Ok hopefully we can share that country/s we loved and hated that we have visited….
I loved visiting japan,singapore,thailand,italy
I hated and would never go back to pakistan,israel,indonesia(bali),india
You?
Fave Country You Visited and The Country You Hated after Visiting
HappyBigKid on 18/05/2025 - 14:18
Last edited 18/05/2025 - 14:30
Last edited 18/05/2025 - 14:30
Comments
@buckerooni: Who died and made you king of internet? I will do whatever I please and owe you nothing. There's an opinion and you are free to interpret it however you like - you obviously have already done so unfavorably hence the antagonism which is fine - I really can't care less
@buckerooni: I found the people of a country made it more enjoyable and a beautiful experience.
As for my thoughts of the people if israel, well lets just say ill never visit for that reason. Iv seen plenty of locals interviewed and seen plenty of political leaders making statements that make me wonder what kind of society can make those statements. Vastly different to our multicultural society, in fact the exact opposite.
tension is palpable
That's, uuuh, one way to put it, sure.
I'm sure Germany would have been an incredible place to visit in 1938 too.
You can't just put "politics aside" when the place you are talking about is currently in the middle of apartheid and genocide.
@Vool: I was there pre-2023.
Can you draw a line between 'supporting' a country and just merely 'experiencing' it? If not, then there's probably a bunch of countries that will be off the list and I think you'll miss out on many of the nuances the world.
No one is going to change the world by NOT visiting a country but you may gain a new perspective (or not!) by going.
Korea. Grossly overrated and expensive. Would go back but without the blinkers.
Japan. 10/10 would do again
Egypt. Some time ago. Challenging but rewarding. South nicer than north.
Penang. Go to spot.
Vanuatu. Rate more than rest of SP. Why? Just do. Good people. Learn French, accept Kastom - win đź‘Ť Is expensive. If anyone asks, no, you're not a Kiwi.
Korea. Grossly overrated and expensive. Would go back but without the blinkers. Japan. 10/10 would do again
Surprised you came to that conclusion, especially given that Japan and Korea are very similar countries in many ways.
What exactly about Japan and Korea specifically made you rank them at opposite ends of the spectrum?
Japan is very cost effective for us, Korea is essentially pegged against the USD. Unless you’re eating street vendor tteok, it's not cheap. Japan, on the other hand, is only expensive if you eat foreign food. Even then, the quality is excellent.
Stupid easy to get around Japan. They make an effort. Bi lingual signage and people make an effort. Transport in Japan is easy, especially for those with disability. It's on time, even in rickety Kyoto. Korea? Yeah well, if you dont trip and fall accessing the things, no chance theyre on time.
Korea, theyre just rude. Didnt matter whether in Seoul, Busan or in between. No sense of social etiquette, no politeness.
Theyre not the same people. Not even close. Innumerable studies on cultural comparisons between Korea/Japan or KR/JP/CN have looked at these differences. Korea is highly familial/clan oriented with an insular focus that drives hyper-competitiveness with external actors.
Japanese are highly socially oriented, under a social hierarchy, working together for a common good. Within that, there is still filial piety but it extends outwards beyond familial obligations to elder reverence (but this is obviously changing).
Not saying there's no issues or aholes in Japan. Theyre everywhere, in all countries. But at least in Japan, there's a social order that doesn't have them blank you out in the coffee line like you dont exist. Korea, every friggin day. Definitely an eye opener.
Gaijins are on the lowest rung of the social hierarchy
@star-ggg: White people in Japan are pretty wall respected but they don't really like other Asians. I used to work with a German guy married to a Thai woman. They used to go to Japan a lot and when they were together or he was on his own they got the usual Japanese respect and courtesy. When she was on her own, they showed her much less respect and talked down to her. I've heard this from other people too - subcontinent people get a hard time there.
