Countries | CoraTravels

Countries & regions

Explore 73 countries with authentic notes from locals.

Albania

🇦🇱 Albania

Experience authentic Albania beyond tourist brochures - from Tirana's chaotic scooter-dodging culture to Saranda's Albanian Riviera reality, bunker obsession meets Ottoman architecture. Discover the Balkans' cheapest country through eyes of Albanians who survived communism, navigate blood feuds turned tourist folklore, and drink raki while debating Enver Hoxha's legacy.

3 destinations · Average budget level 1

Aruba

🇦🇼 Aruba

Experience authentic Aruba beyond resort beaches and cruise ship ports. From 'One Happy Island' philosophy shaping genuine local positivity, to four-language daily life switching between Papiamento, Dutch, English, and Spanish, baseball obsession producing MLB stars, eternal summer at 82°F year-round, divi-divi trees bent by trade winds, and multicultural tolerance blending Caribbean soul with Dutch colonial heritage - discover Aruba through eyes of Arubans who embrace island time, celebrate diversity, and consider family beach Sundays sacred tradition.

1 destinations · Average budget level 3

Bolivia

🇧🇴 Bolivia

Experience authentic Bolivia beyond the Uyuni salt flats tourist convoys and La Paz cable car selfies. From cholita wrestling in El Alto to coca leaf rituals in the Altiplano, discover Bolivia through eyes of people who live 'suma qamaña' (living well together), honor Pachamama with daily ch'alla offerings, and built the world's most indigenous nation from centuries of resistance, resilience, and profound connection to the earth.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Bosnia & Herzegovina

🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina

Experience authentic Bosnia & Herzegovina beyond Sarajevo's war tourism and Mostar's rebuilt bridge. From Banja Luka's Orthodox traditions to Tuzla's salt lakes and Višegrad's Drina memories, discover the heart of the Balkans through locals who understand that 'merak' (soul/passion) transcends division and that shared coffee creates bridges.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Bosnia and Herzegovina

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

Experience authentic Bosnia beyond Mostar's iconic bridge and Sarajevo's tunnel museums. From three-pour coffee ceremonies lasting hours to sevdah music expressing untranslatable longing, discover Bosnia through eyes of people who invented 'merak' (blissful contentment), perfected the art of 'ćejf' (living in the moment), and built Europe's most resilient culture from Ottoman poetry, Austro-Hungarian elegance, and post-war reconciliation still unfolding daily.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Brazil

🇧🇷 Brazil

Experience authentic Brazil beyond Rio's beaches and Amazon jungle fantasies. From jeitinho brasileiro (creative problem-solving) that drives locals crazy and keeps country running, to futebol religion and Carnival obsession, feijoada Saturday rituals, and warmth that makes strangers family - discover Brazil through eyes of Brazilians who navigate bureaucracy, embrace diversity, and party harder than anywhere on Earth.

5 destinations · Average budget level 2

Bulgaria

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Experience authentic Bulgaria beyond yogurt stereotypes - from Sofia's reversed head gestures to Plovdiv's Roman theater conversations, communist monuments reimagined as Superman, and villages where babas (grandmothers) still make everything from scratch. Discover the Balkans' most confusing yet warmest country through eyes of Bulgarians who shake horizontally for 'yes', survived five centuries of Ottoman rule and fifty years of communism, and now debate EU membership over endless rakija rounds.

2 destinations · Average budget level 1

Cambodia

🇰🇭 Cambodia

Experience authentic Cambodia beyond Angkor Wat's sunrise crowds and Phnom Penh's bustling riverside. From village supra offerings to monks to prahok (fermented fish) markets and Pchum Ben ancestor festivals, discover the Kingdom of Wonder through locals who understand that 'sompeah' (traditional greeting) isn't just respect - it's preserving face, honoring hierarchy, and keeping harmony in a society rebuilt from unimaginable darkness.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Canada

🇨🇦 Canada

Experience authentic Canada beyond maple syrup stereotypes and Rocky Mountain postcards. From prairie hospitality that welcomes strangers with genuine warmth, to French-English linguistic tensions, hockey obsession transcending sport, multicultural mosaic reshaping national identity, Tim Hortons rituals, and wilderness that shapes character - discover Canada through eyes of Canadians who apologize excessively, endure extreme winters with pride, and navigate vast distances defining continental perspective.

