Top 10 Most Visited Countries In The World

10. Turkey

Turkey, a Eurasian country known for its rich cultural heritage and pleasant climate, is the world's tenth most visited country. The country is endowed with a large number of historical, cultural and archaeological sites and charming seaside resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. In 2016, the country saw over 30 million visitors. The vast attractions in Turkey include 13 World Heritage sites, the vibrant cosmopolitan city of Istanbul, and a plethora of sites that have the potential to be, or are at least worthy of, UNESCO fame. 

9. Thailand

With its sunny, sandy beaches, tropical islands, rich wildlife, archaeological sites, temples and monasteries, Thailand is a global tourist hot spot. The vibrant and lively festivals of country, the thriving nightlife, world-class shopping facilities, and delectable Thai cuisine, are all major tourist attractants in the country. It is estimated that directly and indirectly, tourism generated revenue contributore nearly 20.2% of the national GDP of the country. It is also assumed that by 2032, Thailand will be receiving around 100 million visitors.

8. Mexico

Mexico, a large country found in North America, is well-known for its pristine beaches and world-class resorts. In recent decades, the tourism industry in the country has experienced a whirlwind of substantial growth. With its wealth of culture and UNESCO World Heritage sites, it's no wonder to see why travelers love Mexico. The vast majority of visitors come from its neighbors to the north, Canada and the United States, although an increasing amount of travelers from Europe and Asia also pay visit to the country.

7. Germany

Germany receives a high number of tourists from all across the globe as well as from within the country. The tourism industry in Germany is estimated to contribute 4.5% towards the national GDP and 2 million employment opportunities are created here based on travel and tourism related job requirements. Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg are among the most-visited cities in the country. Visitations to the country for educational and business purposes is also quite common. Several protected areas within Germany, such as the Saxon Switzerland National Park, the Western Pomerania Lagoon Area National Park, and the Jasmund National Park, also attract millions of tourists every year.

6. United Kingdom

With a long and interesting history, as well as rich culture and well developed tourism facilities and infrastructure, the United Kingdom ranks as the 6th most visited country in the world. Tourists in the United Kingdom can generate an income of around $17.2 billion USD for the country. The majority of visitors arrive from other parts of Europe while tourists from the United States and Canada form the second largest group of foreign visitors to the country. The domestic tourism industry in the country is also thriving. London is the most visited city in the United Kingdom, and the Tower of London is the most popular attraction in the entire country.

5. Italy

For many, Italy is one of the dream destinations of their life. With 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, innumerable cultural artifacts, buildings, and archaeological sites from the Roman Empire and the Renaissance periods, along with the quaint Alpine villages and towns in the north of the country and fascinating Mediterranean coasts to the south, Italy is justifiably the 5th most visited country in the world. Some of its most visited cities include Rome, Venice, Florence, and Milan, each with their unique attractions, history, culture and cuisine. Italy consistently ranks amongst the world's most-visited countries.

4. China

The land of the Great Wall of China, the Fiver Sacred Mountains, the Shaolin Temple, the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Forbidden City, the Three Gorges, and other naturally, culturally and historically important sites, China is indeed one of the most coveted tourist destination in the world. The country received 55.6 million foreign visitors in 2014 and profited from a foreign exchange income of $45.8 USD in 2010. China’s tourist numbers are estimated to increase rapidly in the coming years with the World Trade Organization (WTO) estimating that by 2020 the country will rank number one in the worldwide tourism sector.

3. Spain

Tourism is a major industry in Spain, contributing nearly 11% to the national GDP of the country. The majority of visitors to Spain come from European countries, such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Germany. Between the historical cities and towns of the country like Barcelona and Madrid, the world-class resorts at the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of the country, the popular festivals like the Carnival and the Running of the Bulls, 15 national parks, well-developed winter tourism facilities, and a bustling nightlife, Spain is a hotspot of tourist attractions. 13 Spanish cities are also regarded as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, attracting foreign visitors with their unique charm and significance.

