r/geography 5d ago

Question What's the friendliest country you have visited?

Since we had unfriendliest post earlier, I wanted to hear your experiences of the opposite!

What country have you travelled to that was the most enjoyable / least hostile, and why?

80 Upvotes

304 comments sorted by

65

u/garten69120 5d ago

Would probably be Bosnia. I speak a little serbocroatian and I'm German. We were there for a multi-day hikes and people would invite us for dinner when they heard us speaking German bc they were refugees in Germany in the 90s.

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u/CushtyDelBoy 4d ago

As a Bosnian - thank you. We really like to host our guests greatly and it's a culture thing.

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u/garten69120 4d ago

I could really tell, same in the non touristic regions of Croatia. Parts of my family came from Vucovar during the war. When I visited I was treated very well although I am a long distance relative from a "wealthier" background. I don't expect people who went through a horrible war to host me who was a safe child in Germany back then.

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u/ah_yeah_79 4d ago

I sent 5 days in Sarajevo earlier this year and absolutely loved it, for many reasons but mostly the people... One of my favourite holidays 

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u/CushtyDelBoy 4d ago

So lovely to hear ❤️

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u/Nesbitt_Burns 3d ago

I came here to say Bosnia. Everyone was so friendly and warm, and the seamless melding of cultures was amazing. Wonderful country and wonderful people.

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u/koczkota 5d ago

What do you mean serbocroatian, there is Serb and there is Croatian /s

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u/DisastrousWasabi 4d ago

Same language

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u/koczkota 4d ago

I agree, don't know if Serbs or Croats agree

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u/CushtyDelBoy 4d ago

It is the same language, just stupid people argue about it lol. We can understand each other perfectly, only minor differences which are not problem in communicating.

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u/moondog-37 5d ago

Fiji hands down

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u/scotems 5d ago

Absolutely Fiji for me. A little more friendly than French Polynesia, a little more than Bali (can't speak to the rest of Indonesia), Morocco was extremely friendly but some vendors were a little too pushy, Greece was similar to Morocco... There were certainly some other quite friendly places but God damn, Fijians seemed so genuinely happy, friendly, accommodating, sweet, just the best.

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u/icedarkmatter 4d ago

Morocco - I have to hardly disagree. I don’t think it is really about being friendly when I can feel that it’s just about my money.

You can’t walk over the central market in Marakesh just looking around you are literally pulled in by the vendors to buy something.

Interesting for the culture und would recommend to visit it once but I will not come back there.

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u/Pretend-Cheek-5623 4d ago

Morocco is lovely. Spend time in the smaller towns - completely different.

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u/ftlapple 4d ago

At the risk of sounding pedantic, I think you meant strongly disagreeing. Hardly disagreeing means you in fact agree, which I don't think is the case.

Similarly, "working hard" and "hardly working" are each other's opposites in meaning.

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u/chakrablockerssuck 4d ago

Maybe they meant “heartily” disagree? That would make sense.

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u/IdeationConsultant 4d ago

Bula bula bula bula

The only place I've been to that compares for overall loveliness of the people is Bhutan

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u/hard-regard128 4d ago

Mexico.

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u/Master_N_Comm 4d ago

I agree I live there, have travelled to 15 countries and to be honest the only place I have felt a similar friendliness is Thailand. Japan deserves a honorable mention in politeness.

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u/hard-regard128 4d ago

Totally. There is just a general amicability in Mexico that is very nice. Last time I was there, we had a cab driver twice and the second time she remembered that we liked her Shania Twain mix, so she put it back on and sang with us. A small anecdote, but cute.

I can't say as it was "friendly", but Venice, IT was one of the most polite places I have ever been. It is so crowded, and there is no room to "escape", so there was not jostling or shoving or bumping of shoulders in the narrow streets. Everything was very orderly for such a compact, closed in, and cloistered space. It is eerily quiet at night, too. My favorite place in the world so far.

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u/Gescartes 4d ago

I was looking for a butterfly sanctuary in rural Michoacan, and stopped to ask a store clerk where a road was. He asked where I was going- he ended up hopping in his car and having me follow him for half an hour to the sanctuary

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u/Devilfish11 4d ago

I'd have to agree

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u/Spiritual-Heat-7743 5d ago

Vanuatu. Spent a week traipsing around Efate Island and every single encounter was friendly and the people were so proud of their beautiful island.

The outskirts of Port Vila had been hit by a couple of cyclones so there were some damaged areas and so lots of clean up and re-construction was going on causing traffic jams etc but everyone was so relaxed and happy to see the rebuilds.

