I went to Paris for 3 days and felt it was highly overrated. Nothing wrong about providing your opinion, these are your experiences. Thanks for the great content.
We agree with people overrating Paris, relative to all the other incredible places in Europe and other cities. For the prices and the amount of people and Parisians not being as friendly it isn’t somewhere we would go back to again
I think there is a close relationship between 'overrated' and 'over-touristed'. Rome is amazing, you could go back to Rome every year of your life and not see and experience everything that's there. However, there are a bazillion tourists there (for good reason) and hence you have all the related problems - more crime, more garbage, higher prices, less authentic experiences, etc, etc. Generally, these things are more true of larger population centers as opposed to smaller, more rural areas as well. Expectations, as stated, play a large role too. Just go and experience it all and gravitate to those things that make you happier. An expectation not met while traveling is way better than a great day at work in the grind! There's no cure like travel! 😁
I 100 percent agree - we will take an overrated over the daily grind any day! Yes, being over-touristed certainly makes a place less appealing in our eyes - although as you mention, there are places like Rome, you just need to see. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Good talk about your preferences, but it seems you discount the cultural offerings of a place like Italy because it’s crowded and less convenient. If you’re interested in art and history in the West, you can’t beat Italy. There is a reason it’s so filled with tourists. For me personally, Portugal is overrated. It’s become very popular, and it has very few things to offer that can’t be found (better versions) in other nearby countries. The art is not at the level of it’s close neighbors. The castles and grand architectural structures are often crowded and not as spectacular as the ones in nearby countries. The food is good, but not as good as Spain for example. You mentioned beaches quite often and you mentioned visiting the islands in Greece. It sounds like maybe you are looking for something more sensory than intellectually stimulating. Many places are both scenic and intellectually stimulating, but if you’re looking primarily for tasty food, nice beaches, great views, good beaches, etc than the incredible cultural value of a destination like Rome will be lost on you due to the congestion and dirt. Difficult destinations for different preferences, but again you talked about Turkey’s mountains and water without mentioning it’s epic cultural offerings. Turkey and Italy are both beautiful but if they were the ugliest countries on earth they still offer more important things to see first hand than 90% of the world’s other countries.
Yeah, I am currently planning a longer trip, and Europe has the 90/180 rule, so I am crammed for time. Italy is on my list, and obviously Rome is up there. My plan is to get up early and get out before a lot of people to see things, then spend my afternoons sitting at a cafe or restaurant enjoying some down time.
I’ve been to almost all of the places you mentioned. Your reviews are spot on. Not that I didn’t trust you before, but I will be trusting you more in the future! 😊
Watching your videos made me look at slow travel when I retire (instead of staying long term and getting a visa). You also made me looked at Romania to travel to. And after watching other vloggers, rewatching your videos and researching more on Romania, I will definitely add it to my of cities/towns I will visit.
Thanks for all your advice and recommendations! You definitely made me look into Romania, and we took a two week trip there last year. We loved it! I agree with you about Italy. We flew to Rome for spring break with our two teenage daughters. We scooted right around the city and went straight to the small town of Tivoli. The small towns are better! We have still have not been to Rome and may never. Our friends think that’s crazy but we know what we like and that’s the small town vibe with friendly people and amazing sites not overrun by tourists. This video has moved Turkey and Vietnam up my list, and Malaysia down. I value your opinions. Keep on traveling I look forward to following you for many years to come!
That's so wonderful to hear, we truly loved Romania ❤️ and love hearing the same from others that visit. I totally agree, the smaller towns resonate with us so much more. Some people see travels as seeing every site...for me it's more about feeling like I'm living life in this new town and just taking it all in. Thanks so much for watching and following along 😊
Loved this one, definitely have your underrated places high up on the list now - Romania, Turkey, and Vietnam are a priority. I will say that I don't think Portugal is under the radar anymore at all -- the word is out and it's quite busy in Lisbon/Porto. We rented such a cool apartment in Porto years ago and I definitely had some daydreams about staying :). Where would you put Krakow and Budapest -- properly rated?
We loved Krakow but only spent a few days. We just booked Budapest for June and trying to temper our excitement. We don't want to get our expectations too high!! 😃
@@BrianandCarrie My husband's from Budapest, so we visit his family and friends (from Maryland) from time to time. Love it!!! Definitely visit swimming pool complexes (some have spas too) and eat the junk food there (at pools and lakes)--lángos (fry bread), palacsinta (crepes), ohhhhh yum! Margitsziged is a park that locals adore. If you want to get out of the city, Lake Balaton is soooo beautiful-green, and you can get there by train--and it's a cultural experience to vacation there too. But English isn't super-common, Hungarian and German are more so. And be aware, air conditioning isn't super widespread, but maybe June will still be fine (but it's worth being sure your accommodation has a/c unless you want to roast if there's a fluke heat wave). I wouldn't stay in the most crowded tourist areas, so overwhelming to me at least, but you can get public transportation anywhere (but again, not all with a/c).
Looking forward to your hearing about your experiences in Mexico this Fall. I’ve spent ten months over the last few years exploring the old colonial towns of central Mexico and found it much more rewarding than the coastal resort cities we always hear about. And near perfect, mild weather throughout the year. Hope you enjoy!
I lived in Queretaro for a year and half. Great city. I liked it MUCH better than the Yucatan, but I never acclimated to the combo of high altitude and dry air. 🙁
Love you guys and am excited for every video! I just turned 30 and started my slow travel journey as I'm lucky enough to have had a remote job since the pandemic. Currently balancing hopping around and making sure I'm back in NY for things like my mom's birthday. Spent two months in Vienna and two months in Seoul so far, and am excited to spend another month in Vienna and a month in Warsaw this summer! Your videos make me excited to spend more time in so many other countries. ❤
You'll love Poland!! We need to get back soon and explore Warsaw and would really like to get to Gdansk as well. How exciting to be able to work remotely at such a young age!! PS: Good for you not missing mom's birthday!!! 😀
Hi Brian and Carrie. I’m from Vancouver and thought your accents were from up here. Glad to see some TH-camrs from my region and close to my age as well. Thanks for all the useful information and for inspiring me to travel more. -Evan
First time commenter, long time fan! Love your honesty. Please keep keeping it real, by your opinion 😊 Love your new format with education and showing us the places you visit. I really enjoy your content!
The food in Mexico will exceed your highest expectations - SO GOOD - the people are so friendly and there is so much history AND beautiful scenery. You will have a great time!
We under-rated Malta and Albania, for sure. We had no idea we'd enjoy those places so much! Super excited to hear about your experiences in Mexico. We're thinking of adding that to The List for the end of 2025 and so we'll definitely be watching those videos.
We used Sail Croatia two years ago for a private catamaran tour with our adult children - one of the best vacations ever! We are going back this year for a wine tour also with Sail Croatia.
That sounds amazing!! We will keep them in mind when we decide to go back. Guessing it will be sooner than later!! Thank you for the recommendation!! Cheers!!🍻
I watched several TH-camrs who moved to Portugal plus a couple I’d known from CA who real recently moved there. It’s the thing to do I’ve heard. You two provide such great information. Thank you!!
Love your videos. You both have now inspired me to 1) stay longer in the one place 2) go to Romania and Turkey 3) travel in your 50s instead of waiting.
If u get off the beaten path and drive small town Ireland u will realize how underrated it is. The large cities are such a different experience from rural Ireland. Big time underrated!
@@BrianandCarrie Dingle Peninsula! Wonderful trip driving around it. Bicycling the Wild Atlantic Way is also amazing. E bikes cruising through the rural countryside was our favorite.
Ireland and Northern Ireland are beautiful. Some of the touristy areas are overcrowded - Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway. Loved Dublin and Belfast - the people were welcoming and friendly.
Just found your channel, enjoying so far. We are currently finishing up a month in Poland, and honestly it is blowing us away. Will finish up this trip in the Baltics in Sept and headed to the Balkans in the spring.
We loved the time we spent in Poland last summer. We wish we had spent more than just a couple of weeks. We also really enjoyed Romania where we spent almost 2 months. Glad you found our channel!! 😁 Thank you for watching and commenting. Safe travels.
We agree about your opinion of Greece. We keep on going back to the Cyclades. We originally set an itinerary to explore Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Delphi and Meteora. Santorini was our first stop but we loved it so much that we made as our only stop. We explored and hiked beautiful places during the day, eat delicious food and drink beautiful wine in the evening, and join the busy, touristy areas during our non-hiking days…such a beautiful place.
Wonderful video, again!! And we totally agree with you about Italy being overhyped... at least the "usual" suspects. However, as someone said, overhyped might be better said as over touristed. HOWEVER, we had an amazing stay in Cagliari, Sardinia last year, as a city-break during our month long stay in Malta (which is underratedd). Sardinia had everything most people love about Italy, without the crowds. There is history, architecture, food, museums, churches (as if...) and amazing affordable airbnb options. We were in the offseason, so we got a 4 day weekend in an amazing 4th floor penthouse apartment with a balcony under the shadow of the palace, for a song. I highly reccommend Cagliari!!
Thank you for giving your opinions despite knowing they would be unpopular with some. As someone with limited time for international travel, your honesty is quite helpful. I randomly booked a trip through Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey for this summer knowing nothing about the region. I'm more excited than ever to go after hearing your comments!
Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts & opinions. These types of videos provide a great deal of value to people such as my wife & I who are always looking for the next non-typical place to visit. Happy to hear that you're visiting Mexico City this fall. I will bet my left arm that it will end up making your top-five list for places that you've ever experienced while slow travelling. I highly recommend that you consider staying in the La Condesa area...as that neighbourhood will check off all of the boxes that you have shared are important to the lifestyle that you both enjoy. Keep up the amazing content...your efforts are very much appreciated!
Thank you, Jeff! We are starting to put together our Mexico trip as we speak! Thank you for the suggestion on La Condesa!! Thank you again for watching and commenting!! Cheers!!🍻
You're spot on with the underrated locations. I haven't been to Romania(hope to go this summer) but Portugal and Vietnam were awesome. Personally I love Malaysia and wanted to retire there but Covid ended that. But different strokes for different folks. On a side note congratulations on your 50K subscribers!
I spent some time in Albania last year and loved it. I’m off to Romania in May and know I will love it. Over the last 12 years I have done all the touristy places in Europe plus Australia and New Zealand and now find I go where it is less popular. Loved Turkey so I am of the same mind as you. May hit Vietnam next year. Cheers from a subscriber in Nova Scotia Canada!
Excited for you visiting Romania! We really do think that you will love it as much as Türkiye. Thank you for subscribing from Nova Scotia!! 😀 Cheers!!🍻
I personally like Italy. It is the history and museums. Since they are mostly indoor activities, we chose to go off season, November. It is cheaper and the line is much shorter. We are also from rainy Pacific Northwest so we don’t mind the rain. All popular European cities have the same over rated problem. Expensive and crowded in season.
Great video! I actually loved Italy but I'm so excited to try some of your underated destinations! Can you please do a video on how to get started on selecting an itinerary for a trip? I'm so overwhelmed with picking things to see and selecting where to stay for my next destination which is Portugal. Thanks guys!
Thank you! We will be doing a video/podcast within the next few weeks on how we plan our travels. Not sure that will answer all your questions, but hopefully some 😉. Cheers!
