Best country to go on holiday to: the first debate; what's missing?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I've been to 5 of them.

[Sporting]

Names?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I've been to the UAE a few times, also Qatar, Bahrain, Lithuania and Dominica.

[ad hoc]

I lived in Micronesia and the UAE. You;d struggle to find two countries so different from one another. One wet (second highest rainfall on the planet), green, poor, laid back. One very dry, desert, wealthy, and very busy.

Still both have something to recommend them for the tourist. Micronesia is verdant, lush, fascinating, with great diving (if that's your thing), beaches, an amazing site of historical interest, fascinating cultures, differences between islands (atolls and mountainous ones, micronesian and a few polynesian). The UAE has some interesting landscapes, especially on the Indian Ocean coast down to Fujairah, dune-y desert over in the empty quarter. And some people like shopping as a leisure activity, which is something I can't grasp, but you can do that there. Plus there are amazing restaurants reflecting the mix of cultures that live there (the best Indian/Pakistani restaurants I've ever been to, amazing Lebanese food, and so on)

[colchestersid]

I've been to the UAE a few times, also Qatar, Bahrain, Lithuania and Dominica.

This is weird, are you my evil twin or something? Those are the same five countries I have been to on that list.

I don't think I would bother going back to any of them - Dominica I'm surprised didn't get any votes as it is very different to most of the other Caribbean islands but little visited and little known (usually mistaken I think for Dominican Republic) and there are no flights from Europe or America

I was only there for three days and had two attempted muggings - the hotel I was staying in were mortified and assured me stuff like that very rarely happened there..

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

This is weird, are you my evil twin or something? Those are the same five countries I have been to on that list.

I don't think I would bother going back to any of them - Dominica I'm surprised didn't get any votes as it is very different to most of the other Caribbean islands but little visited and little known (usually mistaken I think for Dominican Republic) and there are no flights from Europe or America

I was only there for three days and had two attempted muggings - the hotel I was staying in were mortified and assured me stuff like that very rarely happened there..

We went to Dominica in 2017. Stunning scenery, and the only actively volcanic place I think I've been. I think the subsequent hurricane hit it really badly, not sure it was really open for tourism again even before Covid19.

[San Bernardhinault]

I loved Dominica, but I was there about 20 years ago and it may have changed. Fantastic scenery and much less touristy than the other Caribbean islands.

Guyana was less charming, and despite there being a great atmosphere at the test match there I'm not particularly surprised it got no votes. If you like rainforest, you probably have better choices, and if you like cricket you probably have better choices, and if you like Kool-Aid you probably have better choices.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

I lived in the UAE for four years; visited Saudi, Bahrain and Qatar while there. I quite enjoyed my time in Dubai, but I wouldn't care to visit Saudi or Qatar again. I also visited Congo (Brazzaville) on a few occasions. Mrs. VT said that Guyana was a bit of a mess when she visited for work, and I have to visit Comoros and Burkina Faso some time this year to complete a couple of border assessments.

[San Bernardhinault]

This might seem silly, but aren't the borders of the Comoros pretty well defined?

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Yep - I assess the quality of border management information systems - biometrics, compatibility with Interpol watch lists, etc. Also resource management, seasonal trends, and the ability to manage humanitarian crises.

[MsD]

Oh come on, you’re a spy, aren’t you?

[Sam]

I can't confirm whether or not VT is a spy (if I did, I'd have to kill you), but I will tell you that he gave by far the best justification for timing out of a bunch of matches in OTF Chess history a year or two ago.

I've been to none of the countries on the null points list, but would be well up for Dominica (although I hate bachata) and Guyana, and interested in pretty much all the others (least enthusiastic about Qatar).