2. United States

The United States is vast country serving a large number of attractions to global travelers. Many of the U.S. cities like New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas thrive with tourists all year round. Major natural attractions within the country include the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, the Alaskan subarctic wonders, Hawaiian beaches and more. In 29 states of the country, the tourism industry is among the first three industries generating the maximum number of employment opportunities. U.S.A. receives the greatest number of foreign tourists from Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom and its domestic tourism industry is also highly active.

1. France

France leads the world in the field of tourism. France hosts a variety of places of tourist interest like cities of cultural interest such as Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, the Alpine mountains, ski resorts, beaches, picturesque French villages, spectacular gardens and parks, and more. The country is home to a whopping 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites which are well recognized globally for their outstanding universal value. In France, 9.7% of the GDP is contributed by the travel and tourism sector. 30% of the revenue generated by tourism is obtained from foreign tourists, while the remaining 70% is derived from domestic tourism. Much like France is the most visited of the world's countries, its capital city of Paris is the most visited city in the world.

Best 20 Tips Before Traveling Internationally

Security & Health

1. Check-in with your doctor and insurance carrier. Double check and make sure that you have all of the proper vaccinations and that you have renewed all essential prescriptions. Also, ask you medical insurance provider if your policy applies overseas for emergencies. If it doesn’t, and you want to add extra coverage, consider supplemental insurance.

2. Bring copies of your passport. If your passport gets stolen or lost you want to be sure that you can still get back into the country, or be able to prove your citizenship.

3. Leave a copy of your passport. For extra backup, leave a copy of your passport at home or with someone you trust. Consider making an electronic copy you can store in your email account as well.

4. Register with your embassy. If there’s a problem in the country, this will make it easier for your government to contact you and get you to safety.

Money

5. Look up the monetary conversion before you go. Finding out that one Danish Krone is equal to just 19 cents … bad surprise. Make sure you do your math before you travel to get a sense of where the conversion rate is at.

6. Make sure your credit card will work in the country you’re visiting. European banks have switched almost completely to the more secure chip-and-PIN technology, and fewer businesses abroad are accepting the outdated magnetic-strip cards.

7. Go to a bank or ATM in the country you’re visiting. The conversion centers in the airport or around the city tend to be huge rip-offs. You won’t get charged as many fees at the ATM or the bank, and the conversion will be exact.

8. Always have local cash. Not every place takes credit cards. Especially important places like trains or buses.

9. Call your bank or credit card provider. Sometimes banks think that fraud may be occurring if transactions are suddenly happening in Bali when you’re from Jersey, and they will turn off your card as a security measure.

10. Check the country’s entrance/exit fees. Some countries require travelers to pay in order to enter or leave the country. These fees are not included in the price of your airline ticket, and can range from $25 to $200.

Local Research

11. Buy tickets now for places you know you want to visit or see. By buying in advance you’ll be able to skip more lines, and find more deals targeted toward you.

12. Get guidebooks. Guidebooks usually include maps, key words or phrases, and give you enough detail on certain sites that you won’t need to purchase the pamphlet at the venue. And download apps before you travel. Avoid downloading charges from your wireless carrier and get your apps before you leave.

13. Research events going on while you’re there. This will help you make sure that you’re not missing the best events going on in the city — fun things like festivals, ceremonies and natural events. Also be sure to research as a few national dishes to try. You don’t want to leave the country without experiencing what its known for.

14. Bring a charger adapter. Countries have different size plugs and voltage. So if you want to use your iPod, make sure you can charge it.

15. Check the voltage of your electronics. From my own experience I know that nothing is worse than having an adapter and still not being able to use a blow-dryer or a straightener because the voltage isn’t high enough for that country.

16. Activate your phone’s global capabilities. There’s usually a charge for doing this, but it is much less than the roaming charges you’ll get if you don’t.

17. Download Travelzoo app. The Travelzoo app can help you find great deals in a variety of countries, and has options from local deals to transportation options.

Luggage & packing

18. Pack an extra set of clothes in your carry-on bag. Don’t be one of those travelers decked out in J’adore Paris apparel because the airline lost your luggage and you have nothing else to wear.

19. To check a bag or not to check bag. Each airline has its own set of guidelines as to how many bags can be checked or carried on for free. Make sure to look up what your airline’s rules are to avoid any incremental fees.

