What is PhotoSeek’s favorite country to visit?

New Zealand (online trip planner) is my favorite international destination — visited in 2019, 2007, 1998, 1992 and 1981. Runner-up favorites are summarized further below.

Scenery in the South Pacific paradise of New Zealand varies dramatically in short distances, perfect for touring by campervan, car, bicycle, feet, and jetboat. New Zealand is bigger than the UK, smaller than Japan, and about the size of Colorado − a perfect escape for 2 to 8 weeks. Fully 30% of New Zealand is preserved in parkland, very attractive for wilderness lovers. Exotic, yes! Three-fourths of the country’s plant species are endemic (found nowhere else). Experience exceptional diversity within short travel hops.

This English-speaking country has very friendly people with excellent law, order, and safety. Cities proudly offer excellent “i-Sites” (tourist offices) which distribute free highway maps, free pamphlets, free lodging and campground directories, and free booking service.

Rent a campervan or car and stay in comfortable motor camps with cabins as we do. Economical motor camps offer great variety & value, with kitchens & bathrooms available as private or shared.

With seasons reversed Down Under, we visitors from the Northern Hemisphere can escape winter blahs to enjoy summer fun. Jet lag is only 3 hours from western America (Pacific Standard Time, PST) to New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT).

On New Zealand’s North Island:

• Experience active Maori culture (Tamaki Maori Village) amid a colorful landscape of hot springs and geothermal features (Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland) around Rotorua.
• Explore spectacular volcanoes (such as Tongariro and Taranaki). We loved the Tongariro Crossing, a spectacular and very popular volcanic traverse.
• The more-populous North Island is big enough for wilderness escapes: a day hike along Panekiri Bluff samples the best of the 4-day Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk.
• Appreciate unique birds, animals, and wildlife on these ecological islands: Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park lets you see nocturnal kiwis during the day. A fun boat tour of Waitomo Glowworm Caves reveals a fascinating insect which shines like a star.
• See the world’s second largest tree species (Kauri) in Northland Forest Park, Waipoua.
• In Auckland, visit the Auckland Museum if you are not able to see Te Papa Museum in Wellington (or vice versa); both are great. Also good are Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World; MOTAT (Museum of Transportation and Technology) and Science Center; and the Auckland Zoo

On New Zealand’s South Island, our favorite wilderness escape abroad:

• Hike well-maintained trails through lush native beech rain forest to an abrupt, surprisingly-low-elevation timberline around 1250 meters in the Southern Alps, with permanent snowline above 2000 meters, capped with scenic glaciers. The delightful alpine zone is patrolled by the clownish kea, the world’s only alpine parrot. Admire hanging glaciers and waterfalls in a day hike along the amazing Rob Roy Valley Track.
• Preventable sandfly bites and frequent flooding are the only negatives about tramping on the wet side of the Southern Alps.
• Admire glacier-covered Mount Cook which rises abruptly like a knife to 3724 meters or 12,218 feet (updated in 2013). Although it poses a daunting challenge for climbers, you can easily see Mount Cook from roads and good hiking trails (Sealy Tarns, Hooker Valley Track, and Lake Matheson boardwalk). Mount Cook is the world’s 39th most prominent peak relative to its surrounding topography.
• Walk to Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, which extend tongues of ice uniquely into lush temperate rainforest, down to 300 meters (980 feet) above sea level.
• Admire the wild and scenic seacoast (Punakaiki Pancake Rocks, Nydia Track, Queen Charlotte Track, and Nugget Point) and spectacular fiords / fjords (drive to Milford Sound then cruise or sea kayak).
• At Christchurch Airport, see the fascinating International Antarctic Center exhibits, multi-media show, and sea spider aquarium.

Throughout the country, hike (tramp) along excellent trails (Tracks) and Walkways, optionally staying overnight in convenient refuges (Huts).

• Our favorite multi-day wilderness tracks with overnight huts include: Rees-Dart Track, Routeburn Track, Gillespie Pass Circuit including Siberia Hut to Crucible Lake (The Siberia Experience), Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, Hollyford Track, Kepler Track, Milford Track, and Pouakai Track (Mount Egmont/Taranaki).
• Planes, buses, tour boats, jet boats, and water taxis efficiently assist one-way hikes or round-trip tours.
• Relax or hike on a variety wonderful beaches on South Island (such as Abel Tasman National Park and Moeraki Boulders) and North Island (Coromandel Peninsula, Ninety Mile Beach, and many more).

In a nutshell, New Zealand has long been my favorite country to visit outside of the United States. After my fifth visit to New Zealand in 2019, my curiosity was satisfied. After that, returning to the European Alps become my focus, as fulfilled by epic hikes in 2022 plus a solo trip in 2023 to Bavaria, Tyrol, and the Dolomites — my seventh Alps adventure. After visiting Africa in 2024, I had visited every continent.

My inner drive for travel yet yearns to see what’s around the next corner and over the far horizon…

International travel opens our outlook on a diverse world of wonders and human commonalities. I find that most people worldwide enjoy hosting guests and employing the Golden Rule, the ethic of reciprocity — to treat others as oneself wants to be treated.

