Which Countries Should I Visit?

People have such a fascination with top five or top ten lists.  They ask questions such as Which 5 countries should I visit before I die?  If you could travel non-stop for a year, where would you go and what would you do? or Which countries do you like to suggest to tourists after they visit your countries?

After travelling three years around the world (RTW), travelling one year in Europe, working for seven years in Europe and living/exploring in North America, that’s a hard question.  We don’t think we could select just five or ten countries. 

But it is not really how many countries you should or have seen.  It is how you travel that is the question.  Our personal philosophy is that one should experience the things that are unique to that country rather than doing the same things you would normally do. 

We will give you a “short list” of our favourite places in the world — they are not being ranked and are shown in geographic order, travelling westwards from North America.  This post will attempt to explain at a very high level why you should visit the countries below.  

Author & Photographer: George Mitchell

Our advice is not influenced by affiliate links — we have none.  Our content is not based on one-week tourist trips. Our itineraries, photos, and advice are based on travelling around the world for three years and living in Europe for seven years. We are avid hikers, nature lovers, and photographers. We are students of art and architecture, culture and cuisine.

All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps Ratings, which is based on everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our detailed itinerary guides is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).

New Zealand

New Zealand is our favourite Western country with friendly people, Maori culture, dramatic volcanic and thermal areas, and great hiking.  For a couple of examples of the spectacular mountain and glacial lake scenery, see the New Zealand South Island post.

Tongariro NP, shown above, was the first time we hiked around a volcano (actually three of them).  This was a spectacular three-day “track” (Kiwi for trail).  The photo shows a treacherous stretch of scoria (tiny lava balls) that provided little traction while clinging to the steep slope of the Red Crater.  The trail has since been rerouted to go along the crater rim ledge above on the right.  By the way, these are active volcanoes.  The last eruption was in 2012. Altogether, we spent six months in New Zealand over three trips.

Thailand

Thailand (TH) is the place for tasty food, spectacular architecture, ancient ruins, fascinating Buddhist culture, and great national parks.  For a quieter city than Bangkok, do not miss Chiang Mai, full of great food and sights.  Off the tourist track is the ornate, mind-blowing Wat Bupparam in the right-hand photo.  It makes you think of the Baroque era in Europe but with more gold.  For more suggestions, see our post on our recent Thailand North trip, our third time in Thailand. Altogether, we spent five months in Thailand over three trips.

Thailand has the ocean and beaches as well, but that is not what is unique to Thailand.  You may not realize it, but what is special is that the countries of Southeast Asia are linked to India, whose traders brought them Hinduism and later Buddhism.  Welcoming us to the temple above in early morning light is a devata, a Hindu celestial being.  His hand gesture means namaste (Hindi) or “hello”; but it literally means “I bow to the god in you”.   There are many Hindu symbols incorporated into Buddhism.

China

Pay homage to China (CN) for the impressive inventions that are the cornerstone of modern civilization.  The Chinese loved lists even back in ancient times.  One of their ancient lists is the Four Great Inventions – paper, printing, the compass, and gunpowder.  Western civilization is dependent on these inventions – imagine if there were no toilet paper or paper money!  OK, paper money is on the way out, but try to visualize that before Marco Polo, everyone had to carry huge amounts of heavy metal coins to go shopping.  Not fun!

Visit China for its significant contributions to art and architecture, cuisine and culture.  In addition to Beijing, be sure to see the Great Wall, the Mandarin Gardens in Suzhou, the Clay Army and Buddhist caves in Xian area, Guilin, and the Shilin, Stone Forest.   Oh, and you can hike the Five Great Mountains, like Huangshan and Omeishan. We spent three months in China.

Taiwan

We enjoyed the scenery in Taiwan (TW), like Tairoko Gorge and the capital, Taipei.  But don’t miss the National Palace Museum, full of China’s most incredible ancient artifacts – 700,000 works of art!  For instance, did you know that the Chinese were the first to paint landscapes? They were saved from the ravages of the Cultural Revolution since they were removed by the retreating Kuomintang in 1949 from the National Palace Museum in Beijing, better known as the Forbidden City.  Only by seeing these artifacts will you appreciate the depth and grandeur of Imperial China. We spent over one month between Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Japan

Visit Japan (JP) for its significant contributions to art and architecture, cuisine and culture.  Watch for festivals when they display their amazing silk kimonos.  They have a gentle sumimasen (so sorry) culture.  Temples and palaces are based on the principle of restrained elegance – just a hint of gold against a black background – oh so effective.  It is the opposite of the Baroque-like Thai decoration.

