It was the summer of 1992 and I flew from Albany to Orlando and then from Orlando to Jamaica and finally to my destination, the Bahamas.  Aside from the nice breeze, sandy beaches and clear water, my most vivid memory of my trip was my layover in Jamaica where when I stepped off the plane, I was greeted by police carrying machine guns. 

I don't know if the police in Jamaica still carry machine guns, but the summer of my trip they did.  They were on the roof, on the ground and at the end of the walkway where I had to go to connect to another flight and I was terrified.  People had warned me not to act out, even in a goofy manner because security was extra tight in Jamaica and they weren't kidding! The people were friendly, but the police were scary.

If you're thinking of dusting off your passport and sneaking in some travel time this summer, the World Economic Forum has ranked 140 nations based on the “attitude of population toward foreign visitors.”

People were asked questions like “how welcome are foreign visitors in your country?” with 1 being "very unwelcome" and 7 being "very welcome." Bolivia came in dead last on the list, with a score of 4.1, while Iceland tied for first place with New Zealand, with a 6.8. And where did the United States rank?  Number 102  (that’s not so great).

Top 10 Best Countries to Visit
Iceland
New Zealand
Morocco
Macedonia
Austria
Senegal
Portugal
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ireland
Burkina Faso

Bottom 10 Countries to Visit
Bolivia
Venezuela
Russian Federation
Kuwait
Latvia
Iran
Pakistan
Slovak Republic
Bulgaria
Mongolia

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