3 destinations · Average budget level 3

Chile

🇨🇱 Chile

Experience authentic Chile beyond Santiago's skyscrapers and Torres del Paine's Instagram peaks. From Atacama's flamingo-filled lagoons to Valparaíso's graffiti-covered hills where poets once lived, discover Chile through people who invented 'once' (afternoon tea disguising secret drinks), survived dictatorship with nueva canción protest songs, and built Latin America's most orderly society from geographical isolation, Mapuche resilience, and the belief that modesty and solidarity matter more than showing off.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

China

🇨🇳 China

Experience authentic China beyond Beijing's Forbidden City and Shanghai's skyscrapers. From [Xi'an's ancient culture](/guides/xian-ancient-capital-secrets) to [Chengdu's teahouse traditions](/guides/chengdu-slow-living-panda-city) and Guangzhou's Cantonese cuisine, discover China through the resilient spirit of locals navigating ancient wisdom in a rapidly modernizing world.

3 destinations · Average budget level 1

Colombia

🇨🇴 Colombia

Experience authentic Colombia from locals tired of narcos stereotypes - Bogotá's intellectual cachacos navigate altitude and safety reality, Cali's salsa locals dance every night you don't, Cartagena's gentrification prices out Afro-Colombians who built culture tourists consume. Where locals navigate 'paisa' warmth vs robbery paranoia, berraquera (grit) through 60-year conflict trauma, aguardiente toasts masking inequality. Digital nomads discover COP 2.5M-4M/month ($600-1,000) paradise locals can't afford. Medellín's transformation story incomplete - locals remember Pablo, resent transformation tourism, embrace economic reality.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Costa Rica

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

Experience authentic Costa Rica beyond zip-lines and all-inclusive resorts. From ticos' pura vida philosophy that's life approach not tourist slogan, to gallo pinto breakfast rituals, no-army peace tradition, and conservation obsession making tiny country biodiversity champion - discover Costa Rica through locals who abolished military and chose nature over industry.

2 destinations · Average budget level 2

Croatia

🇭🇷 Croatia

Experience authentic Croatia beyond Dubrovnik's Game of Thrones tours and Split's palace crowds. From Zagreb's café culture to Dalmatian island konobas where families serve fish their grandfather caught, discover Croatia through the resilient hearts of people who invented the necktie, perfected rakija-making, and built a digital nomad paradise from post-war transformation.

4 destinations · Average budget level 2

Czech Republic

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

Experience authentic Czech Republic beyond Prague's tourist crowds. From Bohemian beer culture to Moravian wine trails and medieval castles where locals maintain cottage weekend traditions, discover Czechia through the skeptical eyes of people who invented pilsner, perfected the art of complaining, and survived centuries at the crossroads of European empires.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

Denmark

🇩🇰 Denmark

Experience authentic Denmark beyond fairy tale castles and Little Mermaid statues. From hygge philosophy that's untranslatable but involves candles and cozy socks, to Janteloven social code discouraging standing out, bike culture that puts Amsterdam to shame, and prices that make your credit card weep - discover Denmark through eyes of locals who've mastered happiness despite darkness, wind, and world's highest cost of living.

