Afghanistan | Tagged Posts
2022
21
August
Where's the Most Surprising Place You've Visited?
21
August
Question:
Humans say...
Cate
Bosnia.
Robert
Turkey.. especially the Cappadocia region.
Susan
Robert Istanbul exceeded all my expectations. I was reluctant to go but my husband really wanted to go
Ramon
Robert definitely
Lizzi
Robert so trueeeee
Sandra
Robert yes!
Tatiana
Philippines....absolutely stunning
Tamina
Mexico city
Tarek
Tamina I totally agree, to an extent I kept going back again every few months!
Maria
Budapest
Mona
My fav
Julie-Da
GdaĆsk
Rachel
Croatia
Budapest
Poland
I’ve heard great things about Slovenia
Denise
Rachel can confirm that Slovenia is indeed great!
Audrey
Denise agree …Slovenia not very touristy & wonderful!
Wendy
Audrey shhhh. Can we keep Slovenia our little secret?
Sandy
Rachel phenomenal
Stephani
Rachel I loved Budapest too!
Arlene
Cozumel, Mexico
Theresa
Arlene why did you like Cozumel so much?
Jean
The Azores
Gabriel
Bogota
Ken
Lisbon and Cape Town
Wendi
Isla Muejeres MX
See
Minnie Kinnie
Albania!
Denise
Slovenia and Rwanda
Eric
Nicaragua and El Salvador
Karena
Laos!!
Ken
The island of Naxos in Greece. Same region as Mykonos and Santorini but no huge crowds and great beaches
Ashley
Ken shhh
. Keep it a secret
Sharon
Ken agreed! Ended up on Naxos as storm in Med. sea cancelled our ferry to another island. Super beaches, hiking, restaurants, authentic local culture. 10/10
Robin
Ken Naxos, my favorite too of the Greek Islands.
Robin
Siem Reep Cambodia. Visiting Angkor Wat was life changing. All of Cambodia was incredible.
Glenn
Theseus abandoned Ariadne on Naxos.
Franny
Bolivia and Brazil probably
Shannon
Rapallo Italy
Sandra
The seaside fishing village of Sitges, in Spain.
Kendelle
Sandra opposite side of the country, but, I loved Galician area of Santiago/Ponte Vedra/ Vigo!
Melissa
Washington, DC. A completely different kind of vacation but is a criminally underrated place to visit in the US. Great food, tons of free museums and cultural landmarks, beautiful neighborhoods to roam. I can’t wait to go back one day!
Le
Melissa Muzyczka never even considered visiting but my partner ended up going for a work trip so I joined him… to this day, one of our favourite trips! Can’t wait to go back
Melanie
Kim Le same here - went for a conference, ended up loving it!
Melissa
Kim Le I bought cheap tickets through porter for my husbands birthday and I knew we’d enjoy it because we’re history buffs, but it completely exceeded our expectations
Allen
Thailand!!!
Brenda
Budapest. Planned a Prague vacation as a gift for hubby’s retirement(was on his bucket list). Added Budapest and it blew us away!!
Kim
Brenda agreed
Devon
Grenada
Shauna
Riga Latvia and Tallinn Estonia
Lina
Shauna 2nd Tallinn. That was pretty awesome. Personally I'd swap out Riga for Vilnius, Lithuania
Audrey
Shauna drove riga to Tallinn, to Vilnius & back to Riga … fabulous cities, countryside, food, people …
Wendy
Japan
Wendy
Wendy oooh that’s on my bucket list
Katelyn
Oman
Aleesha
Guatemala
Jemy
Aleesha I would love to hear specifics of where!
Ram
Thailand and Portugal
Angie
Slovenia...specifically Lake Bled
Vanessa
A secret spot you want us to announce to the world?? Pshaw
David
Vanessa Cool!! Where's Pshaw? I wanna go there!
Rachel
Krakow and Warsaw was fabulous
Han
Prague
Katrina
Barbados
Paulina
Vietnam
Tahsis
A bit niche: but the drive from Manitoba into Ontario and down to Toronto along the trans Canada is ridiculously spectacular on a nice day. Feels like you go from the top of the world in a forest to driving along cliff edges along the Great Lakes. We drove across Canada to move from Victoria to Toronto (mostly camping along the way) and everyone told us it would be boring and we'd be wishing we hadn't by the end...
Zekria
Tahsis thunderbay to Parry sound *chef's kiss*. Views along Lake Superior is gorgeous. Absolutely worth the drive.
Theresa
Tahsis most memorable for sure. If you have it in you! Lol! Some really sketchy sections I found. However, as you mentioned Beautiful untouched land and scenery and definitely a bucket list item at home.
Jenni
Tahsis I agree! I am not usually into Canadian nature but I did that drive to visit a friend who lives in northwestern Ontario and I was stunned by the beauty of the Superior shore.