Italy. If the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance aren’t your thing, I can totally agree with you. If, like me, you’re a lover of Italy’s incredible contributions to history and high culture, it’s unmissable. I know it’s ever more crowded. I advise off seasons and staying off the beaten path but with train access to other places. We chose Umbria. We stayed in a hillside hamlet of four houses. The neighbors owned a small albergo/guesthouse a mile away with public restaurant, simple but elegant, and with a terrace for dinners at sunset overlooking the Umbrian hills. Mostly locals came for special occasions. The hotel was a second career for our neighbor, who loved to cook (he was a retired state policeman). They cooked for us and invited us to their parties. Real Italian food. The most fabulous preserved cherries and local wine. Our 16th century farmhouse overlooked olive groves, sunflower fields, and Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal fought the Romans, and farmers still dig up bones from the battle. The train was a 15 minute drive, and then an hour to either Rome or Florence for day trips. We used the car for less accessible places, medieval hill towns, for instance. A little grotto fed by a mountain spring provided our preferred drinking water-someone had thoughtfully put a tap into the rock wall. Some nights from the hills we watched distant firework displays, from neighboring towns celebrating the name day of a local saint. Often, you can see their bones in the parish church. There are ways to see Italy away from the tourist buses if you plan ahead and know where you want to go. Remember, Italy has been a unified country for only 150 years. Each province has its own unique history, cuisine, and culture, of which the residents are very proud. Don’t pass it up. For art and culture-the birthplace of opera!-Italy can never be overrated, in my view.
We loved Tuscany! The food, the people, the wine, the landscape, the cleanthlinesss, the history, transportation was easy to do. Venice was overrated - too many people. We stayed in the tiny village of Monticchiello with top notch restaurants. Hospitality at the Villa Poliflora was amazing. Stay in the small towns and do day trips to the larger cities.
Great insights and appreciate your honesty! Travel experiences are always personal and your overrated countries sharing is very helpful as they make us think about countries that we may go to, but have a more realistic expectation if we go there. The more I hear about Vietnam and Thailand, the more I want to go and being in Australia, its on our doorstep - so will visit there soon. Thanks for your great videos.
We appreciate the support!! Travel is subjective. We need to make our way to Australia sooner rather than later. Thank you again for supporting the channel!! Cheers!!
Travel is very personal. Your education background, your lifestyle, your taste, your travel experiences, your sense of arts , Are you culture traveller or nature lovers etc . Just like shopping clothings, everyone has the uniqueness. 😅😊 As your guys mentioned multiple times, this is YOUR OWN OPINIONS. I like that.❤ Vietnam is POULAR in the states for a long time. Not just the tourism media didn't promoted TOO MUCH . In Asia , Chinese ,Koreans, Japanese etc all of southeast Asian states are their backyards. 😂 So as audience ,we don't have to take yours unique opinions as our choices. We shuold have always find our own uniqueness. But you yuys experiences just add a little bit of seasongs in our travels. Thanks for your humble podcasts ! 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much. Yes, we all have our own thoughts on a area... One place that may check one persons boxes, may check none of ours. That's the beauty I see in the world, so many wonderful places, there is something for everyone 😊. Thanks so much for watching.
Thank you for the videos 😊 My husband and I are flying out of Vegas this coming thanksgiving heading to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia spending 30 days in each country. It’s our first time traveling internationally. Your videos are helping us some much, thank you, thank you,thank you! We are😊 we’re super excited to go!
The only one underrated you may want to add is Slovenia. It is not on the top of anyone's list but wow it is a beautiful country. For Italy and Malaysia, completely agreed! What you hear is not quite what you experience in the end :)
Teresa and I completely agree on Portugal (we are there now) - loved the Algarve and Lisbon and can’t wait to return. Türkiye is on the list based on your recommendations! Although I get your comments on Italy, Rome has a special place in our hearts - no hate here! Can’t thank you enough for your views. We really depend on them to help set our future itinerary.
So happy you are enjoying Portugal ♥. We are so thankful for the time we had in Italy - and Rome had some wonderful sites to see! It just didn't check many boxes in comparison to so many of the areas we've been in that we were so surprised by. Happy and safe continued travels - Cheers!!
I think the key thing here is to try and have no expectations, but that's just not easy sometimes. Years ago i bought a cheap run down car in Ireland and travelled there, the UK and Europe. I visited 3 major cities to see the famous sights, I waited in lines and shuffled behind the crowds looking at the back of peoples heads just to get glimpses of the attractions. I wasn't getting the experience or feeling any connection that i had hoped for, it was hard work and tiring. It was when i decided to stope going to cities and major attractions and instead drove to smaller towns, villages and the countryside that i truely felt like i was having a genuine cultural experience. There are so many things to do and see if you just dare to taking the road less travelled. I begin my "free life" next year (55yrs old) and I'm excited to start my solo slow travels. I don't know if ill buy a car this time, but it will be interesting and an adventure to see how i manage to get out to the less travelled and unknown places, and maybe visit a major city during winter. Your channel is great! It will definitely come in handy in helping me with my travels. ❤Zeljka
Yes, agree crowds of tourists really does take away from the experience. Getting off the beaten path has been where we've had some of the best experiences. Happy travel planning for your upcoming adventure. Cheers!!
As an experienced solo traveler, I appreciate your sensible, broader approach, away from the better known, stereotypical locations. Your videos are helping me immensely to narrow down, and plan my itineraries. Many thanks, again!
So happy to hear you are enjoying our videos and they are helping you in your itinerary planning. Thanks so much for watching and following along! Cheers
Awesome video. I've been to all of these countries and I couldn't agree more. I would add a couple of places to the underrated list: Bulgaria, Cambodia, Albania, Slovenia, and Indonesia.
Italy, perhaps visit Capri island but stay in Anacapri. Much less tourist and lots to do. There's also an airbnb host who's able to pick you up and drop you off right in front of the ferry/dock. Positano, have good walking shoes and expect to take 1k + step per day. No car needed. Lots to do. Amalfi, no car needed. To stay away from crowds, consider Pontone. In between Amalfi and Ravena. You're able to walk to both locations from Pontone. Lots of walking, public transportation very good. No car needed. Cinque Terre, fast train service between all 5 villages. Lots of walking. Train ride to Portofino to the north. Porto Venere to the south. Many town in between, quick train ride. No car needed, great public transportation. Lake Como. Stay in Vernazza, less crowded. Short ferry ride to all major villages on Lake Como. Boat rent is very affordable. 8 hours will feel like 3 hours. No car needed. Lots of walking. Close to Switzerland. Take the Bernina Express for a great experience. Stay in Pontresina. Explore the area. Lastly, Venice. What's not to like (other than crowds). Take taxi from airport. Expensive but what the heck, why not. Get away from St. Marks Square when the rush comes in. Explore surrounding areas. Return early evening for dinner. Late evening, you'll have the places basically to yourself. Try to go early summer for better weather. Springtime can be very cloudy. Lots of other places but those will be a good start. Once again. Good shoe such as Hoka, Altra, Topo, On Cloud, ect... Your gonna get miles in, at least 10+ on average day.
One very underrated destination I have been to is Guatemala - Lake Atitlan area is absolutely stunning (Santorini levels without the massive crowds) and I highly suggest you put it on your list. I also enjoyed the ancient ruins of Tikal in eastern Guatemala which are the best preserved Mayan ruins located in the middle of the jungle. Overall Guatemala isn't on anyone's radar but it is a stunningly beautiful country. BTW, i'll be in Vietnam for the first time in Spring 2025, it's been on my list forever :)
That's so interesting to hear - we will have to look into the area more. You're right though, Guatemala isn't on most peoples travel list. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
@@BrianandCarrie”#…heard of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala from a famous quote from Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World where he called it “the most beautiful lake in the world.” Comparing it to Lake Como in Italy, he said Como "touches the limit of the permissibly picturesque." Atitlan, however, "is Como with the additional embellishment of several immense volcanoes. It is really too much of a good thing." It’s breathtaking, and indeed, the most beautiful lake in the world. Tikal…. Antigua Guatemala… you’ll find lots of French tourists as it is always the case in places where Americans are rarely seen. The locals thought we were French and spoke to us in French. They have learned it through contact with them.
@@BrianandCarrie If you go to Antigua, Guatemala time your stay to be there in the days leading up to Easter. They have the most amazing religious street processions with big hand carried floats, bands etc. The women use flowers to make beautiful ‘carpets’ at various stages along the cobblestoned route that get trampled by the procession, so make sure to get your photos first 😁. It was a unique experience.
Yes. Guatemala is beautiful. It was a very pleasant surprise. I visited a hot springs waterfall and we stayed at a hotel in the middle of the lake I. The region near Tikal. Actually, all of Central America is pretty awesome.
Thank you for your time and posting. Boy, I'm sure glad you said Vietnam. ;) Have you ever had Russian River Beer from Santa Rosa CA? Named the best in the world multiple times. :)
Hope people take your advice about Italy. The smaller towns are lovely but the popular ones were quite suffocating and we were pleased to move on. We stayed up near the university in Venice which was much quieter and nights walks over the bridges were beautiful and very peaceful.
Don't take any negative advice about Italy. You will find nothing like Italy's level of culture in Romania, nor is the food anywhere close to being as good. Totally inappropriate comparison.
Have been to most of these places and agree with most. The water in the Algarve was much too cold for us! Loved Turkey and would recommend you check out the town of Kas on the coast between Antalya and Fethiye. We are headed to the Ionian islands of Greece this Fall. We love Corfu and are looking forward to seeing Lefkada and Kefalonia. Have been to many other places in Greece and find the people to be fantastic! Hoping to get back to Turkey and some of the islands off the coast. Besides Crete and Santorini have you been to others?
Well, we just got back home to Canada from a month in the Algarve, and we have a 7 month trip planned beginning this fall to Brasov, Antalya, Malaga, Alicante, Chiang Mai, ?, Vietnam. Ha! Apparently we have been very influenced by your videos and reviews. We are still unsure about the February slot. Penang/Georgetown and Koh Samui are on the list - appreciate you didn’t love Malaysia but we hear so many good things about Georgetown. Any more locations you think we should consider in the area?
Love it! This sounds like a wonderful itinerary, and as we mentioned, many people liked Penang, just wasn't for us. Hope you enjoyed your time in the Algarve ❤️. Cheers!!
So sorry to hear your Italy experience was underwhelming, but I'm a little biased. I made many port calls there with the Navy, and lived there for two years with the Navy, as well. ANNNND, I'm doing two weeks there with my art-nerd great niece in June. And thanks for the warning about Malaysia, but it's never been on my list anyway, so ... Are in Crete yet?
It's hard to explain. It's not that we were underwhelmed as much as we set our expectations so high. We loved Puglia, but we didn't know much about it before we went. Beautiful coastline, great wine authentic small towns, what's not to like? 😀
I love Puglia so much! We spent a week staying in Monopoli and exploring some of the surrounding towns. I can't wait to go back! Glad to hear about Vietnam, heading there in a couple weeks!
Wow, y’all are really cranking out the videos. Interesting perspectives but revealing for the types of experiences that are important to you. I love Italy but some of the points you make are absolutely true. Just got back from Vietnam, you can have it. Because of your video on Antalya I’ve started researching Airbnb for October. Can’t figure out exactly on the map the location of the marina area you suggested. Any tips appreciated. Romania is on the radar. Another job well done.
We can understand why Vietnam wouldn't be for everyone, but we did enjoy it! Look up The Dam Hotel in Antalya, we stayed in the same neighborhood and liked the area for longer stays. Old Town and the marina are about a 10-minute cab ride away. Thank you for watching and commenting! Safe travels!
Great insights! I hope you get to central Mexico like Morelia, Puebla, or even better San Miguel de Allende!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts😉. Cheers 🍻
I could sit and read maps all day, and I could watch you guys talk about places you've visited all day. When you were talking about meeting expectations, I was curious what you thought of Santorini, and there you go, answered that right there. If you ever have a long layover at DFW, I'd be happy to buy you some Mexican food. We do that pretty well around here. Tacos and burritos, even some more authentic fare and all the guac you can eat. 😀
thank you for your content. this is a 30 minute video. i wish there was easier breakdown, time dots to show which cities you are talking, where people can quickly find which cities you are discussing.
Yes, we did notice prices increasing for the over 3 months we were there over a 6-month period. Hopefully, things balance out soon, especially for the locals that it has to be so challenging for. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
very surprising about italy .. could be that you had no car explore the country.. places where the true italy less tourism and inexpensive areas.,When i travel I always void big cities.. I prefer the country life over busy crowded areas.
Yes, we walk through many areas, countries. Have walked down through Tuscany. It’s fantastic, I think the majority of travellers are city oriented because that’s where the travel agent sends them. See what is happening to Santorini. The locals are getting fed up with tourists. Recently walked parts of the GR 1, after walking parts of the Pyrenees. Three days never saw another person on the trails. You don’t have to go where everyone else is.
Love Sicily, but it is very disappointing in the amount of constant garbage & lack of cleanliness on the island. I heard the mainland was not quite as bad (Northern area). Thanks for another great vid.
I agree with Italy being overrated. Rome especially. We were just considering going to Lake Como, and then heading straight to Switzerland. But we decided Côte d’Azur would be so much better, and we’ll do Switzerland on a different trip. I will say, we absolutely love Nice, France and the surrounding cities and it’s so easy to travel from Menton all the way to Canne.
I really appreciate your opinions, thank you! And I completely understand how you reached them. Unfortunately I think quite a few places were AMAZING and are now overrated due to out of control tourism as well. Either way, always great to hear from experienced, recent travelers!
How interesting. I actually was a bit let down by Portugal - I had super, super high expectations it didn't quite live up to - except Madiera, which I adored any day there wasn't a cruise ship in Funchal. Italy is my favorite country (out of 47 and counting..) I also didn't love Viet Nam - it pretty much just feels like China to me, and China was more interesting, and I was really excited to go to Ha Long Bay, but it was crowded and there was lots of trash floating. Loved Laos, however. That said - love your videos, hoping to go to Romania soon. (I love Turkey, too, have been waiting for years to go back but was a little scared off by the governmental changes since the last time I was there - but your experiences have put it back on my list.) But we don't stay super long in one town (2 weeks is pretty much the max) which might make a big difference in our favorites. (My overrated would be Greece. But I was in high tourist areas, like Athens in Mykonos.)
Yes, it is interesting how we can all have different views on locations. It's not surprising though, we all have different boxes that need to be checked for a place to feel like home. Thanks so much for watching 😊. Cheers!!
Great comments, guys. I'm glad that you just put it out there as your opinions of places which is fine with me as we're all different. Thumbs up! As for the your minus places: Malaysia and Italy. Malaysia: I've been there many times since 2001 due to going to the S.E. Asia region almost annually since late 1990s. I'm fine in Malaysia for a certain amount of time. I tend to be more of a Penang person than a KL person and always fly down to Penang after having spent at least three weeks in my beloved Bangkok. I've also been in areas south of KL. As for Penang, I find Penang relaxing. I seriously considered the MM2H visa back in 2014/2015, but to strategically position myself in the region and be able to go to Thailand and other places more easily. The long-term visa situation in Thailand has always been a mess. But, with MM2H, I would have been granted 10 years to come and go and then I could have continued spending time and working some months here at home, but also would have been able to leave home and easily be in the region for months. Italy: It's a big country with a lot of regions and a lot depends on where one is as far as one's experience. I've been going there since a young traveler in the 1970s and basically enjoy certain parts. I was last there in 2017. I've been from the north to as far down as Napoli. I've found it easier to travel there as I've gotten older as opposed to when I was a young female solo traveler as I travel the world solo. Your plus-rated destinations: Vietnam: I still haven't been. I have had it on the list for decades, but somehow end up in other places in the region. When in the region, I go to my 2-3 go-to places and then try to add one extra country destination to check it out for a few days. My rule of thumb is to only do 3-4 nights in a new place in case I don't like the place. If I like it, I can extend the stay or go back the following year. Instead of Vietnam on one trip, I ended up back in Indonesia. I've been both on Bali, not my favorite, but glad I went back in the late 1990s, and Jakarta (which I really liked) around 2018, I think it was. Hopefully, I'll get back to Jakarta. And everyone that I personally know didn't like Jakarta. But, I was fine with it. Turkey: I agree with you. I also loved it and need to spend more time there. Romania: I have put it on my list due to your reports on it. Thanks. Croatia: It's been on my list for years as my now unfortunately late best male friend had been going there regularly for 2 decades and loved it. He was living in Italy permanently after early retirement in his mid-50s and he and wife would vacation in Croatia. But, he had also vacationed in Croatia solo before he got married 20 years prior to his passing a few years ago. Spain: I definitely want to spend more time there. I was only in Seville which I loved. I think that was around summer 2016 or maybe 2017. Thailand: My heart has been there since the late 1990s and that's where I spend most of my overseas time. Portugal: I still haven't made it there although I spent whole summers in Europe for a couple decades. But, it's so far away from the country where I spent/spend whole summers, partial, summers, and 2-3 weeks in summer that I never made it down to Portugal. But, in the 1980s, my now late best male friend and I and two of our best ex-pat friends from here, who have now lived in Europe for over 50 years, had a sit down to discuss buying a house there. He and I even went to the Portuguese consulate in the country where we were and were shown on a huge map areas where to buy. Now, I can kick myself for not having bought back then as a house and even a restorable villa and land cost about what a luxury car cost here. I had a lot of friends from here who were going to Portugal in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. The bottom line is to try a variety of places and various regions in the same country. Everyone I knew loved Bali, but I didn't. And they didn't like Jakarta at all, but I went anyway and really liked it. Just be adventurous! Greetings from Los Angeles
We very much preferred Penang too, so much so that it was high are our list of possible places to relocate. One perk that KL has over Penang is that Grab is so affordable in KL that it feels almost free. People are very kind in both places but I was completely fascinated by the culture in Penang. Food is super cheap too, as was our lodging. It felt like we got so much more luxury and quality of life there than most places. I’m not sure if you are still tracking the MM2H program but they just changed it to be very unfavorably, unless you are wealthy. Sadly, we had to scratch that off as a possibility. It is no longer favorable to go on retirement income.
You guys have such great videos and great to hear Málaga already thought of. I’m a future expat there, but also doing world travel. I should share what I’ve learned about Málaga: Benalmádena Costa is amazing and its marina is worth seeing but the city is on a hill😅. (Travelers caught off guard). Fuengirola is a great base with the tram close to the beach, jogging promenade, easy busses. Above Málaga along the C-2 tram line might be a good bang for buck for a long stay too😊 Cheers from Seattle!
You were underwhelmed by Kuala Lumpur but that's fine. The old expat saying was work in Singapore(higher earnings), live in Kuala Lumpur (better for families) and party in Bangkok. 😊 . But you should visit Sabah if you get a chance for a change of scene and see another part of Malaysia. Happy travels.
Portugal is looking very expensive this year, so I am considering Türkiye instead .. Hope you are enjoying Greece , I have Greek Residency so will be back there soon .
I love your videos. Thank you for the information. My husband and I have been traveling for about a year and we have Greece and Turkey on our list for the fall.
Romania definitely on my list. My best friend here in Sicily is from there. Turkey I’ve always heard was great. Porto is def worth the trip, though got mild food poisoning from cabbage soup. I haven’t been elsewhere in Portugal.The crowds are abhorrent in Italy, otherwise I personally think it’s the overall prettiest and food by a loooong shot. It is dirty. The trains are better than most might think. Not always on time, but very comfortable and clean. Slovenia… next week, so I’ll let you know. Btw… I now have dual citizenship, and live in Sicily, near Palermo…. A place you particularly don’t like. Yes, it’s even dirtier than mainland Italy. However the food is sooo much better than mainland Italy.😊you guys are still OK!😊
Slovenia sounds so interesting, would love to hear your thoughts! We do wish we had explored more of Sicily, and tried more of the food 😉. Thanks for thinking we're still okay ☺. Cheers!!
I’m glad you mentioned Vietnam. I spent eight days solo-traveling there in late November 2023. HCMC, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Hanoi and others places have quite the infrastructure to handle tourists. It was very easy to travel. I’m going to spend 3-4 days in Romania in July 2024 (along with other nearby countries). Lastly, Mexico will be awesome. CDMX is my fav city and Puebla, Oaxaca and others are all great. The food is amazing everywhere. Happy travels!
As a romanian I just cant thank you enough for the good impression you make about the country...and watching your vlogs are a joy : simply realistic and enjoyable ! Salutari from Black Sea Costs of Romania - Constanta
Hi guys, great video, thanks for your insight :). Quick one. Are you planning a thorough travel experience through central and south America anytime soon? I heard you mentioned Mexico, but often TH-camrs go to Mexico then off to somewhere else like Europe or south east Asia. Cheers from the UK :)
We are heading to Mexico in the fall, home for Christmas, and then to Argentina in January. We still haven't figured out every place that we will visit so any suggestions are welcomed. Cheers!!🍻
We visited Santorini, Greece and Thailand twice (and we’re going back to Thailand this summer with our son and his girlfriend), we lived in Korea, Germany, and Japan and yes we drove there too. We’re not interested in visiting France, Italy, Singapore, or Malaysia but we would like to visit Vietnam, Portugal, Turkey, and Iceland (Iceland to experience the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis).
I loved Italy but I wonder if it’s not ideal for budget travel, except for Puglia and the more remote areas. Also obviously not everyone likes the same things which is a good thing! If you don’t love cities, you probably won’t enjoy Rome. I agree with you about Porto, and hope to agree with some of the other places after I get there! Vietnam has been high on my list for a long time and hearing your thoughts makes me want to go now. Anyway, I’m enjoying your videos, thanks!
Very interesting discussion. I pretty much agree with your views. We are looking forward to your Mexico trips. This year we did 2 trips to Mexico and 1 trip to Portugal. We loved Mexico, but the 'tourist pricing' in the resort areas will move us to central mexico next year. The 'strip' in Tulum will make you shake your head. Its more like the vegas strip than Vegas :) . The new train should be interesting, give it a whirl!
We are looking forward to Mexico as well. We will be in central Mexico for the duration of our time. We may visit the cost in 2025 but haven't heard anything positive about Tulum. Thank you for watching our channel!!!
Spot on assessment of all the places you highlighted. Just back from Florence (meh). Malaysia, especially Penang was so disappointing. Not been to Vietnam so Mexico would be our No1 destination. Got to say, we love some of your city pronunciations. Keep up the good work guys.
We can't wait to get to Mexico. At this point, we've only ever been to the typical more popular beach towns, excited to explore central Mexico. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
I really love underrated spots, and I know there is crowded places with a lot of history but there's so much more to see in other places, I have heard Italy not being clean in areas that would turn me off , I like friendly ,affordable beautiful, clean safe spots to go I appreciate your opinions
Thank you for the honesty and for being so authentic. Cant wait to watch the Mexico videos. Hoping you go hit up Scandinavian countries in the future. More expensive but their values are so what the U.S. needs. Bragging is looked down upon, being showy, flaunting wealth, and so much more responsible of society. Enjoy your Mexico travels!
Can you post an overall rating list of countries you've been to so far along with maybe some quick comment on why they landed at a certain rank on your list? Interested in Montenegro for instance. Looking for overall ranking across your global list for places not just individual video reviews.
I can highly recommend Roma Norta and Condessa areas of CDMX. My son lives there and I’ve been several times- both have that great neighborhood vibe. I love the street food but avoid lettuce salads. Gotten sick from that but never from anything else.
Thank you so much for the suggestions and tips...I will be sure to check into those areas when booking. And I'll avoid the green salads, always a safer bet. Cheers
I agree with you both regarding Italy, especially the known tourist destinations. Whilst we spent an incredible 12 weeks driving the loop north to the south. The off the beaten paths in Italy we enjoyed the most and the most authentic. Two things that were near impossible to find in Italy... public toilets and picnic tables 😂
We are full time travelers. We are in Italy for the second time in 7 months. We now live one month in Genoa (Gênes ). I have a new saying. '' In Rome do like the romains, In Mcdonald's use the toilet even if you don't need it ''
Your comments are your accurate opinion - don’t apologize. Personally I love Italy but I understand what you’re saying - we like to spend far more time in smaller, lesser known parts of Italy. Yes, Rome, Venice and Florence are wonderful places and everyone who can go there should (off season if at all possible), but it’s crowded and expensive for good reason. We were also underwhelmed by Malaysia, haven’t been to Vietnam and are about to go to Romania.
As much as we stress that these are just our opinions, we still get some negative comments. It goes with the territory. 😀 You will enjoy Romania!! Safe travels and thank you for the support. Cheers!!🍻
My wife and I really loved Portugal (visited cities like Tavira and Vila Real because of ur recommendation) and found Spain as we expected. Definitely moving Italy down and moving Turkey and Croatia up. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
So happy to hear you loved Portugal - it's definitely held a place in our hearts since the beginning and we hope to get back soon. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Agree with almost everything in this video. Only disagree with Portugal, but I believe our expectations were too high so no surprise we were disappointed. We didn’t visit Algarve either- only Porto and Lisbon. Looking forward to visiting Romania someday!
Lisbon was our least favorite place in Portugal. It does have some really great day trips that we enjoyed. Sentra and Obiedos were both really fun places to visit. Thank you for commenting, Lorrie!! ❤
Great video. Its funny what you say about Spanish people not being friendly. My mom went to Spain for the first time recently and had a similar experience. She loved the place, but the people were not friendly. And she is a huge fan of Spanish TV and Spanish shows, so that surprised me. Brian, it is MAlaga (stress on the first A) :) I know you aren't there yet, but you can start practicing early LOL
@@pegan60I am confused. What do you mean? The first vowel is the A, which is what I said. mAlaga. I wrote it as MAlaga, because in Spanish this word breaks down into three syllables. MA-LA-GA. Syllables in Spanish, don't usually end in a consonant unless at the end of words. :)
Great video thanks. We’re in New Zealand and have been lucky to visit many Asian countries. Vietnam is probably our favourite, with Laos a close second. We’re heading off for a three month trip in July. Pleased to hear that our choices of Romania and turkey are probably good ones. We’re also really looking forward to Sri Lanka.
We have Malaysia down for a month! However we're splitting between Georgetown, Ipoh, Melacca and then to Borneo. Looking at other vlogs, it doesn't seem overly expensive, but then we are in the UK. I think with all places, you have to experience them for yourselves. Kinda agree about Italy, but Venice & Lake Como (funnily enough wasn't expensive!) is beautiful
Very nice video, really interesting. I would recommend you to go to the North of Spain. This side of Spain it's very much ignored by international tourist. Go to Asturias, Galicia, Santander, the bask region. There are mountains and a beautiful coast line. June to September is the best time to visit.
I understand what you are saying. My dad told me that Morocco was the most interesting country he had been to, so I went 2 years ago and was not impressed at all. I also loved seeing Egypt and the antiquities but the city of Cairo was shocking and not my cup of tea. That is the beauty of adventures, we find great places no one knows about and some of the hot spots are not for everyone. Andorra was a wonderful surprise for me and a relief from the heat of summer in Spain. FYI many Islamic countries around the world it is nearly impossible to find a beer. cheers!
Very interesting to hear your perspective! I thought Italy was overrated as well 😂. Spain from north to south, center to the coastline is by far my favorite country out of the 26 I've been to. I haven't been to SE Asia yet, next October is when I'll start that journey. No plans to go to Malaysia as it's known for not having the best food and that is a criteria that is non-negotiable for me!
We loved Spain - can't wait to make it back. Yes, Malaysia was lacking in food in our opinion. So many raved about the food, but what we realized was the wide variations of different cultures mixed together. We did have the best ever Chinese food there 😂. Happy and safe continued travels!
you guys are so right, many destinations are totally overrated, and are a big disappointment when you arrive. Research is always necessary. Going "off path" is often the best way to travel
Very true! We met with some new friends last week and they said that some of their best experiences have been housesitting up in the hills away from everything.
Great info! We are going to Italy and Greece in September. We fly into Rome and to be honest I would be quite happy to just train straight down to Puglia where we will spend 2 weeks. But the pressure from everyone else …”oh you have to see this this and this in Rome”. Well researching “this this and this” in Rome is making me not want to go there even more! Easier to do skip the line tours they say…which cost a fortune…especially for us Aussies! But when you look at the horrendous lines if you don’t book one of these tours it makes my feet hurt before even standing in that line for hours lol. I think I am like you…prefer the smaller towns. At least when we go to Greece we are just doing a Greek Islands cruise and we can relax somewhat. I have seen those Croatia sail cruises….definitely on my list to do one day! Thanks again for your content!
Great podcast thanks to you both. We are planning a four month trip to Thailand and Vietnam (Da Nang) in June to September this year so we were pleased to see Vietnam featured in this podcast. We have watched your Thailand and Vietnam videos (some twice) and have found them very helpful. We are a similar age to you guys and have similar interests and/budget. We also love to walk everywhere and I love beer 😆so I can relate to that as well. We realise the time of year (wet season) isn’t perfect for Thailand and some of Vietnam however I see that Da Nang is ‘dry season’ due to the mountains so we are hopeful to get some nice weather there. Being the off season also has some cost benefits. We are from New Zealand so we are escaping our winter months. We usually go to Bali this time of year (dry season) but we wanted to try something different and Bali has gotten very busy and not as ‘affordable’ as it used to be. Cheers.
We've heard that about Bali, it's unfortunate 😔. Vietnam, even during the wet season should be great! The nice thing about their rain is most days (not all) it can downpour for a stretch and then be fine the rest of the day. Even when we were there in March it downpoured for a full day at a time - so you just get that. Harder to plan a vacation around, but a long term stay it should be fine. Enjoy your travels!
I went to Paris for 3 days and felt it was highly overrated. Nothing wrong about providing your opinion, these are your experiences. Thanks for the great content.
Thank you for watching and commenting. The support is very much appreciated. 😀
We agree with people overrating Paris, relative to all the other incredible places in Europe and other cities. For the prices and the amount of people and Parisians not being as friendly it isn’t somewhere we would go back to again
I still thinks it’s a beautiful city and a must go for anyone, but not sure if I would repeat it either.
We love Paris - no other city is like it. Wouldn’t stay for a month but a week or two every once in a while works for us!
Paris in August, when best restaurants are closed, may indeed risk being over-rated.
I think there is a close relationship between 'overrated' and 'over-touristed'. Rome is amazing, you could go back to Rome every year of your life and not see and experience everything that's there. However, there are a bazillion tourists there (for good reason) and hence you have all the related problems - more crime, more garbage, higher prices, less authentic experiences, etc, etc. Generally, these things are more true of larger population centers as opposed to smaller, more rural areas as well. Expectations, as stated, play a large role too. Just go and experience it all and gravitate to those things that make you happier. An expectation not met while traveling is way better than a great day at work in the grind! There's no cure like travel! 😁
I 100 percent agree - we will take an overrated over the daily grind any day! Yes, being over-touristed certainly makes a place less appealing in our eyes - although as you mention, there are places like Rome, you just need to see. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Good talk about your preferences, but it seems you discount the cultural offerings of a place like Italy because it’s crowded and less convenient. If you’re interested in art and history in the West, you can’t beat Italy. There is a reason it’s so filled with tourists. For me personally, Portugal is overrated. It’s become very popular, and it has very few things to offer that can’t be found (better versions) in other nearby countries. The art is not at the level of it’s close neighbors. The castles and grand architectural structures are often crowded and not as spectacular as the ones in nearby countries. The food is good, but not as good as Spain for example. You mentioned beaches quite often and you mentioned visiting the islands in Greece. It sounds like maybe you are looking for something more sensory than intellectually stimulating. Many places are both scenic and intellectually stimulating, but if you’re looking primarily for tasty food, nice beaches, great views, good beaches, etc than the incredible cultural value of a destination like Rome will be lost on you due to the congestion and dirt. Difficult destinations for different preferences, but again you talked about Turkey’s mountains and water without mentioning it’s epic cultural offerings. Turkey and Italy are both beautiful but if they were the ugliest countries on earth they still offer more important things to see first hand than 90% of the world’s other countries.
Thank you for adding your opinion to the conversation!
Cheers!!🍻🍻
I love your travels
Are you or have you visited my country Australia yet ?
Yeah, I am currently planning a longer trip, and Europe has the 90/180 rule, so I am crammed for time. Italy is on my list, and obviously Rome is up there. My plan is to get up early and get out before a lot of people to see things, then spend my afternoons sitting at a cafe or restaurant enjoying some down time.
I’ve been to almost all of the places you mentioned. Your reviews are spot on. Not that I didn’t trust you before, but I will be trusting you more in the future! 😊
Well, thank you, Steven!! 🙂
Watching your videos made me look at slow travel when I retire (instead of staying long term and getting a visa). You also made me looked at Romania to travel to. And after watching other vloggers, rewatching your videos and researching more on Romania, I will definitely add it to my of cities/towns I will visit.
Slow travel is such a wonderful way to go - you can see so much more and still do it very affordable. Hope you enjoy Romania as much as we do! Cheers
Thanks for all your advice and recommendations! You definitely made me look into Romania, and we took a two week trip there last year. We loved it! I agree with you about Italy. We flew to Rome for spring break with our two teenage daughters. We scooted right around the city and went straight to the small town of Tivoli. The small towns are better! We have still have not been to Rome and may never. Our friends think that’s crazy but we know what we like and that’s the small town vibe with friendly people and amazing sites not overrun by tourists. This video has moved Turkey and Vietnam up my list, and Malaysia down. I value your opinions. Keep on traveling I look forward to following you for many years to come!
That's so wonderful to hear, we truly loved Romania ❤️ and love hearing the same from others that visit. I totally agree, the smaller towns resonate with us so much more. Some people see travels as seeing every site...for me it's more about feeling like I'm living life in this new town and just taking it all in. Thanks so much for watching and following along 😊
Loved this one, definitely have your underrated places high up on the list now - Romania, Turkey, and Vietnam are a priority. I will say that I don't think Portugal is under the radar anymore at all -- the word is out and it's quite busy in Lisbon/Porto. We rented such a cool apartment in Porto years ago and I definitely had some daydreams about staying :). Where would you put Krakow and Budapest -- properly rated?
We loved Krakow but only spent a few days. We just booked Budapest for June and trying to temper our excitement. We don't want to get our expectations too high!! 😃
@@BrianandCarrie My husband's from Budapest, so we visit his family and friends (from Maryland) from time to time. Love it!!! Definitely visit swimming pool complexes (some have spas too) and eat the junk food there (at pools and lakes)--lángos (fry bread), palacsinta (crepes), ohhhhh yum! Margitsziged is a park that locals adore. If you want to get out of the city, Lake Balaton is soooo beautiful-green, and you can get there by train--and it's a cultural experience to vacation there too. But English isn't super-common, Hungarian and German are more so. And be aware, air conditioning isn't super widespread, but maybe June will still be fine (but it's worth being sure your accommodation has a/c unless you want to roast if there's a fluke heat wave). I wouldn't stay in the most crowded tourist areas, so overwhelming to me at least, but you can get public transportation anywhere (but again, not all with a/c).
Looking forward to your hearing about your experiences in Mexico this Fall. I’ve spent ten months over the last few years exploring the old colonial towns of central Mexico and found it much more rewarding than the coastal resort cities we always hear about. And near perfect, mild weather throughout the year. Hope you enjoy!
We are looking forward to going and will do exactly what you describe. Exploring central Mexico!!
Salud!! 🍻
Me too! Looking forward to Mexico
Me 3!
While in México,you should visit Puebla City,you will love it(food,affordable, great weather and beautiful historic towns close by)
I lived in Queretaro for a year and half. Great city. I liked it MUCH better than the Yucatan, but I never acclimated to the combo of high altitude and dry air. 🙁
Love you guys and am excited for every video! I just turned 30 and started my slow travel journey as I'm lucky enough to have had a remote job since the pandemic. Currently balancing hopping around and making sure I'm back in NY for things like my mom's birthday. Spent two months in Vienna and two months in Seoul so far, and am excited to spend another month in Vienna and a month in Warsaw this summer! Your videos make me excited to spend more time in so many other countries. ❤
You'll love Poland!! We need to get back soon and explore Warsaw and would really like to get to Gdansk as well. How exciting to be able to work remotely at such a young age!!
PS: Good for you not missing mom's birthday!!! 😀
Hi Brian and Carrie. I’m from Vancouver and thought your accents were from up here. Glad to see some TH-camrs from my region and close to my age as well. Thanks for all the useful information and for inspiring me to travel more. -Evan
Thank you for watching, Evan! Vancouver is a beautiful city!!!
First time commenter, long time fan! Love your honesty. Please keep keeping it real, by your opinion 😊 Love your new format with education and showing us the places you visit. I really enjoy your content!
Thank you for the support and commenting for the first time!!! 😃 We will be doing more destination-style videos soon!! 😀
The food in Mexico will exceed your highest expectations - SO GOOD - the people are so friendly and there is so much history AND beautiful scenery. You will have a great time!
We under-rated Malta and Albania, for sure. We had no idea we'd enjoy those places so much! Super excited to hear about your experiences in Mexico. We're thinking of adding that to The List for the end of 2025 and so we'll definitely be watching those videos.
That's great to hear about Malta, it's high on our list.. Hopefully in the next few years. Cheers!!
We used Sail Croatia two years ago for a private catamaran tour with our adult children - one of the best vacations ever! We are going back this year for a wine tour also with Sail Croatia.
That sounds amazing!! We will keep them in mind when we decide to go back. Guessing it will be sooner than later!! Thank you for the recommendation!!
Cheers!!🍻
Just looked at Sail Croatia…thank you for the recommendation. Can I ask which tour you took 2 years ago. Thx
@@dsan2020 This year we are doing an Elegance cruise that is focused on a wine tour - haven't done that before, but we suspect it will be awesome.
I watched several TH-camrs who moved to Portugal plus a couple I’d known from CA who real recently moved there. It’s the thing to do I’ve heard. You two provide such great information. Thank you!!
Love your videos. You both have now inspired me to 1) stay longer in the one place 2) go to Romania and Turkey 3) travel in your 50s instead of waiting.
Thank you, Michele! ❤️
I apreciate your honest opinion 👏😘 thanks for sharing such a good content and love your podcast, you put so much effort in your videos/podcast❤
Thank you so much ♥. We truly appreciate your kind words and you watching and following along.
Good to hear that Spain is clean. Wait till you get to Japan. We were blow away at how clean Tokyo is. We definitely want to go back to Japan.
We hope to get to Japan sometime in 2025.
@@BrianandCarrieyou will love the beer in Japan, Brian - the food is also amazing
If u get off the beaten path and drive small town Ireland u will realize how underrated it is. The large cities are such a different experience from rural Ireland. Big time underrated!
When we go back that is what we are going to do!! Thank you for commenting, Ed!!
@@BrianandCarrie Dingle Peninsula! Wonderful trip driving around it. Bicycling the Wild Atlantic Way is also amazing. E bikes cruising through the rural countryside was our favorite.
The ring of Kerry is lovely!
Ireland and Northern Ireland are beautiful. Some of the touristy areas are overcrowded - Cliffs of Moher, Giants Causeway. Loved Dublin and Belfast - the people were welcoming and friendly.
Just found your channel, enjoying so far. We are currently finishing up a month in Poland, and honestly it is blowing us away. Will finish up this trip in the Baltics in Sept and headed to the Balkans in the spring.
We loved the time we spent in Poland last summer. We wish we had spent more than just a couple of weeks. We also really enjoyed Romania where we spent almost 2 months. Glad you found our channel!! 😁 Thank you for watching and commenting. Safe travels.
Thank you for your honest videos. I really appreciate your straightforward and open commentaries as you share your experiences.
Thank you, Nancy. We appreciate the kind words and for you watching our channel. ❤️😊
We agree about your opinion of Greece. We keep on going back to the Cyclades. We originally set an itinerary to explore Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Delphi and Meteora. Santorini was our first stop but we loved it so much that we made as our only stop. We explored and hiked beautiful places during the day, eat delicious food and drink beautiful wine in the evening, and join the busy, touristy areas during our non-hiking days…such a beautiful place.
Wonderful video, again!!
And we totally agree with you about Italy being overhyped... at least the "usual" suspects. However, as someone said, overhyped might be better said as over touristed. HOWEVER, we had an amazing stay in Cagliari, Sardinia last year, as a city-break during our month long stay in Malta (which is underratedd).
Sardinia had everything most people love about Italy, without the crowds. There is history, architecture, food, museums, churches (as if...) and amazing affordable airbnb options. We were in the offseason, so we got a 4 day weekend in an amazing 4th floor penthouse apartment with a balcony under the shadow of the palace, for a song. I highly reccommend Cagliari!!
Thank you for giving your opinions despite knowing they would be unpopular with some. As someone with limited time for international travel, your honesty is quite helpful. I randomly booked a trip through Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey for this summer knowing nothing about the region. I'm more excited than ever to go after hearing your comments!
That is so exciting!! You will have a wonderful time!! Thank you for watching and happy travels!! 😀
Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts & opinions. These types of videos provide a great deal of value to people such as my wife & I who are always looking for the next non-typical place to visit. Happy to hear that you're visiting Mexico City this fall. I will bet my left arm that it will end up making your top-five list for places that you've ever experienced while slow travelling. I highly recommend that you consider staying in the La Condesa area...as that neighbourhood will check off all of the boxes that you have shared are important to the lifestyle that you both enjoy. Keep up the amazing content...your efforts are very much appreciated!
Thank you, Jeff! We are starting to put together our Mexico trip as we speak! Thank you for the suggestion on La Condesa!! Thank you again for watching and commenting!!
Cheers!!🍻
Great video! Added some places to my future itineraries!
Can't wait to see your videos on South America!
You're spot on with the underrated locations. I haven't been to Romania(hope to go this summer) but Portugal and Vietnam were awesome. Personally I love Malaysia and wanted to retire there but Covid ended that. But different strokes for different folks. On a side note congratulations on your 50K subscribers!
Yes, absolutely, there someplace for everyone 😊. Thanks so much, it's a pretty awesome milestone.
I spent some time in Albania last year and loved it. I’m off to Romania in May and know I will love it. Over the last 12 years I have done all the touristy places in Europe plus Australia and New Zealand and now find I go where it is less popular. Loved Turkey so I am of the same mind as you. May hit Vietnam next year. Cheers from a subscriber in Nova Scotia Canada!
Excited for you visiting Romania! We really do think that you will love it as much as Türkiye. Thank you for subscribing from Nova Scotia!! 😀
Cheers!!🍻
I personally like Italy. It is the history and museums. Since they are mostly indoor activities, we chose to go off season, November. It is cheaper and the line is much shorter. We are also from rainy Pacific Northwest so we don’t mind the rain. All popular European cities have the same over rated problem. Expensive and crowded in season.
Great video! I actually loved Italy but I'm so excited to try some of your underated destinations! Can you please do a video on how to get started on selecting an itinerary for a trip? I'm so overwhelmed with picking things to see and selecting where to stay for my next destination which is Portugal. Thanks guys!
Thank you! We will be doing a video/podcast within the next few weeks on how we plan our travels. Not sure that will answer all your questions, but hopefully some 😉. Cheers!
Italy. If the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance aren’t your thing, I can totally agree with you. If, like me, you’re a lover of Italy’s incredible contributions to history and high culture, it’s unmissable. I know it’s ever more crowded. I advise off seasons and staying off the beaten path but with train access to other places. We chose Umbria. We stayed in a hillside hamlet of four houses. The neighbors owned a small albergo/guesthouse a mile away with public restaurant, simple but elegant, and with a terrace for dinners at sunset overlooking the Umbrian hills. Mostly locals came for special occasions. The hotel was a second career for our neighbor, who loved to cook (he was a retired state policeman). They cooked for us and invited us to their parties. Real Italian food. The most fabulous preserved cherries and local wine. Our 16th century farmhouse overlooked olive groves, sunflower fields, and Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal fought the Romans, and farmers still dig up bones from the battle. The train was a 15 minute drive, and then an hour to either Rome or Florence for day trips. We used the car for less accessible places, medieval hill towns, for instance. A little grotto fed by a mountain spring provided our preferred drinking water-someone had thoughtfully put a tap into the rock wall. Some nights from the hills we watched distant firework displays, from neighboring towns celebrating the name day of a local saint. Often, you can see their bones in the parish church. There are ways to see Italy away from the tourist buses if you plan ahead and know where you want to go. Remember, Italy has been a unified country for only 150 years. Each province has its own unique history, cuisine, and culture, of which the residents are very proud. Don’t pass it up. For art and culture-the birthplace of opera!-Italy can never be overrated, in my view.
Couldn’t agree with you more i adore Italy and particularly Umbria
We loved Tuscany! The food, the people, the wine, the landscape, the cleanthlinesss, the history, transportation was easy to do. Venice was overrated - too many people. We stayed in the tiny village of Monticchiello with top notch restaurants. Hospitality at the Villa Poliflora was amazing. Stay in the small towns and do day trips to the larger cities.
Great insights and appreciate your honesty! Travel experiences are always personal and your overrated countries sharing is very helpful as they make us think about countries that we may go to, but have a more realistic expectation if we go there. The more I hear about Vietnam and Thailand, the more I want to go and being in Australia, its on our doorstep - so will visit there soon. Thanks for your great videos.
We appreciate the support!! Travel is subjective. We need to make our way to Australia sooner rather than later. Thank you again for supporting the channel!!
Cheers!!
Travel is very personal. Your education background, your lifestyle, your taste, your travel experiences, your sense of arts , Are you culture traveller or nature lovers etc . Just like shopping clothings, everyone has the uniqueness. 😅😊 As your guys mentioned multiple times, this is YOUR OWN OPINIONS. I like that.❤ Vietnam is POULAR in the states for a long time. Not just the tourism media didn't promoted TOO MUCH . In Asia , Chinese ,Koreans, Japanese etc all of southeast Asian states are their backyards. 😂 So as audience ,we don't have to take yours unique opinions as our choices. We shuold have always find our own uniqueness. But you yuys experiences just add a little bit of seasongs in our travels. Thanks for your humble podcasts ! 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you so much. Yes, we all have our own thoughts on a area... One place that may check one persons boxes, may check none of ours. That's the beauty I see in the world, so many wonderful places, there is something for everyone 😊. Thanks so much for watching.
Thanks!
Thank you, Jennifer!!! We appreciate the support so much!! ❤
Thank you for the videos 😊 My husband and I are flying out of Vegas this coming thanksgiving heading to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia spending 30 days in each country. It’s our first time traveling internationally. Your videos are helping us some much, thank you, thank you,thank you! We are😊 we’re super excited to go!
That sounds amazing!! Good for you two to take the leap and explore the world! Enjoy and safe travels!! ❤️
So excited to learn more about all your travels. Thank you for the post. Loving them.
So happy you are enjoying them ☺. Thank you so much for watching!
The only one underrated you may want to add is Slovenia. It is not on the top of anyone's list but wow it is a beautiful country.
For Italy and Malaysia, completely agreed! What you hear is not quite what you experience in the end :)
Agreed
Teresa and I completely agree on Portugal (we are there now) - loved the Algarve and Lisbon and can’t wait to return. Türkiye is on the list based on your recommendations!
Although I get your comments on Italy, Rome has a special place in our hearts - no hate here!
Can’t thank you enough for your views. We really depend on them to help set our future itinerary.
So happy you are enjoying Portugal ♥. We are so thankful for the time we had in Italy - and Rome had some wonderful sites to see! It just didn't check many boxes in comparison to so many of the areas we've been in that we were so surprised by. Happy and safe continued travels - Cheers!!
Great video (as always)!
Any plans to see South America in the near future?
Thank you! Yes, in winter of 2025 were heading that way.
Love your Videos, thankyou!
You mentioned Croatia, and possibly a cruise, would you happen to have any names of the the cruises you were thinking of.?
Thank you!! We don't have any one cruise in particular but there are several to choose from. This may be something that we have to save for in 2026. 😊
Love your honesty and content. I look foward each week to your video. I cant wait to start traveling in 2025.
Thanks so much ♥. We appreciate you watching and following along. Cheers!
I think the key thing here is to try and have no expectations, but that's just not easy sometimes. Years ago i bought a cheap run down car in Ireland and travelled there, the UK and Europe. I visited 3 major cities to see the famous sights, I waited in lines and shuffled behind the crowds looking at the back of peoples heads just to get glimpses of the attractions. I wasn't getting the experience or feeling any connection that i had hoped for, it was hard work and tiring. It was when i decided to stope going to cities and major attractions and instead drove to smaller towns, villages and the countryside that i truely felt like i was having a genuine cultural experience. There are so many things to do and see if you just dare to taking the road less travelled. I begin my "free life" next year (55yrs old) and I'm excited to start my solo slow travels. I don't know if ill buy a car this time, but it will be interesting and an adventure to see how i manage to get out to the less travelled and unknown places, and maybe visit a major city during winter. Your channel is great! It will definitely come in handy in helping me with my travels.
❤Zeljka
Yes, agree crowds of tourists really does take away from the experience. Getting off the beaten path has been where we've had some of the best experiences. Happy travel planning for your upcoming adventure. Cheers!!
As an experienced solo traveler, I appreciate your sensible, broader approach, away from the better known, stereotypical locations. Your videos are helping me immensely to narrow down, and plan my itineraries. Many thanks, again!
So happy to hear you are enjoying our videos and they are helping you in your itinerary planning. Thanks so much for watching and following along! Cheers
Awesome video. I've been to all of these countries and I couldn't agree more. I would add a couple of places to the underrated list: Bulgaria, Cambodia, Albania, Slovenia, and Indonesia.
We have been to Albania, and we would agree. Thank you for watching!!
Cheers!!🍻
@@BrianandCarrie Almost forgot another 100% underrated country: Georgia. Absolutely a must experience!
Slovenia is magical
Italy, perhaps visit Capri island but stay in Anacapri. Much less tourist and lots to do. There's also an airbnb host who's able to pick you up and drop you off right in front of the ferry/dock.
Positano, have good walking shoes and expect to take 1k + step per day. No car needed. Lots to do.
Amalfi, no car needed. To stay away from crowds, consider Pontone. In between Amalfi and Ravena. You're able to walk to both locations from Pontone. Lots of walking, public transportation very good. No car needed.
Cinque Terre, fast train service between all 5 villages. Lots of walking. Train ride to Portofino to the north. Porto Venere to the south. Many town in between, quick train ride. No car needed, great public transportation.
Lake Como. Stay in Vernazza, less crowded. Short ferry ride to all major villages on Lake Como. Boat rent is very affordable. 8 hours will feel like 3 hours. No car needed. Lots of walking. Close to Switzerland. Take the Bernina Express for a great experience. Stay in Pontresina. Explore the area.
Lastly, Venice. What's not to like (other than crowds). Take taxi from airport. Expensive but what the heck, why not. Get away from St. Marks Square when the rush comes in. Explore surrounding areas. Return early evening for dinner. Late evening, you'll have the places basically to yourself. Try to go early summer for better weather. Springtime can be very cloudy.
Lots of other places but those will be a good start. Once again. Good shoe such as Hoka, Altra, Topo, On Cloud, ect... Your gonna get miles in, at least 10+ on average day.
Great tips!! Thank you so much for adding to the channel!!
One very underrated destination I have been to is Guatemala - Lake Atitlan area is absolutely stunning (Santorini levels without the massive crowds) and I highly suggest you put it on your list. I also enjoyed the ancient ruins of Tikal in eastern Guatemala which are the best preserved Mayan ruins located in the middle of the jungle. Overall Guatemala isn't on anyone's radar but it is a stunningly beautiful country. BTW, i'll be in Vietnam for the first time in Spring 2025, it's been on my list forever :)
That's so interesting to hear - we will have to look into the area more. You're right though, Guatemala isn't on most peoples travel list. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
@@BrianandCarrie”#…heard of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala from a famous quote from Aldous Huxley, the author of Brave New World where he called it “the most beautiful lake in the world.” Comparing it to Lake Como in Italy, he said Como "touches the limit of the permissibly picturesque." Atitlan, however, "is Como with the additional embellishment of several immense volcanoes. It is really too much of a good thing." It’s breathtaking, and indeed, the most beautiful lake in the world. Tikal…. Antigua Guatemala… you’ll find lots of French tourists as it is always the case in places where Americans are rarely seen. The locals thought we were French and spoke to us in French. They have learned it through contact with them.
@@BrianandCarrie If you go to Antigua, Guatemala time your stay to be there in the days leading up to Easter. They have the most amazing religious street processions with big hand carried floats, bands etc. The women use flowers to make beautiful ‘carpets’ at various stages along the cobblestoned route that get trampled by the procession, so make sure to get your photos first 😁. It was a unique experience.
Yes. Guatemala is beautiful. It was a very pleasant surprise. I visited a hot springs waterfall and we stayed at a hotel in the middle of the lake I. The region near Tikal. Actually, all of Central America is pretty awesome.
Thank you for your time and posting. Boy, I'm sure glad you said Vietnam. ;) Have you ever had Russian River Beer from Santa Rosa CA? Named the best in the world multiple times. :)
Brian has had it and has actually gone to the brewery. He said it's great! Thanks for watching - Cheers!!
Hope people take your advice about Italy. The smaller towns are lovely but the popular ones were quite suffocating and we were pleased to move on. We stayed up near the university in Venice which was much quieter and nights walks over the bridges were beautiful and very peaceful.
Don't take any negative advice about Italy. You will find nothing like Italy's level of culture in Romania, nor is the food anywhere close to being as good. Totally inappropriate comparison.
Have been to most of these places and agree with most. The water in the Algarve was much too cold for us! Loved Turkey and would recommend you check out the town of Kas on the coast between Antalya and Fethiye.
We are headed to the Ionian islands of Greece this Fall. We love Corfu and are looking forward to seeing Lefkada and Kefalonia. Have been to many other places in Greece and find the people to be fantastic! Hoping to get back to Turkey and some of the islands off the coast. Besides Crete and Santorini have you been to others?
We spent a month on Rhodes as well. We love Fethiye and Antalya, I'm sure we would love Kas as well. Thank you for watching and safe travels.
Brian n Carrie - thank you for the inputs and knowledge. happy travels to both of you.
Well, we just got back home to Canada from a month in the Algarve, and we have a 7 month trip planned beginning this fall to Brasov, Antalya, Malaga, Alicante, Chiang Mai, ?, Vietnam. Ha! Apparently we have been very influenced by your videos and reviews. We are still unsure about the February slot. Penang/Georgetown and Koh Samui are on the list - appreciate you didn’t love Malaysia but we hear so many good things about Georgetown. Any more locations you think we should consider in the area?
Love it! This sounds like a wonderful itinerary, and as we mentioned, many people liked Penang, just wasn't for us. Hope you enjoyed your time in the Algarve ❤️. Cheers!!
So sorry to hear your Italy experience was underwhelming, but I'm a little biased. I made many port calls there with the Navy, and lived there for two years with the Navy, as well. ANNNND, I'm doing two weeks there with my art-nerd great niece in June.
And thanks for the warning about Malaysia, but it's never been on my list anyway, so ...
Are in Crete yet?
It's hard to explain. It's not that we were underwhelmed as much as we set our expectations so high. We loved Puglia, but we didn't know much about it before we went. Beautiful coastline, great wine authentic small towns, what's not to like? 😀
I love Puglia so much! We spent a week staying in Monopoli and exploring some of the surrounding towns. I can't wait to go back! Glad to hear about Vietnam, heading there in a couple weeks!
Wow, y’all are really cranking out the videos. Interesting perspectives but revealing for the types of experiences that are important to you. I love Italy but some of the points you make are absolutely true. Just got back from Vietnam, you can have it. Because of your video on Antalya I’ve started researching Airbnb for October. Can’t figure out exactly on the map the location of the marina area you suggested. Any tips appreciated. Romania is on the radar. Another job well done.
We can understand why Vietnam wouldn't be for everyone, but we did enjoy it! Look up The Dam Hotel in Antalya, we stayed in the same neighborhood and liked the area for longer stays. Old Town and the marina are about a 10-minute cab ride away. Thank you for watching and commenting! Safe travels!
Great insights! I hope you get to central Mexico like Morelia, Puebla, or even better San Miguel de Allende!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts😉. Cheers 🍻
We will be in central Mexico this fall and plan to stay in San Miguel for a month!! We will also be exploring surrounding areas. 😀
@@BrianandCarrie yaaayyyy! You’re gonna love it😉
@@BrianandCarrie You have to go to Guanajuato!!! I think it's much better than San Miguel.
I could sit and read maps all day, and I could watch you guys talk about places you've visited all day. When you were talking about meeting expectations, I was curious what you thought of Santorini, and there you go, answered that right there. If you ever have a long layover at DFW, I'd be happy to buy you some Mexican food. We do that pretty well around here. Tacos and burritos, even some more authentic fare and all the guac you can eat. 😀
Thank you, Doug! One of these years we will be doing a US tour to explore our own country. We will swing by!! 😃
thank you for your content. this is a 30 minute video. i wish there was easier breakdown, time dots to show which cities you are talking, where people can quickly find which cities you are discussing.
Great video.I use your travel experiences for planning my next travels
Thank you! Happy planning 😊
Loved the video as always. Heard that Turkey costs are increasing. For attractions, minimum wage, taxis. Did you notice it this year.
Yes, we did notice prices increasing for the over 3 months we were there over a 6-month period. Hopefully, things balance out soon, especially for the locals that it has to be so challenging for. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
very surprising about italy .. could be that you had no car explore the country.. places where the true italy less tourism and inexpensive areas.,When i travel I always void big cities.. I prefer the country life over busy crowded areas.
It could be, Anna. We loved our time in Puglia and Tuscany. Italy is a beautiful country, and we did enjoy most parts.
Yes, we walk through many areas, countries. Have walked down through Tuscany. It’s fantastic, I think the majority of travellers are city oriented because that’s where the travel agent sends them. See what is happening to Santorini. The locals are getting fed up with tourists. Recently walked parts of the GR 1, after walking parts of the Pyrenees. Three days never saw another person on the trails. You don’t have to go where everyone else is.
Love Sicily, but it is very disappointing in the amount of constant garbage & lack of cleanliness on the island. I heard the mainland was not quite as bad (Northern area). Thanks for another great vid.
I agree with Italy being overrated. Rome especially. We were just considering going to Lake Como, and then heading straight to Switzerland. But we decided Côte d’Azur would be so much better, and we’ll do Switzerland on a different trip. I will say, we absolutely love Nice, France and the surrounding cities and it’s so easy to travel from Menton all the way to Canne.
@@Andy-hg8dv italy is more as roma tuscanyi and florence
Brian now you need to do the same list based on the beer in each country 🍻
Great idea! Cheers 🍻
I really appreciate your opinions, thank you! And I completely understand how you reached them.
Unfortunately I think quite a few places were AMAZING and are now overrated due to out of control tourism as well. Either way, always great to hear from experienced, recent travelers!
Thank you, Jill! ❤
How interesting. I actually was a bit let down by Portugal - I had super, super high expectations it didn't quite live up to - except Madiera, which I adored any day there wasn't a cruise ship in Funchal. Italy is my favorite country (out of 47 and counting..) I also didn't love Viet Nam - it pretty much just feels like China to me, and China was more interesting, and I was really excited to go to Ha Long Bay, but it was crowded and there was lots of trash floating. Loved Laos, however. That said - love your videos, hoping to go to Romania soon. (I love Turkey, too, have been waiting for years to go back but was a little scared off by the governmental changes since the last time I was there - but your experiences have put it back on my list.) But we don't stay super long in one town (2 weeks is pretty much the max) which might make a big difference in our favorites. (My overrated would be Greece. But I was in high tourist areas, like Athens in Mykonos.)
Yes, it is interesting how we can all have different views on locations. It's not surprising though, we all have different boxes that need to be checked for a place to feel like home. Thanks so much for watching 😊. Cheers!!
Great comments, guys. I'm glad that you just put it out there as your opinions of places which is fine with me as we're all different. Thumbs up!
As for the your minus places: Malaysia and Italy.
Malaysia: I've been there many times since 2001 due to going to the S.E. Asia region almost annually since late 1990s. I'm fine in Malaysia for a certain amount of time. I tend to be more of a Penang person than a KL person and always fly down to Penang after having spent at least three weeks in my beloved Bangkok. I've also been in areas south of KL. As for Penang, I find Penang relaxing.
I seriously considered the MM2H visa back in 2014/2015, but to strategically position myself in the region and be able to go to Thailand and other places more easily. The long-term visa situation in Thailand has always been a mess. But, with MM2H, I would have been granted 10 years to come and go and then I could have continued spending time and working some months here at home, but also would have been able to leave home and easily be in the region for months.
Italy: It's a big country with a lot of regions and a lot depends on where one is as far as one's experience. I've been going there since a young traveler in the 1970s and basically enjoy certain parts. I was last there in 2017. I've been from the north to as far down as Napoli. I've found it easier to travel there as I've gotten older as opposed to when I was a young female solo traveler as I travel the world solo.
Your plus-rated destinations:
Vietnam: I still haven't been. I have had it on the list for decades, but somehow end up in other places in the region. When in the region, I go to my 2-3 go-to places and then try to add one extra country destination to check it out for a few days. My rule of thumb is to only do 3-4 nights in a new place in case I don't like the place. If I like it, I can extend the stay or go back the following year. Instead of Vietnam on one trip, I ended up back in Indonesia. I've been both on Bali, not my favorite, but glad I went back in the late 1990s, and Jakarta (which I really liked) around 2018, I think it was. Hopefully, I'll get back to Jakarta. And everyone that I personally know didn't like Jakarta. But, I was fine with it.
Turkey: I agree with you. I also loved it and need to spend more time there.
Romania: I have put it on my list due to your reports on it. Thanks.
Croatia: It's been on my list for years as my now unfortunately late best male friend had been going there regularly for 2 decades and loved it. He was living in Italy permanently after early retirement in his mid-50s and he and wife would vacation in Croatia. But, he had also vacationed in Croatia solo before he got married 20 years prior to his passing a few years ago.
Spain: I definitely want to spend more time there. I was only in Seville which I loved. I think that was
around summer 2016 or maybe 2017.
Thailand: My heart has been there since the late 1990s and that's where I spend most of my overseas time.
Portugal: I still haven't made it there although I spent whole summers in Europe for a couple decades. But, it's so far away from the country where I spent/spend whole summers, partial, summers, and 2-3 weeks in summer that I never made it down to Portugal. But, in the 1980s, my now late best male friend and I and two of our best ex-pat friends from here, who have now lived in Europe for over 50 years, had a sit down to discuss buying a house there. He and I even went to the Portuguese consulate in the country where we were and were shown on a huge map areas where to buy. Now, I can kick myself for not having bought back then as a house and even a restorable villa and land cost about what a luxury car cost here. I had a lot of friends from here who were going to Portugal in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.
The bottom line is to try a variety of places and various regions in the same country. Everyone I knew loved Bali, but I didn't. And they didn't like Jakarta at all, but I went anyway and really liked it. Just be adventurous!
Greetings from Los Angeles
Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Cheers!!
We very much preferred Penang too, so much so that it was high are our list of possible places to relocate. One perk that KL has over Penang is that Grab is so affordable in KL that it feels almost free. People are very kind in both places but I was completely fascinated by the culture in Penang. Food is super cheap too, as was our lodging. It felt like we got so much more luxury and quality of life there than most places.
I’m not sure if you are still tracking the MM2H program but they just changed it to be very unfavorably, unless you are wealthy. Sadly, we had to scratch that off as a possibility. It is no longer favorable to go on retirement income.
You guys have such great videos and great to hear Málaga already thought of. I’m a future expat there, but also doing world travel. I should share what I’ve learned about Málaga: Benalmádena Costa is amazing and its marina is worth seeing but the city is on a hill😅. (Travelers caught off guard). Fuengirola is a great base with the tram close to the beach, jogging promenade, easy busses. Above Málaga along the C-2 tram line might be a good bang for buck for a long stay too😊 Cheers from Seattle!
Thank you, Brandon. We will be looking at getting back to Spain relatively soon and make sure we do some research on Fuengirola!
You were underwhelmed by Kuala Lumpur but that's fine. The old expat saying was work in Singapore(higher earnings), live in Kuala Lumpur (better for families) and party in Bangkok. 😊 . But you should visit Sabah if you get a chance for a change of scene and see another part of Malaysia. Happy travels.
HAHA!! Love that!! Thank you for the recommendation and comments. We appreciate the support.
Cheers!!🍻
Portugal is looking very expensive this year, so I am considering Türkiye instead ..
Hope you are enjoying Greece , I have Greek Residency so will be back there soon .
Loving Greece so far! It seems that inflation is world wide!!
Another great video, love your honesty, thank you and safe travels
Thank you, Phil!
Excellent overview, thanks so much!
Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
I love your videos. Thank you for the information. My husband and I have been traveling for about a year and we have Greece and Turkey on our list for the fall.
Oh no ~ we're going back to Italy this summer (but only to Puglia) ha ha. Also, Vietnam is on our list! Can't wait for your videos in Greece. Enjoy!
Puglia is our favorite part of Italy!!
Romania definitely on my list. My best friend here in Sicily is from there. Turkey I’ve always heard was great. Porto is def worth the trip, though got mild food poisoning from cabbage soup. I haven’t been elsewhere in Portugal.The crowds are abhorrent in Italy, otherwise I personally think it’s the overall prettiest and food by a loooong shot. It is dirty. The trains are better than most might think. Not always on time, but very comfortable and clean. Slovenia… next week, so I’ll let you know. Btw… I now have dual citizenship, and live in Sicily, near Palermo…. A place you particularly don’t like. Yes, it’s even dirtier than mainland Italy. However the food is sooo much better than mainland Italy.😊you guys are still OK!😊
Slovenia sounds so interesting, would love to hear your thoughts! We do wish we had explored more of Sicily, and tried more of the food 😉. Thanks for thinking we're still okay ☺. Cheers!!
I’m glad you mentioned Vietnam. I spent eight days solo-traveling there in late November 2023. HCMC, Hoi An, Ha Long Bay, Hanoi and others places have quite the infrastructure to handle tourists. It was very easy to travel. I’m going to spend 3-4 days in Romania in July 2024 (along with other nearby countries). Lastly, Mexico will be awesome. CDMX is my fav city and Puebla, Oaxaca and others are all great. The food is amazing everywhere. Happy travels!