20. Bring snacks. Traveling abroad is fun, but eating in a foreign country can sometimes become a task. Bring small snacks that will tide you over until you find that perfect restaurant or food cart.

Best 6 Ways to Reduce the Cost of a Disney Cruise Vacation

Disney Cruise Line is also one of the pricier cruise options out there. Now that kids are back in school, it is a more affordable time to cruise with Disney but if you’re looking for even more savings, here’s a few ways to reduce the cost of a DCL family cruise vacation:

1. Choose an Inside Cabin

Inside cabins are always the cheapest on any cruise line. Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have magical portholes in their inside staterooms so it doesn’t feel as closed in and dark as you may think inside cabins do.

2. Look for a Restricted Guarantee Room or Secret Rooms

If you are willing to book last minute (usually 75 days prior to departure) you can choose a “restricted guarantee” room on select sailings. You won’t be able to choose your room and you will be assigned a stateroom only a few days prior to sailing.

We booked an Inside Stateroom (category IGT) 60 days prior to departure and saved around $400 that way.

There are several restrictions however when booking under this “restricted guarantee” – including full payment due at time of booking, booking is non refundable and non transferable, name changes and stateroom category changes are not allowed after a confirmation number has been issued.

There are secret rooms on Disney Magic and Wonder where views are slightly obstructed and you’ll save a few dollars if you request them in advance. The secret porthole rooms (Category 10) are inside staterooms without a window but they have a porthole with an obstructed view.

Booking a secret verandah room (rooms that have a private deck but the view is a little obstructed) means you pay a bit less than guests in rooms with unobstructed views. You pay Category 7 prices instead of the usual Category 6 prices which are higher.

Disney Magic and Wonder have “secret porthole rooms” which are inside staterooms without a window but they have a porthole with an obstructed view. These Category 10 rooms can be requested but you will have to book way in advance to get them.

3. Check the Special Promotions Section Regularly

Depending on the time of the year, families can save a lot booking under a DCL promotion.

Last year while we were researching our options we saw a “children sail free” promotion on any cruises departing from Galveston, Texas and a few weeks later there was Canadians were offered a percentage discount off on cruises departing from Miami.

They’re always running a promo (US Military, Children Sail Free, Canadian Residents, Florida Residents are the most popular ones) so remember to check the Special Offers section of the Disney Cruise Line website regularly.

4. Use a Travel Agent

I tend not to use travel agents for most trips but for something like a cruise, I often book with a travel agent because of the extra discounts and freebies they include.

Travel agencies can offer additional discounts on top of what you see on Disney’s website. I’ve seen travel agency offering stateroom credits, photo packages and Disney gift cards to help offset some of the costs once you’re on board.

Last year we booked our Disney cruise with a travel agent and received a complimentary photo package and a small on board credit. It’s not a ton of savings but still one less thing to purchase while on board.

5. Skip the Drink Package

Soda, lemonade, milk, hot tea and coffee are all complimentary on a Disney cruise. Unlike other family-friendly cruise lines who sell drink packages to their guests, these non-alcoholic drinks are available from 24/7 dispensers inside their buffet restaurants as well as on the pool deck.

Many people don’t know this but Disney Cruise Line lets you bring your own alcohol on board. This is a big money saver as you don’t have to spend extra on alcohol during the cruise – as that’s where cruise lines make their money.

Passengers (21+) may bring two bottles of unopened wine or champagne (750 ml or less each) or six beers (12 ounces or less) on embarkation day and in each port of call. Alcohol must be carried in a day bag or carryon luggage (any bottles found in checked luggage will be taken away and stored until the end of the cruise).

There is a $25 corking fee should you bring a bottle of wine into the dining rooms or specialty restaurants like Palo or Remy but it is still relatively affordable compared to ordering off of their drink menu. We brought beer and wine on board without any problems on all of our previous cruises.

6. Book a Future Cruise Before You Disembark

Take advantage of re-booking bonuses before you disembark your Disney ship. You can save hundreds of dollars just by booking a cruise while on board. On top of that discount, you will also get on board credit depending on the number of times you’ve sailed with Disney Cruise Line. We booked a future cruise during our Disney Dream cruise and saved around $800 on what was being advertised online!