Cindy
Tahsis adding in Killarney to the necessary stops
Jemy
Tahsis I have driven Thunder Bay to Maraton and yes, the views are spectacular - both summer and fall!
Bob
Bali Indonesia!
Enn
Bob, to each their own! I found Bali the most overrated trip of my life. I couldn’t be convinced to go back no matter what anyone paid me.
David
Hamilton Ontario
LaRee
David I agree David. I spent some time in Hamilton (on and off for 8 months while take a course at Mac) and I really came to appreciate it. Lots of awesome restaurants and the fabric district is Amazing!
David
LaRee oh sorry, I miss read this post. I thought it meant overrated
Rhonda
Tallinn, Estonia.
Tyne
Mongolia and Turkey
Jemy
Tyne any specific tips/places in Mongolia?
Tyne
Jemy I travelled up close to Russian border to meet up with the Tsaatan people for three days north of Tsaagan-Nuur to ride reindeer and learn about the local culture - Amazing. Lake Khovsgol for a few days lovely place to relax. Down to the Gobi to check out the singing dunes etc. Don’t skimp on the vehicle we were lucky to have an AC land cruiser. Finally I rented a 4x4 LADA in Ulaanbaatar did some off roading and checked out their Terelji national park to explore. Not a lot of marked trails for hiking but the off road vehicle made it super fun. Food is limited outside of the main city so I hope you like goat and sheep.
Carol
Budapest
Kieran
Piran, Slovenia. It's on the tiny sliver of coastline that Slovenia has on the Adriatic. Beautiful wee town, great rocky beach, excellent seafood. Only a few hours drive from Venice.
The other place is Taiwan, which is a hit off the regular South East Asia route. Incredible scenery, tremendous and affordable food, and genuinely some od the nicest people in the world.
Veronica
Kieran ditto on Taiwan!
Ashley
Piran was also one of the first i thought of!
Pauline
Kieran I was also thinking Taiwan. It’s the strangest Asian city. Very organized. None of the chaos. It’s this odd hodge podge that is ugly pretty with the bathroom tiled buildings but every ugly building has nice potted plants. Cleanest country. They eat on the floor in the Taipei train station, it’s that clean. Food is amazing. Beautiful hidden gem places. Some fantastic new architecture. Tons of history. People are the friendliest. Sun Moon Lake is ethereal. We loved it so much, we considered moving there. If you have the budget for it, try to stay one night at the Lalu hotel in sun moon lake. The hotel, the views and the service is amongst the best in the world.
Theresa
Pauline taught English there and agreed heaven on earth aside from the odd earth quakes typhoons and threats from China. Also island life is the best
Romeesa
Theresa went there for exchange and it was my favourite! feels like a dream
Ken
Kieran yeah. Surprise. Nothing like mainland china. Really surprised me.
Ian
Kieran spot on. Both countries are beautiful if you are looking for green mountain scenery and local culture. My favourite regions in Taiwan are the east coast and the central mountains. Slovenia is beautiful all around and not touristy at all, except for Bled Lake
Kieran
Ian Melamud Never made it to the East Coast unfortunately, it looks class. I did cycle down to the southernmost point (near Eluanbi lighthouse). What a fantastic day, I left early in the morning - ended up stumbling on a music festival and going in there for the afternoon and evening
. Had a great time! Had to get a cab to take me and the bike back to Kenting haha
Ian
Kieran I spent 4 days on the East Coast. Took a high-speed train (not shinkansen) to Hualien and rented a car from there. I got as south as Taitung county. Taroko National Park just north of Hualien is the most famous, but they have a lot of parks there. Very nice people, even when drunk, and great infrastructure.
Victoria
India/Guatemala!
Amanda
Detroit
Mona
Such rich history
Amanda
Mona right? The art museum alone blew me away. Great restaurants, entertainment, and the humblest vibe
Mona
Went there for a music festival - fell in love with the city.
Carol
Rwanda.
David
Carol What was the number one thing you liked about Rwanda ??
Carol
David we went to the mountain trek to see gorillas. Amazing experience. Genocide museum was extremely moving. So much to learn from this country. Loved it so much.
Catrina
Romania!
David
Catrina I've always been intrigued by Romania ! Where was the best spot(s) you went to ?
Catrina
David We loved the painted churches. We stayed in Brasov and did not go to capital at all except for our flight home. It was just nice staying in Brasov and going to the local restaurants and of course Dracula's castle. Our friends are from that area so we got the true local experience plus had Translators! This was before they were in the EU so you saw lots of animals roam the side of the road, farmers with their wagons talking on a cell phone, gypsies. Not sure what it was like now but food was good and cheap but a heart attack in a plate with all that yummy salami. Wine not so good. It was a wonderful place to visit and my favorite vacation spot and part of that is because I was "local". We went in 2008
Dawn
Madeira and many of the Azores islands
Ian
Dawn Madeira isn't that underrated, I think. And the new tunnels took away the joy of driving through its hilly terrain.
