To learn more about where you can find the friendliest locals in the world, we reached out to globetrotter Alyse, aka The Invisible Tourist, to hear her thoughts on the topic. Alyse was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share where she's encountered incredibly kind people.

"I'm sure many readers will agree when I answer this question with Japan, people genuinely go out of their way to help if you need it," the travel expert says. "For instance, I've been surprised when a lady in Osaka walked me from the train station to my hotel. And another time when I caught the wrong train, a lady jumped off onto the platform to direct me where to go and therefore missed her train... Just selfless encounters like this."

"The locals in Thailand are also some of the friendliest I've ever encountered, too!" Alyse added. "The genuine smiles on their faces are so heartwarming, it's no wonder Thailand is known as the 'Land of Smiles.'"

On the other hand, we were curious if Alyse has ever met locals who weren't exactly welcoming towards her. "For me personally, I did have less-than-friendly encounters with locals in Vienna and Prague," she shared. "Now, it is a cultural difference there for locals to not be overly enthusiastic when meeting visitors, which is understandable, but separate vendors in each city refused to give me change when I paid for street food. I had to insist, and felt as though they were trying to take advantage. Hopefully that has changed there now."

Alyse also suggests that travelers be extra mindful of locals in places that are known to suffer from over tourism. "Kyoto, Bali, Santorini, Venice, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris are just a few places where locals are fed up with tourists," she noted. "We don't want to make their lives more difficult, so it's important to be as respectful as possible when visiting."

We also asked the expert for some tips on how travelers can have better experiences with locals when abroad.

"Definitely try and 'blend in' as much as possible during your trip by learning some basic phrases of the local language (and possible responses!) beforehand," Alyse says. "Find out any cultural differences (for example, why you should never show the soles of your feet in some Asian countries), catch trains outside of rush hours with luggage where possible, dining etiquette, and cover up appropriately at any places of worship."

"And overall, try to keep our voices down. No one likes an annoying tourist, but we can amplify the positive aspects of tourism through thoughtful exchanges with locals," she added.

Finally, Alyse suggests to "try and opt for small businesses as much as possible rather than global conglomerates during your trip."

"This helps to keep tourism money within the local community who rely on it, rather than it being sent offshore," she explained. "This applies to restaurants, accommodation, retail, traditional handicrafts and cultural experiences... As tourists, we have the power to funnel our money to where it is needed most."

And if you're looking for even more travel advice from Alyse, be sure to visit The Invisible Tourist or check out her book!

We were also lucky enough to get in touch with King Siu of Travel, Eat, Drink to hear about some of his experiences with locals around the world. "I’ve been to over 30 countries on six continents, and I’m happy to report that I’ve found friendly people everywhere I’ve been," the travel expert shared.

"There were definitely spots where I wasn’t sure what kind of reception I’d receive, but that was less about whether I thought I would find friendly people there and more about whether they would be friendly towards me," King noted. "There were many reasons for my hesitations, but the main two were how they would react to someone of my ethnicity (as an Asian, I kind of stand out everywhere I go outside of Asia), and how they would feel about a foreigner in general, as geopolitical issues can create tension."

King says that, for the most part, he's been very surprised by how much he's been ignored while traveling. "Whether I’m wandering alleys in Egypt, markets in Colombia, or small towns in Australia, I’m generally left alone," he told Bored Panda. "The exception being if I’m in a super touristy area, because then I’m mobbed like a celebrity as they try to sell me stuff. However, the locals I’ve engaged with in every country have typically been quite friendly, even when there is a language barrier between us."

"I’ve also found that the more a place differs from where I am from, the friendlier the people tend to be towards me," King pointed out. "Logically, one would assume that it would be the other way around, but that’s not what I’ve found."

"When I stayed in a favela in Rio de Janeiro (which is probably the scariest thing I’ve done to-date, and not something I recommend you do without doing extensive research and taking the proper precautions), once I got over the possibility that I could be killed or kidnapped and got to know the people in that neighborhood, I would say that they turned out to be some of the friendliest and most generous people I’ve ever met," he shared.

"People are naturally curious, and the opportunity to learn new things and have a new experience in a safe environment brings out the best in people," King says. "This isn’t like someone trying something new because that often puts someone in an uncomfortable situation, and people don’t like feeling vulnerable. In this scenario, they are in their comfort zone as the local dealing with you, so there is no feeling of losing control to deter them from the experience."

We also asked King about any experiences he's had with locals who weren't particularly welcoming. "In my experience, their unfriendly attitude towards foreigners often stems from the fact that the foreigners are being disrespectful," he noted. "Usually, it’s not on purpose, but when you’re traveling to a new place, especially if they have a different culture or religion, make sure you do your research about the local customs and behaviors. I’m sure we’ve heard of the extreme cases where idiotic tourists damage historical or religious monuments, but sometimes it’s just simple things like talking too loudly or eating on public transit."

"When you’re traveling, you are a guest, and just as you’d behave yourself and do your best to not be an idiot when you’re visiting a friend’s house, it’s your job to know how not to upset people who live in the places you visit," the expert added.

King also recommends that tourists be extra mindful of respecting the local religion when traveling.

"Just because a place shares the same language and many of the same values, don’t assume that you don’t need to be mindful of how you’re behaving," he added. "Even in the U.S., acceptable behaviors can differ greatly across the country. It’s often more difficult because everything is so similar, yet some things are completely different. Take, for example, attitudes on public transit. Someone in Florida would think you’re crazy for taking public transit, but in NYC, it would not even be a topic of conversation."

"If people are reacting badly to you, it’s not usually because they are unfriendly, it’s usually because you’ve done something they view as wrong or unusual," King pointed out. "Before you start attacking me for blaming you for someone else being unfriendly, I want you to think about the last time you judged a tourist for doing something you thought was annoying or offensive and how you’d treat that person if they immediately started to talk to you after the offending incident."

"If you’re American and reading this, I want you to think about what you thought or shouted the last time you were driving and someone with an out-of-state license plate did something stupid on the road," he added.

If you'd like to have better experiences with locals when traveling, King suggests doing your research before and finding out what behavior is acceptable (and what is not).

"If you’re traveling for work, research the local business customs. Do you need to arrive at meetings half an hour early or bring a gift? Think about the types of interactions you will be having in that place, and find out how to behave so that you don’t offend everyone around you," he explained.

But this doesn't mean you can't be yourself when traveling, King says. "It just might be a modified version of you," he noted. "If you think that changing yourself for the situation will be too suffocating and take all the fun out of traveling, I promise that you will have more fun as this modified version of yourself surrounded by friendly people, than the authentic you surrounded by a crowd of hostile locals."