Today we’re sharing why China, Slovenia, and Ecuador are 3 underrated countries we highly recommend you visit! We absolutely loved these countries! Coincidentally, we did these three trips through Gate 1 Travel Tours – absolutely not sponsored! Whether you travel with Gate 1, with another tour company, or independently, you will be sure to enjoy them just like we did!
Check out our full-length episodes on these destinations for more inspiration:
3 Underrated Countries – Episode Transcript
0:50
Today we’re sharing with you all three very different countries that are so underrated.
Yes, we really want to help these countries shine because they are amazing and more people should definitely consider visiting them.
Country number one is one I haven’t been to you, 2 have you?
1:07
Will not stop raving about it.
And that is Slovenia, yeah.
Yes, I feel like Slovenia is such an underrated country.
It’s in Europe, central Europe.
There’s Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the South, Italy to the West.
So I feel like it’s right in the center of things, but it just doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
1:28
Truly, when you mentioned Slovenia, that was probably the first time I’d ever heard of that country.
And what comes to mind when you think of Slovenia, Kim?
Literally nothing because I had never heard of it and I feel like a lot of people haven’t.
Yeah, So we visited in 2019.
It’s a really beautiful country.
1:45
There’s a lot of natural beauty, and it also has that charming European architecture.
There’s a lot of beautiful lakes, rivers.
They have caves and mountains.
We spent most of our time in Slovenia at Lake Blood, and Lake Blood is located in the Julian Alps in the northwest part of the country.
2:04
Yeah, Lake Bled was absolutely amazing.
This was probably the most scenic focal point.
If you were to Google just Slovenia and put it on images, probably the number one thing that’s gonna come up is an image of Lake Bled.
It’s located right at the foot of the Julian Alps.
2:24
It’s famous, clears blue waters.
There’s a medieval church that sits in the middle on an island that you have to take a plaintiff boat to go to.
Walk up these 99 steps to the church as the whole ritual.
You can ring the bell.
It’s just absolutely beautiful.
2:40
And what I really like most about the lake is it’s large but not very large.
And there is a walking path that you can walk the entire perimeter of the lake.
Or if you’re feeling a little bit more romantic, take a horse drawn carriage.
We did not do the horse drawn carriage.
In hindsight, it’s one of those things when we’re there, we think no.
2:58
But then looking back on it, I would have liked to have done it.
So when we go back, because I would definitely go back to Slovenia, I’m going to do the horse drawn carriage.
You can ride it with me, Brittany.
Yes, I’m OK.
With you, Are you going to ride it with us?
Kim, are you coming with us?
Romantic horse drawn carriage.
3:15
Hey, quick question Jamal.
What is a Plainta boat?
You know, I don’t really know what the difference is.
All I remember vividly in our mind is that they kept calling those boats plantas.
Do you remember Brittany?
Well when you get on it there is like a rower.
So there is someone that you hire that like rows.
3:31
The boat like in Venice, Those boats on the canals?
But yes, but it’s not a gondola.
I mean, it fits more people than that.
So it could fit like, I don’t know, 10 tenish people on it.
I’m a Google fan.
I mean, I just said Google an image earlier.
And when you asked me that, I tried to get an answer for you as Brittany was answering.
3:50
And when I Google plant a boat, the first thing that comes up are boats in Lake Bled like, so I think they’re just specific maybe to Lake Bled.
What and why they’re different, I don’t really know.
They have like little covered awnings.
The guy is rowing it.
They’re very low to the water because it is a calm lake.
4:09
You know, they’re not like high waves or anything like that.
So that’s what, a plaintiff boat?
Is and did you ride one?
We did.
We rode the boat from one part to the island in the middle and then we walked up the 99 steps.
We went into the church, we made a wish and ring the bell at the same time.
4:26
So the only way to get to the island is by the little Ponta boat.
So that’s how we got there.
And then also Long Lake Bled, there is the Bled Castle.
It’s the oldest Slovenian castle, first mentioned in historic writings that they have dating all the way back to the year 1011, so really, really old.
4:46
It sits actually a top of the lake because around the lake, again, we mentioned there are mountains.
So you’re at the top of the Cliff looking over.
