re: What is your #1 place that you would suggest to travel to.

I've been to 42 countries and enjoyed every trip. The world's a big place full of fascinating things to see, incredible foods to eat, and amazing people to meet. My top two would be:

- The Azores. These islands are stunningly beautiful. Lagoa de Fogo, the Furnas Valley, and Sete Cidades on the main island of Sao Miguel. Hiking Mt. Pico on Pico Island was amazing. The hydrangeas everywhere. Going down into the magma chamber of an extinct volcano on the island of Terceira.

The Azores are full of people who speak English (as most of them have close relatives in the US), and home to unique wines and cuisines. They are isolated enough that people speak Portuguese with different accents.

I've been twice and still want to go back, and that's very rare for me.


- Jordan. It's most famous for Petra, and Petra certainly lives up to the hype, at least if you do as I did and spend the night in a hotel there so you can enter at 6:00 AM and enjoy the site for several hours before all the tour buses roll in. I also thought that "Petra at Night" was incredible.

But Jordan is so much more than Petra. I snorkeled with sea turtles in the Red Sea. There are a number of fascinating castles left from the era of the Crusades -- some of them build by Crusaders and some of them built by Muslims. The Wadi Rum desert area is enchanting. Jerash is one of the world's best-preserved Roman cities. And the water of the Dead Sea will indeed make your skin as soft as a baby's.

And the people are so friendly. I've rented cars in a large number of those countries to which I've traveled, but Jordan is the only one where I've felt comfortable enough to pick up hitchhikers -- crime is practically non-existent.

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#1 place with a major beach- Barcelona.

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This is my number 1 as well. It has a vibe or atmosphere like no other place I’ve ever been.

Galapagos Islands.
It won't be cheap.
Stay in Puerto Ayora for a couple days.
Take a cruise from there for part of the time. There are lots of different options/lengths/itineraries.
Additionally, take a boat from Puerto Ayora to Isabella and stay for a couple days. Pretty badass beaches on Isabella and horseback around volcano craters. Extremely chill and very few people.

I stayed in Barceloneta a two block walk from the beach. Early morning I would almost have the beach to myself. It was great. Then an the tapas in that area like Can Ramonet were really good. Plus it was a short walk to the other areas.
Gambas and Bravas all day.

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I would say the Caribbean in general is mostly a waste of time. Seen one, seen em all. Go see something real.

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Oh my.

"Beach Nearby"...

Guess OP has to clarify, as in to look at? To swim?

My suggestions...

Normandy.
Takes the beach experience to another level. The area is fantastic, the people love Americans and are happy you are there. We always stay In Bayeaux.

We just did this in November and would highly recommend. We started with a cruise, then spent a week on our own in Bayeux, then toured Honfleur, then later Epernay.

Photos

Others near a beach (not sure if you'd swim or not, but..)

1. Slovenia. My favorite country of all I've visited by far. Alpine villages. WW1 history. Has it all.

Slovenia Photos

2. Vancouver Island. OMG that's beautiful.

Not recommend? I didn't enjoy Mexico the two times I went.

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And I would say the Caribbean in general is mostly a waste of time. Seen one, seen em all. Go see something real.

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This is only true if you stay in big resorts and do typical tourist stuff. For example, when I was in Barbados, I happened to be there for AgroFest, which is the island's equivalent of a state fair. I ate some "pudding and souse," watched some of the judging of Barbadian sheep, listened to a singing contest, etc. When you spend real time getting to know locals, that's when the differences start to emerge.

Or, you can just find little islands that don't have mass tourism. The five days I spent on Guanaja a year ago were like that.

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Since you are a seasoned traveler, what is the one destination that surprised you the most? Can be a positive or negative surprise.

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I could pick lots of choices, but I'm going to say northern Peru. Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley get all of the hype, and rightly so, but more people should go north of Lima to Chiclayo and Trujillo. In Chiclayo, the Museum of the Tombs of the Lords of Sipan is the most incredible small-ish museum I've ever seen. The treasures from those tombs are displayed in breathtaking fashion. Trujillo has a very pleasant colonial core, but the Temple of the Moon nearby, from the Moche civilization (just before the Inca) is amazing and yet receives only a small number of tourists. And the beach at Huanchacho is right there too. Peruvian cuisine is the best in South America, and this part of Peru is no exception, with lots of great cebiche, and (with the dry climate) specialties such as several preparations of cabrito, or roast goat.

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Wow. Did you actually pick up a hitchhiker? Or was that just an expression? I don’t think I could do that. Regardless of the country. Perhaps you are more adventurous than me.

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Yes, I picked up an older Bedouin man. He didn't speak any English, but he was able to point and indicate where I should take him.

As I said, Jordan is a very safe and trusting society, and hitching is fairly common. Not only did I pick up a hitchhiking man, I wouldn't be afraid to hitchhike myself.

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This is only true if you stay in big resorts and do typical tourist stuff. For example, when I was in Barbados, I happened to be there for AgroFest, which is the island's equivalent of a state fair. I ate some "pudding and souse," watched some of the judging of Barbadian sheep, listened to a singing contest, etc. When you spend real time getting to know locals, that's when the differences start to emerge.

Or, you can just find little islands that don't have mass tourism. The five days I spent on Guanaja a year ago were like that.

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I would never stay at a big resort. However, the neat things you described don't seem to be "#1 place" worthy. And plenty of places that have mass tourism are worth going to, potentially in the #1 slot.

I would actually put Yellowstone and Machu Picchu in those categories. Not obscure at all, yet one should really strive to experience both of them.