Tower of London without having to spend our time queuing.”

Where to stay: The Nhow London on the fringes of trendy Shoreditch launched during the pandemic and is now primed for its first fully active summer. This is a hotel for design lovers, which is evident as soon as you step into the lobby and spot the 10-foot-tall statue of a rocket-ship Big Ben trailing tennis balls or the Day-Glo green centerpiece bar where you can grab a craft cocktail or a pint any time of day or night. Up in the rooms, the theatrically lit halls feel like you've stepped onto a London street with brightly painted doors resembling the entrances to British homes, complete with large brass knockers. Rooms sport fun details big and small from hanging bowler hat lamps to wall-size portraits of British Kings in the, ahem, throne room, to get you fully in the mood for a Royal Jubilee summer.

Barcelona with a view of La Sagrada Familia.

Where to Go: Barcelona

Chosen By: Alyssa Ramos, founder of My Life’s a Movie and a solo female travel blogger, content creator, entrepreneur and social media influencer who travels the world full-time and seeks to showcase unique destinations through her unique photography style and honest, detailed travel tips. Her motto is “Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do.”

Why: “There’s just something about Barcelona that attracts everyone and draws them in like a moth to a flame,” says Ramos. “Even the way the name rolls off your tongue is alluring, and once you arrive, you’ll never want to leave. I know this for a fact because I’m now based there, and even when I have an epic travel lineup, it’s still hard for me to pry myself away.”

Barcelona welcomes all types of travelers, from solo to couples, and even pets—Spain now considers dogs part of the family. When you’re visiting Barcelona, you’ll want to try some local cuisine; Ramos’s top recommendations are Bar Cañete or 7 Portes for paella, and Bar del Pla or Cerveceria Catalana for tapas. “If you’re looking for fun bars, Paradiso and Dr. Stravinsky are some of the most famous in the world,” says Ramos. “But there’s also some local secret spots that are less touristy, like Somnia .”

While the Gothic Quarter (or Barri Gòtic) and El Born are most popular for tourists to stroll along the many cobblestone streets, also check out Eixample for a local vibe, as well as Gràcia. “La Barceloneta, the main beach area, is a lot of fun with its many restaurants and chiringuitos (little bar/restaurants right in the sand), but if you walk further north, there’s also a strip of restaurants that turn into day clubs then night clubs,” says Ramos. “My favorite is Carpe Diem .”

Rooftops are also a glorious thing in Barcelona, and you can go up to most of them as long as you order at least a drink. “ Ohla and GHotel are a couple of my favorites, and Ayre Hotel is most famous but nearly impossible to get a reservation (it overlooks La Sagrada Familia),” says Ramos. “After you’ve seen all the main sites and neighborhoods, you can keep exploring by doing a hike up to Montjuïc or even Tibidabo, the castle-looking church you can see atop a massive hill from anywhere in town.”

Best Places to Travel in 2022: Africa and the Middle East

Female Rangers in Mghahinga National Park in Uganda.

Where to Go: Uganda

Chosen By: Christine Chitnis is a writer, photographer and author of four books, including Patterns of India . She is currently at work on her fifth book, Patterns of Portugal. Follow her colorful interpretation of life at @christine.chitnis .

Why: Uganda shares the Virunga Mountains with Rwanda, and thus the same quality of gorilla trekking experiences can be found in Bwindi National Park and Mgahinga National Park in Uganda. Luckily for travelers, permits are more than half the cost of permits in Rwanda.

The great ape experience doesn’t have to end with gorillas. Uganda has many parks for chimpanzee trekking, the Kyambura Gorge being one of the more unique. Located in Queen Elizabeth National Park, you can trek a family of 32 chimps in a sunken forest by morning and go on a cruise safari down the Kazinga Channel River, where sightings of elephants, buffalo, alligators, hippos are seen from this unique vantage point.

“I recently traveled with Go2Africa as I wanted to explore the intersection of travel and conservation in East Africa,” says Chitnis. “The country is brimming with impactful conservation work by inspiring leaders like Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka of Conservation Through Public Health and Praveen Moman, founder of Volcanoes Safaris , a pioneering great ape tourism company that couples world-class lodges with community-minded initiatives including a women-run coffee cooperative, a wetlands restoration project and the construction of a community center in a local village.”

Another thing not to miss in Uganda: a private island on the Nile River. Wildwaters Lodge sits on a rainforest reserve on 16 protected acres and is an adventure seeker’s paradise with access to white-water rafting, horseback riding, ziplining and more.

Where to Go: Zanzibar and Tanzania

Why: Tanzania is an ideal African country to visit, from safaris in the Serengeti where you can see the Big 5 (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino) to the crystal-clear waters of Zanzibar. “If you’ve never done a safari before, prepare to be awestruck by the amount of animals you’ll see from the safety of your safari vehicle,” says Ramos. “Now is a really great time to go to Tanzania, because with the lack of tourism, the amount of animals has drastically increased.”

“After long game drives, you’ll then retire to fabulous glamping lodges, many of which are in the actual parks,” says Ramos. Some new places for 2022 to put on your radar: andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge (which has an ideal location for experiencing the thrilling river crossing and vast herds of the Great Migration) and Usangu Expedition Camp (where you can have a hands-on conservation experience at the first tourism operation in the wild and uncharted Usangu wetlands of Ruaha National Park).

“If bucket-list checks or personal challenges are your thing, I’d highly recommend going for the Mount Kilimanjaro climb,” says Ramos. “I did it for International Women’s Day one year with an all-female group, and it was absolutely amazing.”

A quick flight or ferry will get you to the exotic island of Zanzibar. “But before you head off to enjoy the many tantalizing beaches, be sure to stop in Stone Town to learn about the dark history of the island, and how the slave trade markets originated there,” says Ramos. “One of my favorite boutique hotels in the entire world is located in Zanzibar; it’s called Tulia and it has its own jungle waterslides, plus an entire garden where they source their produce for the restaurant.”

On the balcony of Singita Lebombo, overlooking the N’wanetsi River.

Where: South Africa

Chosen By: Hannah Freedman, a former travel editor and current content strategist for Travel + Leisure . Follow along on her trips at @hfreed11 on Instagram and @awaywithhannahj on TikTok.

Why: With history, culture, awe-inspiring animal sightings, bustling cities and a stunning wine region, South Africa is the best of all worlds. It even brings the romance. “I recently visited South Africa for my bucket list-worthy honeymoon and it was truly the ultimate mix of adventure and relaxation. It’s a transformative trip you’ll never forget,” says Freedman. Plus, South Africa just recently relaxed its Covid testing requirements, making it easier for vaccinated travelers to visit.

United offers direct flights between New York City and Johannesburg, making Joburg a good place to start your journey. Get a history lesson by visiting the Apartheid Museum (which reopens following Covid shutdowns April 1), the Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Museum . Then continue in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela with a stay at the Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa . “You’ll feel a world away from the chaotic city streets thanks to its manicured garden grounds and multiple pools,” says Freedman. In addition to Mandela living at the property for six months, other notable past guests include the Clintons, Will Smith and even Oprah.

“Of course, you can’t visit South Africa without spending a few days in Kruger National Park,” advises Freedman. And a stay at all-inclusive Singita Lebombo or Singita Sweni is just the way to see epic wildlife and sleep in style. The two properties are right next to one another on a private concession of 33,000 acres within the park. “Singita has thought of every last detail to make this place a serious spoil,” says Freedman. “The wildlife is next level, the guides are incredibly knowledgeable, and the rooms are stunning.” The best animal encounter she experienced? Swimming at the on-site pool when a wild elephant came right up to munch on a nearby tree and steal a drink of water.

Round out your adventure with a last stop in Cape Town and the Winelands. Hike up Table Mountain for incredible city and ocean views and then head to Boulders Beach to spot the iconic penguin colony. For a luxe stay that includes plenty of culture, check in at estate-turned-boutique-property Ellerman House . “The private art collection here alone is worth it,” notes Freedman. The Winelands are just a 45-minute drive from the city, making it an easy day trip. Freedman recommends visiting Babylonstoren for delicious farm-to-table food with your wine and Delaire Graff Estate for romantic vista views.

Sunset over Wadi Rum in Jordan, one of the top places to travel in 2022.

Where to Go: Jordan

Chosen By: Kay Kingsman, travel writer and blogger at The Awkward Traveller .

Why: If you’re looking to dip your foot into solo travel in the Middle East, Jordan is the destination to do it. Over the past year, Jordan has heavily invested in repaving highways and improving access to tourist sites. “Plus, to better meet the needs of solo female travelers in Jordan , there are more women-led and women-operated tour guides and experiences,” says Kingsman. Whether you join a group trip or set off driving in Jordan on your own, your journey should start in Amman. “Amman is a whirlwind,” says Kingsman, who spent her days weaving in and out of the bustling sidewalks.

As you leave the city, head south to the Dead Sea, where you can float in the lowest point on Earth. “Insider’s tip, though,” Kingsman notes, “Don’t get the water in your mouth. Just trust me on that.” Another tip: “You might want to go sooner rather than later, as the Dead Sea is predicted to disappear in the next few decades.” If you’re interested in the Holy Land, just a short drive from the Dead Sea, you can visit the Baptism Site of Jesus Christ .