It gives you a really scenic overlook that I would highly recommend that you do.
Just be sure if you go to time it and not go on a cloudy day, because if it’s cloudy and you can’t see down to the lake, it’s going to be very, very unfortunate.
5:05
Yeah, the castle sits about 400 feet up on the Cliff.
And then it was actually the spot that we had a little happy hour farewell reception on our tour group.
Like Jamal said, it gives you great vantage point of the lake in the island.
So definitely go up there and check out Blood Castle.
5:22
Definitely do that.
And while you’re in lake blood, you have to try the cream cake that was created in blood.
Definitely eat it while you’re looking over to the castle and the lake.
It’s amazing.
Cream cake is this kind of like a thrust leches cake?
5:38
It’s not like a thrust leches cake.
It has its base that’s at the bottom, then a little bit of frosting, a thinner layer U top, and then it’s covered with its pastry that’s on top.
So it’s not like a tres leches.
It’s something that’s unique to it, but it was just so rich and flavorful and absolutely delicious without being overly sweet, which a lot of desserts can be.
6:02
But I feel like that’s one thing that Europeans don’t do is make really sweet desserts.
So you can take that one to the bank.
If you are really adverse to sweets, still give it a try because it’s not going to be overly sweet but absolutely delicious.
And while you’re in Slovenia, you also have to go to the Postonia Cave.
6:19
It’s one of the largest cave systems in the world.
It’s actually located in the southwestern part of the country.
You have to take this unique electric train ride to like the innards of The Cave, and then you do a walking tour to the most impressive chambers.
It’s probably one of the coolest cave experiences we’ve had.
6:36
Yeah, you take a train literally into The Cave.
It was about a 5-10 minute train ride if I’m not mistaken, till you finally get really deep in and then that’s when you have all the stalagmites, stalactites.
You’re free to get out and do a little bit of walk in.
And of course, then you have to take the train ride all the way back outside The Cave, which we’ve been in a lot of case, but I’ve never been in one, that you have to go in that deep that they really have a train to take you in.
7:02
And I thought that was really cool and unique and probably one of the cooler caves I’ve ever really been in.
The post Jonia caves out here.
Like Kim think of Carlsbad Caverns but like 10 times grander.
Cool, Carlsbad Caverns is already so grand.
7:19
I know this is amazing experience.
If you’re in Sylvania, you have to check it out.
We also went to Lake Boheen.
It’s a glacial lake within a National Park and it’s the largest permanent lake in Slovenia.
It’s really beautiful.
It’s surrounded by the Julian Alps, and I would love to go back to hike in this area.
7:37
We were on a tour so we unfortunately didn’t get to do much exploring or hiking, so I would love to do that if we go back on our own.
I just want to say what really sold us on Slovenian, why we really love it is if you are a nature lover this country is for you.
7:53
Everything is really clean, beautiful, colorful, vibrant greens in the trees.
The mountain scape is amazing, then the clear color of the lakes and water.
We really love Slovenia and that’s why we’re highlighting it here for you guys.
Totally underrated.
8:09
You’re on the European continent, you’re probably visiting a country not too far off away.
Hop on over to Slovenia.
Our second most underrated country is China.
Everybody knows where China is, right?
I mean, at least I would hope so.
If you’re a traveler, you should know where China is on the Asian continent.
8:28
And most people, when they think about China, I’m gonna just have to speculate because this is what everybody asked us when we told them we were going to China, is why you’re going to China.
And I think a lot of it has to do with the politics at play of what we hear here in the media, Chinas, communists, this, that and the other.
8:46
And we’re not advocating one way or the other, but as a country with the food, the culture, the sites, the history, we all absolutely loved China.
Another thing that I heard a lot before we went on this trip, as I was doing research and from other people, was that the Chinese food will not be as good as the Chinese food here in America.
9:06
That it’s different.
It’s not what we’re used to.
You’re not going to like it.
And I’m here to tell you that’s some BS because the food in China is so good.
It’s the traditional family styles.
It’s on like a Lazy Susan.
You’re all sharing.
It was amazing.
9:21
We had such good Chinese food while we were there.
It was good.
