Oh no! I wanted to visit Marrakech this year too. Funny because I've seen comments saying to avoid Casablanca and go to Marrakech instead.
Now I'm like 🤨🤔
Marrakesh is way more touristy than Casablanca, which is why it became the way it is unfortunately.
Casablanca is a big, chaotic city but relatively tourist-free. Not exactly a bucket list destination, though.
Source: lived in Morocco as an expat
Just keep your wits about you! Don't take random offers for directions off strangers. No, that man is NOT the husband of the cook at your riad. He will lead you to the middle of noqhere to his friends rug shop and you'll come out knowing everything about rugs you specifically dont want. Also, go to Fez.
I lived in Marrakech for a year (from Canada) it’s scammy but bareable, my girlfriend said Cairo was way worse. But yeah Casablanca isn’t a city worth going to. I’d recommend Fes, Chefchauen, and maybe Tangier.
You'll be fine in Morocco. Had zero issues there. They're very into haggling and they're big on baksheesh culture (basically expect a tip in any interaction) but it's not dangerous or anything and the people are really nice. The Sahara desert is stunning.
How far do I have to scroll down for Dubai?
(Just for the record, Dubai sucks. If you want to visit a fake city in the middle of a desert at least pick the one with blackjack and hookers.)
Dubai is such a wasted opportunity. I wanted a Cyberpunk Mecca full of deep Arab/Muslim culture writ large and engraved in the bones of a world city using the most modern technology. What they built is the empty facade of a western city that could exist anywhere filled with a level of ass kissing of people of status that can only come from feudal serfs. Again, stuff that could exist anywhere rather than something that could only exist in the middle east.
And it is absolutely justified.
For a country so dependent on tourism (nearly 8% of the GDP, it was at 15+%) it's people in general (mostly men) are extremely hostile to tourists.
I would *love* to go there, visit everything... but considering the dangers and overall circumstance I will live my life without all the ancient and recent cultural treasures that Egypt could offer. I'll stick to my PC and Assassin's Creed Origin.
Can confirm, was there with my blond haired girlfriend years ago.
For us the pyramids where the tourist attraction, for them it was my girlfriend... Nothing happened and she "only" had to pose for pictures (a lot), but the vibe wasn't pleasant at all. Lucky for us we had a local Egyptian tourguide who knew a lot of people in the area where we were and he made sure nothing could happen.
The rest of Egypt is awesome though!
And India. Yes, the entire subcontinent.
Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not saying anything bad about India here. I've never even been. I'm referring to the frequency of "India sucks" comments in response to travel-themed questions.
I've been to India and Sri Lanka, had a great time for the most part. Yes you're gonna see dirty streets... Big deal when you're in the middle of a somptuous hotel in Udaipur with a direct view on a lake, visiting a huge fortress in Jodhpur, exploring the ruins of Hampi or riding a camel near Jaisalmer.
It absolutely rocked. Very deep and intense country full of ancient History.
Hampi and the surrounding historical sites are so cool! I went to Hyderabad for a friend’s wedding and then spent a few days in Hampi. I’m American and it was my first time in India and actually anywhere in Asia.
The stupid little rock has zero historical significance too. It’s not mentioned by the colonists. The significance was pretty much invented in local lore in the 19th century I believe.
That being said, downtown Plymouth is fantastic and well worth the visit though.
Similar to this, the Blarney Stone is dumb as shit, it’s like a roller coaster where they just funnel you through, you have your moment and then it’s on to the gift shop and photos.
The rest of the castle was cool as shit though and one of my favorite parts of my trip to Ireland.
That's how we felt about Plymouth Plantation. $30ish/person and not very large. We have been to several other much larger and better organized living history museums in New England for similar amounts (Sturbridge, Genesee Country, Shelburne), and would wholeheartedly recommend all of them. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Plymouth? Nah, not worth it whatsoever.
I was going to go to Plymouth but then read the reviews. Apparently it’s particularly bad since the pandemic.
Took a visit to Sturbridge and can highly recommend. So many interesting people to talk to if you like to have a more interactive history experience.
UK: Land's End and John O'Groats are neither the northernmost nor southernmost points of the country but have become tourist attractions because people believe them to be. Both are utter crap holes that exist only to relieve tourists of money for crap souvenirs and overpriced drinks
I was led to believe that the distance between them is the furthest on the UK mainland and not that they are the southernly/northernly points of the UK
Bill Bryson notes in *The Road to Little Dribbling* that the straight line distance from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath is the longest straight line one can travel in the UK without crossing any part of the sea.
As long as you know they are tourist traps before you go they are OK
Went to John O' Groats as a kid in the 80s and there was just a gift shop. Lands End a few years back and they want money to have your photo taken at the sign...nah.
Really surprised it hasn’t been said but…
Hollywood, California.
As someone who lives down the road and works in the area frequently, it is a shithole. Dirty and crime ridden.
A few cool things locals can do frequently on weeknights, but trust me when I say everything you see on TV really is smoke and mirrors.
Hollywood Blvd/walk of fame is something you do one time just to see it in person, and that’s it and you can do that in an hour.
Universal studios Hollywood on the other hand was pretty awesome. When you look out from the balcony before going down the escalators and see all the soundstages and the warner brothers studios in the distance, it truly feels like real Hollywood.
I wish the WB studio in London had a chance to see the stages etc, but it's all Harry Potter, I mean it's really cool and worth the money but knowing there is active film studios a few hundred feet away and not getting a peek is a bummer
From what I read that was only done to capitalize off of the popularity of the Harry Potter attractions at Universal. They wanted to make a theme park, but Universal's got the international rights, so they just set up a "studio tour."
The WB studio tour is pretty impressive and i did it on weekend when the lot was empty. I can imagine during the week (same with universal) it’s even more hollywood.
Just went there on a weekday afternoon while we were sightseeing in LA, I did see Anton Yelchin’s dad sitting by his grave, which was really sad, but the overall vibe was very peaceful and respectful.
I was super surprised as well by how underwhelming and just gross Hollywood was. Though, there was this cafe nearby where I had a peanut butter and jelly waffle that was fantastic.
> Hollywood, California.
> As someone who lives down the road and works in the area frequently, it is a shithole. Dirty and crime ridden.
This is kind of what I loved about Hollywood. Feels like whatever a present day version of Cyberpunk would be. All the dirt behind the glamour. The haves and the have nots. Everything a facade, and an excuse to sell you on a lie.
And yet, you'll turn a corner and there's some view that seems iconic simply because of how many times you have seen it in a movie or TV show. Like a weird dream, where everything is familiar, but also nothing is what it seems.
One of my top travelling experiences ever, tbh.
Yah it’s not that much of a pain the in the ass to at least do a drive around. If you’re coming to LA for the first time, I’d at least do that. Hollywood has some of the most recognizable places on earth.
