Oftentimes I get asked about my favorite countries (Iceland, Bosnia, and Estonia), but I feel that on the flip side of the coin, nobody asks about the countries I didn’t like. As with most things, this is incredibly subjective and is based on the short sample size I had in each of my 28 countries. I’d also like to say that these particular countries aren’t necessarily bad places, but in terms of my likelihood of going back there, I don’t know if I’d consider them for the conceivable future.

• Hungary. Yes, this might be a bit unfair as I went there back in 2010 as a teenager, but to be honest, I still don’t think I’d be chomping at the bit to return. Yeah, things probably have changed, but at least when I was there, something felt…off. Budapest is a lovely city, but there’s something about it that doesn’t attract me.
• Slovakia. This also was part of the Central/Eastern Europe trip I embarked on back in high school, so this again is subject to teenage bias/the effect of time on my memory, but there really wasn’t much there. Sure, we were in Banská Bystrica in the central highlands, but I’m told the capital of Bratislava isn’t a must see; some people even have said that a single day is enough.
• Poland. For the third entry in a row, this county featured in the same trip’s itinerary. Look, it wasn’t necessarily a bad country and I did enjoy the time there in Krakow. Seeing the architecture and soaking up all the history was incredible! Having said that though, I feel that I’ve never once had much of a desire to even consider going back; and yes, I know this is a bit of a shallow thing to say. All in all though, it felt like there was s direct correlation between checking off the stuff to do on your list with your motivation for returning.
• Cyprus. Now this is incredibly fresh in my memory, given how I spent an extended weekend there last month. I just felt that after you get through going to the sites, if it’s too cold to go to the beach, then you’ve really got minimal amounts of things to experience. For a better insight, you can read my summary of that trip here.

Look, I know it seems like I’m dumping on eastern Europe here, but I do actually love the region. I just can’t lie when I say that these particular countries are cool, but just not my cup of tea. As time, money, and a sense of a maturing attitude towards travel can and does play a big factor, I’m sure I’ll gradually overcome this view harbored towards these four lands. Until then, I’ll be looking at other destinations.