Hey Pandas, What's Your Favorite Country That You Visited? (Closed)

CANADA! I LOVE Canada! I'm from the US, and when I was a kid my family took a vacation to "The French River", I think that's the name? My Dad had been going on 2 week long Canadian fishing trips for years but he always left my Mom and I at home. He was an a*s, in MANY ways. But when I was 10, he took us and I LOVED IT.

We got a cabin at a small resort. My Dad (who towed our boat with us) would take us out on the water to fish, etc. But there was a beach and I LOVED swimming. The resort owners had 2 dogs that I loved playing fetch with and swimming with. I just felt... I don't know how to describe it. I felt, at HOME.

I visited Toronto a few years later, as part of a school trip (this was all before you needed a passport) and I STILL felt the same. I love Canada. I haven't been back since I was about 13-14. I'm in my 40's now, but I miss it so much.

I have a hard time describing to people what I mean when I say that there IS a difference, at least that I feel or sense, between being in Canada and the US. No one ever seems to get it and I'm often bad at explaining it, but to ME, I can feel it. I don't mean about laws or healthcare, etc. It's just something that I FEEL, inside of myself.

I haven't traveled to any other countries yet, but I am curious if I would feel anything similar or the same. Maybe one day.

England, so far. But I've only been to Manchester, so my experience is limited to just that area. On my next visit I want to see more of the small, older villages, go to the shores, see the forests I've imagined in fairy tale books.

It was awesome taking double decker buses, having various ways to pay the fare. I hope Pound Bakery survived the pandemic. Loved their toffee muffins and chicken nuggets.
The open fruit markets had such tasteful, ripe fruit that's hard to come by in my city, unless you can make it to a farmer's market.

The city centre is so alive and vibrant. Sure it has problems, but it's not a ghost town like the downtown in my city. There's businesses making use of all the old buildings. The architecture is interesting. So many different places to go that are fun.

The climate is nice. I'll take the rain and mild weather over frigid winter wind chills and buggy summers. You don't even need screens on your windows and you don't get swarmed leaving them open at night. No mosquitos. No canker worms hanging from trees and eating all the leaves.

No hockey. I'll take football (soccer) over hockey and American football any day.

I wish I had photos to share. My favorite country I've ever been to was Japan. I was in the US Navy and my ship was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. So, when we were in port I had the opportunity to explore Japan. I was in Japan in the late 80s. One thing that stood out to me was how polite the Japanese people were. I remember seeing people walking down the streets with a mask on and this was decades before Covid. I learned that if a Japanese person felt even slightly sick they would mask up to protect others. Now that's truly being considerate of others. Japan was beautiful. I've never been back since my Navy days but perhaps one day I will.

Oslo and Norway, without slightest hesitation. A real treat for all art lovers and culture addicts.

Costa Rica! Pristine beaches! Lush forests! Sure, not the normal comforts of tourism but this is helping the environment. And everyone was friendly! Food was delicious! When you ordered a small drink, it was actually small! Everything wasn’t overpriced. Love it ❤️ 🇨🇷

Thailand. Been there multiple times and it never fails to delight me. You've got the beaches, big cities, ancient temples, hot nightlife, amazing ahopping, great cultural scene, and the best customer service you will ever experience -- Thailand has it all.

Scotland.

When I was 19, I went to Edinburgh "to study for my final math exam" because it would be the last chance to leave the country for a very long time (as I was joining the army directly after school - which didn't quite went the way I thought it would). Well, that exam was quite a mess, because that city just made me happy. I had a good time, felt safe (as a young woman travelling alone) all the time, got to know many nice people, fell in love with the view from Arthur's Seat and, yes, even with the food. I went back as soon as I could, as often as I could and traveled the entire country with my husband a few years later. I have plenty of good memories from lonely spots at the sea, the highlands, islands, southern uplands.
I know it's always different to travel and to actually live somewhere - but honestly: If I win the lottery, I'd sell my nice house in Germany and move without thinking twice (okay, yeah, I'll need to figure out how to do that after Brexit, but then...)