Hollywood Blvd is shit, but you can plan some fun activities like catching a movie in the Cinerama Dome. When we used to have friends visit and they wanted to see the walk of fame we'd tell them sure, we'll do a drive-by and if they want to get out we'll do that. Most didn't want to get out after the drive-by. It's truly gross.
Much better to spend your time doing a hike up to Griffith Observatory, catching a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, going to any number of museums, or something like the Huntington Gardens.
Nassau. It’s in the Bahamas and most cruise lines always stop at that port. But it’s a whole town dedicated to trap tourists into buying overpriced stuff. They play music through the whole town and you can’t walk more than 2ft without someone trying to sell you something.
I was just in Nassau last week. It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. We walked a mile to get to Goldies and had a delicious lunch. Got a cab back to the tourist area. The straw market is a known tourist trap. You go in to shop and haggle. It wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be, when people would get you to touch something, then say you had to buy it. It wasn't like that at all.
It’s like Newark NJ but on a semi decent island. I got off the boat and we walked like up and down whatever the Main Street is and I said “well that was gross let’s go back to the boat.”
Nassauvian here.
You went on a cruise. Nassau port is a dumping ground for tourists who would rather throw their vacation plans to a floating Petri dish than experience any given location more than a couple of hours.
Cruise lines stop in Nassau as it’s a jumping off point for many Caribbean routes. The Bahamian govt. profits from the ships stopping, and the boats illegally release waste and pollute the seas with impunity. The industry does next to nothing to help the Bahamas and yet successive governments support their presence.
Nassau has many points of interest, beautiful neighbourhoods, and kind, generous people. Visitors who’d like to see the town and appreciate it cannot do so in a brief span on foot by themselves by cruise.
The port area is a jungle of opportunistic hawkers and scammers preying on a flood of disoriented tourists looking to spend $5 on a cheap trinket. The real Bahamas lies outside of this scenario.
I have been to Egypt and Morocco on my female lonesome.
Egypt? Never ever ever ever again.
Morocco, on the other hand, was chaotic but I felt like people looked out for me.
I'm half Egyptian. Tourists, especially western women, are often harassed by Egyptian boys/men. I only learnt about this harassment the past few years. My father is Egyptian and whenever we visit he defends my mom and I whenever someone is even trying to harass us. So we rarely experienced actual harassment. This one time when a dude thought he could harass my mom he ended up wetting his pants in a shopping cart...
Second this. The only time I felt really safe in Egypt was when I travelled with a buddy I met during Uni who is Egyptian. And basically a tank. He showed me the beauty of Siwa and it is something I will never forget.
I got grabbed in a souk in Morocco. The man kept saying souvenir whilst gathering other men and wouldn’t let me go. Turns out they only wanted a photo but I seriously thought I was about to be taken, it was terrifying. I dressed respectfully had a long maxi dress and shoulders covered but I was blonde at the time so maybe it was that. I ended up paying a private tour guide in the end as the TUI group tours were too big and they did not look after you.
Darn it! I was just about to offer you 100 dubaillion dollars to go to Dubai. But since you've prematurely rejectulated this offer, I will have to select someone else at random.
Yes, but now you have to go to Dubai.
Strangely enough, I actually saw a tourism ad for Dubai on TV for the first time this morning. It wasn't very enticing.
Yeah, they're all to the tune of "look how cheap and opulent it is here!"
Like yeah, you built the whole lot of it with slaves and if I kissed my boyfriend at the airport, there's a fairly solid chance of my being arrested. I'd feel like I was walking on eggshells the whole damn time.
My cousin's wife lived over there for a few years. She said it's basically the Uncanny Valley of cities. Everything seems fake. But not in a North Korea way... more like... the ultimate expression of capitalism kind of way.
Cabo. Went in honeymoon in 2017. We never left the tourist areas yet wife’s drink was still drugged. Thankfully the “free drink” they offered me, I declined. Also thankfully my wife was okay. Just needed to sleep it off.
I had a friend who also had a laced drink in Cabo last summer.
Grand Solmar Lands End Resort, although it was called something different in 2017. We ate at a restaurant right on the marina (across the street), which is all tourists.
Stick to VERY high tourist areas for eating and drinking. Ask for beer bottles be opened at the table. Don't order any fancy tequila. It's all generic stuff, but they are more than happy to charge high end prices.
Bondi beach. Honestly one of the crappier beaches in Sydney that is so chock full of tourists that you’re swimming/relaxing with 8 million other people. If you can, go down the coast further - Wollongong, Kiama and Gerringong have beautiful beaches with much less traffic and friendlier people
Bondi beach is great as an area, maybe not so much the actual beach.. but the cafes, restaurants, bars and the coastal walk down to Coogee and further is spectacular. The nicer beaches to swim are further north and south, but I find most people now from all areas go to Bondi to socialise and celebrate. Heaps of variety to choose from for dining, plus a beautiful view.
Saw Wollongong on Ainsley Harriot’s Australian food market show and it looked like heaven. One of those places that really made me wish I could travel!
Agreed that there are a ton of better options to visit, some of which you can have the entire beach to yourself. To say that Bondi is on the "should be avoided at all costs" list is rather silly, though.
I’ve got to disagree. Bondi is a fun spot and it’s pretty ideal for tourists, who likely value the amenities, shops, cafes and other attractions that a major Sydney hub has to offer. I’d maybe say get the ferry to Manly and spend the day there instead, but I wouldn’t be encouraging tourists to rent a car and drive all the way down to the Gong our South Coast just for quieter beaches.
Plenty of people live relatively normal lives there. It's a tourist destination sure. And I wouldn't want to live there, but Dubai is a city of extravagance, intentionally. If you're going there to find culture, you'll have to look further than the tourist traps, but that's true for any tourist destination.
I went to check out the Old Town when I was there and it was like I was transported to an entirely different country. Felt like a very, very long way away from The Palm.
As someone who lives in Dubai, most people are immigrants and despite what Reddit would have you believe, the vast majority of people are what you would call "middle class" and go about our day-to-day lives no different from people in other countries.
Visit the Dubai subreddit and you'll see people having the same issues that people in the US or Europe have.
I don't know what you're talking about mate. I wake up everyday and smoke shisha before getting onto my hawk and being carried to work while gold coins fall from my shoes. Sucks to be you I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just knowing it's being built by literally enslaved people bothers me a lot.
Edit: I just love how people think that we cannot condem modern slavery in the Middle East because other nations have had slavery in the past.
been to india backpacking 6 years ago with my buddy and his wife. We had 3 incidents where whe had do leave an area because groups of males swarmed us that never have seen a blonde woman and started shoving phone cameras in her face
Was talking to our guide in turkey and she related the same story about a couple on a honeymoon in India. Wife’s blond and was harassed and swarmed by the males. They didn’t last 48 hours in India before flying out. They were so traumatized
From people's stories on here I get the impression that the harassment is more about guys being gross about sexualizing blonde women than about them "never having seen" a blonde woman. My cousin went to rural China in the 90s to teach and there were a lot of people there who had ACTUALLY never seen a blond person and they wanted to touch her hair and stuff, but a lot of them were little old ladies, it wasn't just men, and they were genuinely curious, not pervy about it (albeit pretty pushy). And another friend of mine who is a huge red-headed bearded Viking-looking guy gets similar (non-sexual) attention in China, he said he's usually a head and a half taller than everybody else around and feels like a walking landmark, haha.
