Top travel destination countries? Canada is number one and Nigeria is. . .?

by Jamie Rhein on

When asked the to respond to the statement, “I would like to go to visit this country if money were no object,” Canada ranked number one in a recent global survey conducted by Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brand Index.

Where was the U.S. in the mix of 50? Number 10. Harump!

Steve Stephens, the travel editor for the Columbus Dispatch offered up these tidbits last Sunday and provided the ranking for the other top five choices plus provided some reasons for the results.

From 2nd to 5th in that order:

  • Italy
  • Australia
  • Switzerland
  • France

What’s your guess for number 50? No, it’s not Nigeria.

Number 50 goes to Iran. The people who responded to the survey must not have read my post on how friendly people in Iran actually are or have seen the trailer for I RAN Iran or the video postcards film.

Nigeria is number 49 and lost a second to last place standing to Saudi Arabia.

Estonia was 47 and Lithuania was 46. Stephens begs to differ with these two small countries’ close to last place spots. Pointing out that both countries’ capitals have town sections listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, he vouches for their beauty and interest.

One theory for Estonia and Lithuania’s poor showing is that possibly people who took the survey knew nothing about them so skipped them altogether when checking off boxes for possible destinations.

I can vouch for Nigeria as a worthwhile destination if you can get parachuted in and airlifted out to avoid customs. Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.

Why does Canada rank so highly? Its natural beauty for one thing.

If I could go anywhere in the world where money is no object, I’d probably pick Bolivia–or Peru. How about you?

Which U.S. cities charge travelers the most taxes

by Jamie Rhein on

Perhaps you’ve been one of those folks to receive your hotel bill and you clutch your chest in dismay. “My word! How can this be?” you exclaim.

You didn’t touch your mini-bar. You didn’t use the phone. You didn’t slip so much as a washcloth into your luggage. Still, your bill is well over what you expected. What you thought was a bargain vacation has turned into more than you counted on. How come? Taxes, my friend.

The National Business Travel Association recently released information from its study that ranks cities according to the ones that charge the most in taxes and those that charge the least. Taxes on hotels, restaurant meals and gasoline are a handy way for cities to generate revenue. How much revenue depends upon the city. Some cities are a bargain where taxes are concerned. It doesn’t mean they are cheap cities. Their expensive factor is not due to taxes.

Would you guess that Honolulu is the least expensive city tax wise? Three of the other four cheapest tax cities are in Florida. Maybe there is enough revenue generated by tourism in each of them.

The most expensive city for taxes is Chicago.

Here are the top five cities in each category. To read the report on the other 50 cities, click here. A warning, though. Reading the report can make your head swim.

Lowest

  1. Honolulu
  2. Portland, Oregon
  3. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  4. Fort Myers, Florida
  5. West Palm Beach, Florida

Highest

  1. Chicago, Illinois
  2. Nashville, Tennessee
  3. Charlotte, North Carolina
  4. Seattle, Washington
  5. Houston, Texas

Thanks to Steve Stephen’s recent article in the Columbus Dispatch for this heads up on travel costs that can sneak up on you when you’re trying to budget.

The Barbecue Trail: 500 Miles of Eating

by Jamie Rhein on

The season for great barbecue is upon us. Here’s another barbecue story to add to Gadling’s mix of barbecue (or barbeque) options. North Carolina has The Barbecue Trail. This means 25 restaurants, deemed the barbecue best, are dotted along 500 miles of the state’s roads.

These aren’t the only barbecue joints in North Carolina, there are 100s, but these are the ones chosen by the North Carolina Barbecue Society to represent the state’s varieties. Each place has been in business for at least 15 years, makes its own sauce, and has barbecue that is distinct from the others. If you go to each place, you’ll cover the flavor and style gamut.

Steve Stephens, the editor of the Columbus Dispatch traveled these miles over three days licking his fingers while chowing down on pork. He discovered that his initial idea of just sampling at each place was futile. He couldn’t stop himself and basically ate like a pig. Here’s a link to the video on the trip.

The appeal to me about this trail is not just the food, but the variety of the places and people that serve up barbecue. This is one way to see some back country and meet folks who are passionate about what they do. If you want to take this trip yourself, or to see if on your way to somewhere else you might pass by one of these places, check out the barbecue society’s website. You’ll find a map and more.