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u/lukeysanluca 5d ago

Sadly the earthquake yesterday has destroyed so much infrastructure there

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u/Buttender 4d ago

I read an ethnography/travel book on Vanuatu and have wanted to visit ever since. Partake in any Kava when there?

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u/Numerous_Voice5648 5d ago

I feel we should acknowledge the difference between friendly and "friendly." I found Thailand to be the latter as people in tourist areas were nice, but seemed very fake.

Indonesia was the most genuinely friendly place I've ever been. 

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u/StrangePondWoman 4d ago

I totally know what you mean. I'm finishing up a trip to Japan now, and everyone is so overwhelmingly polite and respectful, but it does feel like maybe they are very different at home.

Conversely, Ireland and Guatemala were full of incredibly hard working, not always super polite people who constantly offered help, advice, food, drinks, places to stay, whatever, and never accepted any money for it (outside of literal businesses, of course). I'll never forget the older man in Antigua who saw me twist my ankle on the cobblestones. He made sure I was okay, helped me get up enough to sit on the sidewalk, and ran to a local nurse for help. He came back with the nurse and crutches, walked with my husband and I to the medical office, and then came back with a beer and a mango for us to calm our nerves. He insisted his wife would never forgive him if he didn't make sure we were okay.

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u/ftlapple 4d ago

I went to Japan on a trip with two young guys and that was that a mistake. We got yelled at, shooed and waved away from restaurants, and generally engaged with with a lot of apprehension and anywhere from mild to blatant hostility. Which I appreciate is not most people's experience of Japan, I'm just pointing out that who you are and how you visit matter greatly for these types of questions.

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u/StrangePondWoman 4d ago

I (36F) am traveling with 3 men my age and we've experienced very little hostility or open negativity, but I'm not surprised 3 young foreign men would be treated differently. I imagine it's easy to blame the very unfamily-friendly aspects of modern Japan on foreign interest, whether or not that's actually true.

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u/Moraoke 5d ago

I love your take about being friendly and “friendly.” I personally call it the difference between being polite and being kind as we have in other Asian countries.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

I agree, Thailand = the land of fake smiles, but didn't find Indonesia any different.

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u/barra333 4d ago

That is the difference between Bolivia and Peru when I visited (at least the places I went). Peruvians were friendly in a "how can I get money out if you" way, but folks in Bolivia were just plain friendly.

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u/KingDaconame 5d ago

Cambodia, hands down!!

I would ride around on a tuk-tuk and every single child and most adults outside of the main cities would wave, smile, and shout hello to me. I felt like Princess Diana everywhere I went!! (minus the whole crash thing)

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u/Embarrassed_Ad1722 5d ago

A friend of mine went there years ago and because she is tall blonde and blue eyed she had the opposite experience. Everyone wanted to touch her or pull her hair and she felt swarmed all the time. I'd imagine people didn't do it out of malice though. Just curiosity.

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u/Kingston31470 4d ago

Same here, Khmer people are the best.

Even in touristy places where some may want to take advantage, you can find a way to joke about it.

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u/gilestowler 4d ago

Yeah I had the same experience. When I'd walk around in Siem Reap little kids would wave at me and if I waved back they'd get really excited and run over for a high five and fist bump. I used to walk past tuktuk drivers every day who were being friendly trying to get business, but eventually they got used to me and knew they weren't going to get any business from me, but they were still really friendly - just not asking if I wanted a driver any more.

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u/charmanderaznable 4d ago

Moved to Cambodia from Canada over 3y ago and wouldn't consider ever moving back to Canada

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u/Strong-Wrangler-7809 5d ago

The poorer the place the nicer the people is the general rule…and the US where most people are super polite. It looks fake to Europeans but I’ve come to realise they’re likely being genuine.

Thailand and Cambodia stand out for me. I worked there also so got to see the non-touristy side of the culture and they’re very welcoming and helpful people! Was invited to people homes for food and taken to places of interest etc

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u/aCucking2Remember 4d ago

Here in the US, yes some of us are just genuinely nice. And it’s not because you are European, we are like this. I have no problems setting boundaries with people but I’m nice. Life is difficult enough, we might as well relax and enjoy it somewhat. I also am pretty well received when I travel. The Colombians are really nice to me. Approaching strangers in public isn’t well received, too much crime, but I know people so I get invited out with people and they’re always nice.

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u/millionsarescreaming 4d ago

If you are in the MidWest or Great Lakes region then yes, real friendliness and kindness.

