Hello everyone, and welcome back to Vagabrothers-
your go-to channel for travel tips, vlogs, and inspiration
here on YouTube.
I'm Alex. I'm Marko
And today we're answering one of the most frequent questions we get:
what are the most underrated travel destinations
that you need to visit right now?
To answer that question,
we'll be sharing not only our own opinion,
but those of the most trusted travel professionals in the industry.
Last September we spoke at TravelCon in Austin,
and we got a chance to interview some of the world's top
writers, vloggers, and guidebook editors
and ask them what they thought of the next up and coming destinations.
If you enjoy this video, please give it a thumbs-up,
make sure you're subscribed.
And don't worry.
If you're wondering where you should travel next,
stay tuned.
These are the world's most underrated travel destinations.
First up: Oneika Raymond,
host of Big City Little Budget on the Travel Channel.
She recommends Bolivia.
I spent two and a half weeks traveling throughout the country.
I went to multiple cities,
and it is the most physically gorgeous country
that I have ever been to.
But a lot of people have barely ever heard of it.
So make sure you go to Bolivia,
and check out especially the salt flats
the Salar de Uyuni.
It'll blow your mind. So cool.
I haven't been to Bolivia yet, but I've seen images.
It looks like an incredible country.
We visited Ecuador and Peru,
both of which have sections of the Andes,
and a similar kind of cultural heritage,
but from what I've heard,
Bolivia is about to be one of the next big destinations,
and it's a place I'd really love to visit.
It's got the Death Road, which is crazy to bike down.
That's an adventure it can be in itself.
It's got the salt flats.
It's the last place where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid went to.
If you're into adventure, you wouldn't be the first,
but you're not going to be the last, either.
This is an up and coming destination,
and it's on our bucket list.
I think one of the most underrated destinations is probably Romania.
I think not enough people go there.
It's beautiful.
The people are cool. It's cheap.
There's a lot of history there, a lot of natural beauty.
People skip it, and you shouldn't.
Have you been to Romania?
I have not. Neither have I.
I'm a bit of a nature nerd.
I know that Romania is one of the greenest countries in Europe.
Over 50 percent of the country is still forested.
And it's one of the last places in Europe that still has brown bears.
I'd be down to get out there, do some backpacking.
I'd like to get into those..the mountains out there.
It looks beautiful.
Whether you're into hiking backpacking or travel backpacking,
it's good for you because Bucharest is one of the cheapest cities in Europe.
It's really affordable. If you want to go to Europe
and you're trying to stretch your dollar,
we've heard that is one of the best places to spend some time.
Russia is really different.
It's really surprising and I think there's a lot to offer
and a lot more to see that we don't typically see
in the media and in other forms of travel content.
I traveled to Russia ten years ago
on the Trans Siberian Railroad coming from
Beijing going through Siberia
stopping in Irkutsk and getting up to Moscow and Saint Petersburg
Overall, I really loved Russia.
It is a country that here in the United States you hear a lot of negativity about
in the press.
But politics aside, I actually found a lot of similarities
between Russia and the United States,.
specifically in Siberia.
It had kind of like a frontier culture that reminded me
a lot of Wyoming and the Western United States.
It's beautiful.
The Trans Siberian is a unique experience,
and the cities of Moscow and St Petersburg are beautiful,
especially Saint Petersburg.
It's a gorgeous city and
would love to go back, maybe not in the winter,
but then again, maybe that's the best way to see it at its heart.
Our next destination, Namibia, was recommended twice:
once by Kiersten Rich of @TheBlondeAbroad
and also by Jason Cochran,
editor of Frommer's Guide Books.
I've been based in South Africa for the last two years.
I would say a lot of African destinations,
but specifically Namibia,
it's just naturally stunning.
There's so much to see and do.
It's inexpensive. It's just amazing.
It's a fascinating place. There's almost no one in it.
It's the least densely populated country in Africa.
Half of it is desert, if not more than half.
I just think more people ought to be going.
But on the other hand, maybe I don't want them to go
because that would spoil the magic of how empty the place is.
I love Namibia.
I visited Namibia back in 2011,
and I can definitely vouch.
Namibia is one of the most unique places I've ever been in my life.
It's one of the most sparsely populated places on earth,
after Siberia, but what it's lacking in humans,
it more than makes up for in incredible wildlife.
It's just a very nice place.
You don't see elephants walking through
the middle of the desert very often.
If you do get an opportunity to make it to Namibia,
I highly recommend that you take it.
Adding in one of our own recommendations:
Uzbekistan.
Just went there.
Just published a series from the country,
and overall was a fascinating place, especially
if you're into history, architecture, and food.
Definitely an unique destination,
unlike anywhere I've ever been before.
I don't know.........
I think you visit Uzbekistan,
you're never going to forget that trip.
It's kind of "frontier-ish" in certain aspects,
but when you see these big, beautiful buildings,
mausoleums, mosques, and minarets
and you try the food and the friendly people,
it's just a place that will really imprint itself on you.
And it will be good for your Instagram, too.
Head out there.
And click this card
to see the full series on our YouTube channel.
Next up: travel vloggers Kara and Nate recommend Turkey.