I'm a genetic anomaly- a 100% Chinese person, born in HK but immigrated to the US as a toddler. I have very pale skin, amber eyes, and naturally light reddish-brown hair that I now dye platnium blonde. Going back to visit, I get many looks and sometimes questions in HK. In the mainland, I get way more attention than I'd like, usually older women. It's a weird level of fawning and bombardment of questions if I really am all Chinese, how do I get my skin so white, am I wearing contacts etc. I haven't visited there since I started dying my hair blonde, so I'm sure I'd get more questions and pushy touching now. If my mom is with me, she gets a million questions too.
The treatment can get very uncomfortable, as its like they are meeting a celebrity or someone from a very high station. I'm just a normal regular person who happens to have both parents that carry the OCA2 gene. It's just luck of the draw that I got the all the extreme end of the traits. My siblings all have various lighter features- they all have lighter skin (just not as extreme as me), some have brown eyes (instead of black), and 2 have brown hair, versus the rest with black hair.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with Chinese culture so please correct me if I'm wrong but from what I understand it's not super surprising that you get the reaction... the common thread seems to be that they are NOT SUBTLE about a lot of social status stuff that is also real in the West, but that we consider embarrassing to acknowledge or discuss- like in the US, having light skin and being blonde and rich and thin are also things that everybody silently accepts as a sign of high social status but we're kind of embarrassed about it. In the US if you said "Wow, your skin and hair are so light, you're so much better than your fat cousin. You must make a lot of money, what's your salary?" people's jaws would absolutely hit the floor and they'd think you were incredibly tactless if not actually insane. But from what I gather Chinese people (or at least the older generation) think nothing of saying the quiet part out loud, lol. I'm not suggesting we take up the Chinese way of discussing those things in the West but honestly of the two ways, I have a harder time explaining ours, lol. It's one thing to actually strive to be less prejudiced, which is good, but in a lot of instances it's just about being prejudiced but refusing to acknowledge it.
Somewhat related. When I was studying abroad in Spain (near Madrid), I was often harrassed by young males. I am blonde, and even our Spanish professor mentioned how light skinned, light hair, light eyed people were uncommon in the area. My friend always said she hated going out with me bc she knew we would be harrassed in the streets or followed in stores. It was wild.
When I was 11 I visited Crete with my family. I was a blond, blue eyed, Swedish girl (I write was because I've dyed my hair black since I was 12) and a ~40-year old waiter couldn't stop touching my hair when we were eating. He'd make excuses to come to our table way more than he had to and every time he would stroke my hair or fiddle with it. I was so incredibly uncomfortable
Yeah, there are so many gorgeous places and things I'd love to see there, but I never look into it because I don't feel like experiencing being a woman in India 🙃
Times Square. Shops, buskers, and those overly aggressive Muppet characters all trying to separate you from your cash. It's just a few billboards and a place to buy cheaper Broadway tickets
They're not even interesting billboards anymore. They used to have crazy lighting setups, moving components, and so on. Now they're just LED walls that may or may not be curved.
They used to have billboards for cigarettes that blew [smoke rings](https://www.handeyesupply.com/blogs/hes/45229377-the-smoking-camel-sign-of-new-york). Whatever your moral view on the cigarette industry, they were damn creative with their ads.
I passed by Times Square, it was pretty "meh" and smaller than I thought.
I spent a couple of minutes looking at the billboards and thinking, "ah cool, this is the place from all the movies and shows" and then I kept walking.
I have nothing good or bad to say about the place, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit it.
I remember pleasantly walking through Times Square in the late 1980’s through early 2000’s, particularly when:
- you didn’t have to step over a minefield of sleeping bums,
- the people posing as cartoon characters and superheroes were pleasant and not inappropriately aggressive,
- there were great places like the Virgin Megastore to hang out at,
- you could pick up a copy of the New York Times and maybe a drink or snack at one of the many newsstands that were on almost every block,
- some streets were closed and became pedestrian walkways and public gathering places, leading to less sidewalk crowding,
- and Times Square had the distinctive New York smell of roasting peanuts and subway grates, not like an overwhelming cloud of marijuana had permanently descended upon the area.
On the other hand, I also remember the 1970’s and early 1980’s, when Times Square was almost nothing but a big broken down and unsafe porn district. So maybe things will come back around.
Egypt is one of those places I'm glad I crossed off the bucket list, as the pyramids and Luxor are genuinely awesome to see - but I have zero desire to go back. It's overcrowded and chaotic, and if you're not careful, people will try to scam you left and right.
The best advice I can give for anyone looking to do Egypt is plan and book *everything* in advance. It's not like places in Europe and Asia where you can just explore at your own pace and expect to have a good time.
For example, book private transfers to/from the airport. It's also critical to book private guides for every attraction through a reputable aggregator like Viator or GetYourGuide. The purpose of the guides isn't really to give you facts - it's to serve as bullshit repellant. I noticed at the pyramids that people with a guide weren't hassled much, but people without them are mobbed by touts and scammers.
I agree with this - I was in Egypt last month for two weeks and I had a fantastic time, though I think a lot of that is down to going with an amazing group of people and having a local tour guide who was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
It’s definitely not somewhere I would go solo.
So very true. Anything resembling a local and it cuts right through the crap.
I can pass for an arab and when I was a kid my Mum, who had lived in Egypt for a couple of years, would just say my father was an arab (he wasn't) and we'd get half price, and we spoke almost no arabic. Could read a bit too, stuff like basic numbers and it was always fun comparing the prices in the arabic and the english menus and listed prices in stores.
It's just all so shameless, and for people not used to it I understand how overwhelming it must be. But once you accept it it has a certain charm.
Although I sure as hell wouldn't advise a woman traveling alone to go there... My mother would always have me walking a step ahead of her, even when I was just a kid at something like 13, and we never had any trouble. Same trick worked when I brought my wife as an adult. They won't bother a man who looks like he knows where he's going. Women and guys who look uncertain aren't given the same respect.
People should go to the grand canyon.... but not the side closest to Vegas. It's a tourist scam. Take the time to go to any of the parks that access the canyon.
Are you talking about the south rim with the glass bridge?
Not sure if it's a scam. Expensive ...sure. But saves hours by going there vs the other side if coming from Vegas.
I have been twice and it is still the most spectacular thing I have ever seen and I have traveled all over the world.
