It is sad, but race really does matter. There was a situation I had in Bulgaria where two police officers surrounded me and demanded to see my passport (Long story). I gave it to them and they smiled and said "Oh...English!" With a huge smile as they handed it back, and waved me on my way. I dread to think what would happen if my passport was Turkish or from any other country where the media has created tension recently...

I also had a mate that got robbed in Southern Africa (I don't remember which country) and he said, "It was my fault, I was walking in the street on my own..." It's easy to forget that some places are desperate and do what they can to survive. They see us as rich, and in a way we are rich because we can afford food, a bed, and a plane ticket to take us to another part of the world...

Wow, 100 countries, that puts my 25-30 odd to shame! Any recommendations? I loved Macedonia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Philippines of the top of my head. Italy has some incredible places to see of the beaten path (plus it helps that I speak a bit of Italian) Thailand is great too but I'm a bit biased because I live there now...