Searching for the Best Place on Earth: 52 Countries in 52 Weeks

For years, Vancouver has topped global rankings as one of the world’s most livable cities, while British Columbia has marketed itself as a paradise of mountains, rainforests and ocean—a destination unlike any other.

In Searching for the Best Place on Earth, Vancouver journalist Justin McElroy embarks on an ambitious trip, visiting nearly every “world-class” city on the planet.

His personal mission was to see the world—as well as to rank as many things as he could, from cuisines to museums to national train systems. His professional mission was to see how Vancouver truly compares. Does BC’s celebrated identity hold up?

As a neurodivergent traveller, McElroy is also frank about sensory overload, but once on the road, he’s surprised by how comfortably he adapts to a new routine of being a tourist for a year.

With his signature wit and deep knowledge of his home province, McElroy offers a fresh perspective on what makes a city truly exceptional—and whether BC still deserves its reputation as the “best place on earth.”

“For British Columbians, Justin really needs no introduction. He is one of the best-known journalists in the province, and he’s gained an enormous cult following not only through his reporting or his penchant for ranking things, but because he has an almost uncanny ability to make people care about the things he cares about.”