The Philippines
How many people speak English: 92%
What it's like as an English speaker: American English isn't merely Filipinos' second language; it's how many of them communicate regardless of who's in the mix. Beyond America's 50-year occupation (1898-1946, when Uncle Sam built hundreds of English-teaching schools, basketball courts, and Hollywood movie theaters), Filipinos also celebrate English words by singing, everywhere, all the time. They invented karaoke and perfected live music, a legacy of the lounge and rock bands that sprang up around Vietnam-era military bases that needed entertaining. Base towns became live Western-music hubs, and that scene remains a huge reason to visit this ultra-friendly tropical country.
What the Philippines has to offer: The Philippines is all about variety in landscapes and personality. In its 7,000 islands, you’ll find hundreds of idyllic tropical beaches, mountainous cloud forests, and Manila, the dazzling, kinda-haywire city of 17 million. It's traditional yet faddish, Asian in character but Western in disposition. Every neighborhood has multiple sing-along bars with non-canned music ranging from sitar/bongo duos to American Idol winner-types. Outdoor bargain cafes/traveler hangouts serving 75-cent bottles of cold beer abound, all spinning tunes from their massive classic rock and blues inventories. If you make only one stop: Hit the Hobbit House, a Downtown Manila institution. Gritty and gonzo, it's their version of CBGB -- an everyone-aboard live-rock club -- with the distinct twist of being staffed by little people
Slovenia
How many people speak English: 59%
What it's like as an English speaker: A tiny European country of 2 million strong, nearly squeezed off the continent and into the Adriatic by Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and Italy. Slovenian culture blends all these neighboring influences, so it's no surprise Slovenians love language. Over-the-top friendly locals who speak impeccable English make Slovenia the stuff of road trip and hitchhiking dreams. Asking for directions might turn into 30 minutes of shooting the bull about attractions and Slovenian history, which might carry into drinks at the bar or even an invitation for a home-cooked meal.
What Slovenia has to offer: The capital Ljubljana (which looks impossible to pronounce, but actually comes out rather naturally in a native English accent) is just a two-hour drive from Venice and about a four- to five-hour drive from Vienna, Budapest, and Split. It's easy to sneak Slovenia into a Eurotrip itinerary and you should definitely do it -- if for no other reason than the greenery and sidewalk cafes of Ljubljana or the breathtakingly blue waters and open skies of Lakes Bled and Bohinj. -- Barbara Woolsey, Thrillist contributor
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