I don’t know if it was better because everyone said, oh, it’s not going to be as good and what it is here, or if it was just better because it was absolutely better.
You know, it was amazing.
So don’t fall for the hype that you hear when people say the Chinese food is not going to be as good.
9:42
It really was.
And if not better, but mine is the food.
What did we love and like that made China so amazing?
Well.
We went to three different areas in China.
We went to Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai.
We went back in 2017.
So yes, it’s been a little while, but I mean, there was so much to love about China.
10:01
The pandas at the Beijing Zoo.
Oh, they were so cute.
I know the Great Wall.
Of China.
Amazing.
The Terracotta Soldiers and Xian.
That was a surprising 1.
So cool.
The cityscape of Shanghai from the night river cruise on the Bund.
10:17
That was awesome.
If you don’t even know what the Shanghai skyline looks like, you should check it out and just imagine that all lit up at night.
It’s a sight to see.
We did a night cruise on the river that runs right by.
That was an experience in and of itself.
And I’m not going to lie, we’re on Shanghai.
10:34
We’re just going to mention it.
We went to Shanghai Disney, newest Disney park in the world, opened the very same year that we were actually there, and probably the best Disney park that we’ve ever been to.
And we’ve been to them all except for Hong Kong, so that’s saying something.
This one was amazing.
10:51
It was truly a magical experience.
It was, and all three of these cities that we visited has something you need to offer with its own history, culture, food, because all Chinese food is not the same.
It’s different by region.
11:06
And yes, you can get a lot of the main staples, but when we were in different places, we were trying different things and.
Like, remember the 17 different styles of dumplings that we had in Xi’an?
Oh my gosh that was amazing.
Definitely go to a dumpling dinner while you’re there.
11:22
And then we had the Peking duck dinner when we were in Beijing, which is unique to that area.
Not that they don’t have Peking duck all over the place, but that’s where it originated.
So a lot of good mix of things and more importantly, the history and really, really cool.
You know, you there’s always that misconception of lots of countries, but China is a country that actually wants tourism.
11:44
So when you’re there, especially when you go on guided tours like we did, they really try to go above and beyond to make you have a great time, and you will when you visit China.
The other thing I really liked about China was the people were actually very nice.
I think as Americans, like you said earlier with politics and whatnot, the media, sometimes it’s portrayed as a communist nation and they’re stealing our data and like puts this image in your head.
12:09
But that is not the reality when you’re actually there as the case most of the time when you visit another country.
And people were super nice.
We said, Nihao, to show them, you know, we’re trying to speak in their language, say hi.
And their faces just lit up.
They were so happy.
And I thought the people were great.
12:25
The other thing in China is they are so excited to see you that they photograph you like you’re a celebrity.
Oh yes.
You want to feel like a celebrity?
Go to China.
It’s almost like the paparazzi is following you.
They love it.
As long as you don’t look Chinese, right?
They actually come up to you and sometimes ask, sometimes don’t ask if they can take a picture with you, as well as when they’re walking by from afar like paparazzi in the bushes.
12:51
Good points, good memories, Kim.
So that third country on our list here for you is going to be Ecuador.
This was another squad trip that we all took together and we had an amazing time here.
Ecuador is located in South America and a lot of people think of Ecuador.
13:07
They think of the Galapagos Islands.
They think it might be just like Peru, and they may think of the equator because it does sit on the equator.
But we did a squad trip here with a Tour Company.
We visited in 2021.
We visited Quito, the Amazon, and the Equator.
13:23
Quito is where we started.
It’s the city, right?
And there’s a lot of other really amazing things in Ecuador, but Quito has a lot of character.
Those 16th century architecture, cobblestone streets, banish colonial district, that the baroque architecture is very, very beautiful in Quito.
13:41
And I’m actually very glad that we got to experience the city center.
Yeah, Quito.
Is kind of really spread out and it’s in a mountainous area, so it’s not like it’s this just flat area of big city.
You have different layers of the city based off of like elevation spread out throughout the mountain.
13:59
But you mentioned those Spanish colonial streets.
The colonial city center is actually designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
So that area is to some degree really well preserved.
