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Destinations

'Round the World (RTW)

View the top 25 RTW destination countries. Find general country information, tourism resources, health advice, and an index of affordability.

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Europe

As many of the modern countries of the world are either direct derivatives or heavily influenced by the European empires of long ago, making the journey to Europe is a sort of pilgrimage for many travelers from around the world. Nowhere on earth can a traveler witness such a vast array of rich cultures in such a short period of time.

Today, Europe's backpacker scene dwarfs that of the rest of the world. They created the hostel concept after all, and more than 2000 hostels can be found throughout Europe. As you can imagine, the long history of Europe translates into lots of stuff to look at. You'll see more cathedrals, museums, and architectural works of art than you could possibly take in. Once you get sick of these, you will really start enjoying yourself because the culture and different peoples of Europe, not to mention your fellow backpackers, will be the real treasures of your journey.

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Australia

The most endearing attribute of Australia is the enlightened attitude of it's people. Life in Australia is about living and wealth is measured in terms of social currency, not material possessions. Refreshingly, there is little pretentiousness among Australians. The going joke is that if God walked into an Australian pub, everyone there would be on a first name basis with him before the last drink was served for the night.

For travelers, the true draw of Australia is the lively and diverse backpacker scene... not to mention the hostels throughout Australia are some of the best in the world. Americans traveling through Australia will likely make more close European friends during their Australian adventure than they could by traveling through Europe, itself.

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United States

The greatest thing about the US is that there is a great deal of organization, convenience, and economy built into everything. The typical line of thinking in the US is that bigger is better… for almost everything. As a result, many things are quite inexpensive.

Unfortunately, while the US backpacker scene has a great deal of potential, the hostel selection is still fairly sparse. A hostel in the US is usually a place to sleep - period. If you can suffer through the uninspiring hostel selection, you'll find that the US offers an endless amount of activities to keep any backpacker busy.

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