But of course, you can’t leave Jordan without heading to the desert. “If you’ve never camped under the stars, Wadi Rum is the place to do it,” says Kingsman, who suggests staying at Captain’s Camp , where you can experience sleeping in a cave, eating authentic Jordanian BBQ and getting in a dance battle with the staff. Then, in the morning, visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World: Petra. “Make sure to get an early start at Petra,” says Kingsman. “It can get hot in the middle of the day, so bring water and walking shoes.”

Best Places to Travel in 2022: Asia and Oceania

Jessica Nabongo in Kyoto, Japan. Image from her forthcoming book, "The Catch Me If You Can. "

Where to Go: Kyoto, Japan

Chosen By: Jessica Nabongo , travel expert, writer, photographer and author of The Catch Me If You Can , which goes on sale June 14 and will be available wherever books are sold; pre-order it now on Amazon or your preferred retailer.

Why: “Tokyo is such an important city for so many things, but what Kyoto does is show you the heart of Japanese culture,” says Nabongo, who lived in the ancient capital for one year. According to Nabongo, 2022 will be a great time to visit. “When Japan does open its borders, there will be a narrow window of time to see Kyoto without the crowds before visitors start coming back,” she says.

Even though borders have been closed, Kyoto has not stopped moving forward. New hotel openings include the luxurious Hotel the Mitsui , The Shinmonzen and the Marufukuro Hotel (in the old Nintendo headquarters building). Throughout the pandemic, the city of Kyoto also made a commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, and initiated steps to curb overtourism in the city, including developing a consulting arm of the tourism board to provide tech support and social media training in the hopes of building awareness of less-visited stores and neighborhoods to reroute crowds away from high-volume areas.

Kyoto City is looking forward to a new point of view on tourism in 2022 and beyond. The Kyoto City Tourism Association installed live cameras around the city’s hotspots, including the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and Nishiki Food Market, so that locals and tourists alike can check the congestion levels before venturing to those areas.

“Kyoto’s history as the ancient capital shines through, too. The city has a beautiful golden palace called Kinkaku-ji that makes for a super interesting visit,” says Nabongo. “And the food scene is incredible; you’ll find cool izakayas everywhere. If you’re looking to do a cultural deep-dive of Japan, Kyoto is the place to do it.”

V Villas Phuket in Thailand.

Where to Go: Phuket, Thailand

Chosen By: Content creator Shelbi Okumura of Bucket List Bums . Follow her on @bucketlistbums .

Why: “Thailand was one of the first destinations in Southeast Asia to open back up to tourists, and that early buzz now has everyone wanting to visit,” says Okumura. “Phuket particularly seems to be on everyone’s bucket list, and for good reason. It caters to everyone from high-end luxury travelers to backpackers on a budget.”

Travelers to Phuket in 2022 will experience the vibrancy of the island with fewer crowds, and starting April 1, without the requirement for proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to travel via three entry schemes, including Test & Go, Sandbox and Alternative Quarantine (AQ).

“There’s so much to see and do on the island—remote beaches, sunset bars, cheap eats, high-end restaurants, offshore islands and so much more,” says Okumura. “It’s the perfect place to start (or end) a week of island hopping in Thailand.”

Phuket offers options for all types of travelers looking to experience its pristine sea glass–colored water, and the island’s luxurious side is finally getting the attention it deserves. The new V Villas Phuket offers a curated selection of villas with private pools and one of the newest rooftop bars, AKOYA Star Lounge , serving craft cocktails and 360-degree ocean views. Phuket Old Town is a cultural hub for distinct street art, street vendors and live music at the Sunday night market, inventive eateries such as farm-to-table Torry’s Ice Cream and daring night performances at the Junkyard Theatre , which recently launched a weekly Saturday night show.

The Melbourne skyline with bathing huts in the foreground.

Where to Go: Victoria, Australia

Chosen By: Oksana St John is a travel writer and founder of an award-winning sustainable travel blog, DrinkTeaTravel.com . Together with her husband, Max, she’s on a mission to explore the world in a responsible way. You can follow their journey on their blog and see behind the scenes of their travels on Instagram and YouTube .

Why: “After being closed to international tourists for almost two years, tourism in Australia is coming back in full force in 2022 and if you are looking to escape the crowds while visiting, then Victoria is the place to go,” says St John. Victoria —the state that’s home to Melbourne, once called the “Paris of the South”—is welcoming a number of new accommodations and local experiences. A few standout hotel openings for 2022 include the Ritz Carlton Melbourne (the tallest hotel in Australia, complete with a sky check-in on level 79), Peppers Richmond (set on the historic Bridge Road in Melbourne’s lively inner-city suburb) and the Shangri-La Hotel, Melbourne (part of a stunning new development, Sapphire by the Gardens).

Want to check out the city’s insider spots? The best way to do it is on a tour with Hidden Secrets Tours. “There is always more to discover and make new memories each visit,” says founder Fiona Sweetman. “You just have to know where to look.”

If you only have a few days to spare, take a day trip from Melbourne to Phillip Island. “Stay in the charming Oak Tree Lodge , have a fabulous meal overlooking the ocean at The Cape Kitchen , go for a hike at Cape Woolamai and don’t miss the Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach,” says St John. If you have a bit more time, go on a road trip along the Great Ocean Road, or if you are fit, join the 12 Apostles Lodge Walk with the Australian Walking Company . “You’ll stay in environmentally conscious luxury accommodation, eat fabulous locally sourced meals and enjoy a foot spa at the end of each day,” says St John.

Cap off your visit with a few days in the Yarra Valley, Victoria’s lush wine country just an hour outside of Melbourne. “Enjoy a stay in a picturesque setting and pop by some cellar doors for a taste of great Australian wines. Don’t miss a stop at De Bortoli and try their comprehensive tasting menu perfectly matched with a selection of local cheese,” says St John.

Some other can’t-miss Victoria experiences include Alba , a new luxurious thermal spring and spa coming to the Mornington Peninsula. Grampians Peak Trail is a once-in-a-lifetime 13-day hike, complete with new roofed huts and campgrounds available for booking this spring. And at Sea Bounty Mussels in Portarlington, guests can harvest mussels fresh from the farm and have them cooked on the boat for a truly bespoke experience.

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Person in your family who you most admire, a person who encouraged you to achieve a goal, describe a noisy place you have been to, describe a news story you have read or heard about recently.

• Intermediate

Visiting Different Countries

• 1.0 Overview
• 3.0 Vocabulary
• 4.0 Conversation Questions

This captivating topic allows English learners to embark on a language and cultural adventure. Through discussions about diverse countries, customs and traditions, learners broaden their vocabulary, enhance conversational skills and develop cultural awareness.

Sharing travel experiences nurtures descriptive language abilities, while comparing and contrasting destinations fosters critical thinking. Embracing this subject not only ignites wanderlust but also empowers learners to confidently communicate about global experiences, making English learning a rewarding journey of discovery.

About Visiting Different Countries

Travelling is something that nearly everyone loves to do. Some people like to travel to relax, some like to travel to have fun and others like to travel to experience different cultures.

Most people have a favourite place they would like to visit. It could be the bright lights of Las Vegas or the experience of a safari in Africa, but everyone has a place that they would like to visit at least once in their life.

Useful Vocabulary

Try and use the following vocabulary when answering the question. Click to look up the definition in the dictionary

• travel (verb)
• trip (noun)
• culture (noun)
• lifetime (noun)
• visit (verb)
• relax (verb)
• really (adverb)

Conversation Questions

• Have you been to a different country? Which one? Did you like it?
• What country would you most like to visit?
• What other countries or places would you like to visit?
• Why would you like to visit these places?
• Do you think you will actually visit these places in your lifetime?
• Are there any places in the world that you would not like to visit?
• What's a famous place in your country that tourists should see?
• What food from your country would you recommend to visitors?
• How can traveling to other countries help you learn about cultures?
• Do you prefer staying in a hotel or with friends when you travel?
• How does visiting other countries improve your language skills?
• Is it good to learn some phrases in the local language when traveling?
• Is it better to travel with a guide or on your own?

Keep The Conversation Going!

Gregory is a qualified TEFL teacher who has been teaching English as a Foreign Language (ESL) for over a decade. He has taught in-person classes in Spain and to English learners around the world online.

Describe a place you would like to visit – IELTS Cue Card

Updated On Aug 14, 2024

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Table of Contents

Sample answer 1, sample answer 2, sample answer 3.

Predicted Cue Cards Topics 2024

In IELTS Speaking, to get Band 8.0+, you should focus on one idea only and then expand that idea into a long meaningful sentence using grammar patterns and vocabulary. So, with this cue card, practise for your IELTS Speaking Part 2.

Describe a place you would like to visit.

You should say:

• where it is
• what the main attractions are
• how you know this place
• and explain why you want to visit this place.  

I am a travelling buff. I feel alive when on the road than spending my days and nights in the same city. Although I have plenty of to-visit places on my checklist, I would like to visit Rishikesh if I have to choose only one.

Situated in the state of Uttarakhand, Rishikesh is a city in the Himalayan foothills beside the Ganges river. The town is renowned as the yoga capital of the World. There are temples and ashrams on the eastern bank of the city.

