Phil_314

Shodoshima was magical for my family - we accidentally chose it, and it turned out to be so much fun as it was an unexpected, relaxing change of pace to modern and fast Japan. First of all, the island is beautiful - you get the beach and the mountains. I recommend watching the movie Twenty-Four Eyes before going there. Once in Shodoshima, visit the set for the movie. Definitely go and spend time with the wild monkeys - try feeding them and experience them jumping all over you! Walking on Angel Road was pretty cool as you can access the smaller island only on low tide. Go to Shodoshima Oliver Park and take pictures with the beautiful architecture as well as jumping on a broomstick kinda like the Studio Ghibli anime Kiki's Delivery Service. 

@Phil_314...different places for different reasons.

When I was single, I loved the Caribbeans (Nassau, Bahamas and Cancun, MX were my favorites in my 20's and 30's - there is amazing warm scuba water diving available, if you like those kind of activities).

Since I've been married, Munich, Costa del Sol, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Naples have been some of our favorite spots.  Also, I used to travel to South Africa and Namibia on business a quarterly basis, and cities like Cape Town are very interesting (dangerous in certain parts, but safe for the most part).  Victoria Falls where Namibia, Bostwana, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet is one of the most amazing places I've been.  And if you make your way to southern parts of Africa, you owe it to yourself to go on a safari with big game cats and all kinds of wildlife.  We used to have a uranium exploration camp along the Orange River separating Namibia from S. Africa and wandering into our camps were baboons, zebras, kudo, cheetahs, and the like.  Andes Mountain range in Argentina/Bolivia/Chile is amazing...if you go, make sure you carry oxygen with you (nearly died at 15,000 ft elevation when I was looking at some lithium salars in Argentina back in 2011). If you love steak, nothing is better than Argentine beef (and the Argentine women may be some of the most beautiful women in the world). And I second Kyoto as a must-visit in Japan...my favorite city in Japan for their cherry blossoms, temples, hospitality.  Cleanest city I have ever visited.

My local faves - Boston (sorry fellow Canucks fans), Chicago (sorry Canucks fans), Los Angeles (sorry Canucks fans), New York (sorry Canucks fans), San Francisco, Seattle and South Beach (though South Beach was when I was younger). 

We have extended family vacation homes at Mammoth Lakes, La Jolla and Hawaii, and my wife and I have a place in Las Vegas off the strip so these are places we end up when traveling (which I like to do less and less with every passing year). The kid in me still loves Disneyland and with the arrival of our newborn son, we'll probably be making regular trips back the happiest place on earth in five years time. So add Anaheim to the list.  And if you've never been up north, Alaska and Yukon Territories are spectacular places to visit (especially in the summer when you get 23.5 hours of daylight). Nothing like teeing off at 10 PM for a quick round of golf.

I hope this helps.

These travel stories rejuvenate my passport vigor.  

Phil I rented a motorbike in Hanoi and travelled all around. Amazing fun zipping up the Ha Giang mountain ranges and I'll go back to do it again one day with some friends who became interested once I regaled them with tales. English is spoken in cities, but I like languages so learned enough food and barter words to get by in rural areas and was always welcomed. Hell I was walking around Ha Giang with my friend looking for a morning ca fe za da when a family yelled at me (in Vietnamese I did not understand) to come over and greet them. You know, the hands and elbows pumping towards the chest and face in "come here" fashion.  

Once I crossed the road and saw what they had I knew what was up. They had pulled a jackfruit off their tree in the backyard and were about to crack it open and wanted to share it with us. Sat there for an hour conversing in broken languages translated by my friend over a fresh fruit breakfast where the sap is so sticky your lips almost glue shut, but the fruit is absolutely delicious, and they made me a coffee.  

You just can't buy experiences like that, and that's why I love to travel.   

Bigbad: great tales man. Argentina women and picana beef are top 5 things to love. But hey, there are lovely people and women everywhere, but the picana is unique. Senegal was always on my list since much of the flavours of southern food I like originated there. You didn't list it so I assume you have not been?

Also, Vinny, I gotta second Kyoto. Shabu shabu please.

Such a fantastic little city with an amazing little food market and amazing temples to check out. I'm not even Buddhist, I just like having a tea and walking the gardens. @Nuxfanabroad