It’s so old going back to the 16th century that we to go maybe about one mile, spent 20 minutes in traffic in a taxi just because of all how all the streets are.
14:23
I wish they didn’t really have cars be able to go in those areas, but I understand they really need to.
So that’s the case.
But a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Spanish colonial district, that was really cool to see.
What surprised me most about Ecuador was how green it was.
14:38
There was a lot of gorgeous waterfalls, natural areas, volcanoes, the jungle.
Of course, I wasn’t really expecting that, but it’s such a gorgeous country.
You.
Mentioned this as what people think of with Ecuador, with it being like Peru.
It’s right next to Peru.
14:55
It has indigenous culture still very much alive and thriving there, but it’s not like Peru.
We’ve been to Peru as well together, and there are some similarities.
Of course, they’re right next to each other, but it’s very, very different and also differs depending on the region you’re in.
15:11
So the indigenous culture that we saw in Quito was very different than the culture that we saw, say, in the Amazon rainforest.
That’s right, because part of our tour we did go into the Amazon.
The Amazon does start in Ecuador as well as other countries.
15:29
When I say start, you know, we’re going into the edge areas of the Amazon as it creeps into that territory over there.
And we had to take a boat down a tributary of the Amazon River to our hotel.
From there we took another boat, visited with an indigenous and native tribe that is still in the area, lives as if they lived, you know, several 100 years ago or even before the Spanish arrived and colonized that area of the world.
15:57
So we got to experience that and then let’s not get ourselves.
We really enjoyed going up into the Andes Mountains and into the thermal areas and the Hot Springs that they had.
Oh my gosh, we stayed at a hotel with Hot Springs literally right outside our front door of the hotel.
16:15
It was amazing.
We booked a spa experience there.
I highly recommend it.
While you’re sitting soaking in the Hot Springs, you’re looking up to the Andes Mountains.
It’s so gorgeous. 10 out of 10 experience.
Oh, it was a 10 out of 10.
It’s called Termas de Papayachta and if you are going to visit Ecuador, do not miss this place and plan to stay at least two nights or more if you can.
16:37
Yeah.
Every time we talk about Ecuador, we talk about going back to here, not necessarily Quito, the Amazon.
Yes, we want to go in again, but we’re not really hyping that up as much amongst ourselves.
You know, when we’re talking as we are Termiste Papayachta, we said we would specifically go back to this area, this resort, have a good time, spend those two days there like you said.
17:01
But it’s not even just the booziness of the Hot Springs or the resort that you’re at.
You really are at an elevation 8 to 10,000 feet up in these mountains.
You’re amongst the clouds.
It’s just so green.
The varying degrees of temperature that you experience.
17:18
It’s just the whole ambiance.
And I really loved it.
And Terminus, that Papayachta was my favorite part about Ecuador.
Most people when they go, of course they’re going to go to Galapagos.
We didn’t go on our tour and we need to go back to go to Galapagos.
And we’re not saying don’t, but just take Galapagos out of the equation.
17:35
Mainland Ecuador really underrated.
One thing that these three countries have in common, when we visited, we actually did tours with Gate One.
We’ve talked about Gate One a million times.
We’re obsessed with them.
It’s not sponsored.
If we could get them to notice us, we would love to be sponsored by them.
17:52
But I would recommend using gate one for these country experiences, especially China.
Absolutely.
Very good point on that one.
We love gate one.
And until you said that, I didn’t even really make the correlation that they were all the guided tours, but they were.
And that’s the thing too.
18:07
A lot of these guided tours were very inexpensive for us to go on.
And we booked them too because of the pricing on it, not necessarily because like, Oh yeah, we for sure really want to go here.
Not that we didn’t want to, but we let a sale, so to speak, guide us.
And here they are, making the list of underrated countries that all three of us love.
18:26
So squatties, if you have a country that you think is underrated, comment on today’s Instagram post and let us know because we’re currently building out two thousand 2627 and 28 travel and we need your recommendation.
And thanks for tuning in to just the tip.
18:43
Make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on all the socials at Travel Squad Podcast.
And have fun traveling this weekend.
Bye, Squaddies!
Comments
BE THE FIRST TO WRITE A COMMENT