I had a completely opposite experience from you and I stayed at Incheon, Busan and Seoul. The people are extremely lovely in general. The only ones who were off are gen zoomers in Korea, but the X's, boomers, millennials even the alphas are quite kind.
Then I just associated it as all zoomers are the same. Mainly care about them self.Transport in Japan is easy, especially for those with disability. It's on time, even in rickety Kyoto. Korea? Yeah well, if you dont trip and fall accessing the things, no chance theyre on time.
Did we visit the same Korea? I found accessibility to be relatively similar (in that they're actually both pretty bad with needing to use stairs), and both had metro systems which were overwhelmingly punctual.
Korea, theyre just rude. Didnt matter whether in Seoul, Busan or in between. No sense of social etiquette, no politeness.
That's a bit of a gross generalisation. So everyone in Korea was rude to you?
Innumerable studies on cultural comparisons between Korea/Japan or KR/JP/CN have looked at these differences. Korea is highly familial/clan oriented with an insular focus that drives hyper-competitiveness with external actors. Japanese are highly socially oriented, under a social hierarchy, working together for a common good. Within that, there is still filial piety but it extends outwards beyond familial obligations to elder reverence (but this is obviously changing).
I've spent a bit of time on Google Scholar trying to track down research in this area, but it seems that your claim of "innumerable studies" doesn't seem to quite hold up, and most of what you're saying is just pop psychology. In any case, even if granting your point, what exactly are you trying to say? That somehow Korean people are "hyper-competitive" with tourists, and hence are less nice? That seems to be a pretty broad generalisation to me.
Not saying there's no issues or aholes in Japan. Theyre everywhere, in all countries. But at least in Japan, there's a social order that doesn't have them blank you out in the coffee line like you dont exist. Korea, every friggin day. Definitely an eye opener.
Yeah, sorry but this is just bullshit. I'm guessing you're white, and basically just reducing Asian cultures into monolithic stereotypes. Because, of course, in the "western world", we are different, and individuals are responsible for their own actions, and if someone is mean to you, they must have some reason for it.
But of course, in Asia, if you happened to get ignored once, then it's because of their social construct, and how they must hate foreigners. If they just happened to be nice to you once, then it's because they have a "social order", i.e. be civilised. Right?
@p1 ama: There is something really off with his statement. I, like you had great experiences. Train times are on point and are bilingual, easy to use, extremely safe. The high speed train/bullet train experience was great as was standard metro. If train isn't your thing. Uber taxi is ridiculously cheap as well.
Korea is actually cheaper than Japan as well so found that a bit of an interesting comment.
We have eaten a whole range of foods where it fed me, my wife and our 2 girls for under $35 comfortably. That included drinks and sides as well. Obviously things like kbbq are more expensive but it's still cheaper than AU and Japan.
I just hope that the ozb community reading this take the points made my op with a grain of salt. It seems he didn't enjoy it, but it's definitely not a reflection of the country.@p1 ama: Talk about bias confirmation and own generalisation and racism.
Whole courses in Asian Studies, fundamentals are about dont generalise Asian peoples into homogeneous stereotype.
But sure, anecdotes and light Google Scholar đź‘Ť
@Benoffie: You've literally shared no sources aside from anecdotes about how people in Korea were mean to you.
@p1 ama: You're the one who said Japan and Korea are very similar lol. Now you're accusing him of seeing Asian cultures as a monolith.
@Autonomic: I never said they were culturally similar, I said the experiences for travellers would be similar, e.g. similar distance from Australia, good public transport, big megacities, lots of historical sites, both great places for skiing and snowsports…etc.
What I'm calling out specifically is that making broad remarks and drawing conclusions about culture based on an experience in a coffee line or personal views on politeness is pretty bad.
@Autonomic: Yes, but I think there's a line being crossed when it's being asserted (without any evidence) that "Korea is highly familial/clan oriented with an insular focus that drives hyper-competitiveness with external actors", or that "Korea, theyre just rude. Didnt matter whether in Seoul, Busan or in between. No sense of social etiquette, no politeness".
