Our Top 3 Friendliest Countries

First thing’s first, how can one country be defined ‘more friendly’ than another?

Well, it all comes down to ‘agreeableness,’ according to the Big 5 Personality test. Basically, it’s countries that value social harmony and are more trustworthy of their neighbours, that tend to be more agreeable than countries where the collective mentality is a lot more suspicious and sceptical of others.

We had a think and asked our colleagues (and WeRoaders!) which countries they found to be the most friendly. Without much further ado, here are our top 3:

 THAILAND 
Thailand is literally known as the “Land of Smiles,” so even before arriving we had high hopes on the friendly spectrum. The Thai are generally non-confrontational, value harmony in relationships, and seek to lead peaceful lives in general. This tranquillity is largely thanks to their Buddhist values, where over 90% of the population are Buddhist.

MEXICO
Despite popular culture often portraying Mexico as a drug-cartel-fuelled dangerous country, our experience in Mexico was the opposite. Mexicans have an unparalleled sense of community, where family is at the heart of their culture. This importance on familial relations translates into their attitude towards people, and we felt like part of a big family everywhere we went.

CORFU
Greece’s friendly reputation is rooted in the Greek value of hospitality, or “philoxenia.”
Philoxenia, which literally means “friend of a stranger” in Ancient Greek, is an ancient concept that is still practised in modern Greece. This phenomenon is so deeply ingrained in Greek culture, that if you visit this pocket of paradise, you can expect to be invited back for a spitiko (home-cooked) meal.