Yesterday I posted the top ten places I’d like to visit, so here are the top ten places I’ve visited. Other than the top three, they’re in no particular order.
- Hong Kong. love Hong Kong is my favorite city in the world. There’s no other city quite like it. It’s one of the few cities abroad that I could imagine moving to. Hong Kong is just such a dynamic city that no words could do it justice.
- Queenstown, New Zealand. Queenstown is without a doubt the nicest town on earth that I’ve ever visited. I’ve never been to another place even half as beautiful.
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City was a culture shock for me. I remember my biggest challenge the first day was crossing the street, given the never-ending flow of motorcycles and lack of traffic lights. Ho Chi Minh City is cheap and has one of the most fascinating cultures I’ve ever experienced. A side trip to the Mekong Delta only made the visit more memorable.
- Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver is my favorite city in North America. With beautiful scenery and a lot of stuff to do, it’s unbeatable.
- Tokyo, Japan. What’s there not to love about Tokyo? I love the Japanese culture, and all the high-tech stuff cracks me up. Where else in the world do doors on taxis open automatically?
- Sydney, Australia. Sydney is incredible. Without sounding like a broken record, there’s not a whole lot else I can say about it.
- Cape Town, South Africa. Whenever I see a picture of Cape Town, it always looks fake to me. It’s too nice to be real.
- Beijing, China. Beijing has so much to offer. When I travel I’m much more into culture than laying on a beach, and Beijing has more culture than anyone could absorb on one trip.
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The lack of chain hotels is more than made up for by this all around awesome city.
- Athens, Greece. Do I really need to say anything?
Making a top ten list was harder than I expected. Bangkok, Dubrovnik, Florence, Mykonos, Paris, and a few more were hard to leave out, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
Catros, yes I am. As a self proclaimed points slut that loves miles, points, and status, it's hard for me to be in a city without major hotel chains. I know major chains can ruin some of the charm of a city and some of the best destinations don't have hotel chains, but it's tough for me. :D
I couldn't figure out the comment about Palma. Are you complaining that there are no global hotel chains in this city? Why?
My wife and I could never forget Istanbul - Turkey as a whole, in fact. That's where we went for our honeymoon 15 years ago. Sigh. Time flies.
We don't travel much these days. When we do, we prefer quieter, isolate places.
Short of traveling, we contend with National Geographic channel, and Travel & Living.
I also like to gaze at beautiful scenery pictures others post online. Splash! Posters is one of those...
My wife and I could never forget Istanbul - Turkey as a whole, in fact. That's where we went for our honeymoon 15 years ago. Sigh. Time flies.
We don't travel much these days. When we do, we prefer quieter, isolate places.
Short of traveling, we contend with National Geographic channel, and Travel & Living.
I also like to gaze at beautiful scenery pictures others post online. Splash! Posters is one of those sites I frequent when I have an urge to pause and smell the roses.
Lucky, you have to experience Sydney in the warm months(October-April) so you can go to the beaches. There is nothing more gorgeous and captivating in the world than seeing Bondi Beach on a nice sunny day with its clear blue waters and white sand.
Wow! No San Francisco, Bangkok, Bali or Shanghai? I like your list. But I'd put Paris before Athens, and Santorini before Athens as well.
I agree with HKG, ZQN and SYD. SGN is okay, but I enjoyed Hanoi much more.
places = cities?
While I don't mind visiting cities, my memories of trips to the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, and Krueger National Park overshaddow any other travel experiences.
I completely agree on Vancouver. Love the city, culture and how close to outside activities. Correspondingly, hate Seattle - sister lives there. If I was young, unmarried, no kids and could do over again, would have lived in Vancouver somehow.
Fine Andy, I think you're right. :D It was a bit rash of me to put Athens on the list. I guess it should be replaced with Paris.
Ed, it has been a while since I've been in Vancouver (and I'll admit I was much younger back then), but I remember really liking it. I was struggling with NYC on the list, since I'm from NY so probably don't fully appreciate it. My issue with...
Fine Andy, I think you're right. :D It was a bit rash of me to put Athens on the list. I guess it should be replaced with Paris.
Ed, it has been a while since I've been in Vancouver (and I'll admit I was much younger back then), but I remember really liking it. I was struggling with NYC on the list, since I'm from NY so probably don't fully appreciate it. My issue with NY is that there are so many other big cities that are so much cleaner and nicer, like Hong Kong and Singapore. New York has great culture, but for my tastes that's about it.
I find it hard to believe anyone who has been to Paris could leave it off such a list.
And Vancouver , Canada? Weird, but for some reason I hate that city: grey and dirty, with smug and somewhat rude locals. I'll take NYC anyday (and I like their rudeness, for some odd reason...)
Athens, really? I enjoyed Greece far more on my daytrips out of the city... not to mention the islands!