Dawn
Ian Melamud well I guess everyone has their own experiences as we were amazed. We still look lots of windy and hilly roads and thought tunnel and bridge infrastructure was amazing to see. We spend a lot of time in the Azores so we get our fill of windy hilly roads there I guess.
Ian
Dawn Madeira is amazing, By saying it's not underrated I only meant that it's not obscure and does get its share of tourists. The Azores are quieter.
Jane
Chile
Paul
Firenze, Praha.
Edna
Malta
Melissa
Tbilisi, Georgia. Anywhere in Georgia actually
Chanel
Sao Miguel, Portugal.
Ian
Brussels. Everyone says it's boring, but it has great museums, public transport and food, plus it's a quick train away from Amsterdam, London or Paris. If you like beer or chocolate it really is worth visiting just for that.
Ian
Ian Yep, if you can get over its outer ugliness and motley crew residents.
Lambert
Ian try Antwerp or Ghent instead
Kendra
Malta. I loved it. So much history, culture, Mediterranean climate. Good restaurants.
Lina
Kendra 2nd this
Toni
Kendra
Rhonda
Kendra intrigued…how is it getting there from Toronto, any idea?
Marie
Rhonda There are tons of connecting flights from most European cities, London for example.
Sue
Kendra and everyone speaks English
Nicole
THAILAND
Jovana
Bosnia, and cheap
Theresa
Jovana Bosnia was definitely a shock for the kind people and beautiful scenery.
Kali
Malaysia. Thailand gets all the glory, but Malaysia was wonderful.
Paulina
Kali love Malaysia
Ken
Kali unbelievable food!
Trish
Cambodia
Carmel
Trish as agree
Jemy
Trish Agee!
Jeff
Because of some travel…issues some time ago I was in a situation where I had to live in Zagreb, Croatia. And my goodness what a gorgeous country.
Sharon
Brunei
Alison
Tobago
Moira
Penang, beautiful
Linda
Ljubljana, Slovenia. Top 3 places in the world!!
Yoanella
Oman, beautiful, great food, nice people and so affordable
Jodi
Lisbon
Dana
Azores
Salman
Malaysia . Langkawi is spectacular
Darcy
Scotland. All of it. Stunning and a hidden gem
Ed
Malta. It is under rated here in Canada. Beautiful scenery, historic sites from prehistory to St. Paul to Romans and the Crusades and modern times, fresh and tasty local food, and much more. We went there as a final stop on a RTW trip and we were wowed!
Jodi
Ed I agree I love Malta!
Ed
Vladivostok in early October was beautiful, especially with a side trip through the countryside to the Amur Leopard Reserve. Russkiy Island had some beautiful sites, both historic and natural. The food, especially the seafood, was so good and creative -- part of a big local farm to table movement. The city was revitalized about a decade ago and it is a wonderful place to wander.
Elizabet
Lyon
Karen
Elizabet any recommendations specifically?
Renee
Orkney Islands off the north tip of Scotland. Eating lunch in a 5000 year old stone circle, being inside a neolithic tomb, Scara Brae, staying in a hotel built in the 1700's .. even the ferry crossing was amazing. Loved it.
Frenny
Naxos, the underrated island in Greece!
Kristen
Guatemala
Mustafa
Palawan peninsla in the philippines. The beaches and the subterranian river are amazing and breathtaking
Mustafa
We toured the world + 2 times and visited most of the world countries. Banff and Jasper in Alberta Canada are the best places to visit for sight seeing and enjoying nature in summer and in winter
Andrea
Mustafa we are headed this july! Any specific recommendations?
Mustafa
Andrea Must see destinations Maline Canyon and Athabasca falls in Jasper; Louse lake and Johnson Canyon in Jasper. If you can book hotel in Emerald lake resort would be great. To fully enjoy the trip you must have car rental cs so many stops for sight seeing. Good luck... enjoy
Andrea
Mustafa thanks so much! We plan to fly into Edmonton rent a car and head to jasper then banff and then lake louise the fly out of Calgary.
Glenn
Moraine Lake is far, far more beautiful than Lake Louise.
Mustafa
Glenn They're both beautiful. For Moraine lake,however, better be there early bf 7 am as they have limited admissions
Giselle
Mustafa agreed!
Adolphe
Pittsburgh
Tiffany
Adolphe I actually second this. Great city.
Jillian
Adolphe I was pleasantly surprised by it also! I thought the bridges were pretty cool and the Andy Warhol museum was great.
Emily
Adolphe agreed! It really surprised me!
Susan
Wales
Marie
Jordan
Marie
Snorkell in the Red Sea. Sleep in the Wadi Rum desert with nomads. Roman ruins. Crusader forts. The incredible Petra. Lovely people. You can combine with Israel too. Definately
Joan
Malta. Such a beautiful island. Amazing people, food, sites and more! Very affordable too.