The Best Educational Travel Companies for Curious Travelers

I once took a history-focused tour of Israel with a guide who hated questions. He would deliver short lectures on each destination and then growl, “Proceed.”

Then, halfway through the tour, we got a new guide, Lior. He loved history. He welcomed discussion, even when it came to Israel’s complicated political past and present. And he turned the tour completely around for us.

There’s an easy way to find a guide like Lior: choose a company that specializes in educational tours for adults. What sets these apart from traditional guided tours? First, the depth of knowledge. Leaders of educational tours are subject matter experts — in the case of museum travel programs, they may be among the world’s foremost authorities on a destination’s architecture, art, ecology or history. And second, the other members of your group will probably be a lot like you: well-read, curious and adventurous.

There are a few drawbacks to educational tours, of course. You may not have many opportunities to go off and do your own thing. Solo travelers are generally welcomed, but may be paired with a roommate or face paying a supplement. Educational travel can be expensive, too, although keep an eye out for deals when you book last minute.

A Few of the Best Educational Travel Companies

The best-known of all educational travel companies is the nonprofit Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostel. Founded in 1975, Road Scholar runs tours in 150 countries and all 50 states.1 Its tours tend to be affordable, too; Road Scholar says participants can save 20 percent, on average, compared with tours run by commercial operators. How can you choose from among 5,500 tours? Start with Road Scholar’s most popular offerings, which include tours of Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Sicily, Southern Italy, Australia and New Zealand. And if you’re in the mood for a truly grand adventure, consider Road Scholar’s World Academy tour: Voyage around the world in 115 days, visiting 25 countries. Fares start at just under $40,000.2

Go Ahead Tours, part of EF Education First, promises small tour groups of 14 to 35 travelers, led by both an experienced tour director and local guides who know everything about their cities. In addition to the usual destinations, Go Ahead offers some unique specialty tours. “The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation” traces Martin Luther’s footsteps across the Czech Republic and Germany.3 “Wines of Eastern Europe” takes travelers to abbeys, villages and vineyards in Budapest, Vienna and Prague.4 One nice perk: Go Ahead will let you travel free if you organize a group of six to travel with them.5

If you share Indiana Jones’ fascination with ancient artifacts, an archaeological travel tour might be perfect. Organizations like The Archaeological Conservancy and Andante Travels can take you to see Mayan pyramids, Cambodian temples, the Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan and even the secret archives of the Vatican. One archaeological tour that intrigues us is here in the United States: an exploration of the Empire of Cahokia. Scientists are still investigating the massive, thousand-year-old earthworks of Cahokia, which today stand just outside of St. Louis.

Amazing Museum Travel Programs

Museum travel programs led by expert curators are an ideal way to learn about art and architectural history. Travel with The Met is the prestigious travel program run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “More than just a vacation, a Travel with The Met international exploration combines curatorial expertise and behind-the-scenes viewing arrangements with spectacular itineraries and interesting companionship,” the Met says.6 The Met runs about two dozen tours per year to places you’ve probably never been. In 2017, destinations included Morocco; Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan; and the Balkans. Some tours are voyages aboard the 1931 sailing ship Sea Cloud.

Smithsonian Journeys is a museum travel program run by the Smithsonian Institution, offering more than 350 departures on seven continents. Take a close look at the Smithsonian’s special interest tours, which cater to unique and unusual passions. The “Inside the Russian Space Program” tour flies participants to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a VIP viewing of the manned launch of a Soyuz spacecraft.7 The “Italian Cars” tour takes travelers behind the scenes at the Lamborghini and Maserati factories, then culminates with the Mille Miglia vintage racecar rally.8 For parents, kids and grandparents, Smithsonian Journeys also offers family tours of Peru, Japan, Alaska and Ireland, among other places.