1 destinations · Average budget level 3

Egypt

🇪🇬 Egypt

Experience authentic Egypt beyond Cairo's pyramids and Luxor's temples. From Alexandria's cosmopolitan Mediterranean soul to Nubian hospitality in Aswan, discover Egypt through eyes of people who invented 'inshallah' philosophy, perfected ahwa culture as social fabric, and navigate 7,000 years of history while building modern lives between five daily prayers and Corniche sunset walks.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Estonia

🇪🇪 Estonia

Experience authentic Estonia beyond Tallinn's medieval walls and digital innovation headlines. From forest sauna rituals to island culture where Russians and Estonians navigate complex post-Soviet identity, discover Estonia through the reserved souls of people who invented e-government, cherish silence as golden, and found freedom in forests during Soviet occupation.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

Finland

🇫🇮 Finland

Experience authentic Finland beyond Helsinki's design shops and Lapland's tourist-heavy Santa villages. From wood-fired lakeside saunas at midnight to the art of mökkielämä (cottage life), discover Suomi through eyes of people who invented 'sisu' (extraordinary perseverance), perfected silence as social grace, embrace jokamiehenoikeus (everyman's right to roam), and built Europe's most egalitarian society from forests, lakes, and unshakeable trust in fellow humans.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

France

🇫🇷 France

Experience authentic France beyond the Eiffel Tower selfies and Loire Valley château tours. From apéro rituals anchoring social life to terroir philosophy connecting land to identity, discover France through locals who perfected 'savoir-vivre' (knowing how to live), turned street philosophy into flânerie art form, and built a culture where a three-hour lunch isn't indulgence but civilization itself. Navigate vouvoiement formality, decode café etiquette, and understand why striking is considered civic duty - welcome to the country where Revolution shaped democracy and gastronomy earned UNESCO heritage status.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

Italy

🇮🇹 Italy

Experience authentic Italy beyond Rome's tourist crowds and Venice's gondolas. From Milan's hidden aperitivo bars to Sicily's family trattorias and Tuscany's local wine culture, discover Italy through the passionate eyes of locals who live la dolce vita daily. Explore the [hidden gems across Europe](/blog/hidden-gems-in-europe) starting with Italy's lesser-known treasures.

2 destinations · Average budget level 2

Jamaica

🇯🇲 Jamaica

Experience authentic Jamaica beyond Montego Bay's all-inclusive resorts and Negril's seven-mile beach. From Kingston's Trench Town where reggae was born to Port Antonio's untouched jungles and Blue Mountain coffee plantations, discover Jamaica through people who invented 'irie' philosophy, transformed sound system culture into global phenomenon, and built Caribbean's most vibrant music scene from colonial oppression, African heritage, and unbreakable island spirit.

1 destinations · Average budget level 2

Kazakhstan

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Experience authentic Kazakhstan beyond Almaty's modern skyline and Astana's futuristic architecture. From zheti ata clan connections spanning seven generations to berkutchi eagle hunters riding the steppe, discover Sakartvelo through locals who understand that knowing your ancestors isn't genealogy - it's identity itself. Where shubat (fermented camel milk) rituals honor nomadic heritage, Nauryz celebrates renewal with seven sacred ingredients, and the concept of 'konakasy' means treating strangers as gifts from God.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Kurdistan

🟥⭐🟩 Kurdistan

Experience authentic Kurdistan beyond political headlines and conflict narratives. From Sulaymaniyah's chaikhana philosophy and intellectual cafés to Erbil's ancient citadel and Duhok's mountain traditions, discover Kurdistan through people who preserved language and culture through generations of suppression, perfected tea hospitality as social bond, and built autonomous region where freedom of expression flourishes despite surrounding uncertainties.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Lithuania

🇱🇹 Lithuania

Experience authentic Lithuania beyond Vilnius' baroque spires and Trakai's island castle. From forest mushroom hunts where locals guard secret spots like state secrets, to Hill of Crosses where faith defied Soviet bulldozers three times, discover Lithuania through resilient souls who survived centuries of occupation by cherishing silence, nature, and the world's most passionate basketball culture.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Mexico

🇲🇽 Mexico

Experience authentic Mexico beyond Cancún's resorts and Tulum's Instagram spots. From Oaxaca's indigenous markets to Guadalajara's mariachi culture and [Mexico City's vibrant neighborhoods](/guides/mexico-city-cultural-giant-creative-capital), discover Mexico through the warmth of locals who understand that 'mi casa es su casa' isn't just a saying - it's a way of life.