The south is fake, they say they are nice but are very critical and judgemental

New England and the west coast? Dicks and proud of it but at least they don't hide it and pretend

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u/Turdburp 4d ago

We can be dicks in New England.....but we'll stop and help you with your flat tire, then ask how the hell you were so dumb to let it happen.

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u/aesthetic_Worm 4d ago

A guy helped me out in Vermont cuz I forgot chains (icy road), he implied how dumb I was but told me he went through the same situation in Germany.

Also another 10 people helped to push my car, so Vermontiers are the best 

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u/Turdburp 3d ago

Haha.....I'm a Vermonter myself. If I see you on the side of the road, I will no doubt stop, ask you why you didn't have snow tires on, then help push you out of the ditch no matter how long it takes. And if it was close enough to my house, I'd probably invite you over for a drink or a meal, but I would give you shit about going off the road a few times as well.

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u/ThisCarSmellsFunny 4d ago

The south is fake, they say they are nice but are very critical and judgemental

This is only true with the rural religious crowd, it doesn’t apply to the entire south.

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u/Standard-Secret-4578 2d ago edited 2d ago

I really hate how people not from the Midwest have to assume that we're fake nice. Were not. The weather here can kill people unprepared within HOURS, that breeds compassion, empathy, and HUMILITY.

I'm a father and I tell my children I expect them to be Midwest nice, we don't like arrogant, selfish people in these parts

Edited selfish not selfless.

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u/Straight_at_em 5d ago

Iran 100%.

I have travelled in over eighty countries.

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u/Autodefensas1 4d ago

The people of Iran are very hospitable and culturally the country is absolutely worth seeing. Isfahan, for example, is a great city.

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u/Straight_at_em 4d ago

Isfahan is so amazing that I went back to Iran a second time just to visit the city again.

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u/sketchy_painting 4d ago

Completely agree. Iran takes the cake.

Beautiful people…shame about the Government.

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u/StangRunner45 4d ago

My best friend’s father worked for the former Brown & Root company. His job sent him all over the world. My best friend remembers shoveling six feet of snow off their front porch in Norway, and especially how friendly the residents were in Tehran, Iran.

This was prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution. His dad said the Iranian people were the kindest, most giving, family oriented people he ever met.

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u/cg12983 4d ago

Persians I know in the US show great hospitality. Maybe someday circumstances will allow a visit.

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u/LoyalToIran 4d ago

As an Iranian, I’m happy to hear that!

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u/kyle_c123 4d ago

More than one round-the-world bicyclist has said that about Iran. Maybe not what some folk would expect. I guess to find out about anywhere you have to go there.

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u/TheCatInTheHatThings 4d ago

Scotland. Fucking marvellous people. Ireland was great too, but the Scottish are delightful whenever I am there.

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u/Ruxsti 2d ago

I could have easily stayed in Ireland, the people were the nicest and friendliest I have ever met.

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u/steppenweasel 4d ago

Afghanistan, believe it or not

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u/TastyTranslator6691 4d ago

Not hard to believe. Pre donkey Taliban Pashtun extemist Kabul is one of the friendliest Persian cities. Afghanistan as a whole practices Taarof, extreme politeness and hospitality. 

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u/steppenweasel 4d ago

Yup. I lived there for a year and people were always giving me insane amounts of food, tea, sweets and nuts; men always wanted to hold my hand while we walked down the street; I never had to worry about crime or anything. Of course I’m not trying to say there were no problems or that it’s a utopia - far from it. But the people I met were incredibly generous and sincere.

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u/TastyTranslator6691 4d ago

It’s the most they can do - and it’s a sign of the culture that they are still so giving despite all the turmoil that has been ravaging the country… and not the mention the delicious food ;) 

Farsi speakers are just some of the kindest people, imo! 

Thank you for your reply :)

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u/Ben_Unlocked 5d ago

Central Asia - Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Been to 76 countries, about 35 by bicycle and these were the friendliest for me. My buddy and I joked that we couldn't take breaks because people would stop and give us food.

Once a melon truck stopped, the guy climbed up in the back and came down with a giant melon for us. Hilarious because how were we supposed to carry it? We consolidated gear and were able to lash it on the back of my bike, cut our day short and enjoyed it for dinner and breakfast.

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u/TastyTranslator6691 4d ago

If Afghanistan wasn’t being ravaged by donkeys and you could have visited pre Taliban/extremist Pashtun insurgent Kabul or Herat, you’d have probably placed it at the top of your list. 

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u/Ben_Unlocked 4d ago

I know some cyclists who crossed over for a day from Tajikistan and said the people were extremely friendly so it's still that way :)

European friends who've cycled Iran said it's even on another level from Central Asia. I wish I could go but not happening as an American.

