What country are your favorite country to visit for a vacation/leisure traveles?

Wll, I do feel superior to you since I've been to 65 countries in the last 5 years. And like you, I average a new country nearly every month (do the math), so that I can really get to know the people, the country, their customs, and to see everything that country has to offer. By doing it that way (a country a month), I can feel superior and come to a runners message board and tell about my three favorite countries. But, like you, I'm really getting tired with being on the move so often and taking in so much in such a short time. Ugly American maybe??

I think he assumes that you are some kid who doesn't seem to work and probably has someone paying the bills for your play time. How can you learn anything about the countries when you rush through all these places doing nothing but taking in all the tourist stuff?

Taco Bender wrote:

Wll, I do feel superior to you since I've been to 65 countries in the last 5 years. And like you, I average a new country nearly every month (do the math), so that I can really get to know the people, the country, their customs, and to see everything that country has to offer. By doing it that way (a country a month), I can feel superior and come to a runners message board and tell about my three favorite countries. But, like you, I'm really getting tired with being on the move so often and taking in so much in such a short time. Ugly American maybe??

What is all this "like you" stuff?

You don't know anything about me. You just come on this thread and make two asinine posts that have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

The op asked a question and I answered it. I'm not trying to prove anything to you or anyone else. There's no contest here. There's only you, a pretentious d!ck, trolling a message board.

If you've been to so many countries then you probably have a few favorites as well. So why not list those and get over yourself?

I'm not "tired of being on the move" and don't even know what you're going on about with that drivel.

Like I said, you've got some insecurities that you're keen on showcasing. I'm all for entertaining such episodes, though, and am looking forward to your continued unraveling.

Tumbledweeb wrote:

I think he assumes that you are some kid who doesn't seem to work and probably has someone paying the bills for your play time. How can you learn anything about the countries when you rush through all these places doing nothing but taking in all the tourist stuff?

I don't care what he assumes. What does that have to do with the thread at hand in the first place?

I live abroad and have so for the better part of a decade. Traveling is a hobby so I save money to do it. It's not really that expensive when you overland, stay in hostels, and eat out of grocery stores, so your alluding to "someone else paying for it" is a bit ridiculous. Thousands of people do what I do every year and I know and have met hundreds of people in a very similar situation to myself (who work for a year or two and then travel until the money goes out). Why is that so strange?

What exactly do you think I should be learning about the countries I've been to? Why do I have to have an in depth interest in every place I go, anyway? Some countries are very interesting, some aren't. Some countries I've spent months in, some countries just days.

What does any of that have to do with what my favorite countries are, though?

Care to give that one a shot?

Based on your response, he must have been spot on. Yeah, I bet you work real hard for that year or two so you can travel for a couple more years--more likely mommy and daddy work real hard to support their worthless offspring. Ugly American? No doubt that is how those natives view you.

Tumbledweeb wrote:

Based on your response, he must have been spot on. Yeah, I bet you work real hard for that year or two so you can travel for a couple more years--more likely mommy and daddy work real hard to support their worthless offspring. Ugly American? No doubt that is how those natives view you.

Lol. So funny you can't just post under the same name each time.

Have fun with your jealousy and blatant insecurity. I've got another trip to a few tropical islands to plan. Ciao.

France. Amazing food, beautiful countryside, history, art, music, everything. (I'm from Canada so Europeans love us!!!!)

I don't care what he assumes.

I don't think the poster who called you out is assuming anything, I think he's just calling you a liar. I tend to agree with him.

You claim to be travelling overland to Nepal, Namibia and Guatemala - this must be a very special place you live, to be able to get to Africa, Asia and Central America by road, please do elaborate?

Your Namibian adventures sound amazing: you went to Etosha, on the West Coast of Southern Africa, and yet while you were there you visited Ngorongoro Crater, which (last time I looked, anyway) is in Tanzania - somewhat more than 1,600 miles distance as the crow flies! I was unaware that Etosha was so big?

Your journeys sound magical - or at least the journeys of someone with a limited geographical knowledge and a need to boost their self-esteem by lying to people on the internet.

I think you are a liar too.

You can think I'm a liar all you want. That's irrelevant.

You seem very interested in my travels, though, so I'll try to sort out some of your apparent comprehension problems.

I never claimed to travel overland to Nepal, Namibia, or Guatemala. Those were three different trips in three different years. I said "overlanding can be very cheap, along with hostels and grocery stores". That can either mean overlanding throughout a country or through neighboring countries. I explicitly pointed out how budget friendly Nepal is AFTER you arrive.

As for Etosha, what does that have to with my having been to the Ngorongoro Crater? I said it was my favorite out of all the parks I had been to. Your reading comprehension is very poor. I started in Nairobi and went to Capetown. I won't spend the time educating you on how that's possible, but rest assured that it is a fairly well-traveled route traversed by a good number of people every year.

And what does any of that have to do with where I live? Not a thing. Do you not have jobs where you live? Can you not save money? I'm sure you can.

I sense a lot of jealousy and bitterness in this thread. It's quite unfortunate because I love traveling and am always keen to share my experiences and merely wanted to talk about my three favorite countries. An innocuous post that three (one) posters decided to use to showcase their jealousies and insecurities.

That you guys are so ignorant that you immediately dismiss what I say because you can't comprehend how I might have done it is very unfortunate for you.

But hey, there's no point in me sitting back and nodding at your ignorance, so I'll help you guys out.

If you are actually interested in traveling, either short or long term, head on over to these websites and have a look through. You can get a lot of tips and ideas about how to save for an extended trip, itinerary ideas, packing ideas, visa needs, etc., etc. There are loads of posts about people planning or engaging in Round The World travel, which is personally what I really enjoy (extended trips circling the globe. I've had three of those so far).