5 destinations · Average budget level 1

Netherlands

🇳🇱 Netherlands

Experience authentic Netherlands beyond Amsterdam's tourist canals and Instagram tulip fields. From cycling culture where bikes outnumber people to gezelligheid philosophy of cozy togetherness, Sinterklaas controversies, and directness that shocks foreigners - discover the Netherlands through eyes of locals who've mastered living below sea level with ingenious water management and unshakeable pragmatism.

2 destinations · Average budget level 3

Paraguay

🇵🇾 Paraguay

Experience authentic Paraguay beyond tourist radars - from bilingual Guaraní-Spanish soul defining national identity, to sacred tereré sharing rituals that create instant community, August first superstitions, siesta sacred hours, and family asado traditions lasting entire Sundays. Discover South America's hidden heart where indigenous culture thrives proudly and hospitality knows no limits.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Romania

🇷🇴 Romania

Experience authentic Romania from locals tired of Dracula jokes - Cluj tech scene rivals Berlin at 1/3 cost, Brașov weekend warriors escape Bucharest smog, Timișoara revolution birthplace now hipster haven. Țuică homemade plum brandy ritual, Orthodox grandmas vs atheist communist legacy, sarmale cabbage rolls Sunday sacred. Digital nomads discover EU's last budget paradise before Prague prices invade. €500-900/month possible if you embrace Romanian contradiction: Latin soul, Slavic pessimism, EU aspirations, Balkan chaos.

2 destinations · Average budget level 1

Serbia

🇷🇸 Serbia

Experience authentic Serbia beyond Belgrade's floating river clubs and Novi Sad's EXIT Festival crowds. From kafana debates lasting until dawn to slava feast traditions honoring family saints, discover Serbia through eyes of people who invented 'inat' (defiant spite), perfected rakija-making as high art, and built Europe's most welcoming culture from centuries of resistance, survival, and unbreakable hospitality codes.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Sri Lanka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

Discover authentic Sri Lanka beyond tourist brochures - from Colombo's chaotic bus stands to Ella's misty highlands, surf beaches where fishermen still use stilt techniques, and tea estates where Tamil workers pluck leaves at dawn. Experience the pearl-shaped island through eyes of locals who live cricket obsession, navigate three-wheeler chaos, and share hoppers over endless cups of milky tea.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

Sweden

🇸🇪 Sweden

Experience authentic Sweden beyond Stockholm's Gamla Stan tourists and IKEA clichés. From archipelago summer cottages and 'allemansrätten' wilderness access to fika culture binding society and jantelagen equality codes shaping behavior, discover Sweden through people who perfected 'lagom' (just right) philosophy, built world's most gender-equal society, and created Nordic welfare model balancing innovation with sustainability.

1 destinations · Average budget level 3

Tunisia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

Experience authentic Tunisia beyond Carthage ruins and Sidi Bou Said's blue doors. From Tunis's café culture where men debate politics over mint tea to Djerba's Berber traditions and Sahara oasis life, discover Tunisia through the generous hearts of locals who seamlessly blend Arab, Berber, and French identities while navigating their proud post-revolution democracy.

1 destinations · Average budget level 1

United Kingdom

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Experience authentic Britain beyond London's Big Ben and Edinburgh's Royal Mile. From pub philosophy debates over proper pints to the unspoken rules of queuing, discover the UK through eyes of people who perfected the 'stiff upper lip', turned tea-drinking into high art, and built global influence from a small island where apologizing for things that aren't your fault is considered polite, and where class consciousness shapes everything from accent to afternoon tea rituals.

4 destinations · Average budget level 2

United States

🇺🇸 United States

Experience authentic America beyond Hollywood glamor and New York skyscrapers. From Southern BBQ pitmasters perfecting their craft over generations to Midwest 'Minnesota Nice' small talk with strangers, discover the United States through eyes of people who live by 'hustle culture' productivity obsession, invented tailgating as sacred pre-game ritual, and built fifty distinct state identities from immigrant melting pot mythology, optimistic individualism, and the eternally evolving American Dream.

10 destinations · Average budget level 2