Here are the Top, Greatest, Most Incredible, Ultimate, Must See, Best Places in the World. Note please that this is a spoof article. Do not worry, I will not forgo my day job and become a comedy writer.
Travel articles with superlative adjectives are trite and vapid.
One of my pet peeves is seeing articles with titles containing superlative adjectives, like Best or Most or Top or Ultimate or Greatest; same with Worst or Least.
When I see such titles, I want to ask the author:
- did you really eat at every steakhouse in the United States?
- have you really visited every beach in the world?
Even if someone experienced EVERY person, place, or thing, our world is so dynamic and people, places, and things are in a continual state of change. Oh, and why the heck would someone update their “best” list every year. Did the cities / roads / suppliers / animals / food / beaches change from the previous year?
I asked the author of one such article (“10 Best <food item> in America”), how many places did you visit? The response was, “one, but I did extensive research on the others.”
Are you kidding me?
I guess that person is a decent researcher or writer but not a travel writer. By the way, I intentionally will not mention the <food item>, author’s gender, or other clues—to protect the guilty.
Certainly, I must have used such superlatives in the past. I now make an effort to use more appropriate themes like “8 Great” or “My Favorite.”
Some people, I expect, will skip this intro text and scan right to the following Heading and bullet points. You, my astute friend, will now know that the rest of this article is a spoof. I hope you are entertained.
Top, Greatest, Most Incredible Best Places in the World
North America
Canada is the largest country in North America and second largest in the world, so it must be one of the best places in North America. USA is the most populous country in North America and also must be one of its top places. Other best places in North America include Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, and St. John (US Virgin Islands).
South America
Brazil is one of the best places in South America because it has beautiful beaches and people. Patagonia is one of the best places because it has incredible steaks and red wine and extraordinary natural beauty.
Other best places in South America include Guyana (I have a neighbor from there), Venezuela (I like how it sounds), and Galapagos (it is the most remote place).
Europe
Spain is one of the best places in Europe (I was born in Spain!). Northern Ireland, Romania, England, and Germany are other best places in Europe, because my family ancestry can be traced to those countries.
Africa
South Africa heads the list of best places in Africa because it is the native land of Scarlett Johansson, Charlize Theron, and Ernie Els (a distant cousin). Morocco is one of the best places in Africa, well, since I actually went there.
Asia
Some of the best places in Asia include Thailand, India, and China, because I like their cuisine. Actually, I also like Afghan, Indonesian, Pakistan, Burmese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Himalayan food, so those must also be best places to visit in Asia.
I have a friend who has experienced massive changes in her homeland so Cambodia might make my next best places list.
Australia (and Oceania)
New Zealand must be one of the best places on Earth because Lord of the Rings was filmed there. Tonga makes my list of best places solely based on the rugby war chant. Australia, of course, is one of the best places with its gorgeous people and scenery—but stick to the beaches (not the water) and cities to avoid their dangerous animals.
Antarctica
Antarctica is one of the best places to visit around the South Pole.
Oceans
The only thing to see in the oceans will kill you—like hurricanes, cyclones, icebergs, and sharks. The best places remain on land. Sorry. Maybe next time, oceans.
Any other best ultimate greatest must see places in the world you would recommend?
The title was really appealing. I was finding some best places for traveling with my friends and family. I heard about all the places you listed. But you didn’t write anything about the costing to travel there. Could you please give some ideas?
Thank you for reading my article and your comment. Prices will vary greatly, depending on so many factors, including where you go, where you travel from, how and when you go, and much more.
Very smart angle and title. Yeah, practically no best or top travel list make senses, most of the time they are just regurgitating too. I guess too many writers are caught up on the tip to include superlatives in their articles, and have not given it any actual thought.
Do not get my started. How pretentious is it to spend 2 days in a new destination and write an article about “Best” blah blah blah about it?
Like other commenters, I was drawn in by the title too! I liked your discussion of superlatives in titles — we’ve all gotten SO caught up in the drama of getting the perfect headline, we sometimes lose sight of the literal meanings of our words, and how silly they might look to readers.
So on that, great point.
Of course, my own list of greatest places differs somewhat, but that’s what makes the world so magical! It enchants us all in different ways.
Thank you so much, Valerie!
I almost passed over this post after reading the title—-for all the reasons you mentioned, but then I figured I’d skim it to see which places made the cut. I certainly wouldn’t disagree with any of your places–the ones I’ve been to and the ones I’ve extensively researched. I am anxiously awaiting your next post: “Top, Greatest, Most Incredible, Best Places in the Universe”. I hear there are great research resources for Pluto—which may or may not be a planet, but why restrict yourself to planets, anyway 😉
I definitely have aspirations to take my empire to the edges of the galaxy, and beyond. Thank you, Suzanne.
I like “8 Great” and “My Favorite” as intros for round-ups. I like the places on your list. You could say “In My Humble Opinion these are the best places in the world”. 🙂
Thank you, Carole.
I love your “best of” spoof and I agree with you 100 percent! Even if a writer visited every place on their list, their opinion is subjective anyway. Although, I must confess, I read the lists just to see if I have been to any of the places listed. Maybe that’s why they continue to succeed.
Thank you, Marilyn. 😀
I was a little worried when I saw the title. I thought, what is this man doing? I thought you were playing games with killer headers, and guess what ..it worked.
Mission accomplished!
OMG – these aren’t the best places on earth! The best ones are place I’ve been – Fiji, the Maldives, New Jersey, Belgium, JFK airport, Miami, Dunkin’ Donuts. What flawed methodology this writer has used!
Flawed methodology? Award for best comment in 2015: WINNER!
Love this! I agree with every best place on your list! But I have to add the Netherlands, because I live there, and Malawi, because I used to live there, and Korea, because that’s where I am now!
Those are definitely some other places!