travel

The five best countries to travel to, according to the woman who's seen them all.

Cassie De Pecol recently became the youngest – and fastest – woman to travel to each of the world’s 196 countries.

The 27-year-old also became the ultimate go-to source on unmissable destinations because she can say, with a certain level authority most of us can’t, which countries truly are the best.

Perhaps it isn’t surprising the American woman rounded out her top 10 best countries to visit with her home country, USA, at number 10.

What might be surprising to the many of us who haven’t seen the entire world, however, is that there’s no European country to be found on the list.

Costa Rica came in at ninth spot, Peru in at number eight, Tunisia next and number six was the Middle East’s Sultanate of Oman. So it might be time to give that bucket list a shake-up.

Here’s Cassie De Pecol’s top five best countries to visit in the world, as told to The Telegraph:

1. Mongolia.

De Pecol gives a simple reason to visit the Asian nation: “To be immersed in the remote wilderness and to ride the wild horses.”

Bordered by China and Russia, Mongolia is a popular destination often visited as part of a trip along the Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to St Petersburg.

Listen: Hear from the couple who retired in their 30s to go travelling with their baby.

2. Bhutan.

The Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas struck a chord with the globetrotter. De Pecol’s experience trekking to Paro Taktsang – a monastery also known as Tiger’s Nest that is situated on a cliff – stayed with her.

She described Paro Taktsang as “something out of Avatar” on Instagram.

“(It was) a dream to trek through low-hanging clouds with a harrowing drop at any given moment on either side,” she wrote.

“Prayer flags swayed through the pines, prayer wheels spinning in the breeze, and tsa-tsas (ashes of the dead) wedged between crevices of stone.

“Passing over a bridge and waterfall and up the last flight of stairs, I entered one of the chambers where I was completely alone.”

De Pecol recommends visiting Bhutan “to learn the ethics of peaceful living”.

3. Maldives.

It seems the tropical island nation and popular honeymoon destination lives up to the hype, after all. Known for its beautiful beaches, the Maldives did not disappoint, according to De Pecol.

The traveller advises visiting “to see some of the bluest water, whitest sand and most stunning sand banks in the world”.

4. Vanuatu

De Pecol’s fourth-placed destination is another nation made up of several islands, this time in the South Pacific.

The peace and sustainability activist recommends trying Kava – a drink made from the root of the pepper plant Piper methysticum, used as medicine and in ceremonies in several Pacific island nations.

The 27-year-old tells us to visit Vanuatu “to experience the process of how Kava is made and to meet some of the kindest people”.

5. Pakistan

If you think Pakistan is a surprising recommendation, coming in as the fifth best country in the world to visit, you’re not alone.

De Pecol faced many fearful faces when she told friends and family about her plans to visit the country, of which half is currently on the Australian Government’s ‘do not travel’ list.

“People were scared for me when I told them I was going, although I personally looked at the opportunity as both a privilege and unique adventure,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Having been to places such as Afghanistan, Somalia and North Korea, alone for example, I had zero worries about entering Pakistan and just knew it would exceed my expectations in the best way possible.”

“What we hear in the media can be so degrading and devastating, but this shouldn’t deter us from experiencing that country first hand.”

De Pecol, who had to wait four months to gain approval to visit the nation, recommends travelling to Pakistan “to get a true sense of raw, authentic Asian culture, and for the food”.

Read the full list of De Pecol’s travel picks at The Telegraph

Related Stories

Recommended

Top Comments

Zarzan 7 years ago

Awesome recommendations. I travelled through Pakistan and found it to be one of the most exciting places, I visited. People were kind, generous, friendly. It was not the same country, the media wrongly depicts.


blestpickle 7 years ago

There's no "best". It's entirely a matter of what interests you, Some prefer trekking the wilderness, some prefer art galleries and museums.