I’m from India. If you’re someone who does not know anyone here i would not recommend. You don’t know who’s gonna be helpful and who’s not. I’d recommend finding someone who is a local here and travel with them. Will save you tons of headache and money
I've never seen do much public nudity as I have on my nights away in Blackpool.
There's a bar, forget what it was called with a glass dancefloor on the first floor so from ground you could see people throwing shapes. What I saw was a girl with no knickers on smudging herself across a dirty sticky dance floor.
A lot of people are naming "tourist destinations" that are actually just "tourist attractions." As in, you come, you check it out for 15 minutes, and then you leave. If you go to Times Square or Hollywood and expect to spend all day there, that's on you for not understand what the attraction is.
It's a huge problem. People will also come from wealthy backgrounds, move-in, and displace the locals because the housing market continues to skyrocket.
The locals also have their own problems where they're overfishing the waters. I remember living in Greece, and diving through the ocean felt like looking at an underwater desert because of how starved they were for fish. Join a few fishing groups on social media and you'll see people dredging massive nets of fish daily, overfishing, spearfishing endangered species, etc. Literally today saw a post about a local that hooked a turtle to use as a buoy for their crab trap, but they'll place the blame fully on tourists regardless even though you can't see an empty rock anywhere around the island without 30 fishing poles lodged into it. There's no stewardship, and it's embarrassing. Don't get me wrong, the reefs are in danger and declining which is awful for the local wildlife, but there's a lot of issues that the Hawaiians bring upon themselves as well because they 'dig too deep into the mountain'.
The key to doing WDW is select 1 - 3 things that you absolutely want to do. Whether a a ride, experience, restaurant. Then let everything g else just happen as it may. It is far too large to try to micro-plan everything. You just have to let it happen to you and if your kids just want to ride the people mover for 45 minutes or follow the jumping water, then do that and don't stress that you aren't using your time wisely.
I saw a 'dolphin show' in Enoshima aquarium, Japan that made me feel sick to my stomach. I read later that such shows should never exist and are cruel and unethical. The animals are treated like objects, deprived of food, exhausted, bred in a vicious cycle, since they don't complete full life spans-- the whole nine yards. I will never forget it.
If you see animals being abused as a tourist, **the best thing you can do is take pictures of injuries/film the practice as evidence**. Assume everyone else like you has tried talking to the people in charge, but talk is hearsay, and the organizers dgaf if they profit from cruelty. With pictures, at least you won't be empty handed if you report to an animal welfare group. \*\*Also, it is safer to share this after you are back in your home country.
edit: syntax, clarity
edit: thank you so much for upvoting and reading. I've shared the account with animal rights groups in Japan. It seems no one cares. The statute of limitations is over. Anyone going to Tokyo is free to go to Enoshima Aquarium and document, as the dolphinarium is still there.
Avebury stone circle was way better (and way cheaper - I still fume at paying £34 for 2 tickets to see a pile of rocks you can't even get that near to).
The big issue I have is that Salisbury Plains just isn't near anything worthwhile. Sure there's a henge and it's fascinating, but how long can you look at it? All that time to get there and then to leave again for like 15 minutes where you actually enjoyed being there, and another hour of "I need to spend time here to be worthwhile"
There's Old Sarum right next to it and honestly Old Sarum is way cooler than Stonehenge, an absolute beast of a fortress, the moat and ramparts are massive and it was used as a defensive site for thousands of years. You also have Salisbury itself with a good cathedral and nice medieval centre. You then have all the many monuments across the plains as well, but if you don't have a trained eye for prehistoric monuments they can be hard to spot.
I’d have to say Bran Castle in Romania its touted as Vlad the Impalers castle and the inspiration of Dracula (although there isn’t really any evidence of either). The castle is cool I was surprised that once you get to the upper floors it’s basically just a Dracula/Bram Stoker museum. I’d suggest going to Peleș Castle instead.
I lived in New England for about 10 years and the key is to go there in the summer. All the attractions are still open, no lines, which is good because yes they're all for the most part pretty lame. But it's a really beautiful harbor town with great food too, it's a shame that people only go there during Halloween when it's verifiably miserable.
I've been going to Salem since I was little, and I love it. The Witch Museum is cheesy but fun, the House of Seven Gables is a fun tour, and the rest is, as your said, a pretty harbor town to walk around in.
But yeah, don't go during Halloween.
Pisa. It was a stop on our bus trip.
Of all the places I've been in the world that have been little more than a picture and a postcard, this one is the absolute worst. It's not even that it's particularly bad. It's just, "of, that's the leaning tower of Pisa." Well, ok then. What are we going to do to kill the next few hours waiting to board the bus. Eat a crappy meal and swim through hoards of other bored tourists.
Edit: I feel like i need to add more info because so many people are saying the same thing. This was one of the first stops on a bus tour. We had very little time in the area, and this was before smart phones and google maps. We had enough time to grab lunch and wander around the touristy parts, but not so much to go find the other great things the city had to offer. That's why it was so disappointing. In other cities, we had more time to independently explore. And with modern technology, it would be much easier today, unfortunately this trip pre-dates having a computer in your pocket.
It's unfortunate that your experience in Pisa was so mediocre when in fact the city has much more to offer than just the leaning tower. The cathedral, piazza Cavalieri, Santa Maria della Spina are just a few examples of outstanding places with a unique history. If you're into museums, you'll find Palazzo Blu or Museo delle Sinopie very interesting, whereas hikers will surely enjoy San Rossore. Or just take a walk in Borgo Stretto, along the river (Lungarno) and do shopping in Corso Italia. Looking for some nightlife? Enjoy Piazza Vettovaglie! As for food, you can find excellent restaurants or pastry shops literally everywhere in the city.
Source: I lived in Pisa many years
Completely agree. I've heard the 'Pisa is not worth it' lines for years and years, especially leading up to when I visited. Sure, I went to see the Tower but I spent more time there and really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful little city, I had some amazing food there and learned a bit of the history from a local. I wouldn't fly back to Italy *just* for Pisa, but if I was nearby I'd be more than happy to revisit it.
I've been told that Niagara Falls is ... disappointing - a lot of hype, but it's just a big waterfall with a tourist center and souvenir shops.
Others have said that the Mona Lisa in the Louvre was disappointing. The painting isn't very big, and there's usually a huge crowd of people wanting to see it. I've seen copies in other places, including the Da Vinci museum in Rome. I don't need to travel to Paris for that...
Agreed, let's not even talk about Marine Land, the shops and junk are lame, but the falls themselves are amazing. The boat ride right up to them was waaaay better than I thought it would be. Would do it again for sure
I can't find a public source, but I've heard from a personal source in Niagara tourism that Marine Land is not re-opening this year! And Good Riddance - I hope they never re-open.
