U.S. News & World Report released its rankings of the best countries in the world this week, and it also included nine subcategories. Adventure is the most intriguing subcategory (there’s also Citizenship, Heritage, Entrepreneurship, etc.), and it’s also intriguing that our very own U.S. of A. is nowhere to be found in the top 5, 10 or even 25 (it’s #35; it’s also ranked #7 overall).
The 2017 Best Countries rankings were assembled after the 2016 American presidential election, from survey responses by more than 21,000 people for four regions. They were asked about 80 countries’ specific characteristics. In the case of adventure, the ranking is based on “an equally weighted average of scores from five country attributes that relate to adventure found within a country: friendly, fun, pleasant climate, scenic and sexy.” Think adventure tourism more than tried-and-true exploration. And, for the truly adventurous, this may be a counterpoint to your own bucket list. If you’re doing adventure right, you’ll dodge the crowds and strike out on your own.
U.S. News & World Report Adventure Rankings Top 10
1. Brazil
2. Italy
3. Spain
4. Thailand
5. Greece
6. New Zealand
7. Costa Rica
8. Mexico
9. Australia
10. Argentina
