Have you ever wondered which countries are more likely to welcome you with open arms? Just ask these two travel enthusiasts!
A couple from Australia have shared exactly where you should go on holiday after traveling all over the world.
The two women, Rachel Davey and Slovakian Martina Sebova, had visited over 100 nations separately before meeting in Europe in 2008 - so you know that they’re pretty much experts on this subject.
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Before becoming romantically involved, the pair grew close as friends and began to document their travels on a blog, 'Very Hungry Nomads'.
After creating their blog, they decided to embark on a journey that would see them visit the remaining 88 countries recognised by the UN.
So, when jetting off from sunny Melbourne in 2018, they began to tour most of the Middle East, Western Europe and central Africa to get their travel fix.
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Although they were initially able to encounter so many different cultures, Martina says there are some nations that just stand out for having the nicest locals.
She explained: "The people in Sudan and Iran were some of the friendliest people that we have encountered.”
"And most people would assume those countries are really dangerous based on the image [we see]."
Martina added that Eritrea, which is a small nation on the east coast of Africa, was also special to her and Rachel, but even though they have been known to post images of them having a blast, it hasn’t been easy for the couple.
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This is because of the stigmas surrounding their relationship, as currently, over 70 countries in the world still criminalize LGBTQIA+ people - meaning that Rachel and Martina would have to hide their relationship.
She said about her experiences: "We were visiting a lot of countries where even the concept of a same-sex couple doesn't exist.”
"And we didn't really want to put our personal safety at risk at any stage."
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Though they have noted that it had ‘never been a big issue’, with the couple deciding to not disclose their relationship status when travelling.
“We never tried to cover it," Martina added.
But this wasn’t the only issue the couple had to overcome because of their sexual orientation or gender.
There have been instances of some conservative nations declining their visas simply because they were women.
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Though, the couple still love to travel, and won’t let it discourage them.
She advised others that they need to be ‘well travelled’ before embarking on a similar trip: "I think it would terrify me if I had to start visiting every country and I'd been to like 10…I don't really think that that's even viable.”
Since then, the couple have travelled to North Korea, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Bhutan and Pakistan while using any type of transport they could find to cart around their destinations, which included a tiresome 38-hour bus ride during their tour of Africa.
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However, the seasoned travellers still encounter some issues while travelling around the world.
"Rach gets lost in the hotel,” Martina admitted, who also works as a tour guide.
"I always say it's a miracle that she made it through every country. We make a great team."
Britt Jones