For this week's post, I thought it'd be fun to rate past vacations on a scale of 1 to 10. I figured this would be a cool way to give a quick review of my experience if you are considering visiting any of these locations.
Disclaimer: A lower rating does not mean I think negatively of the country itself because that would be completely unfair. Every city within a country is not the same, every person's experience will not be the same, and it's unfair to basically say someone's home is not good/worthy. In fact, I would be open to returning to any and every country I've been to (later though lol). Instead, these ratings are a result of a number of factors including the cost, the land and culture itself, my vacation preferences, and my overall experience and I'm more so judging how quickly I'm wanting to go back on my own. So regardless of my rating, I would highly suggest you visit every country on this list for yourself. Now without further ado...
Jamaica
Jamaica was one of the first trips I went on led to me catching the travel bug. I went with my friend and her family to an all-inclusive resort in the Montego Bay area back in 2018. Beaches beautiful! Water beautiful! Weather beautiful! I really enjoyed the resort and the people I vacationed with. And I got to cliff jump Rick's Cafe which was ah-maz-iiing!!! The only thing I would change is staying off the resort to experience more of the country and the culture. I will definitely be going back.
Final Rating: 8 out of 10
Spain
I taught abroad in Spain at the beginning of 2019. I lived in a small town near Valladolid with my host family for almost 3 months. Living and teaching in a small town was the most unique way to really understand and embrace a new culture. But with that being said, I did not actually have a lot of fun in my area. It was a 30-minute bus ride to the city center and 2 hours from Madrid so it wasn't the easiest to just get up and explore with no plan. If I had the chance to teach abroad again, I probably wouldn't go back to Spain and if I did, I would definitely want to stay in a major city. I also got to visit Salamanca, León, Segovia and Ávila, Madrid, and Barcelona while abroad. Of those trips, Barcelona was definitely my favorite city! But am I rushing to go back to Spain...not really. I'd visit Barcelona again though. And I didn't get much time in Madrid so I'm sure I missed a lot.
Final Rating: 6 out of 10
Belgium
I took a quick trip to Brussels, Belgium while I was already in Europe. I enjoyed my time in Brussels and the Belgian waffles were delicious! I loved how walkable the city was and I think overall, it is a really easy place to explore. With that, I also felt like a day or two in Brussels was enough to see what I wanted to see. Based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend Brussels as a final destination worthy of planning a full trip. But if you are traveling to a few cities in Belgium or doing a European tour, it's probably worth stopping by.
Final Rating: 6 out of 10
Portugal
I also visited both Porto and Lisbon, Portugal while in Europe. Portugal was not necessarily on my must-see list but a few other teaching program participants were going so I joined in. For me, Portugal was just okay. There was nothing that was especially memorable for me so I'm not really looking to go back any time soon. But it was cool to experience a new country and try some new foods such as Francesinha.
Final Rating: 5 out of 10
France
I got to take a solo day trip to Paris from Brussels in 2019. While there. I visited the Eiffel tower, ate lunch, aimlessly wandered while people watching, and saw the outside of the Louvre Museum before it was time to head back to the train station. This one is interesting because I'm not sure if I genuinely liked Paris or if I just have rose-colored glasses on making me want to revisit. Either way, I definitely plan to go back for a full trip. It may be in the next year or two or five to ten years from now after my little cousin moves there.
Final Rating: 7 out of 10
The Bahamas
Both times I went to the Bahamas was on cruises but I only actually remember one. Cruising to the Bahamas is a great way to take a quick and inexpensive vacation. Of course, the weather and food are great. And I love the beach when on vacation. But I don't really care to cruise back to the Bahamas again. Instead, if and when I revisit, I would like to fly and actually stay on the island to get a more genuine experience.
Final Rating: 7 out of 10
Japan
Japan wasn't super high on my travel list either but it was #1 on my friend's bucket list so we made a plan to go to Tokyo. I ended up enjoying the trip more than expected and would definitely go back. One of my favorite and most unique travel experiences so far was wearing traditional kimonos while walking through the Asakusa district. Wearing the kimono was more than just a cool photo op because I was able to learn about the intricate process of putting it on and connect to the culture in a new way. The ramen was also delish! If I go back, I would want to see a sumo wrestling show, visit the cup museum, drive Mario karts through the streets, and take a bullet train to Kyoto.
Final Rating: 8 out of 10
This post is getting long so I'm going to stop right here and save the rest for a post next week. Have you been to any of these countries? If so, how would you rate them? Let me know in the comments below!
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