Like it is obviously wrong that there is no social etiquette or politeness in Korea at all, and to say something like that about an entire group of people (regardless of what nationality they might be) doesn't sit well with me.
Explains Squid games I guess.
Japan and Korea are absolutely not similar.
For transport and work expectations they are.
But everything else I'd agree not similar. There are similarities in that both have old school palaces traditional garments and a mixed culture where one is quite old school yet on the opposite end you have quite modern
Greece loved it
Hong Kong and India would ever go back.Why not Hong Kong?
Not the first time Ive heard that about HK. If it's recent (since CCP crack down), and you were there previously - chalk n cheese
relatively expensive compared to other parts of asia while not offering much more basically. not much to do, night life dying with areas overrun by expats, apathy from locals- stressed and not the friendliest, dated infrastructure, hard to get around with a pram compared to Tokyo/Shanghai etc
Yeah I would second that. My perception of HK was that it was a really Ying Yang, nearly every third car is a tesla but the taxis still run Toyota Corona's, buildings having the biggest led signs I have ever seen yet apartments using old school box aircon. And the majority of the tourists are Chinese. What really surprised me is how Australia seemed to have (in some aspects) overtaken, cashless transaction and good coffee. YMMV
Spot on. The golden era of Hong Kong pre 1997 is long dead in the water
Italy favourite.
France least favourite.Haven't been to Japan yet, but going soon, and I strongly suspect it will take the mantle after that.
Do people only ever go to Bali? That's like going to the Gold Coast and thinking that's all Australia has to offer. I saw wild orangutans in Sumatra, Mt Rinjani- the volcano within a volcano and been up close with a komodo dragon.
czechia kinda blows. france is great
I like Czech Republic a lot, especially day trips from Prague. Prague is full of tourists but still reasonably cheap and the historical centre is beautiful.
I didn't leave Prague. Found it underwhelming compared to Paris and Rome, of course. Best part was how cheap the food was compared to other European countries
Classic. Getting negged because I love visiting Israel, most likely by a bunch of people who've never been there!
nothing new here, people seem to have strong emotional reactions if you have any opinion at all on anything to do with the US/China/Russia etc etc
Best: Nepal and Iraq tied.
Worst: Tied again, Egypt and the Pashtun region of Afghanistan (rest of the country was great)So keen to get to Iraq, gotta wait for the summer to pass though! Have you got family connects there or went solo?
Went solo, had some friend of friend connections with someone I met in Yemen though.
I spent about 6 weeks in Iraq in September and it was ideal weather I thought.
What were the reasons for your best and worst?
Nepal, it was just easy joy. Hiking mostly, and food was also great. It was my first time overseas too so the culture shock was nice.
I'd done a lot of hiking prior but just the scale of everything there was so insane. Pretty much every day and view was beautiful and unique.Iraq, it's like a country made for me. I love ancient history, religious history, recent military history, and middle eastern culture/food (eg it was hard not to end up in stranger's houses). I also like mountains, flat deserts, jungles, and forests, all with a hint of danger. Where tf else can you combine all of those, at their absolute peaks, inside one country?? Only downside was how damaging the total Iranian control was at all levels. The country will certainly be comparable to the like of Yemen soon. I've never seen a place on a more severe crash course to total poverty through foreign corruption.
Egypt. It was cultural hellscape. All the standard middle eastern generosity is utterly replaced with scamming. Literally everyone (minus ONE kind man at the end) I encountered tried to scam me. I don't just mean on the street, I mean the guards, the hotel managers, the waiters, the cabbies, even the expensive guide I paid for for a day with the specific aim of avoiding all the known scammers.
The scams were particularly insidious too, and relied on preying on western politeness. Eg visiting night markets I had a man approach me saying "I'm not trying to sell you anything, I just want to practice my English, can we chat?" So naturally I respected the intent and we walked around an hour or so chatting. By the end he was trying to force me into his affiliates stores. Would get them to show me how they practice whatever crafts they were making them shaming me for wasting their time when I didn't purchase, and then finally was physically pestering me for money for "guiding me" through the markets.