The town features plenty of mesmerising places capable of holding your attention. Right from indulging in adventurous activities, such as river rafting and bungee jumping, we can relish our breakfast at the riverside cafes that offer sights to behold. And then, we can roam around several shops lined along the Laxman Jhula. We can also visit the Ghat to submerge into the stunning tranquillity of Ganga Aarti in the evening.

Considering I live in a nearby state, I have always been familiar with Rishikesh. However, my interest in this city grew manifold when I found out that my favourite English rock band – Beatles- visited this place in the 60s. The band sought spirituality and spent their time at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. Not just that, even Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have spent time in the ashrams of Rishikesh, seeking their purpose in life.

One of the primary reasons to visit Rishikesh is to take a getaway from the hustle-bustle of my daily life. I wish to spend some days connecting with my inner soul through spirituality and gain peace of mind.

• Soothing: Pleasant Eg: The weather is very soothing.
• Journal: Diary Eg: She gifted me a journal on New Years.
• Iconic: Specialty Eg: Dancing Bhangra on weddings is his iconic move.
• Abbey:  a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under t he governance of an abbot or abbess Eg: She decided to visit the abbey after she finished her work.

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Travelling has always been my passion since I was a kid. I used to visit at least one place in my summer vacation for as long as I can remember. It was like a tradition. I kept a journal. Although I don’t write regularly, I keep a note of everything I feel good about or find attractive. There is a special section in my journal where I write down about the places I want to visit in the near future. A place I especially want to visit once in my lifetime is London.

The city has a very soothing weather. However, what drew my attention was the beautiful greenery of the city. The capital city of England has a lot of things to show us, from the Iconic Ferris wheel, popularly known as the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and many other places.

Most of the classics are filmed in London, and needless to say, it is pretty. The set of Little Women, The Pride and Prejudice, and even modern movies like Enola Holmes and Bridgerton have beautiful backgrounds and beauty. The lush green trees of Groton are gorgeous. The rocky valley of Derbyshire is so pretty and calm. So many poets like Wordsworth have beautifully described the city of London in their Sonnets. His poem “Upon Westminster Bridge” is one of my very favourite poems.

It is for all these reasons that I want to visit the place. I have heard and read about it. To some extent, I’ve virtually witnessed it, too, but there is a vast difference between feeling it by your own skin. I want to feel the London rain. I want to smell the sweet smell of the green grass in the countryside and feel the beautiful busy life of the city.

Since childhood, I have loved exploring new places, especially near the ocean, sea, or river. So, some places from all over the world found their place on my travel bucket list. One such place that I would like to visit when I get the right opportunity and travel partner is the Santorini island in Greece. 

Being a volcanic island surrounded by the southern Aegean Sea, Santorini or Thira is famous for dramatic views, stunning sunsets from Oia town, blue-green water around Fira, the Venetian Castle in Akrotiri and the incredible views from the tower La Ponta. Apart from that, there are naturally fantastic beaches such as the beach of Perissa and the black pebble beach of Kamari. Besides the above iconic tourist places, the active volcano on the island has its own share of sightseers.

In school, I used to spend most of my free periods in the library. So, one day, while I was going through a travel magazine, I found a breathtaking place with cubic white house-like structures and blue-green sea all around. At first glance, I was mesmerized by the heavenly images on the pages of the book. That was my first encounter with Santorini and since then, I have been in love with those images.

Other than being a travel buff, I also love the history of Greece. There are many myths about this island, which is one of the five Cycladic islands. For example, many believe that Santorini was the original home of the lost city of Atlantis, which disappeared into the depths of the ocean. I would also like to enjoy the boat excursions, popular cruises and vineyard touring. Moreover, the candy-coloured houses along the cliffs, the clear blue water, the peaceful beaches, and the kaleidoscopic sunsets urge me to visit this remarkable island.

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Which country would you like to visit

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.

You have the opportunity to visit a foreign country for two weeks. Which country would you like to visit? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice.

You should write at least 250 words.

Sample Answer 1

A lot of people love to travel to new countries or regions. I like travelling, and if I can travel overseas for two weeks, I would like to visit China, located in the northern part of Asia. The following essay will explain in detail why I choose China as my primary destination.

To begin with, it is a fact that China is well known for its civilisation, and I must visit many historical places. Firstly, I would visit the Great Wall of China, which is included in the Seven Wonders of the World. It was the longest wall ever made by humans, and it was said that astronauts could see the wall with the naked eye from the shuttle spaceship. Secondly, I will visit Tian An Men Square, located in the capital city of China or Beijing. The square is a palace where most of the emperors of China lived until the communist party took over the country in 1960. These ancient buildings contain a lot of historical value; therefore, I must visit these places.

Besides the historical places, there are other things that visitors could do in China. There are a lot of beautiful landscapes in the country, such as mountains, hills and valleys, which are well known for their purity and originality. And then, China is well known for its unique and exotic animal, Panda. Panda is a part of the bear family, but the animal has a unique colour and can only be found in China. Furthermore, the country is also famous for its cuisine. There are various types of food in China, from spicy ones to extreme types such as cockroaches or spiders. Therefore, there are many activities that tourists can do while they visit the country.

In conclusion, if I could visit a new country for fourteen days, I would call it China. There are many things that visitors could do there, from visiting the historical places, seeing the unique animal and enjoying some of the beautiful scenery places.

Sample Answer 2

I like to travel, and in my opinion, this enhances my experiences and broadens my horizon. Travelling is an excellent opportunity to meet new people, gain more knowledge and experience, and learn new customs and traditions. I did not travel a lot yet, but I am sure I will have a chance to do it. So, if I could visit a foreign country, I would visit Egypt. It is a great and fascinating country with a marvellous history. In the following paragraphs, I will give some reasons to support my choice.

First of all, I have always dreamed of visiting different Egyptian pyramids. My aunt visited Egypt a few years ago. She was very excited after that trip and said she would return there one more time at any cost. She said that Egypt greatly impressed her with its glorious pyramids and ancient buildings. Second, I think that in that country, one can touch history, feel the hard breath of workers building a pyramid under the parching sun, and see the chain of camels walking in the desert with huge trunks full of presents for Cleopatra on their humps. Finally, I want to see an actual dessert and ride the camel. All my friends who rode the camel say it was an unforgettable experience.

I believe I will have a chance to visit this beautiful country someday. Unfortunately, I have plenty of plans and things to do, so I am afraid I will not be able to travel for the next two years. I want to finish my education and then find a job, which is more important than travelling. My husband wants to visit this country too, and we made an agreement to make our trip to Egypt on our fifth anniversary, which is in two years.

In conclusion, I want to add that I will visit Australia after my trip to Egypt. This country is the second one on my list of the most wanted to see.

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Topic 5 : Describe a country you would like to visit.

Describe a country you would like to visit.

You should include.

• Which country is it ?
• Where did you hear about this country ?
• What would you see and do there?
• And explain,Why this country is so special for visitors ?

 Sample answer.  

• Well, I am a travel freak person. I am bitten by travel bug.
• I have a fascination for visiting different places.
• Though, I have not visited many countries abroad. I have a wish to visit so many countries.
• There are myriad countries in the world with different attractions like serene countryside, enthralling natural views, sky high buildings, fascinating night life, and strong historical and cultural background.
• My first choice among all these attractions is Switzerland.
• I have heard about it from my friends and seen it in Hollywood and Bollywood movies.
• It is located in the continent of Europe.
• This country is considered the heaven on the earth with rich flora, panoramic natural views and Serene Country side.
• I would like to see these this heaven on the earth.
• I would also like to see famous Swiss bank.
• Due to these reasons, I assume it must be attracting different people around the world such as writers, photographers and the people who are admirer of nature.
• I am not any of them. Still, I would definitely like to visit this country.
• I have heard that it is the finest democracy in the world where every decision is taken by the people.
• If people want to change the law they can change it by referendum.
• I have also heard that people of Switzerland are amiable with foreigners specifically with Indians.
• It is mostly famous for its green, natural, fantastic views.
• I have also heard that it is having prosperous industries.
• It has got minimum crime ratio.
• I hope one day my dream will come true.

As discussed earlier this is only the sample answer. In ielts exam original content fetches maximum score. So please don’t merely copy this sample answer.

• You can use the ideas if you like.
• Pay attention to the words which have been used here.
• Try to use them in your own sentences.
• Practice them daily.

For tips on ielts speaking click here , for other sample answers click here .

EnglishPost.org

60 Travel Conversation Questions

One of the dreams that people have is to travel around the world and know more places, meet new people and enjoy some adventures.

People love traveling and there are many reasons for doing so, such as:

How about you? What are your reasons for traveling?

Talk about it with this list of travel conversation questions

Table of Contents

Travel Conversation Questions: Places

Travel conversation questions: people, travel conversation questions: your next vacations, travel conversation questions: your last vacation, travel conversation questions: your luggage, travel conversation questions: preferences, travel conversation questions: general questions, travel questions: channels, travel questions: safe places.

Instead of having a long list of travel conversation questions, it is better to have them categorized to make everything easier.

These are 60 travel conversation questions that have been divided into different categories such as:

Let’s explore each one of these different categories

When we search on the internet, we can find a list of recommendations about places to visit.

These are conversation questions to discuss the best and worst places to visit:

• Have you ever been abroad?
• How many countries have you visited?
• Have you visited many touristic places in your country?
• What tourist places do you like to visit?
• Do you prefer visiting beaches or mountains?
• Have you ever visited a European country?
• Have you ever visited an African country?
• What’s your best vacation memory?
• What’s your worst vacation memory?
• What countries would you like to visit?
• What countries would you not like to visit?
• What’s the best place for a vacation in your country

I understand that some people like traveling alone but others prefer some company and have better memories.

These questions have to do with your favorite people to go on vacation:

• Who do you travel with?
• Have you made friends while you are on vacation?
• Do you like to travel with children?
• Do you like to travel with your parents?
• Do you like traveling alone or in a group?
• What are some of the benefits of traveling alone?

Some people plan their vacation since they have to ask for permission, save money and choose the best time of the year to do it.

These questions will help you talk about plans that you have for your next vacation:

• What places are you planning to visit?
• Who are you planning to go with?
• When are you planning to go?
• Where are you planning to stay?
• What sights are you planning to see?
• When will you next go to the beach? Which beach is your favorite?

Some people love sharing information about their last vacation and some people don’t.

These are some questions to discuss your last vacation

• Where did you go on your last vacation?
• Who did you go with?
• Where did you stay?
• What did you do there?
• What did you see there?
• How much money did you spend there?
• Who was the most interesting person you met?
• How long did you stay there? Did you want to stay longer?

Most people don’t have a problem with their luggage when they travel, while others find issues such as:

These are some conversation questions that have to do with preparing stuff to travel:

• How much luggage do you usually carry?
• Do you bring electronic devices when you travel?
• What are some things you always take with you on a trip?
• Do you like to pack light when you travel?
• Do you think that everyone overpacks?
• How many of the things do you pack do you actually use or need?
• Have you ever lost your luggage?
• Do you worry about your luggage when you travel?

These are some questions about what you prefer to do when you are on vacation:

• Do you prefer to travel by car or plane?
• Have you ever bought a package tour?
• Where do you prefer to stay when you go on a vacation?
• How often do you travel?
• How often do you go camping?
• How long do you like vacations to be?
• What means of transport do you like to use when you are on vacation?
• Do you like to try local food when you travel?
• What is the best age to travel?
• Where do you like to stay when you go on vacation?

These are some general questions about traveling:

• Are you a traveler?
• What do you miss the most when you are traveling?
• Have you ever had an accident while traveling?
• Have you ever been on a cruise?
• What do you think about hitchhiking?
• If money was not an issue, what type of holiday would you take?
• Have you ever missed a flight? What happened?

Travel blogs and YouTube channels have become very popular.

Channels tend to have an edge over travel blogs since you get a better idea of the country you are planning to visit

• Do you follow travel blogs?
• Do you follow Travel Youtube channels?
• Do you usually search for videos or posts about the countries or places you are trying to visit?
• Have Travel blogs or channels make you want to travel more

If you are a traveler, you don’t want anything to happen to you, your friends, and your family.

These are some questions about safe countries and places to travel to:

• What are some of the safest places to travel to?
• Have you ever been robbed when traveling?
• Do you only travel to the safest countries?
• Do you share your travel information with someone you trust?
• Do you worry about how much you drink when traveling?
• Do you try not to draw attention when traveling?
• Do you wear jewelry when you travel?
• Are you aware of scams when you travel?
• Do you Keep digital copies of important documents?

Manuel Campos

I am Jose Manuel, English professor and creator of EnglishPost.org, a blog whose mission is to share lessons for those who want to learn and improve their English

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Which country would I love to visit, why?

If given the chance to visit a foreign country, I would choose South Korea as my destination. The main reason for this is to visit Seoul and Jeju Island. Seoul is a modern city that serves as the business and cultural hub of South Korea, with towering skyscrapers and Buddhist temples. The N Seoul Tower provides a breathtaking view of the city and its surroundings, while Insadong offers a taste of Korean flavor. Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung Palace are also must-visit sites for their authentic ancient architecture. Jeju Island is a booming tourist spot with beautiful beaches and mild climate. The island offers unique attractions such as Baeknok Lake and the haenyeo” female divers gathering fresh seafood. Most importantly, I hope to see my favorite KPOP stars by chance. Overall, South Korea is an exciting country with plenty of attractions to explore.”

f I had a chance to visit a foreign country, I would not hesitate to choose South Korea. The main reason why I would choose Korea as my destination is that I want to visit Seoul and Jeju Island.

Seoul, the capital of the South Korea, is one of the modern cities in the world. It is the business and cultural hub of South Korea, where skyscrapers tower over Buddhist temples. N Seoul Tower, built atop a peak in Namsan Park, allows me to view the entire city and surrounding areas from above. The teahouses and shops of Insadong give me a taste of Korean flavor, which I can further experience with a visit to the grounds and museums of Gyeongbokgung. UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung Palace is a fine example of authentic ancient architecture which I would love to visit. In my opinion, Seoul is not just the capital of the South Korea, but a wonderful city worthy to visit.

The second part of South Korea I would like to visit is Jeju Island, a hot tourist spot booming with unique attractions. Jeju’s romantic sunrises and sunsets, mild climate and beautiful sandy beaches totally enchanted me just with the images found on Google. I often image that I could meander along the beaches to enjoy the sunlight and breeze. I can also hike with my family to Baeknok Lake at the top of Mount Halla, South Korea’s highest peak. I would also love to see the “haenyeo,” female divers gathering fresh seafood, and the iconic “grandfather statues” displayed outside of many restaurants. Most importantly, I hope to see my favourite KPOP stars by chance!!!

Of course, there are other countries I could visit if I had the opportunity to visit a foreign country. However, I think South Korea would be my first choice.

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Breaking news, horrified homeowner finds flock of sheep on her roof: ‘it surely can’t be a bird’.

A homeowner has described the “hilarious” moment when she found a flock of sheep walking around on her roof.

Kristen Jackson, 28, was left “shocked” after discovering the four farm animals trotting about on top of her four-bed property on Thursday morning.

She had been in bed with her partner, Daniel Payne, 33, when they heard a loud noise echoing through their home, in Whitworth, Lancs., at around 8 a.m.

And fearing a burglar had crept onto the top of their detached home, Kristen rushed outside to see what was making the bizarre commotion.

But she “burst out laughing” when she realized that a small herd of sheep was walking up and down the roof, which is around 9 feet high.

The marketing executive said: “I heard the noises and thought, what is that? It surely can’t be a bird. Is it a cat or something else? It sounded a lot bigger.

“So I was like, ‘I need to go and see what’s on the roof.’ You think the worst – is someone on the house? is someone breaking in?

“I quickly jumped out of bed and went out of the back door, and I went to the back garden area and looked up. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, there are sheep on the roof.’

“I just burst out laughing because it was kind of hilarious.”

She added: “I ran inside and grabbed my phone and basically said to my partner, ‘You need to come out and see this.’

“He came out and turned around and was just shocked. He just started laughing at the fact that we had four sheep on the house, and they were just staring back at us.”

Kristen explained that their home, which they moved into just over a year ago and is currently under renovation, is partially submerged into a hillside.

And this had allowed the curious livestock to clamber onto the roof after they snuck through a fence earlier in the morning.

She said: “We live in Whitworth and we back onto the moors, so we do tend to see sheep and cows wandering up and down the road if they’ve got loose.

“It’s a surprise that they’ve come down the driveway, through the fencing and onto the roof.

“But within five to ten minutes, as we’d spooked them, they kind of made their way off.”

Kristen said she would be reinforcing the boundaries of the property to make sure no more animals ventured on top of the home.

She added: “In the future, we’ll definitely be making a change to the fence to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

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• How Far Trump Would Go

D onald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.

We’ve been talking for more than an hour on April 12 at his fever-dream palace in Palm Beach. Aides lurk around the perimeter of a gilded dining room overlooking the manicured lawn. When one nudges me to wrap up the interview, I bring up the many former Cabinet officials who refuse to endorse Trump this time. Some have publicly warned that he poses a danger to the Republic. Why should voters trust you, I ask, when some of the people who observed you most closely do not?

As always, Trump punches back, denigrating his former top advisers. But beneath the typical torrent of invective, there is a larger lesson he has taken away. “I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody,” Trump says. “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.” 

Six months from the 2024 presidential election, Trump is better positioned to win the White House than at any point in either of his previous campaigns. He leads Joe Biden by slim margins in most polls, including in several of the seven swing states likely to determine the outcome. But I had not come to ask about the election, the disgrace that followed the last one, or how he has become the first former—and perhaps future—American President to face a criminal trial . I wanted to know what Trump would do if he wins a second term, to hear his vision for the nation, in his own words.