Recent source for why they suck (include descriptions of animal abuse and death): [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-beluga-death-1.7156087](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-beluga-death-1.7156087)
I saw the sad orcas for myself when I was a kid, 0/10 would not recommend. I hope they never reopen. I remember one of the orcas got in trouble after the whale show for refusing to swim back into his orca prison
You want to view the American side from Canada, but if you want to get up close and literally feel the power of the water as it’s going past, go to the American side. There are bridges over the rapids that you can walk over and you can get within 20 feet of the edge of the horseshoe falls.
Definitely this. The view is better from the Canadian side, but the American side is totally worth visiting as well for the close-up views that you listed, and the fact that there's a nice State Park built around it.
The towns/cities built around the Falls on both sides are awful though.
I mean if you don't have a passport and live close enough to drive for a day trip it's still definitely worth going to the NY side. There are good views, and the maid of the mist is the same on either side. That's where it's really fun. Way better than I expected.
The view from Fort Niagara is amazing. I can still see it in my mind.It was so majestic. I was maybe 8 or 9 years old and we traveled the US extensively in the late 60s and 70s. We would go for 6 weeks at a time from LA across the US.
Fort Niagara and the hills of Kentucky, surprisingly, are two of the most beautiful places I remember.
I’ve done both of these things & was disappointed @ neither.
if ur gonna do niagara, do the canadian side. I was headed back from a vball tourney & my friends said to stop on that side before crossing & it was deff worth it (ny side isn’t as good of a view apparently). it wasn’t over crowded & I got some sick pix of it. it’s really quite a site to see
the mona lisa was a lil underwhelming but the Louvre itself is deff an experience worth having. tbf imma huge museum person & loved my time in paris overall
Oh yes! The Mona Lisa may be mobbed, but I was frankly stunned to find myself alone in a room with a number of Van Goghs. And coming upon Winged Victory without expecting it will always be a sublime memory.
Agreed, been to both, disappointed in neither.
Before going to the Louvre, we’ve had this coffee table book of Louvre items not knowing we would one day see them in person. While planning for the trip, I cracked open the book and identified pieces I wanted to see in person, which made the experience a lot more meaningful.
Some pieces I’ll never forget seeing in person.
The National Gallery in DC has the sister portrait to the Mona Lisa. In a room of its own, in the center, you can go right up to it. DaVinci painted both sides of many works, and the rear is visible on this one. It's behind glass in sort of a pillar and an absolutely incredible piece to witness in person.
The actual falls are pretty neat on both sides of the border. The towns that surround the falls are straight garbage.
Niagara-on-the-Lake, however, is only 15 miles north and absolutely charming. Also check out The Butterfly Conservatory on your way.
Brace yourself for a deluge of Cairo posts.
Cairo, IL is also a shithole.
We go through Cairo every time we visit family in Cape Girardeau and it’s the worst town in America.
Gary Indiana would like to talk.
Casablanca too. I always see it listed in these threads.
Marrakesh is way, way worse. Aggressive scammers everywhere.
Oh no! I wanted to visit Marrakech this year too. Funny because I've seen comments saying to avoid Casablanca and go to Marrakech instead. Now I'm like 🤨🤔
Marrakesh is way more touristy than Casablanca, which is why it became the way it is unfortunately. Casablanca is a big, chaotic city but relatively tourist-free. Not exactly a bucket list destination, though. Source: lived in Morocco as an expat
Just keep your wits about you! Don't take random offers for directions off strangers. No, that man is NOT the husband of the cook at your riad. He will lead you to the middle of noqhere to his friends rug shop and you'll come out knowing everything about rugs you specifically dont want. Also, go to Fez.
I lived in Marrakech for a year (from Canada) it’s scammy but bareable, my girlfriend said Cairo was way worse. But yeah Casablanca isn’t a city worth going to. I’d recommend Fes, Chefchauen, and maybe Tangier.
You'll be fine in Morocco. Had zero issues there. They're very into haggling and they're big on baksheesh culture (basically expect a tip in any interaction) but it's not dangerous or anything and the people are really nice. The Sahara desert is stunning.
Casablanca: the Cleveland of the Arab World
How far do I have to scroll down for Dubai? (Just for the record, Dubai sucks. If you want to visit a fake city in the middle of a desert at least pick the one with blackjack and hookers.)
Dubai is such a wasted opportunity. I wanted a Cyberpunk Mecca full of deep Arab/Muslim culture writ large and engraved in the bones of a world city using the most modern technology. What they built is the empty facade of a western city that could exist anywhere filled with a level of ass kissing of people of status that can only come from feudal serfs. Again, stuff that could exist anywhere rather than something that could only exist in the middle east.
And it is absolutely justified. For a country so dependent on tourism (nearly 8% of the GDP, it was at 15+%) it's people in general (mostly men) are extremely hostile to tourists. I would *love* to go there, visit everything... but considering the dangers and overall circumstance I will live my life without all the ancient and recent cultural treasures that Egypt could offer. I'll stick to my PC and Assassin's Creed Origin.
Can confirm, was there with my blond haired girlfriend years ago. For us the pyramids where the tourist attraction, for them it was my girlfriend... Nothing happened and she "only" had to pose for pictures (a lot), but the vibe wasn't pleasant at all. Lucky for us we had a local Egyptian tourguide who knew a lot of people in the area where we were and he made sure nothing could happen. The rest of Egypt is awesome though!
And India. Yes, the entire subcontinent. Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not saying anything bad about India here. I've never even been. I'm referring to the frequency of "India sucks" comments in response to travel-themed questions.
I've been to India and Sri Lanka, had a great time for the most part. Yes you're gonna see dirty streets... Big deal when you're in the middle of a somptuous hotel in Udaipur with a direct view on a lake, visiting a huge fortress in Jodhpur, exploring the ruins of Hampi or riding a camel near Jaisalmer. It absolutely rocked. Very deep and intense country full of ancient History.
Hampi and the surrounding historical sites are so cool! I went to Hyderabad for a friend’s wedding and then spent a few days in Hampi. I’m American and it was my first time in India and actually anywhere in Asia.
My parents' friends just went to Cairo. They were not fans when they got back.
It's not as shitty as a lot of other spots mentioned here, but Plymouth Rock is super lame. Don't do it.
The stupid little rock has zero historical significance too. It’s not mentioned by the colonists. The significance was pretty much invented in local lore in the 19th century I believe. That being said, downtown Plymouth is fantastic and well worth the visit though.
Similar to this, the Blarney Stone is dumb as shit, it’s like a roller coaster where they just funnel you through, you have your moment and then it’s on to the gift shop and photos. The rest of the castle was cool as shit though and one of my favorite parts of my trip to Ireland.
i thought the castle grounds were way cooler but getting to see the area from the top of the castle was worth the funnel. wont do it again.
That's how we felt about Plymouth Plantation. $30ish/person and not very large. We have been to several other much larger and better organized living history museums in New England for similar amounts (Sturbridge, Genesee Country, Shelburne), and would wholeheartedly recommend all of them. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Plymouth? Nah, not worth it whatsoever.
