Georgina NoackIt’s never too late to start planning your next holiday. Especially when there are so many countries and experiences to choose from, but so little time to see them all. Sad.
Backpacking has been having a bit of a moment lately, as more and more people strap themselves into those glorious turtle shell and traipse around the globe. More and more people are getting on board, and whether you’re a pro or a newbie – or even if you’re not all that keen on backpacking – there are some things that everyone considers before they hit the road.
Everyone wants to travel safely, get good prices for your budget, and have access to the internet when you need it (no shade if you just want it for the ‘gram). And sometimes reading reviews and travel blogs just make you feel more overwhelmed, confused, and conflicted about your prospective destination. And no one needs that added confusion. It’s all a bit much.
The Globe Hunters team have done the hard yards for you and delivered a very extensive and very scientific list of the top backpacking hotspots around the world. Seventy-eight countries have been tanked based on global happiness, peace, internet, and cost of living indexes, so it’s almost certain your bucket list picks have made a cameo.
So to help you make a decision for your next getaway, here are the top 5 destinations for every kind of traveller.
To Spark Some Joy, See Finland
Coming in first place, Finland takes the cake for the best overall experience.
With the highest happiness score, Finland is the place to be if you want to spend every day with a smile on your face. The nation’s of pristine air and water (and glorious landscapes), with the highest life expectancy and social support, you can understand why they’re the friendliest people in the world. If you want to de-stress and spark some serious joy, this Scandanavian beauty.
If You’re Worried About Safety, Singapore Is For You
Singaporeans reckon they’re pretty safe, with higher levels of order and peace than any other neighbour. The nation also ranks in the top 10 for internet, 3G coverage, and electricity availability so, with their unreal landmarks and food options, your socials are going to look schmick.
For The Money-Saver, Check Out Pakistan
Wherever Pakistan was on your travel bucket list, make some serious adjustments and bump it up to first. Especially if you’re all about low-cost travel. That means cheap eats, good value accommodation, The only downfall, maybe, then was that it doesn’t score as high on safety (13th) and pretty low on internet and power accessibility (like, 60th down). But that means you can put away the pings and the dings of your phone and fully immerse yourself in the beautiful landscape, history, and culture, almost completely uninterrupted.
The 4G 4Ever Traveller Will Love South Korea
There are some people who just need to have the internet, and that’s fair enough. For the best internet, 3G and electricity connection, South Korea is the spot for you. Their top spot means you’ll be able to post all of your kick-ass photos of the sights, call your folks (and if the connection is shit, it’s definitely the NBN), and, if you need to, work and earn money while travelling (freelance blogging anyone?).
Australia Ranks In The Top 10
So maybe explore your own backyard before flying across the pond.
Mind you, we were trumped by Denmark, Canada, the Czech Republic, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, and the United Arab Emirates; but it’s so far away and super expensive to get over there. And, like, YES Australia being the top spot in Oceania for backpacking.
And just think, travelling around our home country gives you all the perks of hitting up Europe but without a language barrier (mostly, some accents might prove tricky), without worrying about crazy traffic (be careful in Melbourne, though), and without having to deal with calculating cash exchange rates. Not to mention we are the home of the oldest culture in the world and prehistoric sites and mindblowing landscapes (hello Uluru, Kakadu, Devils Marbles, etc etc etc).
I mean, it doesn’t get much better than that.
