An American-Mexican radio DJ who has visited every country in the world has revealed which he thinks is the most dangerous – and the tourist hotspot that’s overrated.
Randy Williams, better known as R Dub!, completed his decade-long challenge to visit all 193 UN-recognised countries in 2023 when he finally ticked off Turkmenistan.
Since finishing his epic mission, Randy has even founded his own country – the Republic of Slowjamastan, an 11-acre micronation in Southern California with its own currency and a strict ban on Croc shoes.
Now in an exclusive chat with MailOnline Travel, he reveals his favourite countries, the popular holiday destination he thinks is overrated and the city that deserves more Michelin stars…
Least favourite country
Randy explains that it would be unfair to ‘write off an entire country based on one rough visit’ as travel is always a ‘gamble’ that’s dependent on timing, weather and people.
However, there is one which just ‘didn’t click’ for the intrepid traveller.
‘Cameroon’, reveals Randy. ‘It was blisteringly hot, the city felt joyless and the locals wore scowls like armour. One guy even shouted at me for snapping a photo of a rundown house.
Randy Williams, better known as R Dub!, completed his decade-long challenge to visit all 193 UN-recognised countries in 2023. He’s pictured above in Yemen
Cameroon, which felt ‘joyless’ is Randy’s least favourite country. He’s pictured there in this photo
Turkemenistan was the last country on Randy’s list. He’s pictured here with an image of the country’s president
‘Maybe I’ll go back someday, give it another shot. I know there’s beauty and kindness there, I just didn’t find it that time.’
The world’s most dangerous country
‘If I had to sum up what I’ve learned from visiting every country in the world in a single sentence, it’d be this: “The world isn’t nearly as dangerous as the media would have you believe”,’ says Randy.
He explains that some of the countries he was ‘warned about’, including Libya, Syria, Iraq and North Korea, actually ended up being some of his favourite destinations.
But Randy does class one place he visited as ‘truly dangerous’.
He claims: ‘Somalia. It’s a failed state where looking like an outsider makes you a walking target. You don’t get far without a security detail – literally. The government mandates it.
‘I had an armoured vehicle and a truck full of armed guards just to move around. It’s tense. Terrorism is real. And yet, despite it all, most of the people I met there were kind, generous, and curious. That’s the paradox. Even in the most broken places, humanity still shows up. I’d go back. Carefully.’
Favourite countries
The Philippines is one of Randy’s favourite countries and he describes the people as ‘pure gold’
‘Beirut (pictured above) has this electricity pulsing through its streets, and the flavours? Unreal’
Randy describes Turkmenistan (above) as a ‘mesmerising’ place to visit
Randy has previously described Brazil as his favourite country and even quit his job to move there.
But it’s not the only destination that left an impact.
Top of the list? The Philippines.
‘No contest,’ says Randy. ‘The people are pure gold – kind, warm, generous in ways that make you question everything you thought you knew about hospitality. It’s my favorite place to just disappear for a while. No agenda. Just vibes.’
Armenia also ‘hit hard’, reveals the traveller. ‘Old-school values, ancient stones that whisper stories if you stand still long enough. It left a mark. I’m already itching to go back.’
Japan grabs a place in the top five, with Randy explaining: ‘What can you say that hasn’t been said?
‘A hundred visits wouldn’t scratch the surface. The food, the rituals, the reverence for detail – even their chaos is elegant. It’s another planet, and I never want off.’
If it’s food you’re looking for, Lebanon is Randy’s ‘ride or die’ culinary capital with restaurants that the traveller says deserve more recognition.
If it’s food you’re looking for, Lebanon (where he’s pictured above) is Randy’s ‘ride or die’ culinary capital with restaurants that the traveller says deserve more recognition
Armenia (where Randy is pictured above) also ‘hit hard’, reveals the traveller. ‘Old-school values, ancient stones that whisper stories if you stand still long enough. It left a mark. I’m already itching to go back’
Japan grabs a place in the top five, with Randy explaining ‘a hundred visits wouldn’t scratch the surface’
‘Beirut has this electricity pulsing through its streets, and the flavours? Unreal. Two bucks gets you a spread fit for royalty,’ explains Randy. ‘Breakfasts that border on spiritual, falafel that rewrites the rules, and ice cream that belongs in museums. I keep a list of Beirut joints that should have Michelin stars.’
And while it’s one of the world’s least visited countries and the last that Randy ticked off, Turkmenistan in Central Asia also makes the top five.
He reveals: ‘My final country, and the one that blindsided me. I walked in thinking I’d seen it all. I hadn’t. That place is weird in the most beautiful, intoxicating way. A fever dream of white marble, folklore, and formality. The culture is closed off, but what you do see? Mesmerizing.’
The traveller also awards honourable mentions to Madagascar, North Korea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Algeria, Bangladesh, Cuba, Switzerland, Turkey, Syria, and Venezuela.
The most overrated destination
‘Travel, like art, is personal,’ says Randy. ‘I’ve learned to ease up on judging how others do it. Some want the all-inclusive bubble: pool, buffet, repeat.
‘No shame in that. But for me? I want discomfort. I want my senses lit up like a pinball machine.’
And while Randy says there isn’t a single country he wouldn’t return to under the right circumstances, there is one popular holiday destination he thinks is overrated.
Since finishing his epic mission, Randy has even founded his own country. The Republic of Slowjamastan is an 11 acre micronation in Southern California with its own currency and a strict ban on Croc shoes
‘Dubai? No hate, but it just didn’t move me. Felt like one giant luxury showroom – glass, steel, gold, logos,’ he claims.
‘It’s a shrine to consumption more than culture. I get why people like it, I really do.
‘But flying halfway around the world to sit in traffic surrounded by Lamborghinis and Louis Vuitton? Not my jam.’
On the flipside, Randy says that ‘so many places get overlooked’, including Benghazi in Libya, Eritrea and Iraq.