I think that Turkey is super underrated and
not just Istanbul.
The entire country is so fascinating.
The people are amazing.
The food is so yummy.
The nature is so cool.
There's tons of history.
I love Turkey.
We visited Istanbul.
I know that Turkey is much more than that,
but it is a very fascinating city.
It's one of the coolest places I've ever visited.
There's something very unique about how cultures
have blended together there.
The Bosphorus
You're in Europe looking at Asia of vice/versus
and there's just layer upon layer of the history there.
The blend of cultures there is super cool .
One of the things I loved most about it was
walking down the street and having the feeling like.... wow...
this is like New York with the blend of cultures from all around the world,
but on the other side of the world and with a totally different blend of cultures.
And there's a lot of cool connections in this part of the world
that as a traveller you might find fascinating.
And the food, by the way, is delish,
and Turkish message in Hamam?
Ah feel good. I like it.
Next up; we have Dave and Deb from The Planet D.
Dave recommends a destination that we visited last year:
Sri Lanka.
A lot of people go to the beaches of India,
and all that kind of stuff,
but don't really give Sri Lank the time of day.
But it's really incredible.
The people are amazing.
Great beaches, great surfing, great food, great culture.
It is an amazing destination.
I would have to second Dave there.
I think Sri Lanka is definitely one of the coolest
places that we've visited in quite a while.
I had a spectacular time there.
I came home with a beautiful puppy
who's the coolest animal that I've ever met,
and... the landscape, the culture, the food,
the people..super friendly.
I loved it.
It's a totally underrated destination because
it gets kind of overlooked.
With a country like India right next to it,
which is a huge tourist draw,
some people might not think of Sri Lanka.
But it does have a lot of what India has without
a lot of things that drive away a lot of tourist from India.
It's cleaner.
There are way fewer people.
There's less people in the whole country of Sri Lanka
than I think some of the biggest cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
So it's way more chill and until now
has really only been a destination that was frequented by surfers
for the most part.
They go looking for waves all around the world
and a lot of surfers have found
paradise there in Sri Lanka.
Now more tourist are catching on.
For me I think the most underrated destination
is Nova Scotia, Canada.
A lot of people don't think of Nova Scotia.
They think of Ireland; they think of Scotland
when they want that culture.
But you get a great same East Coast vibe
on Nova Scotia with beautiful scenery,
great cliffs and a lot of wildlife
and fantastic fun people to party with.
You and I over the past few years have visited quite a lot of Canada,
but one region that has eluded us is
this north eastern corner of the Atlantic
provinces of Canada, and Nova Scotia in particular
is one that I'm really interested in visiting.
I've heard great things.
We have some friends who've told us that they've lived in Halifax,
and they really recommend it as a great town.
There's tons of wildlife,
and there's great culture in the rural areas.
Overall, I think we've touched every province
that borders on the United States,
with the exception of the eastern provinces.
We've got to get out there.
Thank you Deb for the recommendation.
Hopefully, we'll see you out there soon.
Eric Prince of Minority Nomads recommends Malaysia.
It's quite popular among backpackers,
but I don't see a lot of non- backpackers going there.
Every time I go, I have an amazing time.
Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Cameron Highland,
the people, the food, the culture, the weather...
amazing destination.
I went to Malaysia right after college.
I backpacked through Southeast Asia,
and one of the things that drew me to that country was
the Jungle Railroad.
It is a slow moving, scenic train that goes through the
jungles in the heart of the peninsula, the Malaysian Peninsula.
It was beautiful.
I went to the Cameron Highlands.
I went to Taman Negara National Park.
I went also to the Perhentian Islands, which are just north
in the ocean right there. Very mellow,
very un-touristed, at least then.
One place I didn't get to go was Georgetown,
formerly known as Penang.
If you have Penang curry, you get a flavor/sample
of the entire country.
It's a great place that blends together all sorts of different influences
from Malaysian, Indian, English, Chinese
all in one place, and it is delicious.
Adventure travel blogger, Matt Kartsen, aka
@expertvagabond recommends Greenland.
One of my favorite countries/islands....
You'd think it's covered in ice, but around the coast
there's lots of actual green and lots of adventure activities.
It's got a really cool and interesting culture.
It's not high on a lot of people's list,
but I think it should be.
Matt's wife, blogger @annaeverywhere recommends Iran.
It's not a destination very popular for Americans
since you have to go on an organized tour.
I went there last year, and I was really amazed
because Iran literally has everything.
There is a desert; there's beautiful architecture,
great food; people are extremely nice.
There're many different islands.
I spent there about three weeks,
and I still maybe only saw a tiny fraction of the country.
I would definitely go back.
And the most underrated destination for me
I'm going to say Prague.
I've spent a few times there,
and I've spent it in a friend's apartment in a cute little neighborhood
with the most delicious food all around.
In the summer months, it can be a little overcrowded,
but if you hit it in the off season,
it is the perfect destination.
I agree with Cailin.
I think it's an awesome city.
I wouldn't go as far as to say it's underrated
because it's got quite a lot of people who visit.
And people even use the word,
"Oh this is the the new Prague"
because it's like the new Berlin.