− Tom Dempsey, creator of PhotoSeek.com
Seattle, Washington, USA

More wonders worldwide

My wife Carol and I enjoy escaping our comfortable urban existence to athletically explore natural wonders, especially mountains. The links in this article are a favorite subset of my complete SITE MAP: INDEX of PhotoSeek contents.

Europe

Trains and lifts make the majestic Alps the world’s easiest mountains to visit with public transportation.

• Visit spectacular Switzerland for an ideal mountain vacation in one of the world’s safest and most democratic countries. Admirably, the Swiss love nature, preserve diverse cultural traditions in four official languages, and exemplify progressive values.
• The stunning Dolomites of Italy make a perfect hiking trip combined with romantic Venice, via its convenient airport. The Dolomiti range may be the world’s most impressive concentration of knife-shaped peaks served with ski resort lifts convenient for summer hikers. You can easily day hike (staying in comfortable three-star hotels reached by rental car or bus), or trek long distances from hut to hut (sleeping in rifugio dormitories), or climb exciting via ferrata routes.
• In summer 2023, I reveled in a solo hiking trip by car to the Eastern Alps: Germany’s Bavaria, Austria’s states of Tyrol and Salzburg, and Italy’s Dolomites mountains near Cortina d’Ampezzo — my seventh journey to the Alps. Flying into Munich conveniently reaches the Eastern Alps in a 2-hour drive.

On hiking trips in 2011 and 1981, the beautiful fjords, mountains, and people of Norway deeply touched my heart. Foreign language poses no barrier for kindred spirits (plus most Norwegians speak English). Experience natural wonders, charm, culture, and history within the world’s most democratic country.

While Greece is well worth visiting —especially romantic Santorini Island and the rugged northern mountains of Zagori — the exotic Republic of Turkey offers more variety, the friendliest people, and spans 9000 years of history, where East meets West.

My first trip to the United Kingdom encompassed 43 days. England filled us with delicious pub food and admiration for spectacular medieval architecture. 13 days of mostly rainy summer weather didn’t slow our hike of 112 miles across “England Coast to Coast.” Starting by dipping our boots in the Irish Sea, we wandered across England’s historic and literary landscape, over the fells of the Lake District to the pastoral beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks, to Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Sea. The rolling agrarian countryside is pleasant but lacks the drama of Europe’s Alps. Afterwards, we enjoyed York, Hadrian’s Wall, castles and abbeys in northern England.

Twelve days driving the length of Scotland enriched us with compelling history, striking art, and green landscapes such as Glen Coe. Favorites included: hiking the Isle of Skye; admiring the 4600-year-old Standing Stones of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides; and seeing the dramatic Kelpies sculptures, triangular Caerlaverock Castle and iconic Eilean Donan Castle. Our 20th wedding anniversary in a romantic Scottish castle disappointed on comfort, but enchanted us with 1400s-1800s atmosphere, in restored Comlongon Castle. While Edinburgh’s festival crowds overwhelmed the many worthwhile sights, the impressive 1400s-1500s Stirling Castle furnished more elbow room to contemplate medieval history.

Future trips will include Spain and Iceland.

Asia

Conveniently, history has packed the essence of Japan into central Honshu, the main island. Seamlessly blending its unique history with modern technology, Japan is the most civil society I’ve ever witnessed. Careful attention to detail is applied everywhere: pristine food presented with a delicate aesthetic, an abundance of clean public restrooms, and even decorative manhole covers. As foreigners we qualify for the bargain-priced Japan Rail Pass (JR Pass) which reaches most sights.

Diverse human cultures thrive on the flanks of soaring summits in the magnificent Himalaya in Nepal. Due to relatively poor health conditions, wash hands frequently and eat selectively.

North America

Canada:

• The Canadian Rockies rival any mountains in the world for breathtaking natural beauty — easily reached on paved highways, great for bicycling.

United States of America:

• Big and brawny, the USA has an abundance of world-class natural wonders. The West is best…
• Utah has the world’s best concentration of slot canyons, natural arches, and colorful desert canyon country. Mostly sunny weather favors the Southwest USA, with moderate temperatures in Spring and Fall. As of 2020, Utah has attracted me to visit 19 times, more than any other area in the world! Extend your visit to nearby wonders in Arizona (such as Grand Canyon of the Colorado River).
• Washington (my home base) is one of the most ecologically and scenically diverse states.
• Yellowstone (Wyoming) has the world’s best concentration of geysers and geothermal features.
• Montana‘s Glacier National Park offers a hiking paradise on the wildly spectacular Rocky spine of North America.
• Hawaii‘s striking natural beauty attracted me six times (as of 2017), offers some of my favorite hikes, such as Kauai’s Na Pali Coast.
• Alaska hosts the rugged margins of American culture writ onto a vast, wild landscape.

