20 Underrated Travel Destinations You Should Know About

What's going on Island Hoppers? Today we're going to show you the most underrated countries in the world. Since mass tourism has become a thing, people are looking for new destinations to explore and that's why we're giving you this list of the top 20 most underrated countries for you to visit in 2025. We're coming to you from southeastern Europe here in the Balkans. This is Montenegro. The best time to visit is between June and August for a beach holiday along the Adriatic coastline. Beautiful sunsets, historically cultural towns, places like the Bay of Kotor, you have the Budva Riviera and so much more to check out while here. The capital is Pagorica. The population is around 640,000 people so you don't have to worry about overpopulation here and it's very beautiful just south of Croatia. So you get this beautiful blue color water kind of like what you would see in Italy or even in Greece but again without the mass tourism. I spent three days here and I can't wait to go back. Now here we are in Southeast Asia. This is Laos. I just recently visited Laos for the first time. I crossed the border from Thailand. Again another underrated destination. It actually exceeded my expectations in terms of infrastructure. They have a high-speed train. They also have beautiful new hotels and infrastructure being built in the capital and if you go up towards places like Luang Prabang or you head towards Vang Vang, very beautiful. Even in southern Laos you're going to find beautiful nature. So that's really what you're going to get out here and it's a poor man's Thailand. You're going to save more money here in Laos and it's really super cheap. One of the most cheap countries in the world in fact. The population here is 7.6 million people and the language is very similar to Thai so Sabadi. Next up is the Philippines so Mabuhay. Philippines is actually one of the more popular destinations on this list. It's gaining in popularity because of the 7,500 beautiful islands they have across this country. Although it is not part of the mainstream travel options that many people consider, the benefit to travel here is many of the people speak English. They also speak Tagalog and they have several other languages in Visayas and around Cebu and then south into Mindanao. But you're going to get beautiful beaches here. Some of the most beautiful beaches you'll find anywhere in the world. So much variety. The only thing that kind of holds it back is the infrastructure but the people are very friendly and it is very affordable for travelers. I would suggest you avoid typhoon season. Now here we are in Qatar. Qatar is a bit more expensive than most places on this list but I consider it to be a baby Dubai meaning it's up and coming. It's a bit more affordable than Dubai and it's going to pack the same kind of experience that you get in Dubai just on a little bit smaller scale without the crowds. You can still walk around many of the places in Doha and some of the other areas without having to worry about mass tourism. Also they have great infrastructure, brand new train, most beautiful airport you'll probably ever see in your life, and it's right there on the coastline. Come here in the winter months probably starting around October until May. Anything outside of that is going to be super hot. I would say if you're worried about safety you'd be surprised because it is one of the safest countries I've ever been. Next up Namaste from here in Nepal. So I did recently go to Nepal for a few days. I hung out in Kathmandu. People also like to go to Pokhara. Now the capital is Kathmandu and the population is around 30 million people. It's got a Buddhist and Hindu kind of culture. It's very affordable here for those you are looking to be on a budget. You can go all around here. It's a little bit easier to get around than in India. Also they have the Himalayas. So if you're looking to go to Mount Everest you can access that from here. They have several other big huge mountains in Nepal because the elevation up there is super high. So be prepared for elevation sickness if you head up to the Himalayas and bring a coat. Most people get cashmere while they're there, that wool. Very warm in the winter. The thing that does hold back Nepal is going to be infrastructure. So limit your expectations on that. But I would highly suggest you consider a trip to Nepal. Now here we are in Central America. This is Panama. The greeting here is buenas or hola since the official language is Spanish. Now the population is about 4.1 million people and the capital is Panama City. It's a very modern city. I call it like the Miami of Central America. Lots of high rises and then the nature around Panama. Bocas del Toro. They've got sand blasts and they've got so many other nature areas. It's a bit cheaper than Costa Rica and I actually find it to be a hidden gem for sure. Underdiscovered, underrated with excellent infrastructure. As you know the Panama Canal is here so that has brought in a lot of industry and commerce related to shipping. And you know that the Isthmus is very short. You can go from Cologne to Panama City by car in about an hour. That's going from one end of the country to the other. Pacific to Caribbean. I recently spent a week in Panama and I can't wait to go back. That gives you an idea of how excited I am about Panama. And from Panama I actually went down to Ecuador. Although you have to fly there you can't take a car because the durian blocking the access. That's a very thick rainforest. And here you have the Galapagos Islands. I actually landed in Quito. It just depends on where you want to go in Ecuador but this is a very beautiful underrated country. I always felt like I was super high up in the Andes. On one side of the Andes you have the Salvo, the jungle. The other side you have the high Sierras and then it drops down into the coastline. Very muggy down there but like I said Galapagos is where you want to be. If you want to see where Darwin discovered his theory of evolution, I really would suggest going out to Quito. Going to Cuenca. These are very high elevation cities so keep that in mind if altitude sickness is a thing for you. And Quito is actually the highest elevation capital city in the world so that's an interesting fact, right? Now here we are in Belize. When I first went to Belize I thought they spoke Spanish but guess what? It's an English-speaking