Where do people visit when people decide to visit some place else?
In 2014, the ten most visited countries, starting with the land with the highest recorded count of passport stampings, were the following:
- France (Who can resist Paris in the spring and a stroll along the Seine?)
- United States (This land is your land! This land is my land!)
- Spain (A peninsula from top plateau to bottom rock – the way is here.)
- China (That Great Wall is up there on any bucket list.)
- Italy (I’ll have a gelato at the Trevi, please – toss the coins in the fountain.)
- Turkey (Visit the unexpected and enjoy the sight of a new site.)
- Germany (Munich and Oktoberfest, fun festivities from flag to finish.)
- United Kingdom (London is the most-visited metropolis on the planet.)
- Russia (I’m seeing stars already – don’t be late for the parade.)
- Thailand (Bangkok is #2 on the most popular city list.)
That’s where folks on leave went in 2014 to spend the most of their travel time.
Where did they go the least?
For those after a unique stamp in the passport, the ten least visited 2014 locations, starting with the fewest tourists, are reported to be these:
- Nauru (A tiny Pacific island nation, no capital, few people, great beaches)
- Somalia (At the Horn of Africa — on the road again but far from Willie Nelson.)
- Tuvalu (Between Hawaii and Australia, a very flat place with rising seas.)
- Kiribati (33 coral rings in the Pacific, few flights, great snorkeling.)
- Marshall Islands (A Pacific country, no crime, outstanding diving.)
- Equatorial Guinea (Central Africa and oil with plenty of asphalt for roads.)
- Turkmenistan (On the Silk Road in Asia, natural gas and desert sands.)
- Sao Tome & Principe (Remote islands off the west coast of Africa.)
- Comoros (Islands off East Africa, friendly people, vibrating markets.)
- Afghanistan (Land-locked South Asia, wild and beautiful mountains.)
Of the countries of all the world in 2014, France was the most visited with 84.7 million people stopping by for a croissant and a coffee. On the other side of the bucket, Nauru is so small that one of the 200 2014 tourists took a sweaty run around the island after lunch, only to find the water switched off during the day and no shower at the hotel.
Whew.
All this virtual traveling has worn be out thinking about the places and people to be found out there beyond the front door. To paraphrase Bilbo Baggins form the book the “Hobbit” and Ned Ryerson from the 1993 movie “Ground Hog’s Day”: “Watch out for that first step. It can be a doozy.”
Whether you choose the most or least traveled path, be prepared to be surprised and amazed.
See you there – perhaps?
Grandpa Jim