Karine
Nunavut
David
Karine - Been there - I can attest!
Renee
Karine Bé Loved it! Would give an arm and a leg to back... but, well, it costs and arm and a leg to go back.
Karine
Renee my sentiments exactly!
David
Renee The flights went down in price in Jan 2020 (It was $1100 YYZ > Iqaluit). It's not cheap by any means, but used to be $2,000 round trip!
Heather
Portugal - either Porto or Lagos. Also Valencia, Spain.
Lina
Heather 2nd Valencia!
Tita
Kotor Montenegro
just loved it!
Steve-Ja
Turkey and Vietnam. ( Halong Bay is spectacular)
Ha
Steve-Ja second this. Turkey is so beautiful. So much to see!!! We also did Vietnam but did phu quoc.
Sapna
Steve-Ja Fully agree with both of these. Turkey was more than 15 years ago, but beautiful and so much to see, desperately want to go back. I went to Vietnam in 2019, it’s gorgeous, so lush.
Rita
Indonesia and Laos, incredible.
Jen
Turkey
Megan
Nicaragua
Ann-Mari
Laos
Thea
Laos
Nigel
Cool islands especially AITUTAKI
Stacey
Jordan. And everyone should go if they ever get the chance. Mozambique was pretty fantastic too.
Roma
Salema, Portugal (a small fisherman’s village) in the Algarve along the Adriatic Sea. About 200 or so people live in the village but there’s picturesque villas that you can rent that overlook the sea and village.
Ian
Roma I think you meant Atlantic Ocean.
Eileen
Viet Nam- spectacular.
Shivanna
Bolivia
Brenda
Croatia
Harshada
Train journey from Geneva to Lyon.
Antoniet
Poland
Andrea
Buffalo! I got sent there for work for a summer. Their arts scene was surprisingly thriving!
Michael
Andrea you don’t get out much
Cathie
Sao Miguel Acores
See
Emma Barnes
Sri Lanka
Kim
Caye Caulker, Belize.
I’d never heard of it before I went. Loved the 70’s feel and the local people were wonderful! No cars, only bikes, boats and golf carts!
Moe
Iraq unbelievable hospitality friendly and lot to see
Pamela
Cambodia
Ryan
Laos as a whole, and Ljubljana Slovenia as a city
Christin
Ecuador
Brittany
Lithuania! Fascinating language, lovely cities but also areas of stunning natural beauty. Friendly people (many spoke English thankfully), delicious fresh food, good roads and infrastructure, and interesting culture/history. I think the Baltic countries in general are great and overlooked but I really loved Lithuania.
Anita
Oman, Laos, Namibia
Meg
Coober Pedy, Australia. Strangest/cool and a little creepy!! I loved it.
Michele
Megs Lutz I loved it, too.
Lyndsay
Antigua Guatemala
Joanne
Newfoundland!!! Best vacation we ever took! Flew to Deer Lake, did Gros Morne, L’Anse aux Meadows, drove around and down to St. John’s, even took a day and went to St. Pierre and Miquelon! 11 days - spectacular weather, icebergs, whales, puffins and wonderful people! Happy to share my itinerary.
Zdenka
Joanne I would luv to hear about the itinary
Mandy
Joanne Can you share your itinerary??
Alexandr
Joanne I’d love to see your itinerary!
Andrea
Joanne I couldn’t agree more! Our trip was similar to yours , except we did it in the reverse order , skipped St Pierre and Miquelon but spent 5 nights in Rocky Harbour as our base for exploring Gros Morne. Then we also went to Quirpon Island off the coast of L’Anse aux Meadows. The whole trip was wonderful, we would go back in a heartbeat!
Emma
Andrea ooh! I stayed at the lighthouse on Quirpon Island in 2005–whales literally below the lighthouse and the best hospitality. It was a dream.
Andrea
Emma We thought the same when we stayed there in June 2019. The icebergs were magnificent floating by, and the locals were very vigilant because a polar bear had been spotted in the area. It was quite the experience!
Emma
Andrea oh wow! That is amazing. It is a place I would absolutely love to travel back to! The kayaking with the whales and icebergs was amazing. There isn’t much more exciting to me than a whale mere feet from the bow of your boat. So many special moments! Glad you loved it too! (Maybe we shouldn’t have told anyone!
)
Joanne
Emma tell everyone! I’m sure they could use the business to recover post-Covid!
Emma
Joanne oh I know, just kidding! Www.linkumtours.com
LINKUMTOURS.COM
Home - Linkum Tours
Jolene
Joanne I would love to see your itinerary too please!
Adria
Joanne I love this! My husband and I recently moved to Newfoundland, home for him. I was an easy sell, I fell in love my first visit here. It absolutely is one of the most beautiful places and most people have no clue!
