Why the Happiest Country in the World Just Got Taken Off my Bucket List

Among the list of happiest countries, there are few that never stray far from the top 10:

Switzerland

Iceland

Norway

and....Bhutan

Bhutan? Yup.

This small landlocked country between China and India is apparently remarkable. In fact, Eric Weiner, in his AMAZING book Geography of Bliss, declared it the happiest country in the world.

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I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's a fan favorite among many DIY travelers.

Plus, we got to meet the author and he's so nice.

To see Nate's interview with Eric Weiner, click here.

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Why Bhutan?

In part, it's because they are the only country in the world to have instituted a Gross National Happiness Index .The score covers nine domains, including time use, community vitality, and living standards.

The score is based on questionnaires given to 8,000 randomly chosen Bhutanese citizens. The questionnaire used to be 9 hours (300 questions!) long but has since been shortened to 3 hours. They supposedly ask questions like "How often do you argue with your family?" and "How happy did you feel yesterday?"

There has been some downward movement in the GNH index lately. But the appeal of going to a country that cares about your happiness enough to quantify it is undeniable. For that reason, Bhutan has been a bucket list location for many travelers.

So why did I take it off my bucket list? I've been priced out of the market.

Prior to this year, entrance was already tricky and pricey. Now it's almost impossible for the average traveler.

Pre-COVID, you had to apply for a visa through a Bhutanese tour operator who then arranged your stay and activities for you. The deal was that you had to agree to spend $250 per person per day in order to come. That's already pricey for a backpacker. But, the tour operators arranged things so that this covered your accommodations, food, and tours. It was like an all-inclusive rural Himalayan resort experience.

The goal was to minimize the negative effects of tourism by making sure that monies went toward environmental and cultural sustainability.

But the COVID shutdown gave them time to reconsider things, and they have since instituted a new policy.

The good news:

• You don't have to pay for a tour operator.

• You don't have a daily minimum expense.

The bad news:

• You have to pay a $200/day per person fee that goes toward sustainability and doesn't go toward any of your expenses.

For a family of 6 to stay 4 days, that means we would be paying $4800 ON TOP OF OUR ACTUAL EXPENSES.

They are shooting for a less is more model: fewer tourists (who have lots of money) can support the tourism industry with a smaller footprint.

I get it.

But the real losers are the tour guides. They had a great thing going: they were guaranteed employment (for the most part) by the previous law and created an entire industry around it. The same goes for the restauranteurs who saw larger bills, as people had to reach their daily minimum.

Now, those same dollars are going directly to the government, and travelers are going to scrimp more on tours and food in order to make up for the $200 fee.

I have a feeling this isn't going to help the Gross National Happiness Index much....

So, for now, Bhutan is off my list. Maybe someday I'll tell my kids I want my ashes scattered there so I can save myself the $200/day fee. They can't charge dead people, right?