Luca Pferdmenges has visited 190 countries out of a possible 195 in the world – which means he knows a thing or two about the good, the bad and the ugly of travel destinations.
And he hasn’t kept his thoughts to himself. The 22-year-old German, a professional juggler and a world traveller since the age of 15, revealed which countries are his favourites, which are under- and overrated, the nations with the best and worst food and which are the cheapest and most expensive.
Having already visited every country in Europe (Finland completed his conquering of the continent two years ago) he also shared the European countries he considers the most dangerous – and the one that is his least favourite.
And the country that gets this last unwelcome honour? Belgium.
Luca Pferdmenges has visited 190 countries out of a possible 195 in the world and revealed his top picks – and his least favourite European country: Belgium. He’s pictured above at the Brussels Atomium
Left: Luca in Tel Aviv, Israel, which he says has some of the best food in the world thanks to its ‘vegan Middle Eastern cuisine’. Right: The traveller wearing traditional Bhutanese clothes in Paro, Bhutan, one of his favourite countries
The traveller in Somaliland, which he says is one of the most dangerous countries he’s visited
Luca says: ‘It just feels super unsafe at night in my opinion – and I’m talking about Brussels here. And many of the Belgian cities are pretty ugly as well. Grey and depressive, especially in winter.’
When it comes to the most dangerous places in Europe, he remarks: ‘Avoid Brussels North at night. But Paris, London or Frankfurt aren’t much better at night, either.’
His top tip for tourists who want to visit the region?
Luca says: ‘Don’t just go to France, Italy, Greece and Spain. There are 40 other countries worth being explored.’
The adventurer says he was shocked by how overlooked some of these countries are, commenting: ‘It’s surprising how little recognition places such as Montenegro or Slovenia get. They are some of the most beautiful countries in the world – and cheap – but nobody visits them.’
What about his thoughts on countries worldwide? Which nations does the performer-turned-content creator think are overrated?
Luca says: ‘Egypt, France, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, most of the Caribbean Lesser Antilles. They’re often very touristy and often don’t have much besides pretty beaches.
‘Egypt is the most annoying country for tourists in my opinion. The Caribbean is super-overrated – the Lesser Antilles, at least.’
And, the most underrated?
‘Uzbekistan and some others in Central Asia, Baltic countries, Myanmar, North Macedonia, Bhutan, Montenegro and most countries in Latin America,’ the nomad comments.
Luca is seen here at Bhutan’s Tiger’s Nest Monastery
The jet-setter is seen here (left) in Ma’aloula, Syria, with friends Philipp Buehl and Sophia Seidl and in Mexico City (right) – he says Mexico has the best food overall
The Maldives is ‘overrated’ says Luca, pictured here in Thoddoo, noting that certain countries are ‘often very touristy and often don’t have much besides pretty beaches’
‘People usually forget they exist, but they’re often way more exciting and more affordable than the “classic tourism destinations”. Especially hidden gems like Bhutan and Myanmar. They are really unknown, but some of the prettiest countries in the world.’
So which is his favourite country in the world?
He finds it hard to choose, and says: ‘My favourite places overall – in no particular order: Mexico, Brazil, Israel, Spain, Bhutan, UK, UAE, Portugal, Austria.’
When it comes to food, he rates Mexico as the top spot among some honorable mentions.
Luca explains: ‘The best for food, in my opinion, are Israel, for its vegan Middle Eastern cuisine; Lebanon, also for its Middle Eastern cuisine; Ethiopia, for its Injera [a type of bread]; Germany and UK, for the supermarkets; Mexico, overall; and all Mediterranean cuisine.’
And, the worst nations for food would be?
He says: ‘Poor countries with no options. Places like Haiti or Chad. As a vegan, the Balkan countries also suck when it comes to food.
Luca with local children in Bangui, Central African Republic. He says that ‘lots of African countries’ are dangerous, ‘especially for women’
Left: Luca standing by the Poikalyan Madrasah in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, which he says is ‘underrated’. Right: He strolls in Kiribati, an island in the central Pacific Ocean. He says: ‘All small Pacific island nations have the worst and unhealthiest food’
‘All small Pacific island nations have the worst and unhealthiest food overall since everything needs to be imported and nothing grows on the islands.’
What about the cost of living? Which were the least and most expensive countries to visit?
Luca notes: ‘The cheapest countries: Afghanistan – but I visited before the Taliban takeover – [where] a plate of street food was 11 cents [9p/12c USD]) ; Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.
‘The most expensive countries: Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Israel, New Zealand. But there is so much data for this, my answers are inevitably biased.’
Luca does warn that some countries and cities feel safer than others. But which felt the most dangerous?
Luca in Petare, Venezuela, which he says is ‘the most dangerous ghetto in Latin America’
Luca at the Gates of Hell (a burning natural gas field) in Turkmenistan, one of the 190 countries he has visited since he was 15
The traveller ventured to Petare, Venezuela, which he says is ‘the most dangerous ghetto in Latin America’, and added that other risky places included Haiti, Yemen, Somalia, Papua New Guinea, and ‘lots of African countries, especially for women’.
Discussing his mega-adventure, Luca notes: ‘Travelling to every country in the world is extremely challenging, time-consuming and expensive. Would I recommend it? Absolutely not.
‘The first 100 or 130 countries are usually a lot of fun – you can choose the places you really want to travel to. Towards the end, you are left with some of the toughest places to visit. Some are dangerous, some are expensive – most are a mix of both.
‘Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy my life as a content creator, otherwise I would not do it. I love it. The freedom it gives me is insane and I am very grateful to be able to travel for a living.
‘But let’s be honest: Has it always been my dream to visit Chad? What about Afghanistan, Djibouti or Guinea-Bissau? Some countries I only visit for the sake of literally visiting every country, not because it was always my dream to go there.
‘But that’s exactly what I love about it. I am always exposed to new environments and cultures.’
And some, the traveller discovered, have practices that some might consider slightly alarming.
Luca sits with a local in South Sudan, where he says the Mundari Tribe ‘live alongside their cattle’. Here, the intrepid traveller experienced a cow-pee shower
Left: Luca has spent a lot of time in the UK and says it’s one of his favourite countries. Right: The traveller in Haiti, one of the countries he considers the most dangerous
He reveals: ‘Just one week ago, I was visiting the Mundari tribe in South Sudan. They live alongside their cattle, it’s the biggest resource they have. I became the first tourist to actually follow through with their morning routine of showering in cow’s p**s.
‘Since water is scarce, the Mundari Tribe wash themselves in cow pee. You literally just spot a peeing cow, sit beneath it and enjoy a warm morning wash.
‘Experiences like this one are what makes this mission so fun for me. Whether it’s riding the famous Iron Ore cargo train through the Sahara desert in Mauritania, staying with indigenous Kalinago people in the rainforest of Dominica, partying all night in Mexico City or attending a funeral in the least visited country in the world, Tuvalu, the world has so many different things to offer.’
The final five countries the young explorer has yet to visit are Libya, Mali, Sudan, North Korea and Palau.