Gail
Adria I would appreciate your itinerary if possible…
Hailey
Joanne please do share!
Theresa
Joanne agreed
Eloise
Joanne Carey and I were talking about going to Newfoundland. It looks stunningly beautiful
Ruth
Joanne on my list for this summer. I live in Toronto, and would appreciate your itinerary. [email protected]. Thanks
Joanne
Ruth I'm sure they would appreciate the business! Since the decimation of the cod fisheries, they rely very heavily on tourist revenue.
Ruth
Joanne 416 206-8296
Amanda
Joanne can you please also send me your itinerary?
Judy
Joanne I would love to see your itinerary please. This is on my bucket list. Thank you.
J
Could I also get your itinerary???
Anita
Joanne I would also love to see your itinerary please
Shauna
Joanne planning a trip there in July if you would share your itinerary! Thanks
Wai
Joanne love Newfoundland, I had a similar trip Deer Lake, stayed at Rocky Harbour to explore Gros Morne and the Tablelands, L’Anse aux Meadows, Quirpon Island and stayed at the lighthouse in then drove down to St. John’s. Great people.
Angie
Joanne hi Joanne, I would also very much appreciate your itinerary. Thank you!
Zdenka
Belize
Sobia
Azores!
Maren
Newfoundland
Maren
Drove, ferried, spent 4.5 weeks on the island. Best vacation of my life.
Claudia
Following!
Joanne
Kyiv, Ukraine
Julie
Slovenia
Newfoundland
Kim
Julie
Katie
Glasgow. I lived there for a while, and anyone who goes to Scotland and just does Edinburgh is doing it all wrong.
Karl
Katie We really loved Glasgow. It didn't hurt that Edinburgh had snow, rain, and hail, and Glasgow had sunny days while we were there.
Audrey
Katie agree!!!! Glasgow is great.
Natalie
Sri Lanka. Truly amazing. Best food, best views
Michele
Lviv, Ukraine
Lina
Uzbekistan!!
Jason
New Orleans. Loved it
Ingrid
Jason I know the food is good, but was it the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, in particular, or are there other sights in New Orleans?
Jason
Ingrid well we’ve gone twice and stayed both times in the French Quarter. It’s quite big and you can easily spend 4-5 days exploring. It feels like you are not in America, it can be extremely romantic at times and raunchy at times. We loved the shops, the music and just walking around and exploring. The garden district is also amazing and we also rented a car and toured a few plantations and did a bayou tour and fed alligators. Of course the food is on another level!
Yana
Cambodia
Caye Caulker, Belize
Bonnie
Yana Yes ! Caye Caulker was perfect. If I run away from all this, it will be to CC for sure. Sunning myself on a rock at the split.
Brooke
Bonnie I did run away there for 6 months! Amazing!!
Adam
Gatlinburg Tennessee.
San Sebastián Spain.
Albufiera Portugal.
Muskoka Ontario.
Cape Town South Africa.
Nanjing China.
Panama City Panama.
Koh Phi Phi Thailand.
Amber
Zambia. The lower Zambezi River is quiet and rich with wildlife without the crowds of the other safari locations
Angela
Drumheller, Alberta
Greta
Angela I liked it there too!
Jillian
Vietnam
Singapore
Bhavna
Drive from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay is gorgeous
Mikey
Oman
Bhavna
We loved Kerala, India. Very beautiful coastline, great hospitality and food.
Lucia
Prague
Tessa
Vietnam for sure. Best country in SE Asia.
Jasmine
Vancouver Island
Yaser
These kind of questions will end up with every single country in the world
Every place is unique. Try Iraq, Syria, how about Socotra Island in Yemen, or maybe Guatemala, Ecuador. Or even South Sudan or Ethiopia.
I don't know. Everywhere even Haiti. Ok I am going to stop there.
Ingrid
Yaser Interesting that almost everywhere you mentioned is quite dangerous and risky for tourist travel, and yet how sad that these places are so beautiful . Being danger averse, I will never go there! lol
Ema
New Zealand
Lara
Turkey and Georgia (the country)
Omar
Istanbul NOT Constantinople
Michael
little corn island
Shanna
Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia (particularly the island of Java)
Shanna
All tourist and English friendly, very easy to travel place to place within each country. Low cost, budget friendly once you arrive. I backpacked through each and stayed at hostels mostly, not sure about higher end places.
Kathleen
Shanna I second Vietnam. We didn't see much of Cambodia other than Siem Reap and Phnom Penh but I would definitely go back.
Rob
Hanoi, vietnam!!
Andrew
Latvia
Alcira
Petra in Jordan
Virginia
Oaxaca Mexico
Sunny
Virginia Fagan thinking about it. What did you like about it?
