# What's the most faraway place you've been? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670 "2005-04-29T03:37:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/21 "2005-04-30T01:13:36Z")
I’m originally from New York City. The farthest north I’ve ever been was either Montreal, Quebec or Toronto. I’m not sure which one is the northernmost city. The farthest south I’ve ever been was to Costa Rica. The most remote place I’ve ever been was to a rainforest in Belize. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/22 "2005-04-30T01:52:53Z")
Ohio native here. The furthest away was Hobart, Tasmania. The most remote (if remote means desolate) was probably anywhere along US 50 in Nevada, “The Lonliest Highway in America”. A lot of the area I lived around, near Centennial Wyoming, would qualify as well. I’d like to go to Baffin Island, which I expect would qualify as well. ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/23 "2005-04-30T02:26:34Z")
Bangassou, Central African Republic ---
**Author:** ![don\_Jaime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b4bc9f/32.png) [@don\_Jaime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_Jaime)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/24 "2005-04-30T02:31:44Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I’m not sure what you’re asking here. (The most distant place or the most remote place.) A little of both. Remote is more what I’m looking for, but remote to some is home to someone else. So it’s also good to know how far in terms of distance as well. Tortuga and Bandiagara sound fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/25 "2005-04-30T04:17:07Z")
Furthest in terms of distance from where I live - probably London or New York. Most remote - I’d say the south western parts of New Zealand. ---
**Author:** ![pasunejen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@pasunejen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pasunejen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/26 "2005-04-30T04:33:04Z")
I grew up in central Maryland. Farthest: Athens, Greece Remotest: Taking 2-night kayak trip down the Delta River in Alaska. We got in trouble at one point, and it was pretty scary to know that there was no way to get help if we ended up truly over our heads. But it was cool as hell to see bald eagles flying around all over the place… ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/27 "2005-04-30T06:37:50Z")
Furthest away place - Hong Kong or Kyoto Most remote - Not sure, could be some spots in the Sierra Nevada up in Plumas County or some of the islands in the British Virgin Islands. The BVI spots were easier to get to, though. Just very few people. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/28 "2005-04-30T09:03:43Z")
Last count - 27 countries, although most of those were in Europe. I guess Iceland was my furthest…loved every minute of the, sadly, only two days I was there. But back when the Wall was still up, I used to go to East Berlin (when I was living in West Berlin) and that took up to 5 hours at the border on busy weekends. It was amazing to go from the West, with the glitz and glamour, to the East, drab and impoverished…but still have a great time. Met a lot of really nice people in East Berlin back then…often wonder how they have done since the Wall came down, but lost touch with almost all of them. Someday I have to tell you all the story about me (stupidly) smuggling hashish into East Berlin for a friend who had always wanted to try it. I found the perfect way to smuggle it in, but still break out into a cold sweat when I think what could have happened back then had I been caught… ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/29 "2005-04-30T09:45:19Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > My imagination. Once I went there…I lost my way back. One thing is for sure, YOU have never lost your imagination and I’m sure I am not alone in hoping you never do 🙂 Everywhere is far away from NZ. The furtherest and most exotic place I visited was Eygpt (well Europe may be further but Eygpt was further culture and mind wise 🙂 ). I would love to go back some day. I met the most awesome people and saw the most amazing things there. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/30 "2005-04-30T13:12:14Z")
Furthest from home…Auckland NZ, where I stopped for a couple of hours en route from LA to Sydney. Most remote: Wilcannia, NSW…pretty much middle of nowhere, in the outback, about 3 hours drive from Broken Hill. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/31 "2005-04-30T13:38:01Z")
