The 10 Friendliest Countries in the World to Travel To
Among the countries I have visited on my travels around the world, these are the ones with the friendliest and most hospitable people.
Top 10 friendliest countries
Below is my personal top 10 of the friendliest countries around the world, based on my travel experiences through around 90 different countries.
Although I have met many friendly people in other countries like Laos, Uzbekistan, Ireland, Thailand, and Greece, these nations didn’t make the final cut.
However, that doesn’t mean you won’t experience genuine friendliness there, or in any other country in the world.
So with that being said, let’s get straight to my top 10 of the world’s friendliest countries!
10. Turkey
When travelling to Turkey, you will often encounter a great deal of genuine hospitality.
Sure, there are often language barriers when speaking to Turks, but the locals always do their best to make you feel welcome in their country.
This is especially true when you travel beyond Istanbul and the main tourist resorts on the Turkish Riviera, with the people in the Anatolian interior, the east, and the north of Turkey being particularly friendly and hospitable.
Expect a lot of free cups of tea and other kind acts when travelling across Turkey!
9. Japan
Japan ranks high on my list of friendliest countries due to its exceptionally well-mannered people.
Japanese people are always polite, and although they might not always offer help proactively, they will do their best to assist if you ask them a question.
The strong social norms in Japan also make it a very friendly and safe country to travel in, as there is always mutual respect between people.
Just be aware of the social norms and cultural dos and don’ts in Japan, as you don’t want to be the loud and obnoxious tourist that the locals dislike when you walk through the streets of Tokyo or Kyoto!
8. Taiwan
I’ve included Taiwan in my list of friendliest countries for many of the same reasons as Japan, namely its well-mannered and polite people.
The only reason I rank Taiwan a place higher than Japan is that English is more widely spoken across the country, based on my travel experiences.
This makes it easier for tourists to have friendly conversations with Taiwanese locals, who also seem to be a bit more open and outgoing than Japanese people.
7. Oman
While the oil-rich countries in the Arab Gulf, such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, can be somewhat brash and focused on money, you will still find a lot of traditional Arab hospitality in countries like Oman.
Oman, often described as the Switzerland of the Middle East due to the country’s peaceful nature, is home to some genuinely friendly and hospitable people.
During my trip to Oman, I met many locals who were not only eager to chat and welcome me to their country but also invited me in for tea or food.
6. The Philippines
One of my favourite countries in Asia is the Philippines, largely due to its friendly people.
Filipinos always have a big smile on their faces and are typically very welcoming and eager to socialise.
What makes the Philippines such a great country to travel in is that English is widely spoken throughout the country, making it extremely easy to get to know the people.
5. United Kingdom
To some, this might be a controversial inclusion in my top 10 friendliest countries in the world, but I do believe the United Kingdom deserves a spot on the list.
There are three main reasons why I think the United Kingdom is one of the friendliest countries in the world.
First of all, British people are typically polite and friendly, and they will always do their best to help if you ask them a question.
Certainly, there are plenty of uncouth characters in the UK, and you might encounter a few Vicky Pollards and drunk hooligans during your travels, but such individuals are generally the minority.
Secondly, British people are generally easy-going and willing to chat, whether it’s with people you randomly greet on the pavement in a small town or those seated next to you in the pub.
This brings me to my third reason: the friendly and fun banter among British people, which you won’t find as easily in other English-speaking countries like Canada or the US.
Although you will find friendly people all across the UK, whether in England, Wales, or Scotland, I believe it is Northern Ireland that has the friendliest people of all.
4. Iran
Another country that ranks high for its amazingly friendly and hospitable people is Iran.
Whether it’s invites for tea or dinner, or people approaching you on the street just to chat and welcome you to their country, Iran truly is home to some amazingly friendly people.
Iran is also the country where, in a single day, you might be shown around a local mosque and madrassa by the caretaker, and later in the evening get invited by other locals to an underground party where you can drink illegally imported vodka.
It just proves that hospitality and genuine friendliness are highly valued in Iran, regardless of a person’s social rank or background.
3. Indonesia
When discussing the friendliest countries in the world, Indonesia and its wonderful people certainly deserve a spot in the top 3.