Similarly, it was culturally soulless. The locals really just couldnt care less about their artefacts beyond selling them. In the main museum in Cairo there were hundred of mummies lining the back hallways that has no labels etc and were covered in graffiti. I reckon I could have walked out with one and noone would have cared.
I should add that, sadly, I could never in good faith take a female loved one their. They were so utterly rotten to western women, and it was rampant. This statement is particularly wild when you add to it the fact that I want to take my mother and girlfriend to northern (Kurdish) iraq at some stage.Afghanistan (Pashtun region). I went to Afghanistan about 6 months ago and road tripped the entire country. For the most part everyone was very friendly. The history was insane and landscape was awesome etc etc. When I went through the Pashtun region (eg Asadabad in particular, but even Jalalabad and Ghazni) the vibe totally switched. The taliban spies were much more brazen and nasty to us. The locals were snitches and acted in bad faith. The kids were the worst I've encountered travelling, like begging is one thing but they would refuse any offers of free food purchases and instead physically latch on to you screaming for money. Locals would encourage it. The hotels were utterly foul, like sweat soaked mattresses covered in snot and sh!t. The showers even left you feeling more dirty. My translator and I (even though he was a Kabul local) couldn't eat the local food for about 4 days as it was so disgustingly dirty, so we just had bottled water and the odd chocolate bar.
Oh and they treated poor people like dirt. After enough travel you can see when beggars are legit, and the taliban escorts (another unique issue in that region) would angrily abuse anyone I helped (the fake beggars were allowed though).Anyway, that became a rant. Loved Afgan, but screwwww that particular region haha.
Amazing write up, I like your style. Hopefully I can get to Iraq this year along with Oman!
@zfind: Ah thanks man that's really nice.
Enjoy! I'm planning an Oman trip too so I can cross the border and hit the parts of Yemen I couldn't last time
Bang on about Egypt - it mirrors my experience there.
It’s so draining that you basically can’t talk to any local, even for simple things like directions, help, or just a friendly chat. There’s just no point - you will never get an honest answer or genuine assistance from anyone.
Everyone is out to scam you in some way, or to direct you to their cousin’s shop instead of where you actually wanted to go. etc
Favourite: Sri Lanka, Slovenia
Least favourite: North India, FranceLoved South Korea the most, followed very very closely to Japan . People in South Korea won me over. Japanese while polite feel distant. South Koreans are polite and engaging. They talk to you, and are just happy to have you visit their country.
Countries I don't like: worst is Fiji, close second Philippines.
My wife is from the Philippines we have gone there twice. Her home town is lovely but I hate manila.Australia sits in the middle for me. For the most part this country is ok. But it's definitely not as safe as Korea or Japan. Its the crimes and the troubled community here that ruin this country.
You don't see crime in Korea or Japan.. if it happens it's definitely not apparent. If you lose or drop your phone, credit card.. anything really, no one will take it. They will actually run after you to give you what you dropped or it stays where it was left.
If Australia fixes the issue with crime I think we would be one of the greatest countries.
I had some of my best travel experiences in Korea too and would rate it number 1 of the places I'd been, purely because of the people. Everything was cheap (except accommodation in Seoul), and the people were wonderful. Climbing Mt Hallasan on Jeju, locals wanted to stop and chat and practice their English and I was told by many of them 'thank you for visiting Korea'.
Getting off the ferry from Jeju in Mokpo, the ferry captain picked me up and drove me to my hotel at around 9.30pm at night. We made polite small talk in English the whole way and he wouldn't accept any payment whatsoever. Again, he was so thankful for the visit (particularly visiting somewhere outside of Seoul), thanked Australia for helping South Korea in the war and gave a lot of great pointers for the trip.