country. It used to be called British Honduras. Here you're going to have places like San Pedro, also going out to Quicoquer and then you can even go inland and explore places that are Mayan civilizations. You have Belize City which is the capital and then going south to Belize City. This is really an underrated country. People considering Mexico or Cancun, they should consider Belize if you haven't been here. The infrastructure is not quite what you're going to find in Mexico but with that you're going to find more laid-back and affordable experience. And now here we are in Peru. So I recently went to Peru for the second time but it was my first time going to Machu Picchu and Cusco and I can't wait to go back and explore around there. Aguas Calientes. Peru is a place that has so much going on in the actual country. You'd be surprised everything from the coastline around Lima. They have many coastal villages and cities that you can explore. It's a little bit hotter in that desert area and then as you go up into the highlands towards the Andes. And another interesting thing is the headwaters for the Amazon River begin in Peru. Kind of close to where Machu Picchu is. So if you go on the other side of the Andes you're in the Salvo again and that's that thick jungle that you're going to get in the Amazon. Peru has a population of 35 million people and it's not very densely populated. So they're sparsely populated areas. You won't really feel like mass tourism is swallowing you up. Also very affordable. Now we're back here in Asia. This is Taiwan. I consider Taiwan to be one of the most underrated countries because of the food, the culture, the scenery. Unfortunately it is one of the most densely populated islands in the world. So if crowds are not your thing then you may not like Taiwan. But I don't mind Taiwan at all. I think it's definitely an awesome country and they have the bullet train that can take you from the north to the south. If you go towards the east side of the island they have high mountains and beautiful nature. Definitely consider visiting Taiwan even if it's for three to five days. The population is 23 million and they do speak a form of Mandarin Chinese here in Taiwan. Now here we are in Poland. This here is our first one from Europe. There's a couple countries on this list that we're going to talk about. Poland being very interesting for people who are looking for a place that's affordable in Europe. They have places like Krakow. They also have Warsaw and they've got much history here from the World War II dating all the way back. I actually arrived by train coming in from Prague although don't expect the train network to be as good as the rest of Europe. Next up we're in Asia. This is Mongolia. So Mongolia is definitely one of the most affordable tourist destinations you'll find anywhere in the world. You probably want to visit here during the summer months because the winters get bone-chilling cold. But Mongolia being home to Genghis Khan, Ulaanbaatar and the Mongols, lots of history to unpack and discover here. The capital is actually Ulaanbaatar. The entire country has a population of around 3 million people so it's very sparsely populated compared to its southern neighbor in China. They do have lakes. No ocean here. It is a landlocked country. Lots of history here and green rolling hills with camels and ox. Next up we're headed to Africa. This here is Tanzania. Tanzania is probably the most famous tourist destination for people who are looking to do safari and also get great beaches and good culture. And that's what you're going to find here in Tanzania. The people are very friendly. They speak Swahili. The population here is around 65 million. If you guys want to check out Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, the Ngoro Ngoro, wildlife sanctuaries. Those of you who love Lion King you'll probably feel like you're in Lion King movie here because of the diversity in wildlife. Now we're back to Europe. This here is Estonia. The first time I ever went to Tallinn, which is the actual capital, I was impressed. There was a lot of history to be had down in the old town area. Also it's a up-and-coming tech place. It's sparsely populated, not overcrowded, and not full of mass tourism. And it's reasonably affordable compared to the rest of Europe. Next up we're headed to Uzbekistan. You could call this the Middle East here as it's part of Eurasian continent area. With a population of around 35 million, it's a mostly Muslim country. So you'll see lots of mosques here and they're very beautifully decorated. We are in another European country. This is Romania with a population around 20 million people. This one is also considered famous for Transylvania around the Carpathian Mountains. And they've got medieval towns. People who are looking for history really come to Romania and they save a lot of money because of it. It's a very affordable Eastern European country and I would consider going here if you're looking to avoid some of that cold weather in the north, maybe around the springtime. And a little bit further east from Romania is going to be Bulgaria. You have the Bulgarian Riviera right there along the Black Sea, just north of the Bosphorus Strait from Istanbul. For those of you who know about the history here, you'll really appreciate Bulgaria. It's also one of the more affordable places in all of Europe. So if you're looking to save some money, it seems like Eastern Europe is where it's going to be. They do get a bit of mass tourism. Lots of Russians and Ukrainians come down here and kind of co-mingle in Bulgaria. And here we are now in Georgia staying in Eastern Europe almost on the border with Europe. In fact, the Caucasus Mountains that run through here, everyone to the west of the Caucasus, are known as Caucasians, also part of the Western world. But a very historically rich area to explore and good for budget-friendly travel. And here we are in Scandinavia. This is Finland with a population of 5.5 million people. It actually has over 75,000 islands around Finland, but it's mostly known for its winter festivals. And no matter what time of year you want to visit Finland, it's always a good time. Most people originate their trip in Helsinki, the capital. And no matter where you travel in 2025 and beyond, I hope you enjoy your trip safely. And we'll see you on the next one with the 50 best travel destinations in the world for 2025. Click next.