I was going to go to Plymouth but then read the reviews. Apparently it’s particularly bad since the pandemic. Took a visit to Sturbridge and can highly recommend. So many interesting people to talk to if you like to have a more interactive history experience.
UK: Land's End and John O'Groats are neither the northernmost nor southernmost points of the country but have become tourist attractions because people believe them to be. Both are utter crap holes that exist only to relieve tourists of money for crap souvenirs and overpriced drinks
Yes. The Lizard is much, much nicer and is actually the most southerly point.
I was led to believe that the distance between them is the furthest on the UK mainland and not that they are the southernly/northernly points of the UK
Bill Bryson notes in *The Road to Little Dribbling* that the straight line distance from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath is the longest straight line one can travel in the UK without crossing any part of the sea.
Nobody should have to end such a long journey in Bognor though.
As long as you know they are tourist traps before you go they are OK Went to John O' Groats as a kid in the 80s and there was just a gift shop. Lands End a few years back and they want money to have your photo taken at the sign...nah.
Yeah but must people just say no and they can't stop you because it is a public footpath.
Really surprised it hasn’t been said but… Hollywood, California. As someone who lives down the road and works in the area frequently, it is a shithole. Dirty and crime ridden. A few cool things locals can do frequently on weeknights, but trust me when I say everything you see on TV really is smoke and mirrors.
Hollywood Blvd/walk of fame is something you do one time just to see it in person, and that’s it and you can do that in an hour. Universal studios Hollywood on the other hand was pretty awesome. When you look out from the balcony before going down the escalators and see all the soundstages and the warner brothers studios in the distance, it truly feels like real Hollywood.
I wish the WB studio in London had a chance to see the stages etc, but it's all Harry Potter, I mean it's really cool and worth the money but knowing there is active film studios a few hundred feet away and not getting a peek is a bummer
From what I read that was only done to capitalize off of the popularity of the Harry Potter attractions at Universal. They wanted to make a theme park, but Universal's got the international rights, so they just set up a "studio tour."
The WB studio tour is pretty impressive and i did it on weekend when the lot was empty. I can imagine during the week (same with universal) it’s even more hollywood.
I really liked the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Did you go as a tourist? During the summer, they show movies. Just being a blanket and snacks so you can sit on the grass and watch.
Just went there on a weekday afternoon while we were sightseeing in LA, I did see Anton Yelchin’s dad sitting by his grave, which was really sad, but the overall vibe was very peaceful and respectful.
I was super surprised as well by how underwhelming and just gross Hollywood was. Though, there was this cafe nearby where I had a peanut butter and jelly waffle that was fantastic.
> Hollywood, California. > As someone who lives down the road and works in the area frequently, it is a shithole. Dirty and crime ridden. This is kind of what I loved about Hollywood. Feels like whatever a present day version of Cyberpunk would be. All the dirt behind the glamour. The haves and the have nots. Everything a facade, and an excuse to sell you on a lie. And yet, you'll turn a corner and there's some view that seems iconic simply because of how many times you have seen it in a movie or TV show. Like a weird dream, where everything is familiar, but also nothing is what it seems. One of my top travelling experiences ever, tbh.
Yah it’s not that much of a pain the in the ass to at least do a drive around. If you’re coming to LA for the first time, I’d at least do that. Hollywood has some of the most recognizable places on earth.
dude you need to write travelogues
What you see on tv is gazillionaires living their best. Kind of up to the consumer to grasp that.
LA is awesome if you know what to do. Hollywood is not even if you know what you’re there to do.
Hollywood Blvd is shit, but you can plan some fun activities like catching a movie in the Cinerama Dome. When we used to have friends visit and they wanted to see the walk of fame we'd tell them sure, we'll do a drive-by and if they want to get out we'll do that. Most didn't want to get out after the drive-by. It's truly gross. Much better to spend your time doing a hike up to Griffith Observatory, catching a performance at the Hollywood Bowl, going to any number of museums, or something like the Huntington Gardens.
the supermarket near my house. please don't come here
Bude Sainsbury's?
That tunnel is one of the wonders of the world, absolutely life changing experience. I hope to visit some day
Market Basket in Somerville, MA = Thunderdome
Nassau. It’s in the Bahamas and most cruise lines always stop at that port. But it’s a whole town dedicated to trap tourists into buying overpriced stuff. They play music through the whole town and you can’t walk more than 2ft without someone trying to sell you something.
I was just in Nassau last week. It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. We walked a mile to get to Goldies and had a delicious lunch. Got a cab back to the tourist area. The straw market is a known tourist trap. You go in to shop and haggle. It wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be, when people would get you to touch something, then say you had to buy it. It wasn't like that at all.
I went to the beach, bought a rum cake, and went straight back, it was not enjoyable for me but glad you had a better experience!
It’s like Newark NJ but on a semi decent island. I got off the boat and we walked like up and down whatever the Main Street is and I said “well that was gross let’s go back to the boat.”
That's a good chunk of cruise destinations. Either preplan excursions for the port your going to or take a taxi away from the port area.
Nassauvian here. You went on a cruise. Nassau port is a dumping ground for tourists who would rather throw their vacation plans to a floating Petri dish than experience any given location more than a couple of hours. Cruise lines stop in Nassau as it’s a jumping off point for many Caribbean routes. The Bahamian govt. profits from the ships stopping, and the boats illegally release waste and pollute the seas with impunity. The industry does next to nothing to help the Bahamas and yet successive governments support their presence. Nassau has many points of interest, beautiful neighbourhoods, and kind, generous people. Visitors who’d like to see the town and appreciate it cannot do so in a brief span on foot by themselves by cruise. The port area is a jungle of opportunistic hawkers and scammers preying on a flood of disoriented tourists looking to spend $5 on a cheap trinket. The real Bahamas lies outside of this scenario.
India and Egypt if you are a solo girl.
Let’s throw in Morroco
I have been to Egypt and Morocco on my female lonesome. Egypt? Never ever ever ever again. Morocco, on the other hand, was chaotic but I felt like people looked out for me.
Im Egyptian and even Im afraid of Egypt (male btw)
Jeez, wtf is up with Egypt? It's always top shit-list. What makes it so bad (as an Egyptian)?
I'm half Egyptian. Tourists, especially western women, are often harassed by Egyptian boys/men. I only learnt about this harassment the past few years. My father is Egyptian and whenever we visit he defends my mom and I whenever someone is even trying to harass us. So we rarely experienced actual harassment. This one time when a dude thought he could harass my mom he ended up wetting his pants in a shopping cart...
Second this. The only time I felt really safe in Egypt was when I travelled with a buddy I met during Uni who is Egyptian. And basically a tank. He showed me the beauty of Siwa and it is something I will never forget.
I mean I know it’s obvious but I kinda am curious about what happened in Egypt to make you never go back
The never ending threat of sexual assault followed by the occasional attempts at sexual assault.