In Seoul people were a little less friendly (understandably in a big city), but still polite and helpful.
Yep pretty much this. Everywhere we have gone. The people have been so polite this far. In gamcheon village, we found a nice little cafe where the shop owners and visitors all came up to us smiling trying to help and talk took photos with us. Went to Incheon and kids played with other kids and parents were trying to talk. Using papago for a bit of translation but always so pleasant.
I'm just glad there are others who also appreciated the lovely culture in Korea. Would go back there when the kids are a bit older even though transport was great having a 2 year old is hard work lol.
Germany and Austria were my tied favourites….then NZ said, hold my L&P. i honestly don't know why it took me so long to visit. but also expensive AF - i spent more in NZ for 10 days than i did than 20 days in EU. i was so reliant on rental cars and expensive domestic flights to get places. but the service was god-tier and genuine.
haven't hated any place i've visited (Thailand would be my least favourite) but don't generally enjoy tropical/humid places. i'll do like a half-day stopover in Singapore to binge eat/shop, then that'll keep me happy for a couple of years lol
probably going to be an unpopular opinion
Fav Croatia the coast and islands are amazing
Least fav Thailand seems like a great place if you're an old af sex tourist but for me it has some nice beaches but i couldnt wait to gtfo from all the creepy sex tourist and drunk bogans - it was the most over rated country i have been too
Though they’re hard to avoid in Phuket and the busier part of Bangkok, if you can cut them out Bangkok especially is incredible - it’s just my opinion but I go watch Muay Thai, indulge in the coffee scene, visit and pray at the temples, hang out by the river, check out the fashion, of course eat lots of food, visit galleries and museums of all types (the modern art museum is unreal). On top of this it’s very affordable, weed is legal and the people - despite their country being flooded with rude tourists - are still very kind especially if you show them the kindness and respect they deserve. Not here to change your mind but I too hate and avoid obnoxious western tourists and Bangkok is one of my favourite cities.
For me it seemed to have gone the way of Bali in which the nation has solid itself out for money people happy to stripe down and bend their culture for tourism money
Perhaps things like the Hangover 2 etc changed the place becuz it clearly was once different but it isnt a place id go back too in a hurry
I reckon away from the major cities you might get a more authentic experience but the amount of straight creepy old guys and what i suspect to be pedos i saw their had me saying this is the worst place ive ever visited
all the things you mentioned you can get in other parts of Asia with 'less' creeps ie Vietnam, id say Philippines as well but that is becoming a hive for >55 y.o divorced guys to go and find a 22 y.o wife but it wasnt 'as bad' as Thailand as there are still loads 'cleaner/family friendly' tourist areas and maybe even thrown in Malayasia
I agree that a nation shouldn’t have to change / hide / forego its culture to make itself more attractive to wealthy tourists - this is a huge shame and one of the worst outcomes of modern globalised travel. But it’s also understandable when poorer countries have few options to generate wealth (let me be clear, I don’t blame the Thais here but rather capitalism + neocolonialism and the people that perpetrate this economic system). However, you yourself can be discerning and not engage in that and rather celebrate the real culture beneath that shitty façade.
I also agree that Thailand is especially obvious with the sex tourism side vs the other examples given. I’m guessing the Thais would rather not have it as part of their national identity amongst foreigners but I’d add that in favour of this at least it stigmatises sex workers less and provides a modicum of safety for all involved. It’s not something to be ashamed of IMO but yes it is a shame that younger, poorer people feel they have to transact with older people they wouldn’t normally simply because of their lack of means.
I’ll stop sermonising now, I just love Thailand 🙂
I have to disagree with OP; I really enjoyed Bali but absolutely loved India. I had a local guide and stayed with a family in Delhi which made all the difference in the world.
Places that were just meh… (1) Hong Kong - just a bit boring; (2) Athens - amazing history but once done there isn’t much more to do or see. Never been to the islands though so can’t comment on them.