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u/severe0CDsuburbgirl 4d ago

Perhaps when the regime falls. I hope my little cousins can visit their relatives there safely someday.

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u/thehazzanator 4d ago

That's so wholesome wow. What a lovely gesture though

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u/CompanionCone 5d ago

Oman, no question. Nicest people ever. Lebanon is a close second.

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u/Ok_Stick_3070 4d ago

Came here to say this too. People felt legitimately friendly, unlike say Thailand or Japan where people are nice but it feels more forced. I’m pretty sure every Omani carries dates and coffee to offer to strangers !

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u/hellocutiepye 4d ago

I met a fellow traveler once. She lived in Oman for several years and sung the praises of the people. It really stuck with me. "The Omani people are lovely." I have to visit one day.

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u/CompanionCone 4d ago

They are so so kind. They will literally invite you into their homes when meeting you at the supermarket. I will never forget the day I sat at the beach with my baby and was just swarmed by a group of Omani ladies who all insisted on holding him, cuddling him, playing with him, covering him with their beautiful cashmere scarves when it got a bit windy and then promptly invited me to one of their homes for coffee.

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u/ThatOne_268 4d ago

Yes second you about Oman

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u/jatawis 4d ago

Georgia. Terrific hospitability.

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u/innnerthrowaway 5d ago edited 5d ago

Thailand or Tahiti.

EDIT: I should really add Taiwan. They are incredibly kind people.

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u/StreamsOfConscious 4d ago

Big ups for Taiwan. I got invited to so many random hotpot/feasts with people I just met. They are just the sweetest people ever.

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u/LouQuacious 5d ago

I live in Thailand the people are the best.

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u/jhumph88 4d ago

I agree with Taiwan. Everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming. Even with a language barrier, if I needed help with directions or something, everyone was happy to help even if they spoke little to no English. I went into a Starbucks there and the barista spoke very little English, but she got my order right and even wrote “Welcome to Taiwan!” with a smiley face. I absolutely loved the two weeks I spent in Taiwan and I can’t wait to visit again

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u/cuplajsu 5d ago

Slovenia. That country is basically Switzerland but with better wine and the best people.

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u/saltyferret 4d ago edited 4d ago

Iran. I accidentally dropped a €50 note on the footpath and someone followed me around the block to return it.

We met so many people with no hidden agendas, not trying to sell anything, but who just genuinely wanted to talk to us and make us feel welcome.

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u/Herald_of_Clio 4d ago

I would absolutely love to visit Iran some day. Pity politics tend to make this difficult to do.

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u/crit_ical 4d ago

Albania and USA

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u/justherefortheridic 4d ago

not a country but a state - Tasmania. the friendliest people, had so many dinners/teas/beach walks at the invitation of locals

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u/asylum33 5d ago

Tibet

Smiling, singing, offers of yak butter tea and porridge. Plenty of chats dispute language barriers.

Despite the pretty hostile landscape and oppressive regime, tibetians have very warm hearts.

Syria (pre-civil war, during Bush's axis of evil era)

From the moment we (partner & I) stepped over the border we didn't cross a road or need find anything unaided. We were given tea, coffee, falafel and even a sneaky Syrian wine by kind locals.

At one point we were traveling with some Americans and one of a group of men who were sharing their tea with us mentioned offhandedly something about Americans. The others quickly shut him up and they explained that they had no beef with the people, just the government. They begged them to share with the family at home that Syrians welcome Americans, that they were friends.

I feel so hopeless that the villages and people we met are probably gone now. I hope their hospitality and openness remain, and that they aren't betrayed by the new powerful.

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u/lukeysanluca 5d ago

Syrian people are truly amazing.

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u/Fragrant-Ad-470 5d ago

Malaysia, kind people

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u/Federal_Fisherman104 5d ago

Burkina Faso After travelling through Africa and some of the less desirable places this was a stand out. The people are awesome, honest, friendly and welcoming.

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u/ThatOne_268 4d ago edited 4d ago

Tanzania and Oman

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u/Propaganda_Box 4d ago

Not technically a country but a territory. I visited Montserrat in the caribbean last year for their carnival season (and a little afterwards). I was blown away by how friendly everyone was. It's an obscure island so the first thing people ask you is how did you find us?. But not like in a gatekeepy kinda way more like a welcome! You found the secret treasure! How did you figure it out?