When we’re not flying abroad, North America inspires many camping trips, especially in our beloved West. In 2024, we’ll sell the 5-year-old RV and switch to renting one as needed — to save on maintenance, storage, time, and money. Yearly tax, licensing and insurance on our owned recreational vehicle can pay for a week of RV rental. A newish owned RV needs to be used about 10+ weeks per year to break even costwise.

South America

:

The Andes (Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina) rival the size of the Himalaya and bustle with colorful traditional cultures such as the Quechua people who directly descended from the Inca.

Ecuador offers incredible variety, from the Andes Highlands to the Galapagos Islands, a wondrous adventure for children and adults. Families and wildlife lovers should put the wonderful Galapagos Islands at the top of their dream travel list. This fabulous eco-adventure attracted me thrice as a warm escape from Seattle’s wet winter and early spring (2009 April 8-27; 1994 February 21-March 3; and 1986 January 12-26).

Argentina and Chile are beautiful and varied, making a great escape to summer from January to March, reversing the effects of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. Buenos Aires, “the Paris of the South,” attracts we lovers of Tango/milonga music and dancing. The wild beauty of Cerro Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine brought me back for a repeat visit in 2020, this time adding a driving loop from Bariloche including Tronador volcano and Chile’s new Patagonia National Park. Argentina is much bigger than New Zealand, requiring more travel time between sights, from Mendoza wine region and Iguassu Falls (both not yet seen) to Patagonia.

Antarctica

Pristine Antarctica is remote, freezing, yet alluring − best seen in combination with a trip to Patagonia (southern Chile or Argentina), where you board a ship from the port of Ushuaia, on the Island of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. 10 days is the shortest cruise to the scenic Antarctic Peninsula; we cruised for 12 days. Find a ship with the fewest passengers (90-130) to increase your land excursion time. Don’t forget a prescription medicine patch to prevent motion sickness across the rough Drake Passage (5 days round trip on treacherous seas). If affordable, extend your voyage (22 days) to spectacular South Georgia Island to see vast colonies of Emperor Penguins.

Africa

In Tanzania and Kenya, we delighted in two 6-day safaris and trekked two challenging volcanos at 15,000 feet elevation — summiting Mt. Meru and circumnavigating Mt. Kenya. Our trip climaxed at thunderous Victoria Falls, the world’s largest sheet of falling water, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Vacationing in Africa exceeded all expectations. Now I’ve visited every continent.

I’m planning future trips to Morocco, Egypt, Jordon, South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar, and the Seychelles Islands.

Australia & New Zealand

Big countries such as Australia require many extra transit days via ground transportation to reach the highlights. Save time by coordinating multiple internal flights with rental cars and practical campervan rentals. Carol and I escaped Seattle’s winter for 7.5 weeks exploring some great forest parks in southern Australian summer in 2004 from January 26-March 18. We most enjoyed Australia’s exotic animals and plants. A return trip in 2023 witnessed a total solar eclipse and explored northern regions including Cairns, the Kimberley, Darwin, and Kakadu plus Indonesia (Komodo dragons and Kelimutu).

More New Zealand images

Trees frame Lake Waikaremoana along the Panekiri Bluff trail in Te Urewera National Park, North Island, New Zealand. Published in “Light Travel: Photography on the Go” by Tom Dempsey 2009, 2010.

Tramper Carol hikes on sandy Mutton Cove Beach, along the Abel Tasman Coastal Track, Abel Tasman National Park, South Island, New Zealand. Book huts using the Great Walk reservation system. (© Tom Dempsey / Photoseek.com)

Recommended guidebooks for New Zealand

Search for latest “New Zealand travel” books at Amazon.com.

We optimize our valuable travel time with good guides:

• Lonely Planet New Zealand (Travel Guide) Paperback: carry this essential guide on the trip.
• Lonely Planet Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand (Travel Guide) – 2018. Carry along this good backpacking and hut-walking planner.
• New Zealand, National Geographic Adventure Map, 3500 – Folded Map, updated frequently

The following beautiful, glossy books excite your trip-planning and make handsome souvenirs (but are heavier per page than books listed above):

• Lonely Planet Discover New Zealand (Travel Guide) Paperback – 2018: LP’s “Discover” series is on handsome, heavy glossy paper, a good souvenir, helpful for trip planning.
• DK Eyewitness Travel Guide New Zealand Paperback: is another attractive, well-researched guide series on heavy photo paper.
• Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel List 2: The Best Places on the Planet …Ranked Hardcover – Illustrated, 2020
• Explore Europe on Foot: Your Complete Guide to Planning a Cultural Hiking Adventure by Cassandra Overby – Paperback – 2018: highly recommended by Tom for both inspiration and practical details for planning your next walking adventure

Regarding smartphones — with great power comes great responsibility (as says the Greek “Sword of Damocles” anecdote, and more recently, Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man). Sadly, monetized social media has often enabled extreme memes to shout-down both civility and reality itself. To my relief, Canadian psychologist Steven Pinker restores our faith in the triumph of public good in his important books:

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (2018)

Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters (2021)