Spain sucks food is shit and people are unfriendly probably why it hasn't had a mention on here
there is no place I'd never go back to. (i've been to ~45 countries).
I haven't spent enough time in any country to never want to visit it again.
Same here. I haven't traveled to 45 countries, but I've probably visited 45 cities. I loved each one for its unique character. All we need is an open mind and the joy of observing. I do like all type of foods, which makes it easier.
Favourite: Japan as a tourist, Finland to live in.
Least favourite: France. I’ll admit I’ve only been to Paris but it was so grimy, unsafe and the people sufficiently rude to crush my expectations and not want to bother again. I’ve been to Bangladesh and had a far better time due to the people alone and that’s a third world country.
The Louvre was exquisite however.
Have to agree but Parisans i kind of know to be flogs to everyone including other French people not from Paris
The Louvre is pretty amazing ill add the food is of 'very' high quality
i went from London to Paris and the food went from a 2/10 to like a 9/10
Best - Italy / Japan
Amazing food, so much history and culture, so many sights to see. The countries vary so much when you travel all around them.
Japan hospitality is 10/10. Italy - can be hit and miss and you're running on 'italian' time at certain places.Worst - France / USA
While I still really enjoyed these countries and would recommend going there -
France - Most people are fine but the 10% of people you meet who are really rude to foreigners brings the country down for tourists
USA - I love the USA (have been there 3 times) and people are generally really outgoing and friendly however after ~2 weeks being in their country I can't wait to leave.The obnoxious, ignorant, closed-minded Americans really ruin it even if it's 10% of the people you meet.Favourite: Italy, the food was so much better than we expected, and there's so much to see.
Worst: New Zealand, it's a bit like Australia but not as good. The scenery is nice but there are nicer places around the world.
In what way is it a bit like Australia? Do you just mean culturally? When it comes to scenery, especially in the South Island, New Zealand is nothing like travelling through Australia. The alpine landscapes and fjords are incredible to see. I’m always so grateful that we’re so close to NZ.
maybe it's just a lifetime of enduring shitty Perth drivers, but I found NZ drivers (North+South) actually used their indicators, knew how to merge and gave thank you waves/that hazard light blink thing they do
Agreed. It's not much better over here in Newcastle! It's always been a pleasure driving throughout NZ.
Yes, culturally I find their cities similar to Australia but a little different. If you've been to Scotland or any of the alpine areas in Europe the scenery is similar but better in Europe. It's not a bad place, but for everything NZ has, somewhere else does it better.
Worst: New Zealand, it's a bit like Australia but not as good. The scenery is nice but there are nicer places around the world.
it has beautiful nature but i tend to agree it is 'very' expensive the people are meh it is kind of a outdoors or nothing sort of country - i do like the outdoors activity but when the night comes the places has very little life
kind of reminded me of a country town in Aus - i wouldnt go back unless it was for Snowboarding
Italy (History. Food).
Hawaii (Overdeveloped. Expensive)Hawaii has a lot to offer. What I loved about Honolulu is they've made it excellent for tourists. Entertainment in the shopping centres, shows etc to totally plan your holiday.
But if that isn't your thing, in Maui we hired a residential house, and just lived like a local. Totally different experience.
I've previously lived in Hawaii for two years. Mainly visiting family members on Maui. Everyone has different expectations of what makes a destination a great holiday.
For me Honolulu was like Surfers Paradise on steroids.
Wow tough one. Favourite is a toss up between Sweden, UK and USA.
All good for different reasons, USA is really underrated by Australian's IMO, there is so much to see and do, people are friendly, it's way more accessible from Australia than say Europe, I was hesitant that I would even enjoy it the first time I went but it's easily one of my favourites and I've only scratched the surface there.
Least favourite.
Uh toss up between Italy and Czech Republic, maybe throw in Thailand and Malaysia. I just didn't like these countries at all for different reasons.