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What emerged in two interviews with Trump , and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisers and confidants, were the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world. To carry out a deportation operation designed to remove more than 11 million people from the country, Trump told me, he would be willing to build migrant detention camps and deploy the U.S. military, both at the border and inland. He would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans. He would, at his personal discretion, withhold funds appropriated by Congress, according to top advisers. He would be willing to fire a U.S. Attorney who doesn’t carry out his order to prosecute someone, breaking with a tradition of independent law enforcement that dates from America’s founding. He is weighing pardons for every one of his supporters accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 of whom have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury. He might not come to the aid of an attacked ally in Europe or Asia if he felt that country wasn’t paying enough for its own defense. He would gut the U.S. civil service, deploy the National Guard to American cities as he sees fit, close the White House pandemic-preparedness office, and staff his Administration with acolytes who back his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump remains the same guy, with the same goals and grievances. But in person, if anything, he appears more assertive and confident. “When I first got to Washington, I knew very few people,” he says. “I had to rely on people.” Now he is in charge. The arranged marriage with the timorous Republican Party stalwarts is over; the old guard is vanquished, and the people who remain are his people. Trump would enter a second term backed by a slew of policy shops staffed by loyalists who have drawn up detailed plans in service of his agenda, which would concentrate the powers of the state in the hands of a man whose appetite for power appears all but insatiable. “I don’t think it’s a big mystery what his agenda would be,” says his close adviser Kellyanne Conway. “But I think people will be surprised at the alacrity with which he will take action.”

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The courts, the Constitution, and a Congress of unknown composition would all have a say in whether Trump’s objectives come to pass. The machinery of Washington has a range of defenses: leaks to a free press, whistle-blower protections, the oversight of inspectors general. The same deficiencies of temperament and judgment that hindered him in the past remain present. If he wins, Trump would be a lame duck—contrary to the suggestions of some supporters, he tells TIME he would not seek to overturn or ignore the Constitution’s prohibition on a third term. Public opinion would also be a powerful check. Amid a popular outcry, Trump was forced to scale back some of his most draconian first-term initiatives, including the policy of separating migrant families. As George Orwell wrote in 1945, the ability of governments to carry out their designs “depends on the general temper in the country.”

Every election is billed as a national turning point. This time that rings true. To supporters, the prospect of Trump 2.0, unconstrained and backed by a disciplined movement of true believers, offers revolutionary promise. To much of the rest of the nation and the world, it represents an alarming risk. A second Trump term could bring “the end of our democracy,” says presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, “and the birth of a new kind of authoritarian presidential order.”

Trump steps onto the patio at Mar-a-Lago near dusk. The well-heeled crowd eating Wagyu steaks and grilled branzino pauses to applaud as he takes his seat. On this gorgeous evening, the club is a MAGA mecca. Billionaire donor Steve Wynn is here. So is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson , who is dining with the former President after a joint press conference proposing legislation to prevent noncitizens from voting. Their voting in federal elections is already illegal, and extremely rare, but remains a Trumpian fixation that the embattled Speaker appeared happy to co-sign in exchange for the political cover that standing with Trump provides.

At the moment, though, Trump’s attention is elsewhere. With an index finger, he swipes through an iPad on the table to curate the restaurant’s soundtrack. The playlist veers from Sinead O’Connor to James Brown to  The Phantom of the Opera.  And there’s a uniquely Trump choice: a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by a choir of defendants imprisoned for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, interspersed with a recording of Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This has become a staple of his rallies, converting the ultimate symbol of national unity into a weapon of factional devotion. 

The spectacle picks up where his first term left off. The events of Jan. 6 , during which a pro-Trump mob attacked the center of American democracy in an effort to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, was a profound stain on his legacy. Trump has sought to recast an insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. “I call them the J-6 patriots,” he says. When I ask whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says, “Yes, absolutely.” As Trump faces dozens of felony charges, including for election interference, conspiracy to defraud the United States, willful retention of national-security secrets, and falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments, he has tried to turn legal peril into a badge of honor.

In a second term, Trump’s influence on American democracy would extend far beyond pardoning powers. Allies are laying the groundwork to restructure the presidency in line with a doctrine called the unitary executive theory, which holds that many of the constraints imposed on the White House by legislators and the courts should be swept away in favor of a more powerful Commander in Chief.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said In His Interviews With TIME

Nowhere would that power be more momentous than at the Department of Justice. Since the nation’s earliest days, Presidents have generally kept a respectful distance from Senate-confirmed law-enforcement officials to avoid exploiting for personal ends their enormous ability to curtail Americans’ freedoms. But Trump, burned in his first term by multiple investigations directed by his own appointees, is ever more vocal about imposing his will directly on the department and its far-flung investigators and prosecutors.

In our Mar-a-Lago interview, Trump says he might fire U.S. Attorneys who refuse his orders to prosecute someone: “It would depend on the situation.” He’s told supporters he would seek retribution against his enemies in a second term. Would that include Fani Willis , the Atlanta-area district attorney who charged him with election interference, or Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA in the Stormy Daniels case, who Trump has previously said should be prosecuted? Trump demurs but offers no promises. “No, I don’t want to do that,” he says, before adding, “We’re gonna look at a lot of things. What they’ve done is a terrible thing.”

Trump has also vowed to appoint a “real special prosecutor” to go after Biden. “I wouldn’t want to hurt Biden,” he tells me. “I have too much respect for the office.” Seconds later, though, he suggests Biden’s fate may be tied to an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on whether Presidents can face criminal prosecution for acts committed in office. “If they said that a President doesn’t get immunity,” says Trump, “then Biden, I am sure, will be prosecuted for all of his crimes.” (Biden has not been charged with any, and a House Republican effort to impeach him has failed to unearth evidence of any crimes or misdemeanors, high or low.)

Read More: Trump Says ‘Anti-White Feeling’ Is a Problem in the U.S .

Such moves would be potentially catastrophic for the credibility of American law enforcement, scholars and former Justice Department leaders from both parties say. “If he ordered an improper prosecution, I would expect any respectable U.S. Attorney to say no,” says Michael McConnell, a former U.S. appellate judge appointed by President George W. Bush. “If the President fired the U.S. Attorney, it would be an enormous firestorm.” McConnell, now a Stanford law professor, says the dismissal could have a cascading effect similar to the Saturday Night Massacre , when President Richard Nixon ordered top DOJ officials to remove the special counsel investigating Watergate. Presidents have the constitutional right to fire U.S. Attorneys, and typically replace their predecessors’ appointees upon taking office. But discharging one specifically for refusing a President’s order would be all but unprecedented.

Trump’s radical designs for presidential power would be felt throughout the country. A main focus is the southern border. Trump says he plans to sign orders to reinstall many of the same policies from his first term, such as the Remain in Mexico program, which requires that non-Mexican asylum seekers be sent south of the border until their court dates, and Title 42 , which allows border officials to expel migrants without letting them apply for asylum. Advisers say he plans to cite record border crossings and fentanyl- and child-trafficking as justification for reimposing the emergency measures. He would direct federal funding to resume construction of the border wall, likely by allocating money from the military budget without congressional approval. The capstone of this program, advisers say, would be a massive deportation operation that would target millions of people. Trump made similar pledges in his first term, but says he plans to be more aggressive in a second. “People need to be deported,” says Tom Homan, a top Trump adviser and former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “No one should be off the table.”

Read More: The Story Behind TIME's 'If He Wins' Trump Cover

For an operation of that scale, Trump says he would rely mostly on the National Guard to round up and remove undocumented migrants throughout the country. “If they weren’t able to, then I’d use [other parts of] the military,” he says. When I ask if that means he would override the Posse Comitatus Act—an 1878 law that prohibits the use of military force on civilians—Trump seems unmoved by the weight of the statute. “Well, these aren’t civilians,” he says. “These are people that aren’t legally in our country.” He would also seek help from local police and says he would deny funding for jurisdictions that decline to adopt his policies. “There’s a possibility that some won’t want to participate,” Trump says, “and they won’t partake in the riches.”

As President, Trump nominated three Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn  Roe v. Wade,  and he claims credit for his role in ending a constitutional right to an abortion. At the same time, he has sought to defuse a potent campaign issue for the Democrats by saying he wouldn’t sign a federal ban. In our interview at Mar-a-Lago, he declines to commit to vetoing any additional federal restrictions if they came to his desk. More than 20 states now have full or partial abortion bans, and Trump says those policies should be left to the states to do what they want, including monitoring women’s pregnancies. “I think they might do that,” he says. When I ask whether he would be comfortable with states prosecuting women for having abortions beyond the point the laws permit, he says, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.” President Biden has said he would fight state anti-abortion measures in court and with regulation.

Trump’s allies don’t plan to be passive on abortion if he returns to power. The Heritage Foundation has called for enforcement of a 19th century statute that would outlaw the mailing of abortion pills. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes more than 80% of the House GOP conference, included in its 2025 budget proposal the Life at Conception Act, which says the right to life extends to “the moment of fertilization.” I ask Trump if he would veto that bill if it came to his desk. “I don’t have to do anything about vetoes,” Trump says, “because we now have it back in the states.”

Presidents typically have a narrow window to pass major legislation. Trump’s team is eyeing two bills to kick off a second term: a border-security and immigration package, and an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. Many of the latter’s provisions expire early in 2025: the tax cuts on individual income brackets, 100% business expensing, the doubling of the estate-tax deduction. Trump is planning to intensify his protectionist agenda, telling me he’s considering a tariff of more than 10% on all imports, and perhaps even a 100% tariff on some Chinese goods. Trump says the tariffs will liberate the U.S. economy from being at the mercy of foreign manufacturing and spur an industrial renaissance in the U.S. When I point out that independent analysts estimate Trump’s first term tariffs on thousands of products, including steel and aluminum, solar panels, and washing machines, may have cost the U.S. $316 billion and more than 300,000 jobs, by one account, he dismisses these experts out of hand. His advisers argue that the average yearly inflation rate in his first term—under 2%—is evidence that his tariffs won’t raise prices.

