Like a warm welcome when you travel? Check out this list of the top 10 friendliest countries in the world and feel the foreign love!

I got caught in the rain today and a man gave me his umbrella. Not a cheap, plastic one but a nice one with colors and a wooden handle.

It made me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s nice when strangers are friendly for no reason.

Even nicer when you’re thousands of miles from home and maybe feeling a bit lonely and fed up.

Want to feel warm and fuzzy when you travel? Check out Lonely Planet’s list of the Top 10 Friendliest Countries in the World,* and stay dry across the globe!

1.    Ireland
2.    USA
3.    Malawi
4.    Fiji
5.    Indonesia
6.    Vietnam
7.    Samoa
8.    Thailand
9.    Scotland
10.  Turkey

Who’s been to Ireland? Got more friendly stranger stories? Disagree with this list? Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you.

If you liked this you might also like: Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World

*List taken from the Lonely Planet Bluelist: Best in Travel 2008

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Wizards, sorcerers, hobbits and goblins. This maybe the stuff of fairy-tales but you can bring magic to life! Visit these breath-taking magical destinations and live out your own travel legend!

Travel and make-believe certainly go hand in hand.

Whether it’s royal palaces, enchanted forests or magical lagoons, traveling the world can bring your favorite fairy-tales to life!

So grab your wand, mount your white horse and take a virtual journey through the 15 most magical places in the world!

1. Sorcerer’s Castle, Lausanne, Switzerland

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2. The Enchanted Forest, Oberursel, Germany

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3. Wizards’ Town, Gent, Belgium

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4. Magical Lagoon, Mount Cook, New Zealand

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5. Emperor’s Palace, Versailles, France

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6. Knights’ Ship, River Elbe, Germany

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7. Prince Charming’s Castle, Gstaad, Switzerland

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8. Golden Pagodas, Bagan, Myanmar

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9. The Faraway Tree, Oxfordshire, UK

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10. Rapunzel’s Tower, Huddersfield, UK

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11. Wishing Bridge, Neuchâtel, Switzerland

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12. Warlocks’ Castle, Angus, Scotland

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13. The Snow Queen’s Lair, Hausham, Germany

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14. Hobbits’ House, Dordogne, France

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15. Lake of Dreams, Yuangshuo, China

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Been to any of these places? Got more magical travel recommendations? Which fairy-tale character would you be*?!

Post up your comments below, we want to hear from you!

Coming soon… the most spiritual places in the world. Don’t miss out, sign up for free blog updates below!

*(I’d be the Snow Queen!)