Museum travel programs aren’t all lavish international trips, however. Many museums run educational tours of U.S. cities and regions. The Art Institute of Chicago, for instance, has offered a three-day “Art and Architecture of Harbor County” program that includes viewings of a private contemporary art collection, a visit to artist Fred Olsen’s studio, and local galleries and art centers.9 Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts has a three-day trip to coastal Maine that visits Winslow Homer’s studio and the home of the Wyeths.10

Don’t assume that because you’re part of a tour, you’re protected against travel emergencies. Smithsonian Journeys tours, for instance, include emergency evacuation insurance and access to emergency assistance service; but that’s it.11 Robust travel insurance can protect against unexpected, but all too common, travel crises: covered medical emergencies, cancelled flights and lost luggage. Get a quote for your next adventure!

Richmond-based travel writer Muriel Barrett has a terrible sense of direction, and has spent many happy hours getting lost in Barcelona, Venice and Jerusalem. Her favorite travel memories all involve wildlife: watching sea turtles nest in Costa Rica, kayaking with seals in Vancouver and meeting a pink tarantula in Martinique.

Can you get travel insurance after you purchase your plane tickets?

For most travelers, looking into travel insurance raises all kinds of questions. What type of insurance will I need? How much will it cost? How much coverage will I really need on a specific policy? In planning for your trip, you need to arrange for accommodations, air tickets, or car rentals some time before actually going on the trip. Most seasoned travelers would have acquired travel insurance as they are making travel arrangements. Still, more people wonder.

Can I still get travel insurance even after I’ve purchased my plane tickets? 
The good news is that, in most cases, you can obtain travel insurance up until the day before your trip actually begins. You can definitely purchase travel insurance even after you buy the plane tickets. In fact, it may be better to do this, so the insurance company knows exactly when and where you will be leaving on your trip as well as when you will be returning home.

Keep in mind that it’s always best to make sure you obtain travel insurance as quickly as possible. Most travel insurance policies don’t actually go into effect right away so you’ll end up beginning your trip without immediate coverage and that’s always risky. Since most plane tickets are purchased in advance, the same should be done with travel insurance. Most travel agencies will actually purchase plane tickets and insurance policies almost simultaneously.

This applies to all types of insurance as well so it shouldn’t be a factor in deciding what type you need. Single trip insurance is designed to cover a single trip like a holiday or a family visit. Usually these trips are planned far in advance so obtaining insurance after buying your plane tickets isn’t usually a problem.
Then you have annual trip travel insurance. This is designed to cover people who make multiple trips per year. Annual trip travel insurance is also suitable for people who go on frequent trips or take more than a few vacations every year. As usual, there should be no issues purchasing travel insurance after you buy a ticket.

Long stay travel insurance is the same. This type of coverage covers trips that are actually quite long – anywhere from 3 to 18 months – and often the traveler does not arrange a return date because they will be staying so long. Some people worry that this will make it hard for them to keep the insurance when they do buy their return ticket, but once again, usually ticket purchases do not affect a policy.

There’s a lot to worry about when it comes to travel insurance even for the most experienced traveler. There’s no reason to worry too much because you can definitely purchase a policy even after you buy plane tickets.

Most Expensive Travel Destinations in the World

No trip is the same, but the most expensive travel destinations will not surprise: small Scandinavian cities like Copenhagen and Oslo are still more costly than almost anywhere; New York still costs an arm and a leg. There's more: anywhere that has ever effectively colonized the world is probably going to cost a pretty ha'penny; anywhere Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and George Orwell have all been "down and out" around the same time that a global fine dining guide was being published is still going to draw tourists every month of the year; and anywhere that has built an entire economy around tourism is going to be competitive. For the ten most expensive travel destinations, read on.

10. Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo has the largest metropolitan economy in the world and mixes a futuristic cityscape, scores of nightlife and business districts with an impeccably preserved past in the five districts of Old Tokyo. With respect to their astonishingly sophisticated gourmet scene, homegrown fashion designers and the other multitude of local cultural industries leading the world, Tokyo is a glimmering example that discipline is art and art is commerce. So it ain't cheap. Depending on the neighborhood, a four-star hotel will cost around $300 per night, taxis are just ridiculous and a night on the town will leave all but the wealthiest sober or poor. The only reason Tokyo isn't higher on this list is because the Yen has been weakening against the U.S. dollar.