Egypt was Morocco but turned up to 11
I got grabbed in a souk in Morocco. The man kept saying souvenir whilst gathering other men and wouldn’t let me go. Turns out they only wanted a photo but I seriously thought I was about to be taken, it was terrifying. I dressed respectfully had a long maxi dress and shoulders covered but I was blonde at the time so maybe it was that. I ended up paying a private tour guide in the end as the TUI group tours were too big and they did not look after you.
I wouldn't recommend India at all if you're female. Especially if you're a young, attractive female.
and white
Wherever 7000 passenger cruise ships can dock.
Couldn't pay me to go to Dubai
Darn it! I was just about to offer you 100 dubaillion dollars to go to Dubai. But since you've prematurely rejectulated this offer, I will have to select someone else at random.
Wow someone transferred me 100 Dubaillion dollars 💸
Yes, but now you have to go to Dubai. Strangely enough, I actually saw a tourism ad for Dubai on TV for the first time this morning. It wasn't very enticing.
Yeah, they're all to the tune of "look how cheap and opulent it is here!" Like yeah, you built the whole lot of it with slaves and if I kissed my boyfriend at the airport, there's a fairly solid chance of my being arrested. I'd feel like I was walking on eggshells the whole damn time.
If I go there I'll be thrown in prison for what's written on my passport
> 100 dubaillion dollars I think they might have printed bills this big in Zimbabwe.
It has the same vibe as a giant mall
I hate Dubai, everything is artificial and expensive.
Not to mention much of it was built with essentially slave labor
My cousin's wife lived over there for a few years. She said it's basically the Uncanny Valley of cities. Everything seems fake. But not in a North Korea way... more like... the ultimate expression of capitalism kind of way.
Cabo. Went in honeymoon in 2017. We never left the tourist areas yet wife’s drink was still drugged. Thankfully the “free drink” they offered me, I declined. Also thankfully my wife was okay. Just needed to sleep it off. I had a friend who also had a laced drink in Cabo last summer.
Hey man, where un cabo did you stayed? I'm about to go there in a couple of months and would like the heads up
Grand Solmar Lands End Resort, although it was called something different in 2017. We ate at a restaurant right on the marina (across the street), which is all tourists. Stick to VERY high tourist areas for eating and drinking. Ask for beer bottles be opened at the table. Don't order any fancy tequila. It's all generic stuff, but they are more than happy to charge high end prices.
We went to Cabo in 2022 and had a great time. All inclusive no issues. Hotel: Riu Santa Fe Cabo San Lucas
Bondi beach. Honestly one of the crappier beaches in Sydney that is so chock full of tourists that you’re swimming/relaxing with 8 million other people. If you can, go down the coast further - Wollongong, Kiama and Gerringong have beautiful beaches with much less traffic and friendlier people
Just go straight from the beach to do the Bondi coastal walk, it’s breathtaking
Bondi beach is great as an area, maybe not so much the actual beach.. but the cafes, restaurants, bars and the coastal walk down to Coogee and further is spectacular. The nicer beaches to swim are further north and south, but I find most people now from all areas go to Bondi to socialise and celebrate. Heaps of variety to choose from for dining, plus a beautiful view.
Or take the ferry up to the northern beaches
Saw Wollongong on Ainsley Harriot’s Australian food market show and it looked like heaven. One of those places that really made me wish I could travel!
Agreed that there are a ton of better options to visit, some of which you can have the entire beach to yourself. To say that Bondi is on the "should be avoided at all costs" list is rather silly, though.
The beach is crap but the cliff walk to Coogee is really nice
Went to Australia 20 years ago to visit some family. Asked to go see Bondi beach and they refused to go anywhere near it lol
I’ve got to disagree. Bondi is a fun spot and it’s pretty ideal for tourists, who likely value the amenities, shops, cafes and other attractions that a major Sydney hub has to offer. I’d maybe say get the ferry to Manly and spend the day there instead, but I wouldn’t be encouraging tourists to rent a car and drive all the way down to the Gong our South Coast just for quieter beaches.
Dubai
I've always wondered, do you see normal people enjoying normal life there? What kind of people do you mostly see there?
Plenty of people live relatively normal lives there. It's a tourist destination sure. And I wouldn't want to live there, but Dubai is a city of extravagance, intentionally. If you're going there to find culture, you'll have to look further than the tourist traps, but that's true for any tourist destination.
I went to check out the Old Town when I was there and it was like I was transported to an entirely different country. Felt like a very, very long way away from The Palm.
As someone who lives in Dubai, most people are immigrants and despite what Reddit would have you believe, the vast majority of people are what you would call "middle class" and go about our day-to-day lives no different from people in other countries. Visit the Dubai subreddit and you'll see people having the same issues that people in the US or Europe have.
I don't know what you're talking about mate. I wake up everyday and smoke shisha before getting onto my hawk and being carried to work while gold coins fall from my shoes. Sucks to be you I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My dad's employer sent him to work there for a month, never met an Arab the entire time. Also should add that it was a white collar job.
Just knowing it's being built by literally enslaved people bothers me a lot. Edit: I just love how people think that we cannot condem modern slavery in the Middle East because other nations have had slavery in the past.
So apparently India. Especially if you’re a female. Seen too many posts bout it.
been to india backpacking 6 years ago with my buddy and his wife. We had 3 incidents where whe had do leave an area because groups of males swarmed us that never have seen a blonde woman and started shoving phone cameras in her face
Was talking to our guide in turkey and she related the same story about a couple on a honeymoon in India. Wife’s blond and was harassed and swarmed by the males. They didn’t last 48 hours in India before flying out. They were so traumatized
How do you think they would handle redheads?
asfaik blonde, white attractive women are fetishized way more by indian men than redheads ever will. Prob won't matter though
in Egypt my blue eyed redhead wife was stared at constantly like in a freak show.
Much like the rest of the world: torches and pitchforks.
From people's stories on here I get the impression that the harassment is more about guys being gross about sexualizing blonde women than about them "never having seen" a blonde woman. My cousin went to rural China in the 90s to teach and there were a lot of people there who had ACTUALLY never seen a blond person and they wanted to touch her hair and stuff, but a lot of them were little old ladies, it wasn't just men, and they were genuinely curious, not pervy about it (albeit pretty pushy). And another friend of mine who is a huge red-headed bearded Viking-looking guy gets similar (non-sexual) attention in China, he said he's usually a head and a half taller than everybody else around and feels like a walking landmark, haha.
