Many of us say, "That was the worst place in the world!" But really: How many of us truly have the authority to say that? Lee Abbamonte does.
He's the youngest American to visit all 193 member nations of the United Nations, and he's well on his way to visiting all 324 on The Travelers’ Century Club list, which includes territories and unique destinations in addition to nations. (Lee expects to have 321 of the 324 countries checked off by the end of the year).
With all those countries, they can't all be winners. And Abbamonte, as part of his traveling mission, has to see the losers too. He takes that part of his quest seriously. "I spent time in these places; it's not like I went to the airport and split," he says of the bottom-tier countries. "I tried to give each place a couple of days."
Lagos, Nigeria
As far as I am concerned, Lagos, Nigeria, is the worst place on planet Earth. I’ve never experienced so much corruption in my life. It was just a horrific experience getting into the country. Crossing in from Benin, we got shaken down by the border guards.
In addition to the multiple police shakedowns, the multiple ATM issues were enough for me; three times in two days, the machines dispensed the wrong amount of money. It was oppressive and hot. I couldn’t tell you one good thing about that place.
Luanda, Angola
Angola is the toughest country for which to get a visa, and it is one of the most expensive places on the planet. For your trouble, you get absolutely nothing. Luanda is a sad place where the government officials and oil kingpins live like royalty, while 99 percent of the population lives in squalor.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
I feel bad including Bangladesh on this list, as the people are really nice. But being in Dhaka is horrific. Between standstill traffic, beggars, and unbelievable air pollution, you feel suffocated. Even if you escape to the river, it’s still filthy. Not to mention, you can’t eat much without getting sick. It's just a difficult place to be. Think twice before you honeymoon in Bangladesh.
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The DRC has been war-torn my entire life, even back when it was Zaire. Visiting Kinshasa is like stepping into your worst nightmare with abject poverty everywhere and trash all over the streets. That’s the problem with some of these poor countries: A lot of times, the people are nice, but it’s hard to get past the trash, everyone walking without shoes, and people begging for money. It’s a sad state of affairs, and they just can’t seem to get it right anywhere in the country.
Karachi, Pakistan
In Pakistan it’s very difficult to get around. The northern part of the country has some of the most beautiful mountains and natural landscapes in the world, but you cannot visit them because it’s too dangerous. It’s in lockdown. In the tribal areas, you have a good chance of getting kidnapped or shot. There’s a reason Osama bin Laden was hiding out there.
Juba, South Sudan
Juba is a horrible place to visit. The world's newest country has been, is, and will be in danger of falling into utter despair despite the efforts of international humanitarians. Poverty, greed, corruption, and outside influences ensure that South Sudan will not be appearing on any top 10 lists any time soon (other than this one).
Georgetown, Guyana
Guyana is that small little country next to Venezuela, where the capital of Georgetown is small, dangerous, and not nice at all. I was told not to walk around at night — not that I would have wanted to anyway, as there’s not much to see or do.
Kabul, Afghanistan
To be honest, I actually enjoyed my time in Kabul, but that’s because I knew I was only there for a finite period of time. The city itself is abysmal for obvious reasons, and the hardships on the people are heartbreaking. Living there must be a nightmare. It’s just been one war after another 40 years. You basically cannot leave the capital at all for safety reasons, and to be honest, why would you want to?
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Yes there’s really a country called Guinea-Bissau, and its capital is Bissau. This small West African nation is difficult to travel to and around, especially when there’s basically no electricity after dark in much of the city. If you walk the streets at night, it feels like a zombie nation where havoc could break out at any time. There are no streetlights, and when you walk out at night, you're just trying not to break your ankle. There’s a casino in the middle of town, where all the expats hang out. Other than that, there’s nothing.
Conakry, Guinea
Not to pick on a poor country dealing firsthand with the current Ebola outbreak, but Conakry is a pretty terrible place to be. This city is a total dump. There's nothing to see or do downtown. It's like a ghost town on the water, but it’s not scenic. Plus, it is prone to coups at an alarming rate, so you never know what to expect. I should know, I was there during one and had to hightail out ASAP!
Funafuti, Tuvalu
Yes, Tuvalu is an actual United Nations member state and is one of the smallest nations on Earth. In fact, it may not even exist in 30 years because it’s only about 7 feet above sea level, and experts say it'll be washed away in the next 30 years. That aside, it is simply the most boring place on Earth, and it doesn’t even have nice beaches. The biggest event on the island is the twice-weekly flight that comes in from Fiji. Stick to Fiji!
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