Since leaving office, Trump has tried to engineer a caucus of the compliant, clearing primary fields in Senate and House races. His hope is that GOP majorities replete with MAGA diehards could rubber-stamp his legislative agenda and nominees. Representative Jim Banks of Indiana, a former RSC chairman and the GOP nominee for the state’s open Senate seat, recalls an August 2022 RSC planning meeting with Trump at his residence in Bedminster, N.J. As the group arrived, Banks recalls, news broke that Mar-a-Lago had been raided by the FBI. Banks was sure the meeting would be canceled. Moments later, Trump walked through the doors, defiant and pledging to run again. “I need allies there when I’m elected,” Banks recalls Trump saying. The difference in a second Trump term, Banks says now, “is he’s going to have the backup in Congress that he didn’t have before.”

Trump’s intention to remake America’s relations abroad may be just as consequential. Since its founding, the U.S. has sought to build and sustain alliances based on the shared values of political and economic freedom. Trump takes a much more transactional approach to international relations than his predecessors, expressing disdain for what he views as free-riding friends and appreciation for authoritarian leaders like President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, or former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.

That’s one reason America’s traditional allies were horrified when Trump recently said at a campaign rally that Russia could “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country he believes doesn’t spend enough on collective defense. That wasn’t idle bluster, Trump tells me. “If you’re not going to pay, then you’re on your own,” he says. Trump has long said the alliance is ripping the U.S. off. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg credited Trump’s first-term threat to pull out of the alliance with spurring other members to add more than $100 billion to their defense budgets.

But an insecure NATO is as likely to accrue to Russia’s benefit as it is to America’s. President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine looks to many in Europe and the U.S. like a test of his broader vision to reconstruct the Soviet empire. Under Biden and a bipartisan Congress, the U.S. has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine to defend itself. It’s unlikely Trump would extend the same support to Kyiv. After Orban visited Mar-a-Lago in March, he said Trump “wouldn’t give a penny” to Ukraine. “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing,” Trump hedges in our interview. “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They’re much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don’t.” (E.U. nations have given more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine as well.)

Read More: Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump's Interviews With TIME

Trump has historically been reluctant to criticize or confront Putin. He sided with the Russian autocrat over his own intelligence community when it asserted that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Even now, Trump uses Putin as a foil for his own political purposes. When I asked Trump why he has not called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been unjustly held on spurious charges in a Moscow prison for a year , Trump says, “I guess because I have so many other things I’m working on.” Gershkovich should be freed, he adds, but he doubts it will happen before the election. “The reporter should be released and he will be released,” Trump tells me. “I don’t know if he’s going to be released under Biden. I would get him released.”

America’s Asian allies, like its European ones, may be on their own under Trump. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister recently said aid to Ukraine was critical in deterring Xi from invading the island. Communist China’s leaders “have to understand that things like that can’t come easy,” Trump says, but he declines to say whether he would come to Taiwan’s defense. 

Trump is less cryptic on current U.S. troop deployments in Asia. If South Korea doesn’t pay more to support U.S. troops there to deter Kim Jong Un’s increasingly belligerent regime to the north, Trump suggests the U.S. could withdraw its forces. “We have 40,000 troops that are in a precarious position,” he tells TIME. (The number is actually 28,500.) “Which doesn’t make any sense. Why would we defend somebody? And we’re talking about a very wealthy country.”

Transactional isolationism may be the main strain of Trump’s foreign policy, but there are limits. Trump says he would join Israel’s side in a confrontation with Iran. “If they attack Israel, yes, we would be there,” he tells me. He says he has come around to the now widespread belief in Israel that a Palestinian state existing side by side in peace is increasingly unlikely. “There was a time when I thought two-state could work,” he says. “Now I think two-state is going to be very, very tough.”

Yet even his support for Israel is not absolute. He’s criticized Israel’s handling of its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and has called for the nation to “get it over with.” When I ask whether he would consider withholding U.S. military aid to Israel to push it toward winding down the war, he doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t rule it out, either. He is sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once a close ally. “I had a bad experience with Bibi,” Trump says. In his telling, a January 2020 U.S. operation to assassinate a top Iranian general was supposed to be a joint attack until Netanyahu backed out at the last moment. “That was something I never forgot,” he says. He blames Netanyahu for failing to prevent the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people amid acts of brutality including burning entire families alive and raping women and girls. “It happened on his watch,” Trump says.

On the second day of Trump’s New York trial on April 17, I stand behind the packed counter of the Sanaa Convenience Store on 139th Street and Broadway, waiting for Trump to drop in for a postcourt campaign stop. He chose the bodega for its history. In 2022, one of the store’s clerks fatally stabbed a customer who attacked him. Bragg, the Manhattan DA, charged the clerk with second-degree murder. (The charges were later dropped amid public outrage over video footage that appeared to show the clerk acting in self-defense.) A baseball bat behind the counter alludes to lingering security concerns. When Trump arrives, he asks the store’s co-owner, Maad Ahmed, a Yemeni immigrant, about safety. “You should be allowed to have a gun,” Trump tells Ahmed. “If you had a gun, you’d never get robbed.”

On the campaign trail, Trump uses crime as a cudgel, painting urban America as a savage hell-scape even though violent crime has declined in recent years, with homicides sinking 6% in 2022 and 13% in 2023, according to the FBI. When I point this out, Trump tells me he thinks the data, which is collected by state and local police departments, is rigged. “It’s a lie,” he says. He has pledged to send the National Guard into cities struggling with crime in a second term—possibly without the request of governors—and plans to approve Justice Department grants only to cities that adopt his preferred policing methods like stop-and-frisk.

To critics, Trump’s preoccupation with crime is a racial dog whistle. In polls, large numbers of his supporters have expressed the view that antiwhite racism now represents a greater problem in the U.S. than the systemic racism that has long afflicted Black Americans. When I ask if he agrees, Trump does not dispute this position. “There is a definite antiwhite feeling in the country,” he tells TIME, “and that can’t be allowed either.” In a second term, advisers say, a Trump Administration would rescind Biden’s Executive Orders designed to boost diversity and racial equity.

Trump’s ability to campaign for the White House in the midst of an unprecedented criminal trial is the product of a more professional campaign operation that has avoided the infighting that plagued past versions. “He has a very disciplined team around him,” says Representative Elise Stefanik of New York. “That is an indicator of how disciplined and focused a second term will be.” That control now extends to the party writ large. In 2016, the GOP establishment, having failed to derail Trump’s campaign, surrounded him with staff who sought to temper him. Today the party’s permanent class have either devoted themselves to the gospel of MAGA or given up. Trump has cleaned house at the Republican National Committee, installing handpicked leaders—including his daughter-in-law—who have reportedly imposed loyalty tests on prospective job applicants, asking whether they believe the false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen. (The RNC has denied there is a litmus test.) Trump tells me he would have trouble hiring anyone who admits Biden won: “I wouldn’t feel good about it.”

Policy groups are creating a government-in-waiting full of true believers. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has drawn up plans for legislation and Executive Orders as it trains prospective personnel for a second Trump term. The Center for Renewing America, led by Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, is dedicated to disempowering the so-called administrative state, the collection of bureaucrats with the power to control everything from drug-safety determinations to the contents of school lunches. The America First Policy Institute is a research haven of pro-Trump right-wing populists. America First Legal, led by Trump’s immigration adviser Stephen Miller, is mounting court battles against the Biden Administration. 

The goal of these groups is to put Trump’s vision into action on day one. “The President never had a policy process that was designed to give him what he actually wanted and campaigned on,” says Vought. “[We are] sorting through the legal authorities, the mechanics, and providing the momentum for a future Administration.” That includes a litany of boundary-pushing right-wing policies, including slashing Department of Justice funding and cutting climate and environmental regulations.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His 2024 Interviews With TIME

Trump’s campaign says he would be the final decision-maker on which policies suggested by these organizations would get implemented. But at the least, these advisers could form the front lines of a planned march against what Trump dubs the Deep State, marrying bureaucratic savvy to their leader’s anti-bureaucratic zeal. One weapon in Trump’s second-term “War on Washington” is a wonky one: restoring the power of impoundment, which allowed Presidents to withhold congressionally appropriated funds. Impoundment was a favorite maneuver of Nixon, who used his authority to freeze funding for subsidized housing and the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump and his allies plan to challenge a 1974 law that prohibits use of the measure, according to campaign policy advisers.

Another inside move is the enforcement of Schedule F, which allows the President to fire nonpolitical government officials and which Trump says he would embrace. “You have some people that are protected that shouldn’t be protected,” he says. A senior U.S. judge offers an example of how consequential such a move could be. Suppose there’s another pandemic, and President Trump wants to push the use of an untested drug, much as he did with hydroxychloroquine during COVID-19. Under Schedule F, if the drug’s medical reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration refuses to sign off on its use, Trump could fire them, and anyone else who doesn’t approve it. The Trump team says the President needs the power to hold bureaucrats accountable to voters. “The mere mention of Schedule F,” says Vought, “ensures that the bureaucracy moves in your direction.”