.

I kind of know where you guys are coming from. I was once on an expat forum where this guy said he ran 10 miles a day and I was dumbstruck and immediately dismissed what he had to say because I couldn't fathom running ten miles a day. 10 miles?!

And now I do that and I understand that's it not really a big deal once you get started. But initially, it was crazy. So I can empathize how someone might think I'm lying by describing my travels and that's fine, think what you want. But if you're really interested you should go educate yourself on how it can be done and you might just be surprised enough to give it a shot yourself.

As somebody who has traveled extensively on my own dime (combination of work and just making traveling a priority), I'm just here to support Century club...

You guys questioning him must not have done the budget backpacking style traveling at all. Everywhere I go I meet people (Americans) who live in one place for 6 months, earn as much money as they can, and then travel for 6 months. Then return to the US, work for 6 months, and repeat the process. Check out the travel blogging scene. Those people travel a ton more than Century club here, and they pay for it themselves.

When I traveled through Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda I lived off of less than $10 a day. And that included sleeping, meals, everything.

I get really frustrated in the US when people say "Oh, I would love to travel, I just could never afford it." To the people who have a family to support, that's legit. To the young single 20-somethings, of course they could do it if they wanted to. They just have different priorities. Maybe their priorities are saving for retirement, buying a house, or even just going out drinking with friends three times a week. That is fine, it's fine to have those priorities.

But recognize that it's your choice to have those priorities, and don't make other people feel like they're somehow more privileged than the rest just because they make different choices.

To be honest, sometimes I wish I had a full-time job, had bought a house, and had a retirement plan already, as many of my friends do. But I don't, and that was my choice. But I don't go around telling everyone who does that they must have gotten in only because their parents knew somebody.

Anyway, my favorite places:

Kenya. If you're into the environment or wildlife it's heaven.

Rwanda. Totally different than what I had imagined, and the genocide memorials really change your perspective on world events.

Russia. Such a vast country with a deep, conflicting history.

No particular order.

another average american wrote:

To be honest, sometimes I wish I had a full-time job, had bought a house, and had a retirement plan already, as many of my friends do. But I don't, and that was my choice. But I don't go around telling everyone who does that they must have gotten in only because their parents knew somebody.

That's a good point. I live in a tiny apartment and don't have a car or a smart phone or anything of the sort. My tv is two decades old, etc.

You make sacrifices just like you do with running. Just like you do with any hobby that you enjoy that takes time and/or money.

My friends all have the latest smart phones and 52 inch tvs and nice cars but then wonder how I can travel. Just depends on what you want to spend your time and money on.

I've got another trip to a few tropical islands to plan. Ciao.

I thought you'd be busy planning your next trip?

GenericID wrote:

I've got another trip to a few tropical islands to plan. Ciao.

I thought you'd be busy planning your next trip?

Do you typically have to devote hours of your day to typing out a two line response on letsrun?

I don't.

24 hours in a day. Lots of time to do lots of things.

Tumbledweeb wrote:

LOL, the guy is even more hilarious than I initially thought. Does he have a clue as to how "locals" view him.

What they see is a worthless white guy with nothing better to do with his life than to spend most of his time as a "bwahna", zip lining and safaring where he can feel he is "better" than the natives.

They certainly must wonder, and rightfully so, why he doesn't spend more of his precious time at home, with family, doing something more productive with his life. Yes, brown people understand the importance of family and trying to do things for others, unlike this guy who sems to have "travel" amongst "lesser thans" as his objective in life?

You're either very racist or really engaging in a self-disparaging persecution complex.

I'm not sure which, or why, but it doesn't really seem like it's something you'd continually display on a message board.

Do you honestly think any of that drivel will have any affect on anything I or anyone else will ever do?

You have some delusions of message-board grandeur going on here, in addition to your other apparent problems.

I said I'd enjoy your continued unraveling and so far you haven't disappointed.

GenericID wrote:

I've got another trip to a few tropical islands to plan. Ciao.

I thought you'd be busy planning your next trip?

I see that my response helping clarifying the problems you had with your reading comprehension was a great success if this is the only retort you can come up with !

:D

kakdlaslkddkdka wrote:

Canada, specifically the Canadian Rockies.

Me too. Although really I stay in the western US for most of my leisure travels since there's so much great wilderness here, but the Canadian Rockies are fantastic if I want to travel a bit further.

Ditto on the Rockies and the West. Unlike that that guy who posts that he visits hundreds of countries, I think many of us have come to realize that the greatest, most beatifule travel experiences in the world are right here in our backyard. Nothing compares to the natural and wild beauty of Western North America.

Wow, there are some serious haters on this thread.

It is a thread about favorite countries and when someone writes about their favorite country the trolls go on a hunting expedition?

Jealousy is a b!tch.

Anyway, I've been on holiday to about 35 countries mostly backpacking and have to say Turkey and Mexico are my two favorites. Lots to see and do in both countries. Very interesting terrain and some amazing cultural sites (like the Aztec and Mayan ruins in Mexico and Roman ruins in Turkey).

Keen to go on holiday in S. America soon, though. Have also heard great things about Bolivia so am curious to see how it stacks up to all the great reports I have heard.

I'll tell you the worst country to visit. The Faeroe Islands which is nothing but hills, rocks, sheep, goats and rain.

For that matter, never go to Scotland, which is also hills, rocks, sheep, goats and rain.

Never visit Oregon either. What a miserable country Oregon is. Nothing but hills, valleys, rocks, rain and mud. Fewer sheep and goats is the only bright side to Oregon. If your homeland is overrun by sheep and goats, maybe Oregon would be a step up.