USA is really underrated by Australian's IMO, there is so much to see and do, people are friendly, it's way more accessible from Australia than say Europe
i agree with this but NYC was a bit of a let down if you ask me too many homeless, ultra expensive and way too fast pace but places like Orlando, Southen Calrifornia, Tennessee are very under-rated
i also agree people are quite friendly their but they also have 'zero' clue about the rest of the world outside of the US
The US is a crap shoot, my old manager always wanted to road trip the USA was his dream trip.
Booked a VISA, got on a plane, drove down the border from Canada, and was denied entry.
Couldn't appeal or reapply for years. Only reason given was the border guard didn't like the look of him Vietnamese Australian.
Had to cancel the section of his trip from Canada to Mexico, ended up flying to Cuba for a month as he couldn't visit USA.
Was travelling on an Aussie passport, plenty of cash, senior management at a major Aussie bank, and just denied entry cause the guard didn't like the look of him.
This was before Trump apparently its only gotten worse, you really want to be flying in to one of the big American Airports, and preferably be white.
Agree, the US has become a major risk. If you only ever had 1 credit card they know ALL about you: Your shopping behaviour, your social media comments your public political views all is sussed out with AI that can make a profile your border guard will just dumbfound you and refuse entry. Even contacts you had on dating sites with American women can work against you. If you go over a risk threshold against their perceived culture you will get a red flag.
I really dislike the fact that they want all your social media usernames on the ESTA. It's quite frankly none of their business. And if you did declare, are you absolutely 100% sure you didn't say anything bad about the president a decade ago? You might not remember, but the Internet never forgets.
Hmmm, as an adult i have been to Tanzania and China with stopovers in Singapore and UAE, and a day transiting through Kenya. Whilst there are elements of all these countries i didn’t like, i wouldn't go as far to say i hated any of the countries.
Next country on my list is Japan and by the comments above, i don't think i will be hating any of the countries I have or will be visiting any time soon.
My absolute favourite country I've visited is Japan. It's just so easy to get around and has a really great mix of tradition, culture, modern tech, history, nature. The food is amazing with lots of variety. Prices are currently really good too.
My least favourite country has been the Philippines. The airport says it all…
Favourite countries - Uruguay, Argentina, Finland, Spain, Japan, Philippines, Cameroons, Zambia, Central African Republic, New Zealand
Least favourite countries - India (by some distance), Sudan, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia
Hate - Japan. Too much of a culture shock difference for me.
Loved - England.
People should not downvote just because they disagree.
What did you find challenging / culture shocking in Japan?Thank you.
I’m not very adventurous with my food. I don’t eat any seafood and usually try to stick to the basic “meat and 3 veg” type meals. I’m sure I could have found something I liked, but the language barriers were too overwhelming for me.
Fave: Germany
Hate : France,
Refuse to go to: India, Pakistan, NepalFavourite:
China or Japan - Alot to do, many experiences, can pick your adeventureWorst:
Taiwan - dirty, average food, too much homelessness
America - Landing at LAX is all you need to see about America, run down, so much random violence, so many zombies, NY subway lmao brother eww
Tahiti would have to be the worst place on my list. The cruise I was on stopped here for a few hours, very third world and run down. Apparently you have to go to other side of Island,(North side), for beautiful resorts and pristine beaches.
Best places are obviously Australia, so many beautiful places to list.
USA/Canada, San Fransisco, Alaska.Where are your favourite spots in Australia?
I’ve been to Perth,Cairns, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra, live in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Blue Mountains, Hobart, Launceston.
Favourite: Guatemala - Volcanoes, Maya people, Maya ruins, Colonial towns
Close Seconds: Egypt, Indonesia, PeruWorst: El Salvador - not much to see after Guatemala, people where friendly though.
Loved - Iceland, Finland, Portugal
Hated - UAE, Turkey, Netherlands
Favourite: Japan
Least Favourite: USAOther places I have been to are Vietnam, Singapore, and New Zealand. USA is just unlucky, I haven't been anywhere I didn't enjoy so far.
