by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 2:55 PM ET, Mon August 3, 2026
Many of us have a happy place that we like to visit on vacation, a location where we can truly be at peace and shelve the stress of daily life (at least for a little while.) For me, it’s spending time in a cottage in Maine, enjoying days spent kayaking through the estuaries listening to the sounds of nature.
Though when I have money to spare, I would say my alternative happy place is the remote islands of Maldives, snorkeling in the turquoise waters amid the abundance of tropical fish and marine life.
For others, that happy place may be a stunning forested landscape like those found in North Carolina or Wyoming, for example. And for some, their happy travel place has nothing to do with nature at all, and may instead involve endless nightlife and entertainment, such as New York City or Las Vegas.
The travel insurance experts at JustCover recently decided to delve a little deeper into this question, identifying travel destinations globally that are viewed by visitors as their personal “happy place.” The JustCover team’s goal was to identify the world's collective happy place.
To do that, they looked at more than one million online travel reviews, analyzing how often visitors described tourist venues with language expressing genuine happiness in 155 destinations across the world. The results of that effort were used to create a 'Happy Place’ score of up to 100, revealing the places where people feel the most joy of all when visiting.
So which destination was the winner of this effort, you ask? It seems globetrotters the world over express the most happiness when visiting Tulum, Mexico, a location famous for ancient archaeological wonders, cenotes and sugar-sand beaches. The Riviera May destination received a happy place score of a perfect 100. And as it turns out, Mexico fared better than any other country when it comes to the top 5 happiest places in the world to travel. Oaxaca, Mexico came in at number 3, the only country to have two destinations in the top 5.
Read on to find out why Tulum ranked so well and what other global destinations landed among the top of the list.
Top 5 happiest global destinations to visit
1. Tulum, Mexico
'Happy Place’ Score: 100/100
Tulum, a beach town on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula around 130km south of Cancun, is the most frequent place where people say they feel the happiest of all. The coastal town is known for its well-preserved Mayan ruins, as it was one of the last cities inhabited by the Mayan people. Alongside its ruins, and access to nature, it’s Tulum's food, nightlife and wellness scenes that draw visitors from all around the world.
2. Soufrière, Saint Lucia
'Happy Place' Score: 95.2/10
Soufrière, a small town on Saint Lucia’s southwest coast, ranked second with 95.2 out of 100. The town sits in the shadow of the Pitons, two volcanic peaks that rise sharply from the Caribbean Sea and are among the most recognisable sights in the region. Visitors can hike between them, swim in the warm waters below, or simply soak in the island's natural volcanic hot springs nearby. Few places pack this much into such a small stretch of coastline.
Church in Oaxaca, Mexico (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)
3. Oaxaca, Mexico
'Happy Place' Score: 88.0/100
Oaxaca earned the third place ranking on the happiest travel destination list. The city in southern Mexico draws visitors for its food, markets and deep indigenous culture. The Mercado Benito Juárez, a fresh food market, sits at the center of daily life, selling everything from tlayudas (Mexican pizza) and mole negro (a rich sauce) to chapulines (toasted grasshoppers that locals eat by the handful). Beyond the market, the city's well-preserved colonial center and its role as the heartland of Día de los Muertos celebrations give it a cultural weight that stays with people long after they leave.
4. Las Vegas, United States
'Happy Place' Score: 88.0/100
Las Vegas, long known as Sin City, secured fourth place, scoring 88 points out of 100. A location engineered for peak moments (from weddings to milestone birthdays) people often arrive in Las Vegas already in celebration mode, with the restaurants and shows doing the rest.
Sunset from Maui, Hawaii. (Photo Credit: peteleclerc / Adobe Stock)
5. Maui, United States
'Happy Place' Score: 84.6/100
Maui’s laid-back island life helps cement its reputation for happiness, with locals embracing a slower pace of living. Visitors can snorkel with wildlife, hike through Haleakalā National Park or drive the 103-kilometer road to Hāna through rainforest and past black sand beaches.
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