
Every traveler knows that when they return home there’s a specific set of questions they’re asked from nearly everyone they see:
What was your favorite city? What was your favorite food? What is the craziest thing you did? What was the most powerful thing you saw?
We already tallied all our travel stats (the number of beds we slept in and number of sunglasses broken)… but choosing favorites is a different beast. It’s hard to pick just one food or town or experience that was “the best”. So we decided not to choose just one. Problem solved!
This list is where we’ve put together some of the most memorable places, meals and experiences that made our last year so special. If we had Oscars to give away, this would be it. Sadly we don’t have any little golden men, but we hope you still enjoy reading through our list of favorites!
Related: Eco-friendly travel gear you can take anywhere in the world
How this list works: We started by trying to find the “Top 5” in each category, but sometimes we’d think of more… And “Top 10” would have been way too overwhelming. So you’ll find this list to be somewhere in the middle – Goldilocks style.
Just coming up with our favorites was hard enough, so we haven’t put them in any particular order. And lastly, these are just our favorites from this trip. We have so many favorite experiences from our past travels in Europe, our 3-month trip in South America and time we lived and taught English in South Korea. We didn’t include any of those favorites on this list because we wanted to keep it limited to experiences we had just this year.
Favorite Big Cities
Big cities sometimes overwhelm us and seem to blend together, but these metropolises really surprised us!

Istanbul, Turkey
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Chaing Mai, Thailand
Budapest, Hungary
Luang Prabang, Laos
Udaipur, India
Kraków, Poland
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Hoi An, Vietnam
Favorite Small Towns
There’s nothing better than the small town feel. We couldn’t get enough of these cute little towns!

Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
Bovec, Slovenia
Sibiu, Romania
Zakopane, Poland
Best Street Food
We would take food trucks and plastic chairs over white tablecloths and salad forks any day!

Soup at Lunch Lady street stand, Saigon, Vietnam (daily menu changes)
Khao Soi stand, Chaing Mai, Thailand (directions to this stand here)
Bahn mi sandwich at Bahn Mi Phuong, Hoi An, Vietnam
Fish sandwich, Istanbul (we explain how to find this tasty sandwich in our Istanbul article)
Favorite Local Dishes
Why is it that the most traditional and delicious dish in every county is the also the highest in calories?!

Chimney cakes, Hungary
Pho, Vietnam
Bun cha, Vietnam
Cevapti (Balkans)
Kampot pepper crab in Kep, Cambodia
Khadai paneer, India
Börek, throughout the Balkans
Best Cooking Classes
We love to try to new foods and one of our favorite things to do while traveling is to take cooking classes. Here are some of our favorites from our year.

Cookistan, Istanbul, Turkey
Green Bamboo, Hoi An, Vietnam
Thai Secret Cooking School, Chaing Mai, Thailand
Shashi’s Cooking Class, Udaipur, India
Responsible Companies
Seeking out ethical organizations that are doing good in their communities is something we love to do while traveling. Here are just a few that are giving back to those in need.

Haven Café, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sheroes Hangout Café, Agra, India
White Elephant Adventures, Luang Prabang, Laos
Phare Circus, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Brown Bread Bakery, Varanasi, India
Mad Monkey Hostels, Cambodia
Best Hostels
Staying in hostels are the the best way to meet fun people and get local information about the cities you visit. Here are our top picks from this year.

Soca Rocks Hostel, Bovec, Slovenia
Vietnam Backpackers Hostel, Hanoi, Vietnam
Hostel Mostel, Sofia, Bulgaria
Majdas Hostel, Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina
Hedonist Hostel, Belgrade, Serbia
Mad Monkey Hostels in Koh Rong Samloem and Kampot, Cambodia
Most Unique Accommodation
We’ve laid our heads in a cave, a teepee and even next to sheep.

Tent Camping in Iceland
Fairy Chimney Cave, Kelebek Cave Hotel, Goreme, Turkey
Teepee at Shiva Camp in Farayla, Turkey
Tea houses (for $1) on EBC trek, Nepal
Freedom Island Halong Bay, Vietnam
Maya Bay Boat, Thailand
Counties with the friendliest people
There are wonderful people all over the world, but these are the places where the kindness just overflowed!

Off-the-beaten-path experiences
We love to find secret spots everywhere we go, and here a few of our favorites.