Just like in the Philippines, people in Indonesia also seem to walk around with big smiles, which helps you feel welcome.
In Indonesia, it’s also very common for random people to approach you on the street just to chat, practice their English, take a picture with you, or welcome you to their country — something that constantly happened to me on my trip to the island of Java.
Perhaps the biggest reason I rank Indonesia as one of the friendliest countries in the world is the incredibly high levels of hospitality.
Whether you stay at a budget guesthouse or a 5-star hotel, Indonesian people working in the tourism and hospitality industry truly go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and ensure your stay is as memorable as possible.
2. Syria
Of all the countries I have visited, Syria is the one I feel most melancholic about, largely due to its immensely friendly people who have since suffered greatly from civil war and terrorism.
I visited Syria twice in 2009, two years before the start of the civil war, and have nothing but good memories of my time in this Middle Eastern country.
Once again, it’s the countless invites for tea and the eagerness of people to welcome you or have a quick chat that sets the tone.
However, there were also numerous instances where Syrian strangers went above and beyond to ensure I had a great time in their country.
On one occasion, two friendly youngsters on the Damascus airport bus insisted that I eat their entire lunch, which they had brought along.
They were also adamant about escorting me from the city centre bus stop to my hotel after we arrived, even though I told them I knew the way, having stayed there once before.
While walking through the great souq of Aleppo (which, sadly, has been mostly destroyed during the civil war), I was suddenly approached in my native Dutch by one of the shopkeepers, who must have recognised from my appearance that I was from the Netherlands.
He turned out to have family living in the Netherlands and was eager to talk about my country, offering me a lot of tea, some free gifts, and even introducing me to other shopkeepers in the same lane of the bazaar.
I have many more examples of how friendly and hospitable Syrian people are, and it pains me to see what the country has gone through in recent years.
1. Pakistan
Of all the countries I’ve travelled to in the world, Pakistan stands out as having the friendliest people.
Kindness and hospitality towards strangers are important in Pakistani culture, and this is further reinforced by the fact that the country doesn’t see many Western tourists to begin with.
Pakistani people are therefore both surprised and delighted to see someone making the effort to visit their country, and they are eager to ensure you leave with good impressions.
Again, this begins with random people on the streets welcoming you to their country, stopping you to chat, or inviting you over for a drink or to share some food.
Some locals in Pakistan take this to extremes, and during my trip to the country, I encountered levels of friendliness and hospitality I haven’t seen anywhere else in the world.
When I visited Lahore Museum, a professor of English from the local university, who was touring some underprivileged students around in his spare time, approached me and included me in his tour.
He then gave me his phone number and the address of his house in a gated community outside the city, insisting that I come over for dinner later that evening.
It wasn’t the only time I was invited into someone’s house during my trip through Pakistan.
Just days earlier, when I was at the railway station in Karachi struggling to buy a train ticket and being sent between different ticket booths, a man suddenly approached me and offered to help.
I was planning to take the night train to Lahore that day, but as it turned out to be fully booked, I had no choice but to spend one more night in Karachi and take the train the following day.
After shaking hands with nearly every employee and having tea with his boss, we went on a fantastic drive around the sights of Karachi.
We stopped multiple times to try different Pakistani foods, with my new friend insisting on paying for everything.
After a great night’s sleep at his family house in a chaotic suburb of the city, my new Pakistani friend drove me to the railway station so I could catch my train to Lahore and even gave me some artwork he had just taken from the walls of his house as a farewell gift.
Of course, my seatmate on the Karachi-Lahore train also turned out to be an amazingly friendly person who immediately bought me lunch upon our arrival in Lahore the following day and gifted me his sunglasses.
Pakistan might not have the best of reputations as a travel destination, but it is home to some amazing people and, to me, it truly is the friendliest country in the world.
Conclusion
In the list above, you’ll find what I believe are the 10 friendliest countries in the world, known for their hospitable and friendly people.
Although some of the countries I listed above, such as Indonesia and Turkey, are frequently recognised as among the world’s friendliest, others like Pakistan and Syria might be more surprising.
However, it is often in these less-visited countries where you can encounter true hospitality.
What do you think are the friendliest countries in the world? Feel free to leave a comment and share your own travel stories about the friendliest people you’ve met on your travels!
