Cappadocia, Turkey
People often ask me: “You’ve been around the world…so what was the ONE best country?” It’s a straight-forward question but I don’t have a straight-forward answer. Visiting 80 countries it’s hard to name just one “best.” Each is unique and awesome for different reasons. So, in an attempt to answer that hard-hitting question, I’ve crafted a list of the worlds ‘Bests’ …
Best European city: Paris. Not very original but it’s my fave. The art, the fashion, the cheese and baguettes…I love it all.
Best adrenaline rush: Gorge Swing in Livingstone, Zambia. It’s a lot like bungee jumping but with a hardcore free-fall that finishes with a pendulum swing.
Best kept secret: Hvar, a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, has the elegance of Italy without the price. Lots of luxury yachts and stylist Euros.
Best ancient wonder: Featured in an Indiana Jones movie, Petra’s Treasury, located in Jordan, is a façade carved into rose-colored sandstone.
Best weird feeling: Floating in the salty waters of the Dead Sea.
Best beach: Kendwa, on the northeastern tip of Zanzibar island, has a magical vibe and perfect palm trees.
Best travel value: India and Thailand are cheap, cheap, cheap.
Best refuge from the world: Tofu beach in Mozambique. Eat fresh mangoes all day and snorkel with manta rays in the Indian Ocean.
Best Fear Factor moment: Eating deep-fried scorpion at the Donghuamen Night market in Beijing.
Best landscape: Cappadocia, Turkey has some of the most unusual terrain, with phallic shaped rocks and underground caves.
Best hotel: Burj Al Arab in Dubai takes the cake. This five-star deluxe hotel is the pinnacle of Arabic opulence, complete with duplex suites, marble Jacuzzis and private butlers.
Best hidden gem: Jordan is often overlooked as a tourist destination but has the most incredible Roman ruins, Bedouin culture in the deserts of Wadi Rum, nightlife in Amman, Petra and world-class scuba in the Red Sea.
Best spiritual spot: A holy hotspot for all monotheistic religions, Jerusalem is undeniably mystical.
Best safari: Serengeti National Park in Tanzania has all the biggies: lions, leopards, elephant, buffalo and, the animal that kills the most amount of humans, the hippo.
Best city for shopping: Hong Kong is a shopping Mecca.
Best cuisine: Turkey, for fresh feta; Bulgaria for grilled seafood and red pepper dips; South Korea for killer BBQ meat and spicy kimchi.
Best humbling moment: Standing face-to-face with a 700 lbs. mountain gorilla while trekking in Uganda’s Bwindi National Park.
What are your “bests”? Share your comments and ‘best of the best’ travel secrets below….