Virginia
Sunny well we went for day off the dead celebration which was amazing but I loved the people in Oaxaca, all the flowers, and the mezcal. Cheap food, friendly people, lots of history. Would highly recommend! And our flight from Canada was really inexpensive. Spent a few days in Mexico City on the way which has a lot of sights to see. Frida Kahlos home and we went to a luchador wrestling show!
Sunny
Virginia Fagan Yeah I've been to cdmx and am going back for sure. So did you go to the coast Oaxaca or the city? I was kinda confused about where it was. I'm not interested in beaches.
Virginia
Sunny we were in the city and didn’t go to the coast. The beaches are really far away from the city. There is some gorgeous sight seeing a day trips around. I would recommend the worlds oldest tree and the stone waterfall!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_del_Tule
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierve_el_Agua
EN.M.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Santa María del Tule - Wikipedia
Sunny
Virginia Fagan Great. I was confused looking at the maps. I like cities and hustle bustle. Restaurants, cafes, city life.
Virginia
Sunny it’s not as hustly and bustly as Mecico city, it’s a little more laid back but lots of shops, restaurants, churches, museums and beautiful old buildings.
If you get the chance to go for Day of the Dead it was absolutely spectacular and very memorable.
Sunny
Virginia Fagan I stumbled on that in Madrid where a lot of Mexican migrants celebrated on the streets. I'll look that up. Thanks for the info!
Pat
India
Jenni
Ljubljana, Slovenia. It’s a gem of a European city.
Jodi
Jenni I hope to go in the Spring
Theresa
Ouagadougou and villages in Burkina faso
Theresa
St. Petersburg Florida
Christin
India. Left me breathless. The people the food and the culture
Ann
Tofino BC. Rain forest, ocean, whale watching, excellent seafood, spectacular mountain views. Love Tofino
Lisa
Utah
Melanie
Just got back from Jordan.
Loved it!
Cameron
Lima, Peru. Most people just fly in and then head to Cusco for Machu Pichu, but we stayed there for almost two weeks sampling food, nightlife, beach towns immediately to the South, sand dunes of Ica, and the central historic district. Miraflores and Baranco neighbour hoods are modern, safe, and next to the ocean. We rented an apartment and lived and shopped like locals (as much a a couple of gringos could) to experience everything to the fullest.
One of our best memories was a simple bike tour of Miraflores and Baranco.
Rebecca
Ireland was a fantastic vacation!
Karen
Zanzibar
Amanda
Occidental Xcaret in Mayan Riviera if we are talking about all inclusives.
Malta if we are talking about places abroad!
Shanna
NEWFOUNDLAND
Lara
Tallinn, Estonia!! What an incredible city to explore on foot, the old city it’s pedestrian, and charmingly authenticity intact. I’ve been twice and plan to go again and again!!
Mona
Egypt, the land of culture, history, amazing weather, great people…. The list goes on
Vanessa
Madrid. We travelled there in 2019 and were blown away by its history, architecture, cuisine and world famous Prado museum. Its proximity to other historical sites for short excursions also makes it an attractive destination. I prefer it to the overly crowded and touristy Barcelona.
Brittany
Mozambique, for sure. The Bazaruto archipelago is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Prakash
Stockholm, Sweden
Mary
Ohrid North Macedonia. It's very inexpensive, beautiful beaches, tons of culture and character, food was to die for. It's nicknamed the Jerusalem of the Balkans.
Glenn
Mary I agree! I was there about 10 years ago, and it really exceeded all my expectations. Such a beautiful place, and almost unknown in the West.
Mary
Glenn yes it is quite beautiful. We were there last summer and had a wonderful time.
Elizabet
Prague, Czech Republic
Daniel
Istanbul.
Caroline
Albania
Natasha
Rwanda
Erika
Natasha when did you go?
Natasha
Erika 2007ish
Dianne
Great question!
Darren
Guatemala
Serena
Philippines
Kim
Costa Rica. Best vacation ever. Riu palace
Greta
Utah and Arizona
Paul
Pitcairn Island
Jaime
Macau and Bruges
Sherri
Detroit and Jordan!
Rhonda
So many, Iceland and Scotland really got into my heart. Maui is always a good choice, and absolutely loved Bora Bora and Greece.
Holly
Newfoundland!
Ingrid
Norway...the fjords are spectacular!
Alina
Ingrid Norway is AMAZING!
Michele
Vietnam
Alina
Luxembourg
I lived there for three years. I recommend it to anyone who’s going to Western Europe! It is unbelievably beautiful and charming.
Tanya
Washington DC was a very pleasant surprise. I went for what I planned to be a quick check out the sites visit, and plan to take a whole trip there. A beautiful city.
Dallas
Slovenia. Ljubljana is an absolute gem--and you're 90 mins from the peaks of the Alps and the beaches of the Adriatic. It isn't overrun with tourists, is within Schengen, and is affordable. Can't wait to visit again!
