If you’ve been to any of these 10 countries, you’re more well-travelled than 95% of people

by Lachlan Brown | August 15, 2025, 6:39 am

Travel changes you. It broadens your worldview, shakes up your assumptions, and gives you stories you’ll tell for the rest of your life.
But not all passports get the same workout — and some destinations are far less common than others.

In fact, most people’s travel experiences tend to cluster around popular holiday spots: nearby beach resorts, major tourist cities, or famous landmarks. If you’ve ventured beyond those and set foot in any of the countries on this list, you’re in rare company — more well-travelled than roughly 95% of people.

This isn’t about racking up passport stamps for bragging rights. It’s about stepping into places that challenge, surprise, and transform you. Here are 10 countries that mark you out as a truly seasoned traveller.

1. Bhutan – The Himalayan kingdom of happiness

Nestled between India and China, Bhutan is a place where ancient Buddhist monasteries perch on cliffs and the concept of Gross National Happiness is taken seriously.
The country didn’t even open its doors to tourism until the 1970s, and it still tightly controls visitor numbers with a daily fee that helps preserve its culture and environment.

Those who make it here trek through pristine valleys, witness traditional masked dances, and feel the stillness of mountain life far from the chaos of modern cities.
Bhutan isn’t just another stamp in your passport — it’s a place that changes the pace of your mind.

2. Namibia – Africa’s otherworldly desert nation

If Mars had a tourism board, it might look a lot like Namibia’s. The rust-red dunes of Sossusvlei, the skeletal trees of Deadvlei, and the wild Skeleton Coast feel almost alien.

It’s one of the least densely populated countries in the world, meaning you can drive for hours without seeing another soul. Wildlife lovers are rewarded with incredible sightings in Etosha National Park — think rhinos at watering holes, desert-adapted elephants, and cheetahs racing across the plains.

For travellers who’ve been here, Namibia is a testament to how stark, rugged beauty can feel just as soul-stirring as lush rainforests or snowy peaks.

3. Colombia – The rebirth of a misunderstood country

Colombia’s reputation has shifted dramatically in recent decades. Once synonymous with danger, it’s now celebrated for its warmth, culture, and staggering natural diversity.

From the cobblestoned streets of Cartagena to the coffee farms of the Zona Cafetera, and from Andean peaks to Caribbean beaches, Colombia feels like a dozen countries rolled into one.
Travellers who make it here are rewarded with salsa dancing in Cali, magical realism in Gabriel García Márquez’s hometown, and locals whose hospitality turns strangers into friends overnight.

4. Jordan – Timeless wonders in the desert

Jordan is a bridge between worlds — modern Middle Eastern cities, ancient biblical history, and breathtaking desert landscapes.

Petra, the rose-red city carved into rock, is one of the most astonishing archaeological sites on Earth. Floating in the Dead Sea, exploring Wadi Rum’s Martian-like terrain, or walking the streets of Amman all give you a sense of a region layered with history.

Jordan remains a relatively uncommon stop for casual tourists, which is why visiting marks you out as someone who seeks depth in travel, not just photo ops.

5. Iceland – Nature at its most dramatic

Iceland has grown in popularity, but compared to Paris or Bali, it’s still visited by a tiny fraction of global travellers. And it’s easy to see why those who do make the trip never forget it.

Here, you can drive through landscapes that change every hour: waterfalls tumbling over mossy cliffs, glaciers glowing in the sun, steaming geothermal pools, and black-sand beaches pounded by icy waves.
In winter, you might watch the Northern Lights dance above volcanic mountains; in summer, you can hike under the midnight sun.

Travelling here requires braving unpredictable weather, but that’s part of the adventure.

6. Myanmar (Burma) – A land in transition

Visiting Myanmar is like stepping into a history book that’s still being written. Political changes, cultural shifts, and global events have made tourism here complex, but those who’ve visited in more stable times describe it as a place of incredible beauty and kindness.

Bagan’s plain, dotted with thousands of ancient temples, is breathtaking at sunrise. Inle Lake’s stilt villages, Yangon’s golden Shwedagon Pagoda, and the smiles of people in rural markets leave lasting impressions.
It’s a reminder that travel isn’t always easy — and that’s often what makes it unforgettable.

