Are you feeling overworked lately, Pandas? Have you been Googling vacation destinations by any chance? Maybe you’re looking to take a road less traveled? Perhaps you’re craving something unusual, or you want to visit a place that’s not as popular but has gorgeous scenery, friendly locals, and can offer unforgettable experiences?

Then you’re in luck because some folks recently shared their favorite less-popular travel destinations. A netizen asked, “Which not-so-popular country is a must-visit?“, and over 500 people came up with suggestions. So, scroll down and start preparing your travel itinerary! And if you have a suggestion yourself but don’t see it in the list, let us know in the comments!

#1

Slovenia is absolutely gorgeous -- at least in parts. It gets some tourists but far fewer than similiarly beautiful destinations.

Image credits: AdmitThatYouPrune

#2

Uganda is stunningly beautiful - some of the most lush landscapes you will ever see, incredible wildlife and amazing people. Sadly, it has a terrifying government.

Image credits: iCowboy

#3

Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls & Kariba Dam are a sight, Hwange national park, the Great Wall of Zimbabwe in Masvingo, & Matopos/Matobo National park in/near Bulawayo. And it's safe too. Got a bad rep because of the government, but otherwise the people are welcoming.

Image credits: canyoudigholes

#4

Kazakhstan. Stunning nature and landscapes, a unique cuisine (although not that rich in variety as in south-eastern Asia), friendly people who are really generous to guests. Also, fascinating archaeological sites.

Image credits: Meorazhar

#5

Malta.

Delicious food, it's a sort of mix of Arabic and Italian influences.

Lots of historical places like ancient ruins. The capital Valletta is beautiful, there's also two smaller islands Gozo and Comino, that you can visit.

Theres also extensive public transport, so it's easy to get around if you don't drive.

I can't recommend it enough if you're the sort of person that's into exploring history, food and culture.

Image credits: TheKnightsTippler

#6

Romania - great architecture.

Image credits: Legal_Climate4961

#7

I haven't been but I feel like the Caucasus countries must be pretty underrated: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

From pictures they look stunning and I hear that Georgia has good food as well.

Image credits: Ok_Calligrapher5776

#8

Jordan, Petra is easily the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. Pictures do not do it justice AT ALL. You could fit elephants through the door of the Treasury it’s wild.

Image credits: Johwya

#9

Bolivia. Amazing landscape, spotlessly clean, friendly people, and lots of fun if you want to "party". That was 10 years ago, I hope it's still as lovely because it holds a special place in my heart.

Image credits: cantrelaxneverrelax

#10

My wife and I went to Cartegena, Colombia last year and we have another visit planned for this year. Pretty easy and fast to get to from the US, cheap and delicious street food, friendly people, nice weather year round. Colombia in general is not the same as it was in the 90s.

Image credits: Wakan_Tanka

#11

I don't hear much about Sri Lanka tourism but damn is it beautiful and has it all! Beaches, forests, mountains, ancient temples, wildlife safaris, elephants and leopards and monkeys oh my. It is very safe despite the unrest in Colombo and Negombo, but we didn't go there to see the city. They also really need the tourism $$ because their economy is tanked.

Another cool thing I liked is you can pretty much see everything in a near perfect loop of the country via private driver and train.

I've heard some tourists don't like the food but I love eating curry. The beach areas offer a lot more in that respect with loads of fresh seafood (the boats of seafood in Mirissa!). But I dunno, though I consider myself a foodie I travel to see and do stuff, food is usually just a bonus. I do wish we could have stayed in someone's home with some homemade curry, though we did stay in a hotel that was family run and it tasted good.

We had a blast!

Image credits: blahblahrasputan

#12

Albania. Try it before the massive exodus due to instagram influencers.

Image credits: Sharp_Writing_4740

#13

Paraguay is really cool. The history and culture of the capital city Asunción is really cool. Lots of wars with their neighboring countries over the years - at one point in their history like 90% of Paraguayan men were killed in wars.

The social scene and food are also ridiculous! Freshly grilled meats right from the asado with friends is the stuff of legends. One of my favorite parts of Paraguay was staying put obscenely late at a club with friends and then eating lomitos, this amazing sandwich in a bag you buy in a parking lot at 4 in the morning with about 50 other hungry drunk people.

Plus it is CHEAP there. An Uber across town costs literally like 2 dollars. A nice lunch for 2 will cost maybe 15 bucks. I got an hour long massage at a nice spa for 25 bucks. If you’re on a budget, Paraguay is the place to go. .

Image credits: 544075701

#14

Bosnia! It's absolutely beautiful and such and interesting place history wise.

I'll also say Tanzania. Absolutely beautiful. Zanzibar has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

Image credits: canadian_maplesyrup

#15

Montenegro. Most people go to Croatia. But Montenegro is cheaper and has very similar scenery.

Image credits: hasbuji

#16

I’m in Mauritius right now and not sure if many people know of it (definitely not Americans!). Small island in the Indian Ocean, not far from Madagascar. Super clean and safe, easy to get around in a short amount of time, felt like everyone spoke English or definitely French. Very unique culture blending Indian, African, French and British influence which means amazing food! Seychelles is close too if you want to hit both.

Image credits: Cyhatcher

#17

Laos. I totally fell in love with every last thing about this country. The people are fantastic, the food is killer, and the landscape is just gorgeous. It was really eye-opening learning how badly the US fucked them during the Vietnam War, and how they still deal with unexploded ordinance on a daily basis. I was born at the end of the Vietnam War so had nothing to do with it, but man, I feel a collective guilt for what was done.

Image credits: Westonworld

#18

I've been to Mongolia. There's really only one big city, Ulan Bator. The city isn't really much to look at, there are some good temples to see, as well as some good restaurants, but one or two days there is enough. But that countryside! It's so beautiful. My dad and I went out to a camp where they set you up with a ger (a Mongolian yurt), and you just hang out in the beauty of nature. We went rock climbing and horseback riding. It gets really cold at night in the spring, but there's a wood stove in the middle of the ger, and it stays very warm inside.

Image credits: da_choppa

#19

Czech Republic. It's gorgeous nature-wise and Prague is quite the party city.

Image credits: TriscuitCracker

#20

It's not "not popular," but Austria definitely isn't a country that is on Americans' minds when they travel. We usually hear about and visit Switzerland when we want that mountainous scenery, but Austria has very similar natural beauty with better cities, better history, better culture, and better architecture, all for half the cost.

Image credits: NArcadia11

#21

Somalia. Just avoid the sketchy areas.

Image credits: Disaster_Pleasant

#22

Curacao. I had an amazing vacation there in 2019 and it was much cheaper than the more well known and visited Caribbean islands.

Image credits: humancanvas79

#23

I absolutely love Guatemala. If you can speak even a little bit of Spanish, I would 100% recommend it. Fly in, immediately leave Guatemala City, and set up your base in Antigua. Antigua and the surrounding areas can be a whole vacation alone, but there are also a bunch of cool places that you could do with an overnight trip from Antigua.