Boat through Trang An, Vietnam
Biking around Hsipaw to hidden hot springs and waterfalls, Myanmar
Watching millions of bats fly out of the caves in Battambang, Cambodia
Looking for Rhinos at Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Motorbiking through Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam and sleeping in a “stilt house” in the park
Biking through Romanian countryside near Sibiu, Romania
Hiking to a hidden/local hot spring near Vik, Iceland
Motorbiking through Bokor National Park near Kampot, Cambodia and exploring the ruins of an old villa
Adventurous Activities
Here are a few things we did this year that got our blood pumping!

Hot air balloon ride with Turkiye Balloons, Goreme, Turkey
Motorbiking Hoi Van pass, Vietnam
Whitewater kayaking on the Soca River, Bovec, Slovenia
Scuba diving, Koh Tao, Thailand – How to choose the best dive school in Koh Tao
Canyoneering in Dalat, Vietnam
Ziplining with Angkor Zipline, Angkor, Cambodia
Paragliding, Oludeniz, Turkey
Best Waterfalls
We saw so many waterfalls this year that it was hard to choose the best. But here are just a few of our favorite falls we chased.

Seljilandfoss, Þórsmerkurvegur, Iceland (pictured above)
Kuang si, Laung Prabang, Laos
Svartifoss (Black Waterfall), Skaftafell, Iceland
Plitvice National Park, Croatia
Mor Paeng, Pai, Thailand
Erawan Falls, Thailand
Kravice Falls, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Best Sunrises/Sunsets
The most beautiful times of day is when the sun is rising and falling. Here are some of our most magical moments this year.

Sunrises and sunsets at the Temples of Bagan, Myanmar
Sunrise in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey
Sunset at Selijalandfoss Falls, Iceland
Sunrise and sunset in Varanasi, India
Sunset in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegró
Sunsets on Koh Tao, Thailand
Best Hiking
There’s no better way to explore the great outdoors than lacing up a pair of hiking boots!

Everest Base Camp, Nepal
Zabljak, Montenegró
Sapa, Vietnam
Kalaw, Myanmar
Zakopane, Poland
Best Nightlife
Who wants to party?!

Koh Pha Ngan for Full Moon, Thailand
Budapest, Hungary
Koh Tao, Thailand
Koh Rong Samloem (for Full Moon), Cambodia
Best Scenery
Over the course of the year we’ve seen too many jaw-dropping landscapes to count, but here are some of the ones that stick out.

Soca River Valley, Slovenia
Sapa, Vietnam
Butterfly Valley, Turkey
Zabljak, Montenegro
All around Iceland. period.
Natural Wonders
Mother nature is one crazy lady.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon in Iceland
Caves in Phong Nha, Vietnam
Glacial waters of Gokyo Lakes in the Nepali Himalayas
Butterfly Valley, Turkey
Soca River Valley, Slovenia
Man Made Wonders
We’re still in awe of all the incredible places we saw that people created.

Angkor Temples in Cambodia
Taj Mahal in India
Rice Terraces in Sapa, Vietnam
Temple ruins in Ayutthaya, Thailand
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar
Best Hot Springs
It’s getting hot, hot, hot!

Tiered Hot Springs of Pamukkale, Turkey
2 different secret hot springs in Pai, Thailand (directions here)
Hidden hot spring pool near Vik, Iceland
Best Beaches
Give me sun, sand and the sound of waves and I’m happy. Hand me a mojito and I’m in paradise.

Phra Nong Beach, Railay, Thailand
Long Beach, Koh Rong, Cambodia
Kabak Beach, Faralya, Turkey
Sairee Beach, Koh Tao, Thailand
Best Full-Day Tours
We usually like to explore on our own, but there were a few times hired local guides or went on tours that blew us away!

Mostar culture tour through Majdas Hostel, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Halong Bay Party Cruise, Vietnam
Market Tour, Varanasi, India (through Stops Hostel)
Mr. Rot’s Secret Tour, Dalat, Vietnam (book at Villa Pink House)
Maya Bay Sleep Aboard, Thailand
Inle Lake boat tour, Myanmar
Favorite Free Walking Tours
We went on so many free walking tours this year it’s hard to count them all. Here are some of the ones that stand out as the best.

