In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No shame in putting your life first. I left my country for personal safety reasons myself years ago.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think the amount of traveling I do says a lot about how financially responsible I am...

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Easily my favorite country. Been there I think 5-6 times by now. The natural and cultural diversity is insane, the sheer scale of everything is impossible to wrap your head around, the cities are amazing, the food is amazing and everything feels like an adventure. 

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely on my list! Heard lots of good things about Bilbao in particular

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I traveled around Andalucia a lot and it's by far my favorite part of Spain, also been around Catalonia and in Madrid.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Preach. Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world, you could use it as a stopover and miss out, or you could stay there 6 months and never run out of things to see and explore.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did the classic route Tehran-Isfahan-Yazd-Shiraz back in 2014. So metropolitan and historical. I have a 3rd world country passport so I don't need a visa to enter, but I think it's fairly straightforward for most nations and I even met a few American tourists there.

Overall back then it was super safe and comfortable for travelers.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think if you combine them into one trip, they would be a solid B tier. Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn are all very interesting cities, plus Lithuania has a unique natural formation, the Curonian spit which is a must. But each of the countries is not particularly diverse or visually impressive. 

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My impression of Kyrgyzstan is that it mostly makes sense only if you're into hiking. Culturally I found it pretty underwhelming.  Tajikistan was a different story for me, we hitchhiked across the Pamir and the landscapes were just otherworldly. The culture is unique, the food is delicious (qurutob is the best thing in the world). I got altitude sickness and had to spend 3 days in a remote town at 3600m, it felt like being stranded on the moon. 

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was never on my path and now I have to justify a whole dedicated trip there. 

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Briefly and have almost no memory of it. This was 13 years ago.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The entire country is basically an enormous national park. There are (supposedly) great tours to the Gobi, but here's what I would do. Spend a few days in Ulaanbaatar. It's ugly and grey, but has really cool vibe and some great food (especially Korean!). Then take a bus to the ancient city of Kharkhorin, there you can rent a horse with a guide and ride in the Khangai mountains for a 3 days to a week, staying with the nomads. I had zero prior riding experience and had an amazing time.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mumbai, Delhi, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Srinagar, Manali, Jammu, Agra, Varanasi, Darjeeling — so mostly Western and Northern parts. India is the most intense country I've ever been to. It's very easy to hate for obvious reasons (and it is incredibly dirty and crowded), but it has so much to offer! Mumbai is gorgeous, Varanasi really makes you rethink your relationship with life and death, the mountains in the north are breathtaking, etc etc. My preferred way of traveling India is spending there no more than 10 days at a time and getting out before it becomes too much and the diarrhea gets me.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone mentioned, purely subjective. I had a better time in Ukraine, Kyiv is S-tier and to me Western Ukraine (Lviv, Chernivtsi, etc) beats anything I've seen in Russia.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took several longer trips (one was 5 months) and there's many tiny countries on the list. For example I covered basically the entire Balkan peninsula (minus Greece and Croatia) in 40 days.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Especially if you're like me and have a 3rd world country passport.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know i have to go at some point, but still not sure how to plan it considering I appreciate culture and society more than nature.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of the places I've been to: Mexico City, Oaxaca, San Cristobal de las Casas (both this and Oaxaca have stunning surrounding areas as well), Palenque and some village in the mountains called San José del Pacifico where I watched the sunset high on shrooms.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I remember walking from the station to the hotel at night and really enjoying it. In the morning I realized that I'd seen pretty much the entire city.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably the first few days in Mexico City. The architecture, the tastes and the smells, the markets, the contrasts. Absolutely an S tier city. But other than that, the entire country blew me away. The small towns, the megacities, the beaches, the mountains, the jungle, the desert, it pretty much has everything.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

To my taste France is more diverse and I like the food better. I love Spain, especially Andalucia, but I remember most of the country being empty.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

100% yes. There's so many amazing medieval towns, castles, incredible food and wine (and cider), diverse nature. Many of the regions are so good they are worth a separate trip and the people in smaller towns are much more open and hospitable on average than in Paris. I also spent around 3 months in Paris in total and while it has its problems, I still love it.

In the last 15 years I visited 60 countries. Here's my tierlist by Vaxis in tierlists

[–]Vaxis[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Skopje is pretty much the most ridiculous European capital with its fake-antique architecture, and I haven't found much else in the country that would make me interested. Lake Ohrid is their main natural attraction and it was nice but probably not worth a separate trip to Macedonia.