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Just for fun, throw some rankings out there for these categories*
*Let's go with an anti-botticelli rule, this is all personal opinions so no wrong answer. It's fine to ask/discuss why people picked things but don't go full on travel-snob-douche.
Best travel destination for food
1. Thailand
2. India
3. USA (don't laugh, I love good BBQ)
4. China
5. Peru Yeah, I prefer Asian cuisine can you tell?
Best for natural beauty
1. New Zealand
2. Indonesia
3. Canada
4. Sri Lanka
5. Peru Never even been to New Zealand, just going from the pictures
Best for relaxing
1. Philippines
2. Thailand
3. Vietnam
4. Indonesia
5. India This list probably has a lot to do with cost, my food preferences, and I like warm weather
Best for history
1. France
2. Italy
3. China
4. Egypt
5. Greece
Best for the people
1. USA
2. Philippines
3. Jordan
4. South Africa
5. Mexico
Like you say, opinions are like butts - everybody has 'em. I'm only counting places I've actually been, and if I don't have five places in each category, too bad.
In terms of people, I would definitely put Jordan on the top. I had never seen such nice and friendly people. I would return just to see the people there. The Japanese are very nice and kind too. and Portugese.
Food, I would rate Japan very high. They offer so many inexpensive choices. France is a bit overrated in terms of food I think- often a hit and miss. Thai food lacks variety. but of course they are all good.
Nature: probably USA and China. No other countries can beat their incredible diversity and beauty.
Relax: maybe home. In my couch.
History: Italy by far (sorry France, but Italy wins the regional difference. French cities are more or less the same).
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Now the bad experience:
Food: Israel is pretty bad, so is Turkey. Guess I am just not a fan of ME cuisine. Wasn't impressed by Chile/Argentina either.
People: Thailand. Sorry, as a buddhist country, so many scams on the streets, and taxi drivers are awful.
History: Canada, US.
Nature: no particulary bad ones, because if it is bad, I would not have gone there.
Relax: countries do not matter.
Food: You can get bad food anywhere -- avoid tourist spots. I'm not all that crazy for seafood.
Italy -- regional differences are amazing between north and south. United States -- very good if you look for it and pay attention to regions.
Natural Beauty
United States, Canada, Peru. Much of western Canada would be a national park in the US.
Relaxing
A quiet beach in the Caribbean works for me.
History: I'm not a big fan of battlefields.
Peru, Italy, SW United States, Mexico.
People: Knowing the language always helps.
Italy, Peru, Canada, Caribbean
Best travel destination for food: India. I love spicy food so that's a no brainer. Indian food is more diverse than most people realize. From moghul (muslim) and Portuguese influences to Chinese. If you haven't tried Indian Chinese cuisine, you're missing out big time! I'm also amazed by how well they mix spices together in a meal. Even a simple omelet was brought to a whole different level in India due to the myriad of spices they added and they made it look so easy!
Best for natural beauty USA due to its landscape diversity. You'll find it all in this country: beautiful beaches? Sure, name your pick of sand color (black, white, brown). Snow peaked mountains? Yep. Rivers and Lakes? Yes. Deserts and canyons? Got those too.
I think China also has fantastic natural beauty, too bad mainland chinese people took a bit of getting used to for me. They're rude and obnoxious, with little regard to decent courtesy or hygiene.
Best for relaxing
Anywhere on the beach, and my favorite is Cancun. It's close by, food is great, people are even more great there.
Best for history Italy, hands down. From the history of the church to the roman empire, to underground cities. Never been to Greece yet so that list may change after I finally see for myself.
Best for the people
I'm lucky that I rarely visited a place with not so friendly people (well, except China, but they're not unfriendly, just obnoxious). My fondest memories were from Mexico, Portugal, India, Indonesia, due to their people.
Best travel destination for food
1. Spain (really, there wasn't a close second)
2. Singapore (I think this country is finally beginning to get its due- a crossroads of Indian and SE Asian cuisine)
3. Denmark (a lot more than just NOMA)
4. USA (Ok, I'm a homer, but the variety across the country is just astounding. Not just BBQ and Mcdonald's)
5. China
Best for natural beauty
1. USA (The diversity in this regard is tough to beat- from Hawaii, to Denali; Grand Canyon to Acadia; Yosemite to the Keys; Yellowstone to Smokey Mountains... it's incredible)
2. India
3. China
4. Canada
5. Chile
Best for relaxing (notice the trend?)
1. St. Lucia
2. Bahamas
3. Thailand
4. India (Andoman and Nicobar)
5. Maldives
Best for history
1. Turkey (Maybe because I didn't expect it to that extent, but I was floored by the history here- the Roman history, the blend of Christianity and Islam, etc.)
2. UK
3. Egypt
4. China
5. Greece (5b. Italy)
Best for the people (<3 Scandanavians)
1. Denmark
2. Norway/Sweden
3. Turkey
4. UK
5. Australia
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