Kenya, Africa, the place where OTPYM began.

In the spring of 2011, in a corporate role, I was traveling around the world, staying in the top luxury hotels, dining at the hottest restaurants in Dubai, Berlin, Mexico City, Paris and London, just to name a few. On an advisory board meeting in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, I was honored to be asked to join the Adventure Travel Trade Association, a global membership organization to more than 700 responsible businesses, destinations, and media who advocate for sustainability and justice worldwide. When we touched down in a helicopter in La Palma, Chiapas we were greeted by the smiling children of the town.

A seed was planted. While I loved my brand and my team, I wasn’t inspired and was rather getting frustrated by the lack of innovation taking place. I traveled around the world, yes, but I saw little more than the inside of offices, hotel rooms, conferences and the occasional taxi cab. The people of La Palma reminded me of the wanderlust I suffered from as a child landlocked in Missouri pouring over encyclopedias and National Geographic. Since then I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how to marry the world of luxury travel and helping the local people who make each destination so special.

In an interesting turn of events, a corporate reorganization left me with the time, means, and passion to make it happen. I contacted Africa specialist, Askari Travel to help me, a solo female traveler, plan my epic journey across Africa. On April 6, 2012, I departed for my three-month journey across southern and eastern Africa. In advance of my trip, I launched a travel, food and philanthropic content site, OhThePeopleYouMeet, for true denizens seeking authentic local connection.

Some of the happiest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting were on this first journey to sub Saharan Africa, sitting in a village in Northern Laikipia, Kenya surrounded by children and women who had next to nothing and yet wore the biggest smiles I’d ever encountered. Their generosity despite the most starkly difficult odds overwhelmed and humbled me. I recall the feeling I had when I first heard a lion roar on safari and watched as Noah’s Arc stopped and stood attention as the king of the jungle’s call echoed across the vast Maasai Mara. I realized that my problems, and even worse my fretting about them, really didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Life was in fact cyclical, and I was just one tiny piece of a giant, ever moving chain. All I had was now, the present, to make an impact.

Transformative travel doesn’t mean that you have to immerse yourself amongst people who have less than you to realize that you actually don’t need that much to be happy; it doesn’t mean you need to live on a commune with no worldly possessions nor does it mean you need to eat raw vegan or set yourself in the middle of nowhere to feel a sense of peace and happiness.

When it all comes down to it, what moves me are people. It’s when I experience a genuine local connection that shifts my perspective. I’m allowed the time or space to see a person or a situation differently and ultimately return with a new sense of vigor for effecting change, Well, that makes me happy.

Since 2012, I have traveled the globe meeting some of the happiest people on the planet and trying to capture a little bit of their enthusiasm to share. Because happiness is contagious. Below are the top five happiest places around the globe that I’ve had the pleasure to visit.

Happy locals – even with a happy mask! – in Bhutan.

1. Bumthang, Bhutan

Instead of measuring Gross Domestic Profit, the government of Bhutan looks at Gross National Happiness (GNH) to assess its success as a nation. An interesting concept. Set in one of the many rolling, picturesque and remote valleys of Bhutan, surrounded by mountains, farmland and fields where the locals practice archery daily. Or on your hike to one of the many monasteries, the nunnery, or a temple, as you weave your way through a never-ending maze of prayer flags: it’s not difficult to see why the Bhutanese people are so at peace. Visit a local family to learn more about their traditions over a simple Bhutanese meal. The king’s 100% approval rating should speak volumes for an otherwise developing nation. Every citizen is given free basic rights, including healthcare and primary education.

A local craftswoman in Western Australia.

2. Exmouth, Western Australia

Exmouth is a mere 1,270 km north of Perth just to give you an idea of distance. It’s easy to see why everyone in remote Western Australia wears a smile. The locals are surrounded in raw natural wonder, whether it’s the Cape Range National Park littered with adorable Australia wildlife like echidnas, wallabies, kangaroos or emus or the vast Ningaloo Reef with sea turtles and manta rays. I was taken by Western Australia’s dedication to protecting especially it’s marine life. The government, even has a Whale Shark Conservation Officer, who was perhaps the most excited of everyone on our expedition to swim alongside these gentle giants in the Indian Ocean. There is something about the fresh air, the salt water air and the tranquility of observing wildlife in its natural habitat that keeps the locals smiling.

Woman on the street in Cuba.

3. Cuba

Despite its economic and political challenges, shabby exterior and that international development until recently has been on hold for decades, the country is full of proud people excited to meet you. Note that the locals will be on the look out to make sure that the police are not watching them. The creative scene is literally bursting at the seams, whether it’s art or dance. While Havana and the colonial cities are not to be missed, I suggest grabbing a bike with WOWCuba and cycling 400km across the untouched Western Central Cuban heartland, where you will be greeted by locals who come out to share a pork sandwich, a simple handshake or give you a tour of their simple home. I suggest traveling now, to get a real taste of the Communist island before current international development leaves it’s mark. Some of my top suggestions in Michaela’s Map: Best of Cuba.

Michaela and locals at a market in Bangkok, Thailand.

4. Bangkok, Thailand

Bangkok is the gateway to rice paddies, beaches, full moon parties, spa retreats, pad Thai, flower markets, lady boys, temples and sex shows. This contrast is further emphasized by the 5-star uber luxe hotels sitting next to the hour long $7 USD Thai yoga massage joint. While the juxtaposition between the have and have not’s is stark, it’s a gloriously chaotic city whose gentle and hardworking people, who rely so heavily on tourism, continue to suffer based on negative media attention. And yet, they are always smiling and so happy to see you. I attribute the Thai people’s happiness to living simply, working hard, a genuine sense of hospitality and humor and let’s face it, they have some of the best food in the world. Watch our Michaela’s Map postcards as I experience Bangkok by day, followed by Bangkok nightlife.

Michaela and camp at AfrikaBurn.

5. Tankwa Karoo, Northern Cape, South Africa

Tankwa Karoo is nestled in the stark, vast Karoo Desert and is home to the annual festival of creative self-expression, AfrikaBurn. This Burning Man regional is an annual event that has been running since 2007. The AfrikaBurn community comes together once per year to build a temporary city of art, theme camps, music and performance. Take a look for yourself in Michaela’s Map: AfrikaBurn. Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, it’s quite difficult to explain what it means to be radically self-reliant, digitally disconnected and in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thousands of complete strangers in costume, and completely accepted. Over 13,000 attendees from across Africa and the world come to meet new people and celebrate that despite being from different corners of the planet, they share the same values. Working together with a stranger that shares similar values to your own, to build a community for all to enjoy is a powerful connection you can’t quite describe. The bonds built under the African Stars on the rolling dusty playa floor cannot be replicated.

Happiness transcends geography. The similar threads are not location, but rather great open spaces and natural states of being that these places and people have in common.