Another must-see is the quaint gassho-zukuri (farmhouses with steep thatched roofs) in Shirakawago and Gokayama.

Then there is great scenery, volcanic areas and hiking.  In the fall, don’t miss the maple leaves of the Japanese Alps.   Then there are the groomed Medieval-like castles with ornate samurai armour.  Finally, don’t miss the unique Three Great Gardens of Japan – like Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen, Saihouji (Zen Temple) & Moss Garden, Koraku-en in Okayama and Kairaku-en in Mito.  OK, I added one. We spent three months in Japan.

India

Visit India for the impressive inventions that are the cornerstone of modern civilization.  Did you know they invented the number zero?   See their significant contributions to art, architecture, cuisine and culture.  Jaisalmer (state of Rajasthan) has incredible carved buildings shown in the photo above.  But this is not wood – this is embroidery in stone!  Appreciate India’s cultural diversity (it has 236 languages and dialects).  One Indian proudly told us that there were more differences between the states in India than between the countries in Europe.

India also has great scenery and hiking.  Do not miss walking through tea plantations in Darjeeling, sipping Earl Grey tea and viewing the world’s fifth-highest mountain, Kanchenjunga.

On the western side of India, you must travel to Buddhist Ladakh to see Tibet without travelling there.  The Sikhs captured Ladakh from Tibet in 1834.  You are in desert mountain scenery at 10,000 ft elevation (3rd image).  I bet you did not think that the photo above is what the Himalayas look like.  The Ladakhi woman (2nd photo) is not just wearing an elaborate headgear.  That is her wealth counted in rare coral and turquoise beads. We spent six months in India and did not see it all!

Nepal

Nepal (NP) is not just about fantastic hiking and photography in the Himalayas.  Kathmandu had a treasure trove of art and architecture, temples and palaces – at least until the recent earthquake.  Unlike in India, the elaborate carved buildings above are carved in wood. We spent 23 days hiking the Annapurna Circuit out of the two months in Nepal.

Turkey

Turkey (TK) is one of our favourite countries.  It is one of the best places to see Ancient Roman ruins and architecture, amazing Islamic art and architecture, superb turquoise sea, dramatic volcano and mountain scenery, and amazing Cappadocia (above).  Oh, did I mention the friendliest people? We spent 31 days driving a circuit around western and central Turkey.

Greece

Greece (GR) is a must-see for Ancient Greek art and architecture, cuisine and culture.  The Greeks gave us Ionic (above) and Doric columns that decorate many classical buildings since Ancient Rome.  They did not invent democracy –– the Lycians in Patara in ancient Turkey created the first parliament!  But the Greeks spread it through the West, and it was adopted by Ancient Rome until they reverted to military dictatorship.

Greece is also a must-visit for cuisine and culture.  We can still remember tasting our first lamb souvlaki in pita – it was to die for!

Italy

Italy (IT) is the place for friendly people who love children — our son was born in Rome.  Italy has the most superb collection of art and architecture on Earth, plus a cuisine and culture that have spread around the world.

A hidden gem for non-Europeans is hiking in the dramatic Dolomites, those pointed spires of limestone.  They used to be below the sea!  The best trick is to take a funivia (cable car) up to the top so that you only have to walk down!  Italy is a great place to see medieval and Renaissance festivals, with the locals dressed up in period costumes. In addition to our many trips to Italy, we lived there for four years.

Switzerland

Visit Switzerland (CH) for hiking between meticulously clean, picture postcard villages nestled in scenic Alps filled with wooden chalets, glaciers and glacial lakes.   Actually, “alps” do not mean mountains; it really means the green pastures high in the mountains.  If you have a car, some of the roads between Italy and Switzerland are to die for.  Unfortunately, the most dramatic parts travel through covered avalanche shelters with no place to stop.  Do not sightsee and drive.  Instead, go hiking in Zermatt, Grindelwald, Wengen, and Lauterbrunnen.  One New Jersey hiker told our Swiss friend while we were hiking that the Canadian Rockies were way better than the Swiss Alps.  Needless to say, our Swiss friend was not pleased.  We understand his point about true wilderness, but while they are full of civilization, the Alps are so picturesque.

Switzerland is quadrilingual (German, French, Italian and Romansch), so its official name is in Latin, Confœderatio Helvetica, hence why its ISO Country Code is CH.  For smaller cities, visit Luzern and Bern.  Don’t forget chocolate, fondue, wine and cheese tasting.