It can be hard at times to discern Trump’s true intentions. In his interviews with TIME, he often sidestepped questions or answered them in contradictory ways. There’s no telling how his ego and self-destructive behavior might hinder his objectives. And for all his norm-breaking, there are lines he says he won’t cross. When asked if he would comply with all orders upheld by the Supreme Court, Trump says he would. 

But his policy preoccupations are clear and consistent. If Trump is able to carry out a fraction of his goals, the impact could prove as transformative as any presidency in more than a century. “He’s in full war mode,” says his former adviser and occasional confidant Stephen Bannon. Trump’s sense of the state of the country is “quite apocalyptic,” Bannon says. “That’s where Trump’s heart is. That’s where his obsession is.”

These obsessions could once again push the nation to the brink of crisis. Trump does not dismiss the possibility of political violence around the election. “If we don’t win, you know, it depends,” he tells TIME. “It always depends on the fairness of the election.” When I ask what he meant when he baselessly claimed on Truth Social that a stolen election “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump responded by denying he had said it. He then complained about the “Biden-inspired” court case he faces in New York and suggested that the “fascists” in America’s government were its greatest threat. “I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others,” he tells me.

Toward the end of our conversation at Mar-a-Lago, I ask Trump to explain another troubling comment he made: that he wants to be dictator for a day. It came during a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, who gave Trump an opportunity to allay concerns that he would abuse power in office or seek retribution against political opponents. Trump said he would not be a dictator—“except for day one,” he added. “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

Trump says that the remark “was said in fun, in jest, sarcastically.” He compares it to an infamous moment from the 2016 campaign, when he encouraged the Russians to hack and leak Hillary Clinton’s emails. In Trump’s mind, the media sensationalized those remarks too. But the Russians weren’t joking: among many other efforts to influence the core exercise of American democracy that year, they hacked the Democratic National Committee’s servers and disseminated its emails through WikiLeaks.

Whether or not he was kidding about bringing a tyrannical end to our 248-year experiment in democracy, I ask him, Don’t you see why many Americans see such talk of dictatorship as contrary to our most cherished principles? Trump says no. Quite the opposite, he insists. “I think a lot of people like it.” — With reporting by Leslie Dickstein, Simmone Shah, and Julia Zorthian

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Contact us at [email protected]

Money blog: Morrisons admits it 'went too far' with self-checkouts - as it changes strategy

Welcome to the Money blog, your place for personal finance and consumer news and tips. Today's posts include Morrisons getting rid of some self-checkouts and a Money Problem on topping up your national insurance. Leave your consumer issue below - remember to include contact details.

Monday 19 August 2024 15:03, UK

• Energy bills to rise 9% this winter - forecast
• Morrisons admits it went too far with self-checkouts
• Kellogg's shrinks size of Corn Flakes

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• Money Problem : 'Should I top up my national insurance and could it really get me £6,000 extra?'
• Pay at every supermarket revealed - and perks staff get at each
• Couples on how they split finances when one earns more than other

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• All discounts you get as student or young person
• Save up to half price on top attractions with this trick
• Fines for parents taking kids out of school increasing

Ask a question or make a comment

Morrisons has admitted it "went a bit too far" with self-checkouts.

Chief executive Rami Baitiéh says the supermarket is "reviewing the balance between self-checkouts and manned tills".

Some will be removed.

Mr Baitiéh told The Telegraph : "Morrisons went a bit too far with the self-checkout. This had the advantage of driving some productivity. However, some shoppers dislike it, mainly when they have a full trolley."

The executive also said self checkouts had driven more shoplifting.

What have other supermarkets said about self-checkouts?

In April, the boss of Sainsbury's said customers liked self-checkouts...

That prompted us to ask readers for their thoughts - and we carried out a poll on LinkedIn which suggested the Sainsbury's boss was right...

Asda's chief financial officer Michael Gleeson said last week the technology had reached its limit - and said his firm would be putting more staff on tills.

Northern grocer Booths ditched almost all self-checkouts last year amid customer service concerns.

Over at Marks & Spencer, chairman Archie Norman last year blamed self-checkouts for a rise in "middle-class shoplifting".

But Tesco CEO Ken Murphy is an advocate: "We genuinely believe, at the end of the day, it provides a better customer experience."

Many retailers boosted wages after living wage/minimum wage changes in spring.

Figures show German discount brands Aldi and Lidl top the list of major UK supermarkets when it comes to staff hourly pay - after Lidl introduced its third pay increase of the year in May to match its closest rival.

Meanwhile, Morrisons is at the bottom of the pack for staff pay outside London, with hourly wages starting at the National Living Wage (£11.44).

How do other companies compare when it comes to pay and benefits? We've taken a look...

Pay: £12.40 an hour outside London and £13.65 inside the M25

Aldi announced in March it was bringing in its second pay rise of the year as part of its aim to be the best-paying UK supermarket.

From 1 June, hourly pay rose from £12 an hour to £12.40 outside the M25 and £13.55 to £13.65 in London. 

Aldi is one of the only supermarkets to give staff paid breaks. It also offers perks such as discounted gym membership and cinema tickets, and financial planning tools. However, there are no cheaper meals, staff discounts or bonus schemes.

Pay:  £12.04 an hour outside London and £13.21 inside the M25

As of 1 July, hourly wages for Asda supermarket staff rose to £12.04 per hour from £11.11, with rates for London staff also going up to £13.21.

As part of the July changes, Asda brought in the option for free later-life care or mortgage advice. The company also offers a pension and a free remote GP service.

Pay:  £12 an hour outside London and £13.15 inside the M25

Co-op boosted its minimum hourly wage for customer team members from £10.90 to £12 nationally as the national living wage rose to £11.44 in April.

For staff inside the M25, rates rose from £12.25 to £13.15.

The perks are better than some. Workers can get 30% off Co-op branded products in its food stores as well as 10% off other brands. Other benefits include a cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers and discounts on its other services.

Pay:  £11.50 an hour outside London and £12.65 inside the M25

Iceland says it pays £11.50 for staff aged 21 and over - 6p above the minimum wage. Employees in London receive £12.65 per hour.

Staff are also offered a 15% in-store discount, which was raised from 10% in 2022 to help with the cost of living.

The firm says it offers other perks such as a healthcare scheme and Christmas vouchers.

Pay:  £12.40 an hour outside London and £13.65 inside the M25

From June, Lidl matched its rival Aldi by raising its hourly wage to £12.40 for workers outside the M25 and £13.55 for those inside.

Lidl also offers its staff a 10% discount card from the first working day, as well as other perks such as dental insurance and fertility leave. 

Marks and Spencer's hourly rate for store assistants was hiked from £10.90 to £12 for staff outside London and from £12.05 to £13.15 for London workers from April.

The grocer also offers a 20% staff discount after the probation period as well as discretionary bonus schemes and a free virtual GP service.

Pay:  £11.44 an hour outside London and £12.29 inside the M25

Along with many other retailers, Morrisons increased the hourly wage for staff outside the M25 in line with the national living wage of £11.44 in April.

Employees in London receive an 85p supplement.

While it's not the most competitive for hourly pay, Morrisons offers perks including staff discounted meals, a 15% in-store discount and life assurance scheme.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury's hourly rate for workers outside London rose to £12 from March, and £13.15 for staff inside the M25.

The company also offers a 10% discount card for staff to use at Sainsbury's, Argos and Habitat, as well as a range of benefits including season ticket loans and long service rewards.

Pay:  £12.02 an hour outside London and £13.15 inside the M25

Since April, Tesco staff have been paid £12.02 an hour nationally - up from £11.02 - while London workers get £13.15 an hour.

The supermarket giant also provides a 10% in-store discount, discounted glasses, health checks and insurance, and free 24/7 access to a virtual GP.

Staff get their pay boosted by 10% on a Sunday if they joined the company before 24 July 2022.

Pay:  £11.55 an hour outside London and £12.89 inside the M25

Waitrose store staff receive £11.55 an hour nationally, while workers inside the M25 get at least £12.89.

Staff can also get access to up to 25% off at Waitrose's partner retailer John Lewis as well as 20% in Waitrose shops. 

JLP (the John Lewis Partnership) gives staff a bonus as an annual share-out of profit determined by the firm's performance. In 2021-22 the bonus was 3% of pay; however, it has not paid the bonus for the past two years.

Dozens of Ted Baker stores will shut for the last time this week amid growing doubts over a future licensing partnership with the retail tycoon Mike Ashley.

Sky News understands that talks between Mr Ashley's Frasers Group and Authentic, Ted Baker's owner, have stalled three months after it appeared that an agreement was imminent.

Administrators are overseeing the closure of its remaining 31 UK shops.

One store source said they had been told that this Tuesday would be the final day of trading.

Read more ...

The housing market experienced a surge in activity following the Bank of England's recent decision to cut interest rates, according to a leading property website.

Estate agents reported a 19% jump in enquiries about properties for sale after 1 August, when compared with the same period last year, research by Rightmove found.

It came after the Bank cut rates for the first time in more than four years from 5.25% to 5%.

