Many people have asked me over the years about my favourite places around the world. I’ve been thinking about it recently since I wrapped up the last of my travels, and I’ve been able to whip up the following list. They’re sorted alphabetically by country, and include places like Melbourne, Zurich and San Francisco that I’ve lived in and loved (as opposed to places I’ve travel through). I’ve revised it since I first wrote the post in 2007, but I’ll come back, update and re-post it every now and then as I discover new places that get my juices flowing.
While I’m at it, here is a short list of top travel destinations by country:
The list isn’t only based on how much there is for the tourist to see and do there, but also on the personality of the people (warmth, friendliness, openness, curiosity, character etc.), its value-for-money (they’re generally budget destinations…), and how easy it is to get off the beaten track and away from the major tourist haunts (hey, some of the countries don’t see a lot of tourist traffic anyway!).
Those countries that made it to the shortlist but not the final cut include these great countries: