Asklemmy

antarctica:

• no bad politics
• no wars so far
• people there are mainly interested in science
• no economic abuse or exploitation
• pinguins!
• no air conditioning needed to survive the summer.
• winter is offline time, visitors won't arrive or leave then.
• last place to stay cool during boomers heritage "heat death of our planet"

well sure, it has downsides too. Next Rollercoaster park is -tbh- unreachable, internet connection is sloo.oo..oow (or did they already finish the submarine fibre cable?) and sunbathing basically only brings you frost bites (if you're lucky).

However i am not planning to migrate there.

Netherlands seems to have it's head screwed on

Call me chauvinistic but France is absolutely special in many ways. The diversity of landscapes for a country this size is absolutely mad, not even considering the Outre Mer. The history is insanely rich, the culture is definitely worthwhile, and I'm not even talking about the food and its sheer diversity.

The problem is us, Frenchies, we've definitely lost our spark and are getting propaganded to hell. It's a very sad state of affairs.

Less chauvinistically, I really like Norway and the Nordics in general.

I haven't seen much of the world yet. My dad was set on Germany and later Austria for holiday destinations. When I started going myself I visited Spain, Switzerland, Italy and Portugal. I've also been to Budapest (Hungary), Prague (Czech) and Krákow (Poland). I've been to England a couple of times because of family.

But lately I've been to Portugal a couple of times. I like the Portuguese people, the food, the wine, the environment in general, the ocean... I've taken to learning the language as well.

I prefer southern Europe because a) it's Europe so still familiar but the climate is better, as are the views. But there is still so much to see...

Just vacationed in Belize. Tiny place near Guatemala and Mexico on the Caribbean. It's the only English speaking country in South America; founded by English pirates who wanted to steal Spanish gold. Great food, friendly people, and interesting history.

Me

I'm from Sweden so I'm biased, but I cherish the leadership style in Swedish companies and it's an important part of why I want to stay here. Honesty is valued, you don't get punished for telling the boss like it is. The CEO doesn't act like they're better than you, and if you have opinions you can talk to them directly. I earn more than my boss because I'm more valued in the job market, and he's fine with that. The net effect is that leadership won't go around living in a fairytale and be surprised when a high stakes project fails. Risks are known and can be mitigated early on, and people feel empowered. I haven't seen this in any other country except maybe Norway to some extent.

My favorite country is China. I like that it has a lot of Chinas. There is Shenzhen-types of China with high-tech and Xinjiang-types with endless nature. Also I like China for its politics

It entirely depends on the context.

The simple answer is that my favorite country is where my employment and loved ones are, the USA.

For travel, Probably Spain. I've always felt that the mix of relaxation and adventure is perfect there. I've always loved southern Chile, but it's a bit too rural to feel entirely comfortable. There's always this awareness of how much trouble I'd be in if I screwed anything up.

Scotland, hands down. I feel so lucky to be living here. I was only going to stay three years & then go back to New Zealand and settle down. Thirty-five years later I'm still here. I fell in love with the hills - and the freedom to walk on them - the lochs, the ancient ruins. But most of all I fell in love with the people. Their craic, their warmth and craziness, their generosity, their music. I love that you can talk to anyone and you'll often hear an amazing life story.

I love things like this: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anti-deportations-group-issues-guide-24107754

I love the cultural richness that's come from successive waves of immigration, from Italy, India & Pakistan, China, Poland and more.

I love the food. I love haggis and Arbroath smokies and Aberdeen butteries and shortbread and oatcakes and Tunnocks caramel wafers.

And least I forget, yes, I love the weather.

It depends, each country has something to offer. I really like to go somewhere where you just don't expect something/you have completely wrong picture about it. Just nice surprise every time you travel there. Also for travel it has to have the "I want to go there" factor, when I say to someone that USA is for me no go country because of this they usually don't understand.

I would like to travel across the Europe, each country is interesting, even Russia (but visit Russia before Russia visits you and I just don't want to go there now).

From Asia there are few interesting countries, Taiwan and South Korea.

On Africa I just don't know, certainly I would like to go to Morocco, but some other countries there are on the list.

Australia and New Zealand are also high on the "I want to go there" index.

America's - Canada, Mexico and Argentina

For living I just don't know.

Italy. The people, the style, the food, the scenery, the architecture the art, the music, the history, the culture, the language.

I'm British so descended from a large mix, but a significant part is Italian. I've been a few times and find it so wonderful it's almost overwhelming.

It's no doubt a romanticised view that a few years living there would surely dampen. Maybe I'll get to find out.

Azerbaijan

I don't know anything about the country. I just like to say the name.

Fucking love Mexico. I'm not Mexican, but do speak Spanish... Hot dang it's a parade down the street literally every day, everyone is super out-of-their-way friendly, and the things they make are amazing: furniture, glass, textiles.

I would love to live there but the cartel violence is terrifying, as is the lack of water. Also... They don't want me!

Japan. practically everything I really enjoy comes from there.

New Zealand. The wife & I spent 3 weeks there earlier this year. The people were all very friendly, and the range of things to do & see is just amazing if you’re into the outdoors at all.

I'm an urban type of person so I'm a fan of megacities where everything you need is a short walk/ride/drive away. For Asia, it would be Singapore and Japan. I haven't been around Europe much, but I loved Czechia. I haven't been to the Scandinavian countries so I can't say, but they are definitely interesting to me from an outsider's perspective.

Probably the UK, mainly due to the history. You've got archaeology going back to the bronze age and before, well-preserved ruins from throughout the medieval era, and a very well-documented pre-modern history record.

They had a fairly unique path through global history, from the darkness of the colonial and imperial era, to being the bastion against Napoleon and then European fascism, to the seat of the voluntary and cooperative Commonwealth nations today. They're one of the best examples of just how much a society can evolve, and are still one of a handful of European nations where the far right is struggling the most to gain a foothold. I admire that greatly.

Oh, and I never did quite grow out of my longbows-are-cool phase. And ships. Ships are cool too. And British humour is entertaining. And they like to insert a random letter U here and there for no discernable reason.

Don't mean to be a dick but Crash Bandicoot was created and developed by Naughty Dog, a US company. It was published by Sony for the first several years, though.

Top of the list of countries that I haven't been to and just admire from afar: Peru. Now I'm sure someone is going to come in here and ruin it for me.

I think in the spirit of things I will answer with my favourite country that I do not have any connection to and have never visited: Finland. Finns seem to just go hard at everything. The music that comes out of their country is awesome. Their motorsports culture feels like they actually figured out how to prioritise fun over everything else. The language inspired Tolkien's elvish. Sahti is delicious. The pizza Berlusconi is hilarious, and as a haggis-loving Scot the idea of making a derided local cuisine into high-class excellence out of spite appeals to me. Somehow Finland maintained an incredibly unique culture despite being the battleground of two bigger neighbours for 700 years, and I am so glad that we all get to enjoy the things that they bring to the world

None. Norway might be close but they still participate in whaling and their Nordic model is not as social anymore as it used to be, I've heard. Which is a shame, as I think more countries would benefit greatly from a Nordic model as a stepping block to a freer and more peaceful world.

Three favorites based on region:

• East Asia: Taiwan. Food, geographical diversity, and their unique melding of indigenous and Han, Hakka, and Hokkien cultures that is experiencing a tiny bit of a renaissance
• MENA: Oman. Mesmerizing terrain, complex food traditions, fascinating history and overlapping of cultures and religious practices, a place that truly feels secure in itself. Go watch Parts Unknown Oman episode - it does a decent job sharing the vibe of the place.
• Europe: +1 to France. Never been somewhere that has such a distinct identity and atmosphere as Paris. The universal accessibility of national treasures is a monument to mankind’s potential. Where else can you visit a centuries old castle off of a subway stop and have the place all to yourself? (Chateau de Vincennes)

If it weren’t for the decades of conflict, Afghanistan would’ve been on the list.

Edit: added France

Ive been a fan of australia for a long time despite mad maxand dundees attempts to change it

New Zealand, it has all the good and none of the bad. Never been there but have lived in areas responsible for giving me its accent.