World’s Best Travel Locations – Part 2

Rev Kane relaxing in the arctic snow flurries

I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it. ~ Rosalia de Castro

Follow up post to my post from last night, World’s Best Travel Locations – Part 1

I got asked again today, a question that I frequently get asked, where is the favorite place you’ve ever traveled? It’s a horrible question, not because it’s being asked, it’s a horrible question to try to and answer. I’ve traveled a decent amount, more than most, but when you frequently travel and meet other travelers what you often find out is that so many people have done so much more than you have.

The reason the question is so difficult, is that there are so many components to travel. Some places are not the most beautiful, or don’t have the greatest weather but the people are spectacular. Some places are absolutely amazing in so many ways but you may not feel safe or have other problems. Sometimes your response to a place can be greatly impacted by circumstances, a lost hotel reservation, lost or delayed luggage, hidden costs on a tour, terrible weather or you’re attitude. If you have a cold, or you’re exhausted or stressed out it may not matter how amazing the people or place are. So with those caveats I’ve selected five really amazing places that I’ve been to and that I recommend you visit if possible. I’m using countries at descriptors but will usually be focus on a particular religion, attraction or tour.

Please feel free in the comments to ask questions or post your own recommendations, I’m always looking for new cool places to visit. So here we go, the second three of the six places in alphabetical order:

Nepal

The first big international hiking trip I did was to spend 22 days hiking in the high passes of the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. The goal of the trip was to visit base camp on Mount Everest. Two things really stuck out from this trip. The first was that Himalayas are easily one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Second, that the Sherpa people may be the single nicest group of humans on Earth.

The trip was fantastic, it started in Kathmandu and what a wild and wacky place Kathmandu turned out to be. From there we took a harrowing flight into Lukla and walked for three weeks amongst the highest mountains in the world. I’ve been told the Anapurna Loop is also magnificent and Nepal is someplace I absolutely recommend you check out. I did a tour with Kamzang Travel and they were beyond fantastic and honestly I believe the best tour company in the Himalayan region. I wrote a 15 part series about the trip and you can read about it at this link.

At the Everest Rock Bar after the white knuckle flight to Lukla on the trail to Everest

Rev Kane and a hiking friend

Sunset in the Himalayas

Scotland

Rev Kane goin native in the Scottish Highlands

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Scotland a few times including having hiked both the Great Glen and West Highland Ways. Scotland is a wonderful country and the Scottish people, in my experience, are only rivaled by the Sherpas in Nepal, for being open, welcoming and kind to visitors. The country is beautiful, the weather not so bad, Edinburgh is a magnificent city and Glasgow houses one of my favorite museums, St. Mungo’s Museum of Religious Art. Oh, and I think they make whiskey in Scotland.

The one caveat I have to give about Scotland, in general, the food is bland and terrible. Now, before I start getting hate messages from restaurateurs in Scotland, I’m sure there are many fine restaurants in Scotland. In fact, I had one of the best meals of my life in Edinburgh at a place I believe was called Cafe Marylane. However, I’ve spent most of my time in Scotland hiking and eating in small towns, small restaurants and pubs. This experience has not been pleasant, not that I haven’t had some good meals. On my last trip I had a quite spectacular Glen Coe Chicken one night and several good haggis dishes, yes I like haggis. Also, to be fair this criticism applies to lunch and dinner, a full Scottish breakfast is a magnificent thing to behold. But you’ve been warned.

I’ve written about all of this in my posts on the West Highland Way and the Great Glen Way.

The United States

Rev Kane in the Antelope Poppy Reserve

I think some people may actually be surprised to see the US on my list. The fact is that I have traveled to all 50 states. America is a huge and spectacularly beautiful country with every possible environmental variation from the beaches of Hawaii, to the arctic in Alaska, the badlands in South Dakota and the swamps of Louisiana. There are what I would consider a few must sees for The United States. I think everyone should see the California redwood trees both the coastal redwoods as well as the huge inland trees. I think the big island of Hawaii is a must for it’s magnificent beaches and volcano. The South Dakota Badlands are someplace most people have likely never been but are spectacular in ways that are hard to describe. Yellowstone and Yosemite are two of the most beautiful and amazing national parks on earth and both, in my humble opinion are not as beautiful as Bryce Canyon, Zion’s slot canyons are worth a look as well. Finally, a ride through the northeast in New York, Connecticut or Vermont at peak color is something everyone should see at least once. Below I will drop links to a few of the places I’ve written about in the US.