France

We have to praise France (FR) for its love of history and how well it restored its towns after World War II.  When we visited a French town many years ago, we were shocked to find out that it had been destroyed and was rebuilt to look exactly like the original.  You would never have known.  Visit France for the art and architecture, cuisine and outdoor cafes.  Of course, you have to visit Paris, the city that never sleeps, just for the atmosphere.

But don’t miss the Loire chateau region, wine-tasting, off-the-beaten-track Dordogne, or hiking in the French Alps.  Imagine taking a cable car up to a relatively flat trail (2nd photo above) at the level of the French Alps with views of Chamonix across the valley – heaven!

Great Britain

Visit Great Britain (GB) for London, Edinburgh, and Scotland in general.  For something a little less touristy (only a little, as the UK is small, half the size of the province of Alberta or the size of Michigan), get off the city tourist track.  Cornwall and Wales are renowned for their coastlines.  The miners from these mining regions often left for better fortunes in the New World.  Now, coastal tracks and hillside fishing villages like Clovelly above draw tourists.

What is unique to Great Britain is the former estates of the nobility, who could no longer afford the upkeep.  These estates have been acquired by the National Trust.  Be sure to visit at least a couple of these heritage homes, which often come with some of the best English gardens in the country.  The National Trust restores the building to its original era, including finding period furniture.  You come away in amazement at the wealth of the 1%.

Open-beam timber frames above can be seen in many cities in the UK as well as in Germany and France.  But timber-frame and thatched-roof buildings are typical of quaint villages in such areas as the Cotswolds.  This is quintessential England. We spent three years in the UK.

Ireland

Ireland, Turkey and New Zealand were the three most popular countries according to backpackers on our three-year Round-The-World Trip. Thanks to the potato famine in the late 1840s, 13% of Canadians have Irish heritage. It is as much as 24% in the Maritime provinces and the capital, Ottawa. So that’s why there are so many Irish pubs. By contrast, the USA has 9.7% Irish heritage.

We did a 35-day trip to Ireland, separate from our three-year trip and our 7 years working in Europe. It exceeded our expectations. So, what is Quintessential Ireland?  Click the hyperlinked list below for blog posts for each example.

• exciting hikes with ever-changing views,
• brightly painted buildings,
• white sheep on gorgeous green hills,
• golden crescent beaches,
• craggy cliffs and curved coastlines, and
• over 30,000 castles and ruins.

You will love Ireland because two positives apply wherever you go:  

• Travelling between A and B is just as beautiful as seeing B;
• Meeting friendly Irish people is common in every region.

United States

In the United States, visit our favourite area, the southwest, with spectacular national parks and red-tinged desert canyon scenery.  That is in addition to the Grand Canyon.

OK, also add Yellowstone NP further to the north.  Oh, and California, Oregon and Washington States.  Picture Lake in the photo above, OMG!  We love the West even if we’re from the East.  In the east, it is all about cities like Washington, DC and New York.  But a must-do is to take the Parks Service walks of the national historic monuments in Boston.

Canada

In Canada (CA) our favourite areas are the provinces of Alberta & British Columbia, including the Icefield Parkway — Do not Miss the Best Road Trip in Canada. In fact, be sure to Discover the Top Sights of the Canadian Rockies with Our Expert Itinerary. 

We have posted about our 19,000 km road trip across Canada to Yukon Territory (THE Gold Rush country, as they are still mining gold there).  We will also post about the world’s most culturally diverse city, Vancouver Voyageurs, Vancouver Island, Canada’s Glacier National Park (NP), and the Rogers Pass area. Do not miss Canada’s second most scenic highway…

Vancouver Sea to Sky

On the east coast, there is Nova Scotia (Cape Breton NP), New Brunswick (Fundy Bay NP) and Newfoundland (Gros Morne NP, icebergs), all of which come with superb seafood, fish and chips.  Newfoundland, which has the friendliest people, was the island that led to the rediscovery of North America in 1500 by Europeans.  Move over Cristoforo Colombo!  It’s about time we use his real name, Anglophones.  He was a vero Italiano.  America (i.e. the province of Newfoundland) was actually first discovered in 1000 CE by the Vikings, but they kept that secret to themselves.  You can visit the proof of their existence.

Actually, I have only listed 15 countries, and I’m sure I’ve left off a few special ones.  We did not include places we have not yet seen, like South America!  Do you have any countries that you think should be added to this list? 

Now it’s your turn.  Which countries do you think should be added to this list?  Please send us a message or fill in our Travel Destination Poll, and I’ll adjust the list.