We are so excited about Mexico and still finalizing plans. I will look up Puebla, not familiar with that area. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
As a romanian I just cant thank you enough for the good impression you make about the country...and watching your vlogs are a joy : simply realistic and enjoyable ! Salutari from Black Sea Costs of Romania - Constanta
We love Romania and look forward to making it back soon. We hope others will also consider traveling there, as it's such a beautiful country ❤️
Hi guys, great video, thanks for your insight :). Quick one. Are you planning a thorough travel experience through central and south America anytime soon? I heard you mentioned Mexico, but often TH-camrs go to Mexico then off to somewhere else like Europe or south east Asia. Cheers from the UK :)
We are heading to Mexico in the fall, home for Christmas, and then to Argentina in January. We still haven't figured out every place that we will visit so any suggestions are welcomed.
Cheers!!🍻
We visited Santorini, Greece and Thailand twice (and we’re going back to Thailand this summer with our son and his girlfriend), we lived in Korea, Germany, and Japan and yes we drove there too. We’re not interested in visiting France, Italy, Singapore, or Malaysia but we would like to visit Vietnam, Portugal, Turkey, and Iceland (Iceland to experience the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis).
Sounds wonderful! You've seen so many great places ♥
I loved Italy but I wonder if it’s not ideal for budget travel, except for Puglia and the more remote areas. Also obviously not everyone likes the same things which is a good thing! If you don’t love cities, you probably won’t enjoy Rome. I agree with you about Porto, and hope to agree with some of the other places after I get there! Vietnam has been high on my list for a long time and hearing your thoughts makes me want to go now. Anyway, I’m enjoying your videos, thanks!
Italy is not ideal for the budget, but we can balance it out by spending time in places like Vietnam. Thank you for watching our channel!! 😊
Very interesting discussion. I pretty much agree with your views. We are looking forward to your Mexico trips. This year we did 2 trips to Mexico and 1 trip to Portugal. We loved Mexico, but the 'tourist pricing' in the resort areas will move us to central mexico next year. The 'strip' in Tulum will make you shake your head. Its more like the vegas strip than Vegas :) . The new train should be interesting, give it a whirl!
We are looking forward to Mexico as well. We will be in central Mexico for the duration of our time. We may visit the cost in 2025 but haven't heard anything positive about Tulum. Thank you for watching our channel!!!
Spot on assessment of all the places you highlighted. Just back from Florence (meh). Malaysia, especially Penang was so disappointing. Not been to Vietnam so Mexico would be our No1 destination. Got to say, we love some of your city pronunciations. Keep up the good work guys.
We can't wait to get to Mexico. At this point, we've only ever been to the typical more popular beach towns, excited to explore central Mexico. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
I really love underrated spots, and I know there is crowded places with a lot of history but there's so much more to see in other places, I have heard Italy not being clean in areas that would turn me off , I like friendly ,affordable beautiful, clean safe spots to go I appreciate your opinions
It sounds like you may like Türkiye!!
Great podcast team. Thanks v much. Cheers
Thank you for the
honesty and for being so authentic. Cant wait to watch the Mexico videos. Hoping you go hit up Scandinavian countries in the future. More expensive but their values are so what the U.S. needs. Bragging is looked down upon, being showy, flaunting wealth, and so much more responsible of society. Enjoy your Mexico travels!
We look forward to Scandinavia but can't afford to go. You won't have to worry about us flaunting our wealth. 😂
Can you post an overall rating list of countries you've been to so far along with maybe some quick comment on why they landed at a certain rank on your list? Interested in Montenegro for instance. Looking for overall ranking across your global list for places not just individual video reviews.
I can highly recommend Roma Norta and Condessa areas of CDMX. My son lives there and I’ve been several times- both have that great neighborhood vibe. I love the street food but avoid lettuce salads. Gotten sick from that but never from anything else.
Thank you so much for the suggestions and tips...I will be sure to check into those areas when booking. And I'll avoid the green salads, always a safer bet. Cheers
I was meant to go to Porto about 3 years ago but got covid. After watching your video I'm definitely putting it back on my list of places to go!
Porto is one of our favorite big cities!!
I agree with you both regarding Italy, especially the known tourist destinations. Whilst we spent an incredible 12 weeks driving the loop north to the south. The off the beaten paths in Italy we enjoyed the most and the most authentic. Two things that were near impossible to find in Italy... public toilets and picnic tables 😂
Spent 5 weeks in Italy. You are soooo right about toilets in Italy. I just don’t get it.
We are full time travelers. We are in Italy for the second time in 7 months. We now live one month in Genoa (Gênes ). I have a new saying. '' In Rome do like the romains, In Mcdonald's use the toilet even if you don't need it ''
Next time you are in Croatia go to Korcula, nice Island, no big cruise ships. I also loved Türkiye, Istanbul was fascinating.
Your comments are your accurate opinion - don’t apologize. Personally I love Italy but I understand what you’re saying - we like to spend far more time in smaller, lesser known parts of Italy. Yes, Rome, Venice and Florence are wonderful places and everyone who can go there should (off season if at all possible), but it’s crowded and expensive for good reason. We were also underwhelmed by Malaysia, haven’t been to Vietnam and are about to go to Romania.
As much as we stress that these are just our opinions, we still get some negative comments. It goes with the territory. 😀 You will enjoy Romania!! Safe travels and thank you for the support.
Cheers!!🍻
Thanks for the list….will think of some new ones you suggested
You're welcome, thanks for watching 😊
My wife and I really loved Portugal (visited cities like Tavira and Vila Real because of ur recommendation) and found Spain as we expected.
Definitely moving Italy down and moving Turkey and Croatia up. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
So happy to hear you loved Portugal - it's definitely held a place in our hearts since the beginning and we hope to get back soon. Thanks so much for watching! Cheers 🍻
Would you consider sharing details of the Airbnbs you’ve stayed in that you would recommend
We do not share our accommodations any longer. We have learned that hosts change, prices go up and the quality may go down.
Agree with almost everything in this video.
Only disagree with Portugal, but I believe our expectations were too high so no surprise we were disappointed. We didn’t visit Algarve either- only Porto and Lisbon.
Looking forward to visiting Romania someday!
Lisbon was our least favorite place in Portugal. It does have some really great day trips that we enjoyed. Sentra and Obiedos were both really fun places to visit. Thank you for commenting, Lorrie!! ❤
Great video. Its funny what you say about Spanish people not being friendly. My mom went to Spain for the first time recently and had a similar experience. She loved the place, but the people were not friendly. And she is a huge fan of Spanish TV and Spanish shows, so that surprised me.
Brian, it is MAlaga (stress on the first A) :) I know you aren't there yet, but you can start practicing early LOL
Not exactly it is MAL-aga, emphasis on the first vowel.
@@pegan60I am confused. What do you mean? The first vowel is the A, which is what I said. mAlaga.
I wrote it as MAlaga, because in Spanish this word breaks down into three syllables. MA-LA-GA. Syllables in Spanish, don't usually end in a consonant unless at the end of words. :)
Great video thanks. We’re in New Zealand and have been lucky to visit many Asian countries. Vietnam is probably our favourite, with Laos a close second. We’re heading off for a three month trip in July. Pleased to hear that our choices of Romania and turkey are probably good ones. We’re also really looking forward to Sri Lanka.
We have Laos on our list when we return to SE Asia. Hopefully in 2025. You'll love both Romania and Turkey! Thank you for watching and safe travels!
We have Malaysia down for a month! However we're splitting between Georgetown, Ipoh, Melacca and then to Borneo. Looking at other vlogs, it doesn't seem overly expensive, but then we are in the UK. I think with all places, you have to experience them for yourselves. Kinda agree about Italy, but Venice & Lake Como (funnily enough wasn't expensive!) is beautiful
I loved Kota Kinabalu and if you snorkel/dive, you must go to Sipadan Island!!!
Very nice video, really interesting. I would recommend you to go to the North of Spain. This side of Spain it's very much ignored by international tourist. Go to Asturias, Galicia, Santander, the bask region. There are mountains and a beautiful coast line. June to September is the best time to visit.
That sounds wonderful - we do hope to make it there in the next few years and will look into these areas. Cheers!
I understand what you are saying. My dad told me that Morocco was the most interesting country he had been to, so I went 2 years ago and was not impressed at all. I also loved seeing Egypt and the antiquities but the city of Cairo was shocking and not my cup of tea. That is the beauty of adventures, we find great places no one knows about and some of the hot spots are not for everyone. Andorra was a wonderful surprise for me and a relief from the heat of summer in Spain. FYI many Islamic countries around the world it is nearly impossible to find a beer. cheers!
Very interesting to hear your perspective! I thought Italy was overrated as well 😂. Spain from north to south, center to the coastline is by far my favorite country out of the 26 I've been to. I haven't been to SE Asia yet, next October is when I'll start that journey. No plans to go to Malaysia as it's known for not having the best food and that is a criteria that is non-negotiable for me!
We loved Spain - can't wait to make it back. Yes, Malaysia was lacking in food in our opinion. So many raved about the food, but what we realized was the wide variations of different cultures mixed together. We did have the best ever Chinese food there 😂. Happy and safe continued travels!
you guys are so right, many destinations are totally overrated, and are a big disappointment when you arrive. Research is always necessary. Going "off path" is often the best way to travel
Very true! We met with some new friends last week and they said that some of their best experiences have been housesitting up in the hills away from everything.
Great info! We are going to Italy and Greece in September. We fly into Rome and to be honest I would be quite happy to just train straight down to Puglia where we will spend 2 weeks. But the pressure from everyone else …”oh you have to see this this and this in Rome”. Well researching “this this and this” in Rome is making me not want to go there even more! Easier to do skip the line tours they say…which cost a fortune…especially for us Aussies! But when you look at the horrendous lines if you don’t book one of these tours it makes my feet hurt before even standing in that line for hours lol. I think I am like you…prefer the smaller towns. At least when we go to Greece we are just doing a Greek Islands cruise and we can relax somewhat. I have seen those Croatia sail cruises….definitely on my list to do one day! Thanks again for your content!
I hear you about the crazy lines. We did enjoy Rome, but it was December, so crowds were minimal. Greek islands on a cruise will be perfect. Enjoy😊
I admire the way you express yourself.
Great podcast thanks to you both. We are planning a four month trip to Thailand and Vietnam (Da Nang) in June to September this year so we were pleased to see Vietnam featured in this podcast. We have watched your Thailand and Vietnam videos (some twice) and have found them very helpful. We are a similar age to you guys and have similar interests and/budget. We also love to walk everywhere and I love beer 😆so I can relate to that as well. We realise the time of year (wet season) isn’t perfect for Thailand and some of Vietnam however I see that Da Nang is ‘dry season’ due to the mountains so we are hopeful to get some nice weather there. Being the off season also has some cost benefits. We are from New Zealand so we are escaping our winter months. We usually go to Bali this time of year (dry season) but we wanted to try something different and Bali has gotten very busy and not as ‘affordable’ as it used to be. Cheers.
We've heard that about Bali, it's unfortunate 😔. Vietnam, even during the wet season should be great! The nice thing about their rain is most days (not all) it can downpour for a stretch and then be fine the rest of the day. Even when we were there in March it downpoured for a full day at a time - so you just get that. Harder to plan a vacation around, but a long term stay it should be fine. Enjoy your travels!