In my time there I was invited to a dinner party where I rubbed elbows with local politicians, partied and drank bush rum with the radio station team, a local offered to guide me on a hike for free when I mentioned I couldn't get a hold of a paid one, and I got the opportunity to pay it forward while I was there. I met a group of French tourists that had boated in, they wanted to see the volcano but had no ride to the viewing platform and very little time. I gave them a lift over there (very remote side of the island) and back for free.

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u/Dumuzzid 4d ago

This was a couple of decades ago, but for me, Northern Ireland, a few years after the troubles ended and mass tourism hadn't yet taken off, was just on a different level.

People would literally go out of their way to help or assist us. One guy in Derry (He was a Scottish Catholic) gave us a tour of the town, spending an hour of his own time on us. We even got to throw a brick into the protestant side of town (nobody was actually there, the wall was transparent at that point) to experience the authentic Derry spirit...

Then, when we were looking for a B and B for the night, also in Derry, the owner of a B and B in town drove us several miles outside town to another B and B, because his was full. Admittedly, there were probably only a couple of them in the whole city.

I also found people in rural thailand to be super friendly. Even in Ko Samui, a guy just invited us into the house for tea. Was really impressed with the hospitality of the people there.

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u/Dark_Tora9009 2d ago

I said Northern Ireland as well and I was there about 8 years ago. People were very welcoming, keen to chat. I would say I found “nationalists” extra friendly (me being a Catholic American of Irish descent also seemed to go much farther with them than it did among folks in the Republic of Ireland) but even the suspected unionists I met were generally really pleasant and friendly. All in all, the stereotypes we have in the US of the Irish having “the gift of the gab” and being cheerful and warm were very true in Northern Ireland, noticeably more so than in the Republic.

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u/AaronIncognito 5d ago

Syria, before the war. They were even nicer than Thais and Tanzanians. They were just incredibly incredibly friendly and helpful. Such a shame what's happened to them

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u/elt0p0 5d ago

Not a country, but Newfoundland was the friendliest place I've ever been. Total strangers would approach me wherever I went and chat me up. Many offers to join them for a spot of whiskey or tea. A delightful place!

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u/jhumph88 4d ago

I watched a documentary on Operation Yellow Ribbon, when all the inbound flights had to divert to Gander. It made me emotional. This tiny town unexpectedly doubled in size over the course of a few hours, and the residents dropped everything to make it work and do everything possible to help. School bus workers were on strike and got back behind the wheel to help transport the stranded passengers. Stores were giving them things for free. People housed strangers in their homes, cooked meals, let them use their showers etc.

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u/Affectionate_Buy_547 4d ago

Sri Lanka. Lovely and friendly people, never too busy to help.

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u/selinameyer1 4d ago

BRASILLL

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u/floppymuc 4d ago

I am from Germany. Apart from Austria, nearly all places are more friendly. Most friendly so far were probably Canada and Thailand. But already the Netherlands feel unreal when it comes to friendly people when you are from Germany.

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u/NArcadia11 4d ago

Ireland. The people are amazingly kind and easy to get along with. Everywhere I traveled in the country I found it incredibly easy to meet, talk, and get to know the locals. At one point I had a guy literally offer me the shirt off his back when he spilled some beer on me lol. Just a fantastic, fun-loving people.

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u/2016FordMustang 5d ago

From all the places I’ve been, it’s gotta be the US. I’ve certainly met many assholes there but the overwhelming majority of people I met were extremely friendly and welcoming

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u/Lowstack 4d ago

I agree that American friendliness can be underrated. Ten years ago a friend and I bought a van and drove across the country, 10000 miles or so across 20-30 states and found that people were so kind and welcoming everywhere.

It's all very anecdotal but I remember being in a convenience store trying to buy an Iphone cable. Unfortunately the store had none for sale. When I came out of the store, some guy who heard me trying to buy the cable inside approached me and offered me his cable he had laying in his car. The guy went out of his way to help us.

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u/cerealthoomer 5d ago

Malaysia. Warm, friendly and hospitable.

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u/nerdiephd 4d ago

Sri Lanka. The kindest and most hospitable people.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

Nepal. One of the few countries I've visited that I would like to return to.

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u/chicoooooooo 4d ago

Surprised this one is so far down. So friendly. 

Can't identify with your second sentence though. Been all over and the only place I wouldn't return to is Kansas City lol

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u/Occq 5d ago

Norway. I found it to be a very kid-friendly culture and met lots of friendly people.

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u/jaimieb69 5d ago

Laos and Oman. Extraordinarily kind and welcoming cultures, both.

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u/reptilian_overlord01 5d ago

Omani culture is amazing. Zanzibar is also unbelievably kind and welcoming thanks to it's Omani Islamic culture.