I don't think I have a least fav or place I didn't enjoy being in.. Below is mostly from our Europe trip for my honeymoon last year.
I was unfortunately sick on landing in Paris, so I missed out 2 full days of our 5 days. But I enjoyed the food (once I could finally eat ha), the architecture. Versielle was gorgeous.
And I didn't have any issues with the people or rudeness or theft etc.
Barcelona was lovely, the food, the Gaudi architecture. A couple dodgy characters around but we always kept our bags on our fronts and closed/phones strapped too.
Madrid was nice too. Both Barcelona and Madrid though I feel I don't need to go back to. I'd go back to Paris (I've been twice, though first time was 3 days only and well over a decade ago).
Portugal was my favourite place (including Madeira/Lisbon where we spent a full week, my partners father was born here) amazing food, rented a car to drive around half the island. I'd go back 100%.
Ive been north Island NZ and also Copenhagen/Denmark separately to the above trip. Enjoyed both though the latter was different circumstances.
If anything, I'd have to say the least memorable place I've visited was London. Just a bit.. Dreary and nothing particularly amazing about it. Just felt like an older, darker Sydney ha. (am a Sydney sider) without the beaches!
I want to visit Japan and Singapore soon!
Loved Thailand
Disliked Bali
Country I love would be Canada (for the Rockies and skiing).
I don't have any countries that I hate.
The closest would be Mainland China but I went in the early 90's so it was not as developed as it is today.
To be honest every country has its good and bad points.
I love Canada but the tipping culture there is insane and its a very expensive country to visit and presumably live in.
To hijack the discussion a bit.
When you are at the airport in any country, if it a given that customs worker can speak English (as a generalisation)?
Just using this as a quick informal survey. I had a discussion related to this and I want to get broader observations.You mean wouldn’t expect customs to be able to speak English?
I’d expect someone in customs should but I’ve encountered places where they didn’t.customs officers are police, and when dealing with foreign police, i will always use the language i'm most proficient in, which is English. trying to be clever/polite, i once greeted a German border guard with a formal phrase, and he replied back, in German, asking to see my residence papers. whoa, not yet bro! lol
Favourite country:
Armenia (went there in 2016 and been going there every year since except during COVID).Hated after visiting:
Germany (only through Berlin and Hamburg). Perhaps if I had visited other cities, I wouldn't hate it?Are you Armenian?
I want to visit Armenia this year (summer)
Yep, I'm Armenian but born and raised in Australia. I could be biased in my choice. I have visited some 20-30 countries in my lifetime and find Armenia a place to call home. I'll be there in a couple months so feel free to PM me on tips, where to go, what to do etc.
Fair enough.
I want to try do Armenia-Georgia in that one trip in August-Sep….will msg you before i book tickets.
BTW.
Artsakh is Armenia
@HappyBigKid: You can catch a bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan via Northern Armenia. Return flights from Australia to Armenia are often $2300 to $2700 with two key options;
1. Emirates via Dubai (usually 2-3hr stopover). Usually $2600+ for this option
2. Qatar Airways via Doha (15hr stopover). Usually $2300-$2500 The cheaper option but can get free hotel on request as your stopover is >10 hours and have no other option.The third option:
3. Mix of Airlines arriving Abu Dhabi and then Wizz Air can be had for around $1500-$2100 but multiple flights, undesirable airlines, and re-checking in luggages.I agree with Artsakh being part of Armenia but Stalin handed it over to a newly formed state called 'Azerbaijan', including Nakhijevan which was predominantly populated with Armenians, Assyrians and Iranians. Azerbaijan has extremely poor human rights and is motivated in driving a pseudo pan-turkic ideology. And that involves further land grab, cultural appropriation and the likes.
Have you been over the border to Tabriz? It's not that far from the border and I would love to see the cave village there on the same trip.
@buckerooni: no