These places are super popular.
But I do agree that they're popular for a reason.
It's an excellent place with wonderful architecture,
fun vibe, and beer that's cheaper than water.
I would agree with you.
I think that Prague is a very beautiful city.
But if I had to choose favorites,
I think I would pick Budapest.
Totally. Budapest is awesome.
Let's make that official. Number 13, Budapest.
Hot springs, great nightlife,
beautiful architecture, beautiful people,
really good food, not that expensive.
I also loved it. It's straight out of Wes Anderson
Grand Budapest Hotel. Come on.
It's got a beautiful color palette.
They have 120 hot springs in the center of the city.
I personally don't feel like I'm on vacation
until I've dipped my toes in a hot spring.
If you're going to visit Budapest,
have fun, experience the night life,
but you can skip out on the "sparty."
Really gross. We did that, and we can testify.
There was a lot of weird stuff floating around in that pool that you don't want to know what it is.
Mostly bodily fluids.
Uck..... moving along.
I think one of the most underrated is probably Oman.
Here's a really friendly country,
predominantly Muslim,
but with incredible beaches, incredible laws that favor women.
We're safe there, and it's a great place to visit.
Totally echo what Spud said.
Oman is a great country.
We were there in 2013, and
just really loved the balance of a country that is able to preserve
its traditions while also being open to foreigners.
That's very rare, especially in the Middle East.
It's a friendly, stable country,
and locals are genuinely interested in foreigners
and want to show off the beauty of their culture.
I think Oman really breaks all the stereotypes
that you have of the Middle East and of the Arabian Peninsula .
Yes, there is the desert.
Oman has part of the Empty Quarter,
one of the largest stretches of desert in the Middle East.
But it's also home to huge, green mountains,
"wadis" that are full of water,
and there're beaches with surf.
Oman actually catches the tail end of the monsoon.
It's a place that will break all of the stereotypes
that you may have or that the media
perpetuates about the Middle East.
It's a place that we highly recommend that you go visit.
Speaking of the Middle East,
Elena Nikolova aka @muslimtravelgirl
recommends neighboring Qatar.
I just recently moved to Qatar,
and I can testify that it's one of the best countries for solo female travel,
for family travels, for adventure travels.
It's so much smaller, so much more intimate.
You can meet friendly locals.
You can have great local food.
And you can just get a real sense of what it is to be
in a Muslim, Arabian country and have so much fun.
Moving things back to South America,
Ernest White II, @ flybrother recommends Sao Paolo, Brasil.
It's a phenomenal city of 20 million Brazilians.
It's exhilarating; it's exciting.
Obviously, you have to like cities. It is the Ur city.
I love Sao Paolo, and I think more people should spend time there.
Frommer's Guide Book, editor in chief, Jason Cochran
recommends another side of a popular country:
Western Australia.
I don't think enough people venture west of Melbourne
or Adelaide when they go. And Perth.
Although Perth feels a little bit like San Diego or Miami,
the countryside southwest has giants trees and the Karri Forest
and the surf waves they have in the southern and western coasts.
It's kind of a great area. It's almost a New Zealand-like area
that I wish more people would visit because it's pretty cool.
It just takes so long to reach to, even from Sydney
that a lot of people don't even bother.
Our friends had some nice things to say about our home country:
the USA.
The most underrated for me is the United States.
We have so much to see and do here in the United States.
I'd say the midwest. I love traveling in the midwest.
Some of my best trips have been in Iowa.
Which of the fifty, nifty United States is your favorite?
It's hard to pick favorites,
especially amongst the fifty states.
Obviously kind of a toss up between
Hawaii, Alaska, and California,
but lately I've been really digging the Four Corners area
of where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico,
and Arizona all come together.
The Southwest is an incredibly beautiful place
and visiting in the fall, the winter, the spring,
you kind of avoid that desert heat and you can explore
all of the national parks that are out there.
I also am really interested in the south, in Louisiana, specifically.
I really love New Orleans.
I think it's one of the coolest cities in the world.
I also really want to explore more of Nashville
and places like down there in the south.
I really don't know too much about the area.
I really want to explore more of that.
It's a side of my own country I really haven't seen too much of.
Last but not least, travel writer Thomas Swick
recommends Poland.
I lived in Poland for two and a half years.
I obviously have a soft spot for the country.
People go to Krakow sometimes, but they forget
Warsaw, the Banks,
some really beautiful places in Poland.
The mountains in the south are spectacular.
So I would say Poland is underrated.
We haven't visited Poland yet,
but we're actually planning on visiting this summer.
I'm excited to check it out.
I've heard a lot of good things.
How about you?
I've heard Warsaw has a great craft beer scene.
Looking forward to getting into that.
We're going to go to Krakow as well.
If you guys have any tips on those cities,
or if you have any tips for any place that we've mentioned,
or any place that we haven't mentioned,
go ahead and add those down below in the comment section.
And if you haven't already,
give this video a big thumbs-up,
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Big thanks to all the travelers who shared their opinions.
Make sure you go check them out as well.
They're all linked down there in the description box.
And as always, remember: stay curious,
keep exploring, and we will see you on the road.
Peace.