Erika
Dallas it’s been a personal dream to visit Slovenia!
Lauren
Talinn, Estonia!
Anna
Georgia and Armenia! I visited both while living in Turkey (which gets a ton of tourists in Istanbul, Cappadocia, and the southwest but far fewer in the center, along the Black Sea and the east from my experience living in Ankara and traveling around). Anyway, in Georgia I particularly enjoyed Tbilisi. And the countryside in both countries was gorgeous - green rolling hills all over! David Gareja monastery was amazing too! And if you're into political history then Gori, Georgia is definitely worth a visit. Nearby Uplistsikhe was also super cool... Same with Montenegro actually. Croatia has been a popular destination for a long time but I'd never known anyone who had been to Montenegro which I find baffling now. It's super close and absolutely stunning! Well worth a visit even if only for a day or two
Barb
Vietnam (beautiful!) and Malta (really interesting history)
Jeffrey
Colombia
Shellee
Slovenia, just loved the beauty of Lubjuliana and the ease to travel from there to Austria and Budapest. Highways were great and signage was easy to follow, highly recommend!
Kristin
Damon Muma add it to the list.
Aiman
Wales!
Richard
Cambodia
Carmen
Portugal
Susan
Topaz lake Killarney
Jemy
Azores! (Any of the islands but I spend time in Sau Miguel!)
Andres
Budapest
Ian
Azores. My fave 3 are Pico, Sao Jorge and Flores (with a day trip to Corvo). They don't get that many tourists because of their wet climate and absence of long beaches. But if you like the beautiful nature, the remoteness and the seafood, you will want to stay forever.
Victoria
Anguilla
Katherin
Tobago - delicious local food, affordable, easy to explore by car, not very "touristy" like other Caribbean islands, untouched by Westernized vacation industry. Highly recommend for a quiet, but beautifully lush tropical adventure.
Curtis
Oman... Added a few day after visiting Dubai and it was honestly the best part of the trip. Very cool hikes, camping for free on the beach and in the mountains, delicious middle eastern food, and we felt safe the entire time... What more can you ask for.
Erika
Curtis I told someone recently that I reeeally want to visit Oman and they looked at me like I was nuts. It looks STUNNING.
Michelle
Erika it's the absolute best.
Kaila
Panama
Kaila
Belize
Jennifer
US: Detroit, Buffalo
Europe: Budapest, Porto
Tropical: Curacao
Liz
Malta! Went there for a few days as a stopover. Lovely people, historic, cool sites to see, beaches.
Jenna
Israel! The history, the sea... Tel Aviv is amazing
Amy
Tobago
Wendy
So far my favourites would be Slovenia, San Miguel (hot spring bathing!), Petra in Jordan, and Porto. I can’t remember what I loved Porto so much but I remember just loving it!
Lorraine
Moose Jaw !!! Would would think but this city continues to be one of our favourite pit stops on our semi annual cross Canada trip.
Krithika
Warsaw, Jordan, South of Spain- Seville, Cordoba, Dusseldorf, Cologne
Audrey
Sri Lanka
Ian
Here in Ontario, the best kept secret is Lake Superior. It's really beautiful and there are quite a few parks to visit. I've been to Lake Superior PP, Pancake Bay PP, Sleeping Giant PP and Pukaskwa NP.
Lauren
Sri Lanka
MJ
Tasmania! So much beauty.
Ver
Ethiopia by a long shot
Erika
Ver It’s in my list after a nature documentary about its mountains.
Kim
Guatemala. Beautiful people and a beautiful place
Roda
Bosnia, top 3 destinations i've ever been to. Went on a whim, it was incredible. Highly recommend
Andre
Iceland. Very different from other vacations especially in terms of landscape, much of which are from volcanic activity. The natural hotsprings across the country are amazing. It is a bit pricey but the fish is great.
Lisa
Andre totally agree! And you can take a day trip to Greenland if you book in advance.
Jennifer
Wales!
Romeesa
TAIWAN!! Sooo underrated but has a tropical beach, food, culture, city, and so many cool technology
Le
I second this
Chris
Countries in this discussion that were mentioned multiple times from...
** the bottom 25% of the most visited countries in the world **
None
** the bottom 50% of the most visited countries in the world **
4 - Belize
4 - Bosnia
3 - Nicaragua
3 - Tobago
2 - Bolivia
2 - Ecuador
2 - Iraq
2 - Mozambique
2 - Rwanda
Honourable mention: Azores (8 ), Taiwan (3)
Jodi
Chris I'd agree with all and someday I'd like to get to Bosnia, Tobago, Iraq, Mozambique and Rwanda
Ron
Cartagena- Columbia.
Affordable, Safe and just amazing with history and proud of their country locals.
Bonnie
Ron and beautiful architecture. The Spanish influence with the ironwork and colours.
Ron
Bonnie Yes and a UNESCO heritage city as well.