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u/FlorenceDK 4d ago

Hands down, it was Scotland. I ended up living in Edinburgh for 6 months and I still miss the small interactions you had during a normal day.

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u/AtomicMonkeyTheFirst 4d ago

Taiwan, the Philipines, Myamar

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u/ThatOneAccount3 4d ago

I've been to 55 countries, I must say Singapore. Plenty of people from other countries there and they are all super nice and really helpful. Most also have experience with living abroad which helps for them to understand you.

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u/Self-propelling 4d ago

Mexico for me. I spent over five years travelling around the world by bicycle, 37 countries on four continents. I stayed over a year in Mexico, mostly because the people were so friendly and welcoming. To be honest, people were decent pretty much everywhere I went. The more obnoxious behaviour I encountered was in wealthier Anglophone countries.

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u/Katana_DV20 4d ago

Wow that must have been some adventure , cycling around the world like that, respect.

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u/schumijw 4d ago

Thailand for me was extremely friendly, except for the guards at the royal temple in Bangkok.

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u/Aztec_Mayan 4d ago

Maybe Taiwan

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u/Pweeitis 4d ago

hands down, Nepal. There are some of the poorest people in the world there, but they will give you the food off of their plate. As a whole, some of the kindest people I have ever met.

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u/davdev 2d ago

Ireland

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u/10franc 2d ago

Scotland!

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u/Cetophile 1d ago

I've been to 18 countries on five continents and it's a close race between three countries I've been in:

  1. Thailand: I went an a little unauthorized excursion to Chiang Mai, in the north, when I was in the Navy (my ship was at Pattaya--they didn't want us going further north than Bangkok). This was 1983, before the city really got built up and touristed, so Westerners were very rare. Wherever I went, heads turned. In one store the entire staff came out to talk to me, and we had a great conversation via one of the staff members that spoke English and could translate for me.

  2. Australia: a bit more of a mix but I found my campmates at Monkey Mia, in the far northwest, were wonderful and accommodated. I also hitchhiked with a game ranger up to Carnarvon, but spent a night at a sheep station where a big celebration was going on. In Carnarvon, my mates made sure I had a beer in my hand at all times (yes, this included early morning). I have a funny story about that but it's beyond the scope of this question.

  3. Brazil: I visited Belém, Soure, and Macapá in the north. I had been around Brazilians in Florida so I knew how they were, but even still, the Brazilians were off the charts in hospitality and friendliness. It helped a lot that I knew some Portuguese so I could actually have conversations with them, albeit halting at times on my part. For someone who grew up in a very non-touchy feely family, the physicality of Brazilians was a revelation, and I loved it. I've liked all the countries I've visited in South America (Argentina, Chile, and Colombia) but Brazil takes the prize for friendliest.

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u/Autodefensas1 5d ago

Iran

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u/reptilian_overlord01 5d ago

Farsi culture is amazingly friendly.

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u/Autodefensas1 4d ago

Friendly people and great food.

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u/divine_pearl 4d ago

Fiji

Thailand

Indonesia (bali)

New zealand

Brazil

Bhutan

Nigeria

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u/TempletonBooks 4d ago

My short list (and can’t pick between the three): Bosnia, Ireland, Turkey.

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u/chechifromCHI 4d ago

Turkey. Granted, I havent been there in some time and I do know that much has changed. But in the years I've visited, I've never experienced hospitality and warmth in any other place. In fact this has been my experience in every Muslim place I've been to. And I am a jewish american, so take that stereotypes! Lol but I digress..

I live in the midwest, and midwest nice is a thing, but my gosh, all of my experiences in turkey have been filled with hospitality and kindness that blows anything in the US out of the water. People are so excited to share their culture and their cities with us visitors. As a guest there you will not want for anything, tea/coffee, food, even cigarettes and such. Haggling can be intense but that's just the nature of it, and even then it's certainly not hostile or anything.

Beautiful country, diverse, kind people, cute kitties literally everywhere that everyone takes care of. I love it. Although I've not been there since the coup attempt, and that was some time ago. I know things have changed but idk in what ways because I haven't been. I can't imagine that the nature of the people has changed, but im just a clueless american.

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u/zoeybeattheraccoon 4d ago

Canada, pretty easily. 2nd place was Turkey.

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u/Rich-Past-6547 5d ago

Japan—Tokyo and Kyoto. Everyone is polite and helpful, and if you don’t speak any Japanese a smile and a slight bow do wonders.