Street Art walking tour in London
Free Food Tour Sofia, Bulgaria
Free Walking Tour in Sofia, Bulgaria
Free Walking Tour in Belgrade, Serbia
Jewish Quarter Tour and Macabre Night Tour in Kraków, Poland
Free Walking Tour in Zagreb, Croatia
Best Cultural Experiences
The best way to understand a place is to immerse yourself in the culture. These are some of the most memorable ways we got to know the local customs. Flags are a symbolic way to show its culture. It’s fun to test how well you know Asian flags.

Holi Hai, Mathura, India (to see the best and worst, read the horror story here)
Mr. Rot’s Secret tour, Dalat, Vietnam
Inle Lake boat trip, Nyaung Shwe, Myanmar
Releasing Wish Lanterns at the Yi Peng Festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Border Ceremony between India and Pakistan, Amritsar, India
Attending a Punjab in Nepal
Buddhist Monks receiving offering Luang Prabang, Laos
Yoga class in Rishikesh, India
Visiting the Cremation Ghats in Varanasi, India
Amazing Religious Sites
From buddhist temples to hindu ruins to a build that was once a church and a mosque, we’ve seen some pretty amazing religious sites this year.

Hagia Sofia, Istanbul, Turkey
Temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia
Amritsar Golden Temple, India
Temples in Bagan, Myanmar
The entire holy town of Varanasi, India
St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague Castle, Czech Republic (the gothic-style architecture and the stain glass windows are what caught our eye)
Open Air Museum Ruins, Cappadocia, Turkey
Most powerful historic areas and museums
These are some of the hardest places to visit, but are the most meaningful way to understand a country’s history.

Srebrenica Museum, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Killing fields, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Landmine museum, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Vietnam (American) War museum, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Auschwitz, Oswiecim, Poland
Anna Frank House, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Craziest Things We Did
Sorry, Mom and Dad.

Jump off a 50-foot cliff at the Grand Canyon near Chiang Mai
Wake up in Asia (India), have lunch in the Middle East (Dubai) and go to bed in Europe (Turkey) – all in the same day!
Participate in a sacred blessing ritual in a remote village in Laos during Hmong New Year
Make it to Everest Base Camp without a guide or porter!
Work on an organic farm in Pai, Thailand
Motorbike on Hoi Van Pass, one of the most beautiful coastal highways in the world
We want to hear from you!
Have you ever been to any of these places? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.
Hi Katie and Ben,
Where are you planning to go next?! Your travel blogs are very interesting. Makes me want to try this out with my partner.
Hi Reem! Well, Katie is currently traveling with the UNWTO promoting sustainable tourism on an around the world trip. I am currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and after the holidays we plan on coming back to Thailand to live here for a few more months.
Thanks for the nice comment about our blog, please make sure to stay in touch!
Hi guys,
Been to a number of the places you’ve mentioned in this article. I probably wouldn’t have considered Ljubljana and Luang Prabang as big cities but I did like them.
Cesky Krumlov, Bovec and Veliko Tarnovo are easy to fall in love with.
Street food in Asia is truly the best! You will have to visit Malaysia soon.
We couldn’t get enough of the chimney desserts when in Prague in May this year. One can’t go wrong attending a cooking class in South East Asia. We attended a great one in Siem Reap.
One of the more unique accommodations I’ve experienced is in an igloo in Davos, Switzerland. I wouldn’t recommend it. It was too cold.
Any activity on the Soca River is a must. Did you drink the water from the river too?
Iceland certainly has some amazing waterfalls. I’m glad Plitvice made it on your list. I LOVE that place!
Did you go to Kotor in Montenegro?
Your picture of the glaciers in Iceland is remarkable. You’ll have to do Greenland someday if you haven’t already. It was quite an experience to see the hot springs in the middle of all that snow outside Ittoqotoormiit.
Asia is certainly blessed with many beautiful beaches but so is the Caribbean.
Loving the website!!
Thanks a lot Wani. We had a blast traveling around the world for that year. Still can’t believe all the things we did. Yes the Soca River is beautiful and the water was delicious! We did go to Kotor in Montenergo. Walking around in that town feels like a time warp to medieval times!
Hello guys,
thanks for the great articles!
I was in Amritsar back in 2010 and I LOVED the atmosphere. We were with some friends and we stayed there for 3 days.We were sleeping near by the temple and loved the peaceful feeling and the people’s smiles so much that we kept on going back any time of the day.
I highly recommend experiencing it at least once!
Hey Laurence! Thanks. We really loved Amritsar and the people there were so nice and friendly.