Carmen
Iceland
Glenn
Azerbaijan. Besides being really beautiful, the people are incredibly friendly. In one week, I had 5 different strangers offer me gifts.
Michelle
Cartagena, Colombia
Nicole
Nicaragua !!
Jennifer
Chile... such a great country!! Lovely people, delicious wine, stunning scenery and lots of fun. A vote as well for Ecuador & Peru!! Fantastic cultures, people, food, etc!
Jodi
Philippines
Henry
Argentina, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam
Wonderful people everywhere and amazing sites and sights.
Maybe Myanmar is not so good now with the army take over.
Somi
Iran
Somi
Tibilisi Georgia
Scarlet
San Andrés island in Colombia. Hidden paradise
Mike
Tenerife, Spain
Kiah
puerto viejo costa rica
See
Elisa Carreira-Benard
Kiah Hello, we are considering staying in PV for 5 or 6 days during our upcoming trip. Is it reasonably safe, nice area and any recommendations on where to stay?
Kiah
We stayed in Sonora jungle retreat, we also rented a car for our entire stay but you can rent bikes or mopeds ( this will help you explore more of the area which is so worth it). That was on playa negra and I highly recommend the place, it's gorgeous, clean and quiet and about 125 usd per night for a private bungalow.
We felt pretty safe the whole time we were there, I still wouldn't carry a ton of money, or wear blingy jewelry, but I mean, thats common for most places.
We visited the Jaguar rescue centre in Cocles (about 15 min by bike from PV), but most of our time was spent exploring and swimming. The beaches!
People speak english but they would really prefer you tried to speak spanish.
It is unlike most of costa rica in that it has a high population of black people, when you drive you see how different Limon is from other parts of Costa rica. Jamaican workers were brought to CR for Banana farming and building the rail road, so lots of Rasta and Jamaican influence in Limon province but definitely in PV.
I recommend PV, it was such a gorgeous and relaxed vacation
Kiah
https://sonoracostarica.com/
SONORACOSTARICA.COM
Sonora Jungle & Yoga Retreat Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, Caribe
Bee
Iran
Jovana
Bee They deported me when I tried to enter. One of the weirdest stories of my life. Will try to enter again someday
Bee
Jovana sad to hear , but do try again .
Gil
Madeira Portugal
Seymore
Chiayi, Taiwan. The city park is a special place.
E
Malawi and LA Guajira, Colombia
Catherin
Busan Korea!
Pauline
Consider Lisbon. It’s a little more than 7 hours direct from Toronto. I’m in Lisbon now and it was 18c and sunny today. Food is incredible. People are amazing. City is beyond charming with lots to do. You can take their version of the GO train for 30 minutes and hit beautiful beaches. Train for an hour and you can go to magical Sintra. Lots of stunning beaches, one of the oldest cities and cultures, very diverse and affordable. You have cheap to 2 Michelin stars. Lisbon has everything without the attitude. Everything is open and restrictions are loosening soon.
Mona
Just visiting or relocated?
Pauline
Mona both. We just bought a place here and split our time between Canada, Lisbon and Barcelona.
Usman
Jalalabad Afghanistan
Jeffrey
Colombia. Almost the last place I would have chosen had it not been for COVID I probably wouldn't have gone. I thought it would be more dangerous. Instead I found a wonderful spot I continue to travel to
Allie
Kusadasi Turkey!
Yvonne
Loved my day in Bratislava- a must do if in Austria/Budapest.
A.I. says...
The Most Underrated Place I've Traveled To
When it comes to travel, we often have high expectations for popular destinations like Paris, Rome, or Tokyo. However, sometimes it's the lesser-known places that end up being the most memorable. For me, the most underrated place I've traveled to has to be the Azores.
The Azores are a group of volcanic islands located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal. Before visiting, I didn't know much about the Azores and had very few expectations. But from the moment I arrived, I was blown away by the natural beauty, friendly locals, and unique culture.
One of the highlights of my trip was hiking to the top of Mount Pico, the highest peak in Portugal. The views from the summit were absolutely breathtaking, with panoramic vistas of the surrounding islands and the deep blue ocean stretching out as far as the eye could see. I also had the chance to swim in natural hot springs, explore charming villages, and indulge in delicious seafood fresh from the ocean.
What truly made the Azores special for me was the sense of tranquility and authenticity that I found there. Unlike more touristy destinations, the Azores felt untouched by mass tourism and allowed me to connect with nature in a way that I hadn't experienced before.
In conclusion, the Azores may not be as popular as other travel destinations, but it completely exceeded my expectations and left me with unforgettable memories. Sometimes, it's the underrated places that end up being the most rewarding to visit.
David
What has been the most underrated place you've travelled to ?
A place that's not necessarily the "Best", but somewhere that totally exceeded your expectations and/or isn't super popular ?