9. Cancun, Mexico

Despite being in a relatively inexpensive country to visit and reside in, Cancun is remarkably more costly than the rest of Mexico because of its clout: white sand beaches, turquoise waters, a coastline studded with world-class luxury resorts and tons of ancient tourist attractions like the Mayan ruins, ritual sites, lush jungles and more. That being said, backpackers and hostel-hoppers do not tend to hop into Cancun, as a lot of their businesses are built around resort life and a night following the resort life, including hotel, dinner, cocktails and taxi, can get pretty expensive.

8. Copenhagen, Denmark

With its large number of Michelin-starred restaurants, happening clubs that stay open all night, a wide variety of diverse but no less expensive accommodations, vibrant pedestrian malls both hyper-modern and historic, Copenhagen is certainly more expensive than many (many) other cities. But there are many ways to experience the city on a light wallet, namely buying alcohol in the grocery store and imbibing in a hotel room or in public, or exploring the bohemian neighborhood of Christianshavn.

7. London, England

London might not rule the world anymore, but it's still one expensive city. The pound is nearly double the rate of the U.S. dollar. If you don't look at the currency symbol next the numbers, it seems cheap – but it's not. The London Olympics added more to London's infrastructure and drew international attention, and of course, there will never not be Anglophiles flooding into the Tower of London or Abbey Road Studios invariably seeking the ghosts of John Lennon or Anne Boleyn (ghosts adjusted to taste). That being said, transportation and hotels are a huge cost for visitors.

6. Sydney, Australia

Sydney is an expensive city in an already expensive country, Australia. The Australian dollar has become stronger and stronger in recent years, which means that now living in Sydney and Melbourne is more expensive than living in Copenhagen, Hong Kong or New York City. So what does this mean for the traveler? Well, besides the exorbitant plane ticket, it means beers are upward of $10 and everything else costs an arm and a leg too. The country's minimum wage is more than AUD$16, after all.

5. Paris, France

Another city romanticized for its former starving artists, Paris, has turned to be quite the economic hub. It's much harder to be down and out these days when a cocktail costs 20 euros! With 28 million newlyweds, Francophiles and other tourists flooding the cobbled, art-laden streets of St-Germain-des-Prés or along the banks of the Seine towards the Notre Dame Cathedral, the city's hospitality industry is going through the roof. An average night in a decent hotel costs approximately $360, which means a couple could spend up to $550 per day from evening into the morning.

4. New York City, United States

The running joke in New York is that an apartment in Manhattan will cost you your soul, which roughly translates into $2000 per month per shoebox – Murphy bed not included. The Greenwich Village artists have relocated to Williamsburg in the last 40 years, while Manhattan has been sacrificed to the likes of Donald Trump, Jay Z, Wall Street finance guys and whoever's still hanging onto rent control. What does it mean for travelers? Well, a helluva lot for a semi-decent hotel. With its constant stream of tourists filling the lobby of the Empire State Building and flooding into Momofuku, a four-star hotel averages out to $325 a night. Visitors to New York should bank on spending an outside amount of about $550 per couple a night – that's with dinner, cocktails and cab ride.

3. Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, with its glimmering waterfront, remarkable stone architecture, over a hundred museums and large inner-city parklands, is an obvious choice for Scandinavian vacation getaway. It's also a rich city in a nation with its own currency (no Euro), which means that it's incredibly expensive.

2. Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich, Switzerland, is the city that never quits. Through the comfortable summer and powdery winter, Zurich's tourism remains the same – at least for the well-heeled travelers who find themselves there. From skiing in the Alps to lounging on Lake Zurich, even the outdoorsy nature activities are expensive, but in town, visitors can expect to pay just over $300 for a four-star hotel for one night, on average $40 for a cab and the average cocktail or beer costs $11, but if you think about it, that's really a drop in the bucket for the Alps crowd anyway.

1. Oslo, Norway

Oslo, like many of its Scandinavian counterparts, is small and exorbitantly expensive – the most expensive, in fact. Which isn't surprising considering Norway is oil rich on a level that has its per person GDP in the Qatar range. All it means is that if visitors want to check out the Scream by Edvard Munch in person or dig around their other remarkable arts and cultural hubs, they'd better remember to pack their wallets (with black cards).