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Without a doubt .... New Zealand! I've been fortunate to have traveled to more than 30 countries and come from a nice one in its own right - Canada - but find the balance in New Zealand is beyond compare.

The people are friendly in an honest, open and easy going way. The weather is a mix of absolute mind numbing heat - great for swimming, snorkeling, surfing - to cold and snowy, which allows for all the normal winter activities.

Also, not to be overlooked is the pace of life. It seems as though the people are content to be on the cusp of 'modern' without getting carried away in a frenzied, over the top sort of way. Even still you can always find color and excitement in the larger cities.

Sure, Europe is always interesting. North America is dynamic. Asia can be exotic, certainly never boring. And the mix in Africa has certainly the greatest range of possibilities. ((South America is on the 'to do' list))

But at the end of the day - even though Australia gets an honorable mention - I like the mix in New Zealand. Politically stable, affordable, geographically large (north to south), people who don't take themselves so seriously, nice balance of temperatures, removed ... without being too far away or behind, and above all safe. What more could anyone want?

Learn more about this author, Rob Dacosta.
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