BEST AND WORST

While travelling, you naturally compare so many things and while we didn't do this on a country-by-country basis, we sat down at the end and came up with the below best and worst list so that we could laugh (or sometimes cry) later in life at some of the memories…

(For those items that we agreed on, there is only a single entry and for those where we disagreed, I have indicated both our opinions).

Favourite country:

This is the question we get asked the most often but is probably the hardest to answer as we fell in love with so many places for so many different reasons.Here are some of our top choices:

French Polynesia - so beautiful and luxurious

Laos - such a stunning and unique place

Belize - lovely chilled vibe

Buenos Aires - awesome city

Australia - we can't wait to live there

Least favourite country:

Guatemala (but we do feel bad saying this as we probably didn't spend enough time there)

Best beach:

We came across so many unbelievable beaches but these were some of our favourites:

Maldives - beautiful beaches stretched all the way around Kuredu island

Bora Bora - the colour of the water and the backdrop

Tulum, Mexico - a relatively undiscovered paradise

Raleigh Beach - limestone cliffs

Worst beach:

Mumbai (only because the water is toxic)

Best weather:

Again a tough choice as so many places had awesome weather - especially French Polynesia and Southeast Asia (although some parts did get a little too hot!)

Worst weather:

Beijing, China- the -6 was the coldest weather we have ever experienced!

Cheapest destination:

India

Most expensive destination:

Bora Bora

Cleanest country:

Singapore

Least clean country:

India

Biggest culture shock:

India

Most culturally similar:

Australia

Favourite local people:

Peruvians

Least favourite local people:

It would be too un-PC to name names :)

Best accommodation:

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort

Worst accommodation:

Our 'villa' in Buzios, Brazil

Best food:

Too many to choose from:

Best steak - La Florencia in Mendoza, Argentina (Lara); La Cabrera Parilla in Buenos Aires (Shaun)

Best curry - Mehfil in Agra, India

Worst food:

Ribs in Senor Baque, Mendoza, Argentina (Shaun)

Seafood sizzler in Tempation Restaurant in Varkala, India (Lara)

Best airport:

Bangkok (Lara)

Dubai (Shaun)

Worst airport:

Corozal (in Belize - only because it was so small!)

Longest flight:

London to Rio de Janeiro (11.5 hours)

Shortest flight:

Male to Kuredu in the Maldives (40 min)

Longest bus / taxi / train ride:

Flores to Guatemala City (10 hours)

Shortest bus / taxi / train ride:

Caye Caulker - boat dock to our house (1 min - which could also be classified as the biggest rip-off on tour)

Best book read on tour:

Open by Andre Agassi

Worst book read on tour:

Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller

Best TV series watched on tour:

How I Met Your Mother

Worst TV series watched on tour:

We didn't have time to watch the bad ones as there were so many good ones!

Best movie watched on tour:

Invictus

Worst movie watched on tour:

Something with Lindsay Lohan in it

Best bar:

Utopia in Luang Prabang, Laos

Worst bar:

Is there such a thing?

Best drink:

Passionfruit margarita - Kuredu, Maldives (Lara)

Malbec red wine - Mendoza, Argentina (Shaun)

Worst drink:

Wine in Uruguay (Lara)

Skol beer in Brazil (Shaun)

Best milkshake:

Chrissie's in Kumily, India

Worst milkshake:

Sports Bar in Caye Caulker, Belize

Best bathroom:

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort

Worst bathroom:

Inca trail (Lara)

Indian train (Shaun) - although the public toilets in the city were probably worse but we didn't dare venture in those!

Best shower:

Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort

Worst shower:

Again, in our 'villa' in Buzios (cold, no pressure and full of mosquitoes!)

Favourite people we met:

Mike and Mel from Canada (who we met in Vietnam)

Least favourite people we met:

We luckily didn't really have any bad experiences

Most spiritual moment:

Seeing Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate for the first time

Least spiritual moment:

Hanging on the edge of a local train in India

Best immigration experience:

Australia - so friendly!

Worst immigration experience:

Waiting for Al in the US.Also:

Japan - I didn't realize I had a single entry visa instead of a multiple entry (Lara)

India - my visa had expired and we had to travel back through India in transit - there are so many confused cancellations in my passport now! (Shaun)

Best currency:

Aussie dollar - because it's waterproof!

Worst currency:

Maldivian Rufiyaa - because nobody will accept it, including our hotel in the Maldives!