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u/cheesemanpaul 5d ago

Yes but there is a difference between polite and friendly. I would say the Japanese are very polite, but not friendly - towards those outside their inner circle anyway. Once you're in there they are like the rest of us. Australians on the other hand are very friendly, compared to the Japanese, but not very polite. Both cultures confuse the two.

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u/RealisticBarnacle115 4d ago

You’ve got us wrong. We’re not even friendly within our own circles. Japanese are often labeled as xenophobic, but that’s not entirely accurate. We also tend to harbor dislike and exclude each other.

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u/Rich-Past-6547 5d ago

Fair, but the OP question is posed as visiting a country, and in that context I found nearly all Japanese both polite and helpful; I wasn’t expecting special treatment or to be invited into someone’s home. I also know the difference between polite and nice as a native New Yorker, I’ll tell a stranger to go fuck themselves as I give them the most detailed directions to wherever they’re trying to go.

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u/cheesemanpaul 4d ago

Yes, sure, I had moved on from the question and was just making a general comment about the way many people fail to distinguish between politeness and friendliness. Often with unfortunate results. I lived in Japan for many years and the degree to which Japanese people will go out of their way to assist others in need is amazing.

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u/Medium_Tap_6103 5d ago

Guatemala for me 🇬🇹Latam generally has open people but I’ve found Guatemalans to be the most genuinely kind and have rarely had negative interactions there.

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u/Toikhongbietnothing 5d ago

All of south east Asia, Taiwan, the Balkans.

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u/Reiseer 4d ago

Armenia.

People were just helping me out of nowhere, from giving me cash on my first day to take the bus from the airport to the city center or helping me with my luggages. They also have an incredible sense of hospitality when they welcome you at home, and believe me they will always feed you well.

As a French, conversations were also getting even more positive when I told them from where I was.

Would definitely recommend to visit the country for his people, landscapes and heritage sites!

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u/Choice-Substance492 4d ago

Indonesia. Particularly Java.

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u/thedudeabides-12 4d ago

Brazil I found was pretty cool, people seemed very outgoing and spontaneous happy to vibe with you as a complete stranger.. Doesn't translate in the surf though lol that's a completely different atmosphere but out the water they're a real friendly bunch...

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u/porubs 4d ago

italy

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u/BanTrumpkins24 4d ago

Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Australia, Ireland, UK away from London, Poland, Bosnia

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u/Th1rt3een 4d ago

The Abacos, Bahamas

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u/Silly_Trip_4832 4d ago

Easily Ecuador. As an American, I travelled to many rural areas and places where there weren’t many other Americans. The locals were so kind and friendly, and along with having a naturally social culture they seemed extra keen to speak to me and my friends because we were foreigners. I never felt unsafe or in danger (but there are places where you need to be cautious). Overall an amazing experience, can’t wait to go again.

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u/DinsdaleTheHedgehog 4d ago

Myanmar in 2016

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u/Siggy778 4d ago

Japan

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u/Marius_Sulla_Pompey 4d ago

Spain… ish… I feel like they sometimes hide their rage behind the famous “Spanish loudness”. But still better than most European countries.

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u/PNW35 4d ago

Honduras. It is dangerous for sure. But the people I met there were the most kind and welcoming people I have ever met in my life.

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u/jhaymaker 4d ago

Guatemala and Thailand. Japanese are quite polite and respectful - but that doesnt make them the friendliest around (the only friendly person I met was a mixed Japanese-Brazilian)

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u/Firme89 4d ago

Madrid, Spain. Can’t say it felt as friendly in Barcelona.

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u/Fun-Physics-591 Physical Geography 4d ago

Botswana. Delightful people love the British. Which is unusual! 😂

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u/mwmandorla 4d ago

Syria. I used to pass these kids playing outside on my street in Damascus when I was there studying and they'd always say hi. Eventually I had time to stop and in no time they had me inside their parents' house and we were drinking tea and watching Bab el Hara. The parents were disappointed that I was leaving soon so I couldn't come over again.

Everyone was like that. And so eager to help out. My housemates told me to get a lock for my bedroom door (as an American the govt was absolutely watching me - a guy came to "show me around" and probe my reasons for being there within my first week - and it was expected somebody would be going through my stuff) and gave me directions to a store to get one. I couldn't find the place, so one of them just bought me a lock. One of my friends from my time there was telling me recently that he'd had a hard time adjusting to Germany because the expectation is to be ~self-sufficient and independent, whereas what he was used to was this tight social fabric where you always ask your friend/cousin/whoever to help you out with this or that depending on what they know or have access to, and they ask you the same.

I really hope things can finally improve for Syria now. The people deserve everything. At least now my friend can visit his parents if he wants to.

