If you think I’m well-traveled you should talk to my friend, Jordan. He’s been to 24 countries at last count (what’s the update, Jordan?) and has lived in about half of them! Jordan and I first met when I was studying in Sydney as an exchange student in 2010. Since then, we’ve seen each other on two other continents: the US and India.

Jordan has a VERY different perspective from me on what makes a good travel destination so I decided to share his top 5 favorite places as a contrast to mine. We all like different things in our holidays and for Jordan, his self-declared priorities are authenticity, other-worldness, and deconstruction. He also takes his travel photos with disposable cameras, which I think adds an extra layer of grit and surreality to his memories (see below).

From Jordan himself:

5. India
“Is it weird that I’ve been thinking a lot about India lately, namely Calcutta?”

(Editor’s Note: Yes, absolutely weird considering the last time we were in India you hated it so much you booked a flight out after five days. But hey, ain’t no shame in giving it another chance. I think there’s a time and a place for a trip to India and last time wasn’t it. After all, we spent most of those five days doing this/sitting on the toilet:)

4. Aix-en-Provence
“It’s like a page ripped from an illustrated children’s book. Ponds with ducks, wind chimes, and sunshine.”

3. Amsterdam
“A little petri dish of Western civilization near-perfection. Easy to get around, beautiful to look at, cozy, radically individual.”

2. Morocco
“An ancient universe architecturally, so organic, like a human-sized ant farm/time warp. You can explore forever.”

1. Romania
“European time warp like no other. Transylvania is enchanted, charged with myth. In Bucharest the contrasts between rich and poor, old and new, were unforgettable.”