The World's Most Welcoming Destinations
Welcoming and friendly destinations are what every traveler looks
for in a vacation destination. This is a compilation of some places that you
might have expected to see as welcoming and friendly, and probably a few that
you wouldn't have expected.
(In alphabetical order)
Denmark,
Northern Europe
It goes without saying that the first country in
the world to legalize porn would be a very open & friendly country, but Denmark
is so welcoming that it may pleasantly surprise even the most hardened
travelers. People are quick with a smile, & Copenhagen is one of the world's
most beautiful cities. As a testament to the people of Denmark, 33 years ago a
section of Copenhagen declared itself a "free state" & has since lived tax-free,
rent-free, & law-free with absolutely no repercussions in way of lawlessness or
disorder. The only rules are, no weapons, no hard drugs, & no violence. Sounds
good to me.
Finland,
Northern Europe
They say that Helsinki (the capital of Finland) is the only city
in the world where you can stand on a street corner with a map & someone will
ask you if you need directions. And I must say that is definitely true. People
don't just give you directions in Finland, they walk with you until you find the
place you were looking for. My first night in Helsinki I was terribly lost, &
skimming through a map when a beautiful girl stopped to ask if I needed help,
which I did. It wasn't two seconds before three other stopped to make sure that
she knew where it I wanted to go. She did, but of course I couldn't understand
the directions entirely. So she walked with me for about 30 minutes in the
middle of the night until I got where I was going. If that's not welcoming, than
nothing is.
Holland,
Western Europe
Holland is the land of windmills, legalized drugs, & legalized
prostitution. People don't get cooler than this! I have had the privilege of living
in the Netherlands for a month, & I'm not sure that I've ever met a more
welcoming, & friendly nationality of people. With a virtual 100% of their
population speaking English as a second language there is no language gap, &
people are always more than ready to help you if you have a problem, such as
where to find the Red Light District in Amsterdam which can be a problem, as
sometimes it's hard to find.
Ireland,
Europe
Ireland is probably the only country left in the world where people
will still actually buy you drinks if you tell them that you're from America.
Although it probably wouldn't matter where you told them you were from, I mean
this is Ireland we're talking about, they're always looking for drinking
buddies. Irish people are the most fun people on earth, there is nothing like
spending a night in Dublin in the legendary district of Temple Bar. I have never
felt more at home than I have in the warm embrace of Ireland.
Singapore,
Southeast Asia
I attribute the friendliness of this small island state to the
fact that the country is safe, and the citizens are rich, & relatively bored,
meaning they're always up to meet new people. Some of the best friends you'll
ever make can be met playing volleyball at one of Singapore's many lovely
beaches. And a trip to Clark's Quay will reveal thousands upon thousands of
expatriates always looking to share a good story about "home".
Sweden,
Scandinavia
Yes I know that this is the third Scandinavian country on the
list, but it just so happens that Northern Europeans are definitely worthy of
three places in the world's friendliest citizenry ranking. Sweden though has one
advantage over all of the other nations mentioned in this article. Not only are
Swedes ridiculously friendly, they're all ridiculously good looking as well. The
girls look like models, & well the guys do too. When you take that into
consideration, & also well the musical genius of ABBA, Sweden just can't be
beat.
Switzerland,
Western Europe
Ahh Switzerland, the friendliness of Northern Europe but with a more
convenient location. While the country may be insanely expensive there is no
doubting the friendliness of the people. Allow me to convey a personal story in
order for people who've never been to Switzerland to relate. I was visiting the
mountain of Schilthorn just outside of Interlaken, & I had stopped in a small
alpine village for a drink at an outdoor cafe. Staying for about 30 minutes, I
got up to leave as I had to walk a few miles down the road to catch the cable
car up the mountain. Now me of course being me, I had left my (small) backpack
at the cafe & had taken off walking down the trail without it. I was about a
kilometer down the trail when I heard someone yelling after me. The owner of the
cafe had ran all the way down the trail to give me my bag. Those are the types
of things that Swiss people do, they are as nice as nice can be.
Thailand,
Southeast Asia
The pearl of Southeast Asia, Thais are renowned for their welcoming
nature, & warm demeanors. While most people here do in fact have something to
sell you, that doesn't mean they only see you as a walking dollar sign, Thai
people do truly warm up to you, & if you have ever spent a month in one of their
towns you would have known that for yourself. The people's eyes light up when
they see their friends, & that's always a good feeling.
Turkey,
Middle
East
By far one of the friendliest nations I've ever
had the pleasure of living in. I spent three glorious months in Turkey, & not
too often previous or since have I encountered a people as genuinely friendly.
Turks will befriend you for life, and cry when you depart. Now that's something
all the money in all the first-world nations on this planet can't buy.
Honorable Mentions
While the following nations might not be the epitome
of welcoming, with their troubled past. And they may not make it onto anyone's
travel itineraries anytime in the near future. However I am sure that you will
not find friendlier people anywhere in the world.
Albania,
Eastern Europe
Albania, while widely known for it's street crime, & roving armed gangs,
that's not a deserving reputation for this small Balkan nation. I once read a
book authored by Robert Young Pelton that stated "the odds of visiting Albania &
not being robbed are virtually none", he went on to add that "Albanians see
nothing but a walking Dollar sign when they see foreigners". I was so appalled
that I immediately went about sending him hate mail. I have been to Albania,
more extensively so than Mr. Pelton I'm sure, & I can tell you this without a
fact, Albanians are some of the best people in the world. The hand they've been
dealt hasn't been fair, yet throughout all the tribulations they've managed to
maintain such a homely attitude, & a welcoming demeanor. Never once while in
Albania did I feel physically threatened, unwelcome, and not once was I ever
asked for money. Albania is a country where you can stop at a gas station, &
make a lifelong friend. You can tell them stories all day long, & though
struggle as they might to keep up with their limited English, not once will they
ever tire of the conversatin.
Kosovo,
Eastern Europe
Yet another country that was attacked by Mr. Pelton is his "critically
acclaimed" book. I believe he actually advocated the genocide of the ethnic
Albanian population, yes that's right he did. I spent a while in Kosovo, & never
has a more welcoming hand ever been extended to me. Persons on the street would
want to talk to me if they heard I was American, cafe's would inundate me with
pastries, & sweets. At talk of the conflict they were nothing if but grateful at
American intervention. It was the first, well the only real time that I have
ever been proud to be an American. The first time that America wasn't the evil
enemy, that a country wasn't paying the consequences of our misdeeds. No for in
this case an entire nation, an entire people were granted the chance of having a
future, & for that I'm proud. And there are no people more deserving of a future
than the Kosovoans.
