The rating criteria is based on 9 different groups where I have given points (max. 100 per group), so a country can theoretically achieve a maximum of 900 points. At this moment, Thailand is at the top of the rating with 708 points, closely followed by France 705 points and New Zealand with 703 points, then the best African country, Ethiopia, with 700 points. This is of course a very personal list, and much influenced by experiences I had on my long overland journeys across the different continents.

 

The 9 groups are:

 

1. People (friendliness, hospitality)

2. Local Cuisine and Specialties

3. Culture (Theatres, Art scene, UNESCO sites)

4. Landscapes (Deserts, Wetland, Glaciers, Rainforests, Mountains, Coasts and Beaches)

5. Value (the more you get for your money, the higher the rating gets, expensive countries have lower points here

6. Museums (not only quantity, but quality and variety)

7. Infrastructure/environment (local transportation, functional local airline, good train and bus systems, plus environmentally friendly, good air quality and climate protection)

8. Nightlife and evening entertainment (Pubs, bars, discos, nightclubs, cabarets)

9. Security (safe to travel, no threats from terrorism, low crime rate)

 

This project is in a constant change as the evaluation of some countries are updated following political and social changes.  So far the TOP 30 countries are:

 

1. Thailand 708

2. France 705

3. New Zealand 703

4. Ethiopia 700

5. Cambodia 697

6. China 690

7. Portugal 686

8. Philippines 685

9. Myanmar 684

10. Madagascar 683

11. Spain 681

12. Iran 680

13. Indonesia 678

14. Switzerland 675

15. Morocco 670

16. Brazil 660

17. Hungary 655

18. India 650

19. Greece 648

20. Peru 646

21. Argentina 645

22. Malta 643

23. Italy 640

24. Germany 638

25. Mexico 635

26. Austria 630

27. Namibia 628

28. Turkey 625

29. Cuba 610

30. Colombia 607