Born and raised in western PA, now live north of Houston, TX. Furthest north I’ve been: Inverness, Scotland Furthest east: Abu Dhabi, UAE Furthest south: Johannesburg, South Africa Furthest west: Port Angeles, WA So, still plenty of the world yet to see. Most remote places I’ve been: Mana Pools Nat. Park, Zimbabwe, or on the Glomar Adriatic X drilling rig off Angola, or on another rig in the middle of a lake in the Amazon basin about two hours by helicopter from Iquitos, Peru. Mostly, come to think of it, except for some of the drilling jobs I’ve worked on, I don’t think I’ve been more than an hour or so walk from a motor vehicle (and thus road) in my entire life. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/32 "2005-04-30T13:46:01Z")
I’ve been to Bangkok, Japan, and Australia, but nothing beats [Diego Garcia](http://www.mydiegogarcia.com/dg_ariel.jpg) in the Indian Ocean for remoteness. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/33 "2005-04-30T13:52:54Z")
Farthest from where I live? Probably Hobart, Tasmania. Most remote? Somewhere in the middle of Uzbekistan, on the road between Khiva and Bukhara. Actually, Khiva itself is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/34 "2005-04-30T15:32:28Z")
Furthest from my eastern USA roots: Westernmost: San Francisco-the westernmost point on a transcontinental train roundtrip (Boston to Boston). Northernmost: Prince George, British Columbia-changed trains on aforesaid trip. Southernmost: Caguas, Puerto Rico-by rented car from San Juan where my US Navy ship was in drydock after sailing from Boston. Easternmost and furthest: on land-one of the Wonders of the Ancient World, Baalbeck, Lebanon, in the Bekaa (?) Valley-on a bus tour while my US Navy ship was visiting Beirut. (Close tie distancewise with Amman, Jordan, where we had to change planes to have an “unauthorized, suspicious” person removed from the plane) during a flight from Jerusalem to Beirut-returning from a Holy Land tour while my US Navy ship was visiting Beirut). By air-also flew over Damascus, Syria, on same trip. Closest to the center of the Earth-Swimming in the Dead Sea. (Same trip) Other way-about 7 miles, riding the jet stream. ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/35 "2005-04-30T16:20:03Z")
Most remote place - has to be Ayers Rock, Australia. Once we got around the back side of the rock away from the people trying to climb it, we were utterly alone. We ran into a group of Aborigine kids with their teacher (“Oh wow, not another field trip to that stinkin’ rock!”), but otherwise we were quite alone for the entire hike around the base of the rock. I know that Alice Springs is the closest city, but if you want civilization I think it’s about a 1500 km drive north to Darwin. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/36 "2005-04-30T17:20:29Z")
I was born in New York City. The furthest from there I’ve ever been is probably either Darwin, Alice Springs or Ayer’s Rock in Australia, I don’t know which is furthest. We also had a brief stopover in Auckland NZ but we didn’t leave the terminal lounge so I don’t know if that really counts. The furthest from actual civilization I’ve been is probably some point in the Temagami Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, which would also count as the furthest north I’ve ever been. I was on a canoe trip and we were several days paddle from the nearest road deserving of the name. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/37 "2005-04-30T19:59:42Z")
China. Loved every minute I was there, too. I hope to go again, before I’m through. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/38 "2005-04-30T20:58:45Z")
Most northern - Edmonton or Moscow (they look close on the map to me) Most western - Japan Most eastern - Israel Most Southen - Ushuia TdF, Argentina Most Remote - Easter Island. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/39 "2005-04-30T22:23:29Z")
When I was in the Peace Corps I was in some pretty out of the way places. In Micronesia, I was on Wottegai Island (part of Woleai Atoll). The island I was on was about a mile long by 70 yards wide and we would get a ship out, oh, every two or three months os so. No electricity, no running water, etc. I did visit Euripik Island about 70 miles away it was an inhabited island about the size of a football field and it got a ship out about every four or five months. I also spent a number of months about 12 miles outside of Namche in Nepal. Pretty isolater and pretty faraway. Namche itself would get the occasional trekker, and did have a mail drop for me which came every week or so depending on the weather, but where I was we got no outsiders and no mail. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670/40 "2005-04-30T22:30:18Z")
Not quite so faraway, but I also lived on Sado Island off the west coast of Japan, and on a Kibutz up above Kuriat Shamona on the Golan Heights, Isreal. In the States my family had a sheep camp up above Lizardhead Pass (Western Colorado) where I would run sheep for the family during the summers. No roads, no people, very, very faraway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-faraway-place-youve-been/301670.md?page=3)