The lead negotiator for major train union ASLEF has denied the union sees the new government as a "soft touch" after announcing fresh strikes two days after train drivers were offered a pay deal.

Drivers working for London North Eastern Railway will walk out on weekends from the end of August in a dispute over working agreements.

Lead negotiator Nigel Roebuck said it is a separate issue from the long-running row over pay, which looks likely to be resolved after a much-improved new offer from the government.

Over 40 bottles of fake vodka have been seized from a shop in Scotland after a customer reported "smelling nail varnish".

The 35cl bottles, fraudulently labelled as the popular brand Glen's, were recovered from the shop in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire.

Officers from the council's environmental health officers and Food Standard Scotland (FSS) sent them for analysis after a customer raised the alarm by saying they smelt nail varnish from one of the bottles.

The bottles were found to be counterfeit.

Britons don't have long left to claim cost of living assistance from the Household Support Fund.

Introduced in October 2021, the scheme provides local councils with funding which can be used to support those struggling most with the rising cost of living.

The vast majority of councils operate their version of the Household Support Fund on a "first come, first serve" basis and will officially end the schemes once the funding has run out in September.

The help provided by councils has ranged from free cash payments, council tax discounts, and vouchers for supermarkets and energy providers.

Who is eligible?

Local authorities were instructed to target the funding at "vulnerable households in most need of support to help with significantly rising living costs" when it was first rolled out.

In particular, councils were guided to make priority considerations for those who: 

• Are eligible but not claiming qualifying benefits;
• Became eligible for benefits after the relevant qualifying dates;
• Are receiving housing benefit only;
• Are normally eligible for benefits but who had a nil award in the qualifying period.

If you do not meet these criteria, you can still contact your local council , with many having broadened their criteria for eligibility.

By Daniel Binns, business reporter

Weapons maker BAE Systems is the big loser on the FTSE 100 this morning, with its shares down almost 3% in early trading.

It comes following reports over the weekend that the German government is planning to scale back aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia – in what would be a blow to the arms industry.

German media said ministers are set to slash support for Kyiv to 6% of current levels by 2027 in their upcoming budget.

However, the government there has rejected the reports and has denied it is "stopping support" to Ukraine.

Whatever the truth, the reports appear to have spooked traders.

Other companies involved in the defence sector, including Rolls-Royce Plc and Chemring Group, are also down more than 2% and 1% respectively on Monday.

It comes amid a slight slump in early trading, with the FTSE 100 down just over 0.2%, although the FTSE 250 is up 0.07%.

Gainers this morning include housebuilders Barratt Developments, up 1.5%, and Redrow Plc, which is up almost 3%.

Barratt said today it intends to push ahead with a planned £2.5bn merger with its rival despite concerns from the competition regulator.

Meanwhile, the price of oil is down amid concerns of weaker demand in China.

Ongoing ceasefire talks in the Israel-Hamas conflict have also raised hopes of cooling tensions in the Middle East, which would help ease supply risks and worries.

A barrel of the benchmark Brent Crude is currently priced at just over $79 (£61).

On the currency markets, this morning £1 buys $1.29 US or €1.17.

Winter energy bills are projected to rise by 9%, according to a closely watched forecast.

The price cap from October to December will go up to £1,714 a year for the average user, Cornwall Insight says.

It would be a £146 rise from the current cap, which is controlled by energy regulator Ofgem and aims to prevent households on variable tariffs being ripped off.

The cap doesn't represent a maximum bill. Instead it creates an average bill by limiting how much you pay per unit of gas and electricity, as well as setting a maximum daily standing charge (which all households must pay to stay connected to the grid).

Ofgem will announce the October cap this Friday.

"This is not the news households want to hear when moving into the colder months," said the principal consultant at Cornwall, Dr Craig Lowrey.

"Following two consecutive falls in the cap, I'm sure many hoped we were on a steady path back to pre-crisis prices. 

"However, the lingering impact of the energy crisis has left us with a market that's still highly volatile and quick to react to any bad news on the supply front.

"Despite this, while we don't expect a return to the extreme prices of recent years, it's unlikely that bills will return to what was once considered normal. Without significant intervention, this may well be the new normal."

Cornwall Insight warned that the highly volatile energy market and unexpected global events, such as the recent escalating tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war, could see prices rise further at the start of the new year.

To avoid this vulnerability, Cornwall Insight said domestic renewable energy production should increase and Britain should wean itself off energy imports.

Kellogg's appears to have shrunk its packets of Corn Flakes. 

Two of its four different pack sizes have reduced in weight by 50g, according to The Sun. 

What used to be 720g boxes are now 670g, while 500g boxes have become 450g. 

The newspaper says the 670g boxes are being sold for £3.20 in Tesco - the same price customers were paying for the larger box back in May. 

The 450g boxes are being sold for £2.19, only slightly less than the previous price of £2.25.

Other supermarkets have similar pricing, although in Morrisons the price has gone down in proportion to the size reduction.

The 250g and 1kg pack sizes remain unchanged. 

Kellogg's has said it is up to shops to choose what they charge, but Tesco said the manufacturer should comment on pricing. 

Sky News has contacted Kellogg's for comment.

A spokesperson is quoted by The Sun: "Kellogg's Corn Flakes are available in four different box sizes to suit different shopper preferences and needs. 

"As the cost of ingredients and production processes increase, it costs us more to make our products than it used to.

"This can impact the recommended retail price. It's the grocer's absolute discretion and decision what price to charge shoppers."

WHSmith has launched a café brand as it seeks to expand into the food-to-go market.

The first café is in Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton and offers teas and coffees, hot breakfasts and pastries

Its branding is the same as the Smith Family Kitchen food-to-go range launched three months ago.

WHSmith UK travel managing director Andrew Harrison said: "Whether it's in a hospital or on their journeys, customers tell us that quality food and drink options are what they prioritise most in the different locations we serve.

"That's why we have been doubling down on our food ranges and formats to ensure our customers don't need to compromise on quality or value, as demonstrated today with the launch of Smith's Kitchen."

By Jimmy Rice, Money blog editor

Every Monday the Money team answers your Money Problems or consumer disputes. Find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post. Today's question is...

I'm 62 and have 10 years of gaps in my national insurance record as I worked for my parents' import business without a fixed wage during most of my twenties and thirties, and had periods of unemployment in my fifties. What are the benefits of topping up before I retire in a few years and can I really get £6,000 added to my pension for every £900 I put in?  Tony, Palmers Green

This is a question many people approaching retirement will be asking themselves, Tony.

First, it's worth us outlining why your national insurance record matters and who can top up.

If you reached pension age after 6 April 2016 you need 10 years of NI contributions to get a state pension - and 35 years to get the full £221.20 a week. Before that 2016 date, it's 30 years.

People may have gaps in their record for numerous reasons including: being unemployed, on a low income, self-employed, having worked abroad, or having taken a break from work to raise a family.

Ordinarily, you can pay voluntary contributions for the past six years - but currently there's an extended period meaning a man born after 5 April 1951 or a woman born after 5 April 1953 can pay voluntary contributions to make up for gaps between April 2006 and April 2016.

The deadline for this is 5 April 2025.

How much could topping up earn you?

It would cost £907.40 to cover all NI contributions from the 2023-24 tax year - each year is different but this is a good guide. Going back to your question, if you went on to enjoy 20 years of retirement, you would get back £6,000. It would take just three years to get your £907.40 back.

Who might want to think twice?

Just to stress, as always, that this post is not intended as financial advice. Instead, we're outlining things you should think about.

The first thing anyone should consider is if they'll fill gaps naturally through working - in which case there'd be no point topping up. Given your age, Tony, it could be an option for you - but check your state pension forecast  here .

There are lots of other things to factor in and you should seek independent financial advice.

Wealth management firm  Charles Stanley  says a key consideration is whether a higher pension would either:

• Drag you into paying tax when you retire;
• Mean you no longer qualify for certain benefits.

"You might not benefit from the full amount of extra money as some will be taken in income tax," they say.

"In addition, boosting state pension income can affect entitlements to means-tested benefits. Notably, if you claim pension credit, which tops up the income of very low earners over state pension age, any increase in the state pension would normally reduce an award. This often means that you would be no better off paying voluntary contributions."

Another consideration - and this isn't something most people want to contemplate - is that if you don't think you'll live long enough into retirement (you might be in ill-health or have a terminal illness) to benefit from topping up, then it's probably not worth it.

People should also look into whether they could transfer contributions from their spouse or civil partner .

One more way to top up

Which? advises: "Ensure that you are getting any NI credits you are entitled to before contemplating paying voluntary NI contributions for a particular year. 

"These are free and will apply, say, if you are caring for a child in the family as a parent or grandparent, claiming statutory sick pay or looking after a sick/disabled person."

If you're below state pension age, you can contact the Future Pension Centre to see if you'll benefit from topping up - they're on 0800 731 0175. If you already claim the state pension, call the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469.

Again, before taking any action you should seek independent financial advice.

If you do decide to top up, you'll need a Government Gateway account.

On there, you can see gaps, the cost of filling them and how much you could benefit - you can then pay online.

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:

• The form above - you need to leave a phone number or email address so we can contact you for further details;
• Email [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog";
• WhatsApp us here.

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