7. Uzbekistan – The Silk Road’s hidden jewel

In the heart of Central Asia, Uzbekistan offers a feast of turquoise domes, intricate mosaics, and bazaars scented with spices.

Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva aren’t just cities; they’re living museums of the Silk Road, where caravans once traded silk, gold, and ideas. The architecture here rivals anything in Europe for grandeur, yet far fewer tourists have seen it.

Reaching Uzbekistan often requires determination — and that’s exactly what makes it a mark of the well-travelled.

8. Chile – From desert moonscapes to glaciers

Chile stretches like a ribbon along South America’s Pacific coast, packing in more natural variety than seems possible in one country.

In the north, the Atacama Desert offers salt flats, geysers, and surreal rock formations under some of the clearest skies in the world. In the south, Patagonia stuns with jagged peaks, icy fjords, and endless hiking trails. In between, vineyards, beaches, and modern cities like Santiago add even more flavour.

Those who’ve travelled the length of Chile have essentially spanned half a continent.

9. Madagascar – An island like no other

Cut off from mainland Africa for millions of years, Madagascar evolved its own unique wildlife — 90% of its species are found nowhere else on Earth.

Lemurs leap between baobab trees, chameleons change colour in your hands, and beaches remain blissfully uncrowded. The country’s remote location and limited tourism infrastructure make it challenging to reach, which is exactly why so few travellers have been.

A trip here isn’t just a holiday; it’s a true expedition.

10. Antarctica – The last frontier

Technically not a country, but we’d be remiss to leave it out. Antarctica is the rarest travel experience of them all, visited by less than 0.01% of the global population each year.

Reaching it often involves a multi-day sea voyage through the Drake Passage or a specialised flight. Those who do arrive step into a world of pure ice, towering glaciers, and penguin colonies that stretch as far as the eye can see.

It’s the ultimate reminder of how vast and varied our planet really is.

Why these places matter

Plenty of people travel — but most stick to well-trodden routes. Visiting even one of these destinations usually involves extra effort: longer flights, more complex visas, higher costs, or simply the willingness to go somewhere less familiar.

These places often require you to adapt to different languages, customs, and sometimes challenging conditions. And that’s what transforms travel from leisure into a genuine learning experience.

How to approach rare destinations responsibly

Being “well-travelled” isn’t just about how many countries you’ve visited — it’s also about how you travel. Here are some ways to make sure your journey leaves a positive mark:

  • Respect local customs and dress codes – Even if they’re different from your own.

  • Support local businesses – Eat in family-run restaurants, hire local guides, and buy from artisans.

  • Tread lightly on the environment – Follow Leave No Trace principles, especially in fragile ecosystems.

  • Be curious, not judgmental – Ask questions, listen to stories, and understand contexts before forming opinions.

Final thoughts

If you’ve been to any of these 10 countries, you’re already in rare travel company. Not because it’s a contest, but because you’ve stepped outside the familiar and embraced the unknown.

Travel, at its best, expands not just your map, but your mind. And while your passport may hold the stamps, it’s your heart and memory that hold the real souvenirs.

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Lachlan Brown

Lachlan Brown is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Brown Brothers Media, a digital publishing network reaching tens of millions of readers monthly. He holds a Graduate Diploma of Psychological Studies from Deakin University, though his real education came afterward: a warehouse job shifting TVs, a stretch of anxiety in his mid-twenties, and the slow discovery that studying the mind is not the same as learning how to live well. He started experimenting with Buddhist principles during breaks at the warehouse and eventually began writing about what he was learning. That writing became Hack Spirit, a widely read personal development site, and his book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism became a bestseller. His work breaks down complex ideas into frameworks people can apply immediately, whether they are navigating a career change, a difficult relationship, or the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Lachlan splits his time between Singapore and Saigon. He writes about high-performance routines, decision-making under pressure, digital innovation, and the intersection of Eastern philosophy with modern life. His perspective comes from having built things from scratch, failed at some of them, and learned that clarity comes from practice, not theory.