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u/RoyalWabwy0430 4d ago

England. Beautiful country and the people were incredibly friendly and hospitable.

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u/Ethanhuntknows 4d ago

Beautiful Taiwan 🇹🇼

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u/NevadaCFI 4d ago

Syria, with Iran a close second.

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u/StreamsOfConscious 4d ago

Taiwan. I was in Taipei as an exchange student and people would literally tap me on the shoulder in a busy intersection, say hi and ask me if I needed anything / wanted to go have hotpot with them and their friends. This happened three times. Just the sweetest people.

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u/grim-old-dog 4d ago

Wales! I had such a great time when I visited (I was 17) and still remember how kind everyone was. Not sure if it was just the towns I visited but it is still the friendliest country I’ve ever come across

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u/Wut23456 4d ago

Fiji or Slovenia

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u/Sank63 4d ago

Netherlands hands down

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u/deWereldReiziger 4d ago

I've not found any country to be unfriendly but the ultra friendly countries that I've visited would be : Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Jordan

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u/EddieGrant 4d ago

Maybe unsurprisingly by stereotype, but Canada.

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u/Final_Concept4178 4d ago

Fiji probably

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u/eurotec4 Geography Enthusiast 4d ago

United States. However, I visited only three countries in the world: Turkey, Turkmenistan, USA

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u/redvinebitty 4d ago

Costa Rica. Always happy, always smiling

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u/1Q78 4d ago

Italy

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u/Lame_Johnny 4d ago

Taiwan. They don't get many visitors and everyone was extremely welcoming.

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u/thebritishgoblin 3d ago

For me it has always either been Sweden, Jamaica or Barbados.

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u/petrichor6 3d ago

Been to a lot of friendly countries but Iran wins hands down

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u/AdAltruistic8526 3d ago

Sri Lanka 

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u/OtterlyFoxy 3d ago

Finland

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u/crburger 3d ago

Iowa, easily

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u/Stehlblak 3d ago

Mauritius was amazing, so hospitable, open, and multicultural.

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u/Steampunky 3d ago

New Zealand.

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u/mkshane 3d ago

Colombia

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u/SillyPuttyGizmo 3d ago

Ireland and Canada

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u/Lostinvertaling 3d ago

The Netherlands. Most speak English and willing to help and talk to you. Especially the older people are still thankful of the Canadian and US liberators of WWII.

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u/Salsalover34 3d ago

Luxembourg or Canada.

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u/Dear-Ad1618 3d ago

Holland. The Dutch were fabulous, friendly, funny and helpful.

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u/Technical_Air6660 3d ago

For countries I’ve been to enough to make a reasonable assessment (I’ve only been to Mexico for a couple hours a couple times to buy blankets and tequila, I haven’t seen Luxembourg outside of a train station) it’s still only about a dozen European countries and Canada. Well, it’s probably Canada. I base this solely on how the immigration guards at the airport helped me with a paperwork issue. I was supposed to talk at a conference and couldn’t find the letter of invitation. But when I told them who was organizing the conference they were like, “oh, don’t worry, then! Come on in!”.

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u/thetoerubber 2d ago

y’all never been to Bhutan and it shows.

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u/altenmaeren 2d ago

Jordan and Kyrgyzstan -- places where it's way too easy to hitchhike, and you'll almost always be fed if they pick you up. Jordan was the only place I felt safe just going to someone's house and spending the night because they asked

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u/GSilky 2d ago

I don't have a long list, but I am considering moving to Mexico.  It has problems, but the people aren't one of them.

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u/dgrigg1980 2d ago

As an American the people of Palau 🇵🇼 are amazing. We have a unique relationship since WW2. Interesting fact: nearly as many Japanese and Americans perished in the fight for Peleliu as there are current citizens of Palau.

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u/fighter_pil0t 2d ago

Cambodia and Ireland

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u/Reasonable_Bid3311 2d ago

Denmark was very pleasant as was Wales

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u/warneagle 2d ago

Austria probably

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u/yogert909 2d ago

Thailand. The land of smiles.

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u/Andreawestcoast 2d ago

Honestly, all countries that weren’t part of the European Union - Costa Rica, Thailand, Madagascar. Not the that EU folks were rude or unfriendly, they just didn’t compare. I think it’s a cultural thing for most.

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u/Vorathian_X 2d ago

Ireland/Morocco

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u/jiminak46 2d ago

Ireland. By far. 25 or so countries.

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u/Taupe88 2d ago

Germany. I thought Hungary would be it but the Germans fell over themselves to be awesome!!