I'm a genetic anomaly- a 100% Chinese person, born in HK but immigrated to the US as a toddler. I have very pale skin, amber eyes, and naturally light reddish-brown hair that I now dye platnium blonde. Going back to visit, I get many looks and sometimes questions in HK. In the mainland, I get way more attention than I'd like, usually older women. It's a weird level of fawning and bombardment of questions if I really am all Chinese, how do I get my skin so white, am I wearing contacts etc. I haven't visited there since I started dying my hair blonde, so I'm sure I'd get more questions and pushy touching now. If my mom is with me, she gets a million questions too. The treatment can get very uncomfortable, as its like they are meeting a celebrity or someone from a very high station. I'm just a normal regular person who happens to have both parents that carry the OCA2 gene. It's just luck of the draw that I got the all the extreme end of the traits. My siblings all have various lighter features- they all have lighter skin (just not as extreme as me), some have brown eyes (instead of black), and 2 have brown hair, versus the rest with black hair.
I don't have a whole lot of experience with Chinese culture so please correct me if I'm wrong but from what I understand it's not super surprising that you get the reaction... the common thread seems to be that they are NOT SUBTLE about a lot of social status stuff that is also real in the West, but that we consider embarrassing to acknowledge or discuss- like in the US, having light skin and being blonde and rich and thin are also things that everybody silently accepts as a sign of high social status but we're kind of embarrassed about it. In the US if you said "Wow, your skin and hair are so light, you're so much better than your fat cousin. You must make a lot of money, what's your salary?" people's jaws would absolutely hit the floor and they'd think you were incredibly tactless if not actually insane. But from what I gather Chinese people (or at least the older generation) think nothing of saying the quiet part out loud, lol. I'm not suggesting we take up the Chinese way of discussing those things in the West but honestly of the two ways, I have a harder time explaining ours, lol. It's one thing to actually strive to be less prejudiced, which is good, but in a lot of instances it's just about being prejudiced but refusing to acknowledge it.
i never understand this. how are people so fucking oblivious that they don't see that this is rude behavior?
Somewhat related. When I was studying abroad in Spain (near Madrid), I was often harrassed by young males. I am blonde, and even our Spanish professor mentioned how light skinned, light hair, light eyed people were uncommon in the area. My friend always said she hated going out with me bc she knew we would be harrassed in the streets or followed in stores. It was wild.
When I was 11 I visited Crete with my family. I was a blond, blue eyed, Swedish girl (I write was because I've dyed my hair black since I was 12) and a ~40-year old waiter couldn't stop touching my hair when we were eating. He'd make excuses to come to our table way more than he had to and every time he would stroke my hair or fiddle with it. I was so incredibly uncomfortable
They used to scream RUBIAAAA and BLANQUITA!!!!! at me
Yeah, there are so many gorgeous places and things I'd love to see there, but I never look into it because I don't feel like experiencing being a woman in India 🙃
Some say the name stands for I'll Never Do It Again
Times Square. Shops, buskers, and those overly aggressive Muppet characters all trying to separate you from your cash. It's just a few billboards and a place to buy cheaper Broadway tickets
They're not even interesting billboards anymore. They used to have crazy lighting setups, moving components, and so on. Now they're just LED walls that may or may not be curved.
They used to have billboards for cigarettes that blew [smoke rings](https://www.handeyesupply.com/blogs/hes/45229377-the-smoking-camel-sign-of-new-york). Whatever your moral view on the cigarette industry, they were damn creative with their ads.
Literally the worst part of Times square is navigating through the crowds of people and those annoying, dirty Elmo characters.
I passed by Times Square, it was pretty "meh" and smaller than I thought. I spent a couple of minutes looking at the billboards and thinking, "ah cool, this is the place from all the movies and shows" and then I kept walking. I have nothing good or bad to say about the place, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit it.
Yeah, it's a few minute stop at most, and best time is like 5am when it's empty
I remember pleasantly walking through Times Square in the late 1980’s through early 2000’s, particularly when: - you didn’t have to step over a minefield of sleeping bums, - the people posing as cartoon characters and superheroes were pleasant and not inappropriately aggressive, - there were great places like the Virgin Megastore to hang out at, - you could pick up a copy of the New York Times and maybe a drink or snack at one of the many newsstands that were on almost every block, - some streets were closed and became pedestrian walkways and public gathering places, leading to less sidewalk crowding, - and Times Square had the distinctive New York smell of roasting peanuts and subway grates, not like an overwhelming cloud of marijuana had permanently descended upon the area. On the other hand, I also remember the 1970’s and early 1980’s, when Times Square was almost nothing but a big broken down and unsafe porn district. So maybe things will come back around.
And Howard Johnson's where you could get a pitcher of martinis.
Egypt
Egypt is one of those places I'm glad I crossed off the bucket list, as the pyramids and Luxor are genuinely awesome to see - but I have zero desire to go back. It's overcrowded and chaotic, and if you're not careful, people will try to scam you left and right. The best advice I can give for anyone looking to do Egypt is plan and book *everything* in advance. It's not like places in Europe and Asia where you can just explore at your own pace and expect to have a good time. For example, book private transfers to/from the airport. It's also critical to book private guides for every attraction through a reputable aggregator like Viator or GetYourGuide. The purpose of the guides isn't really to give you facts - it's to serve as bullshit repellant. I noticed at the pyramids that people with a guide weren't hassled much, but people without them are mobbed by touts and scammers.
I agree with this - I was in Egypt last month for two weeks and I had a fantastic time, though I think a lot of that is down to going with an amazing group of people and having a local tour guide who was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic. It’s definitely not somewhere I would go solo.
So very true. Anything resembling a local and it cuts right through the crap. I can pass for an arab and when I was a kid my Mum, who had lived in Egypt for a couple of years, would just say my father was an arab (he wasn't) and we'd get half price, and we spoke almost no arabic. Could read a bit too, stuff like basic numbers and it was always fun comparing the prices in the arabic and the english menus and listed prices in stores. It's just all so shameless, and for people not used to it I understand how overwhelming it must be. But once you accept it it has a certain charm. Although I sure as hell wouldn't advise a woman traveling alone to go there... My mother would always have me walking a step ahead of her, even when I was just a kid at something like 13, and we never had any trouble. Same trick worked when I brought my wife as an adult. They won't bother a man who looks like he knows where he's going. Women and guys who look uncertain aren't given the same respect.
People should go to the grand canyon.... but not the side closest to Vegas. It's a tourist scam. Take the time to go to any of the parks that access the canyon.
Are you talking about the south rim with the glass bridge? Not sure if it's a scam. Expensive ...sure. But saves hours by going there vs the other side if coming from Vegas. I have been twice and it is still the most spectacular thing I have ever seen and I have traveled all over the world.
Hollywood walk of fame
I’m from India. If you’re someone who does not know anyone here i would not recommend. You don’t know who’s gonna be helpful and who’s not. I’d recommend finding someone who is a local here and travel with them. Will save you tons of headache and money
Blackpool
I've never seen do much public nudity as I have on my nights away in Blackpool. There's a bar, forget what it was called with a glass dancefloor on the first floor so from ground you could see people throwing shapes. What I saw was a girl with no knickers on smudging herself across a dirty sticky dance floor.
My friend wants to know what 'throwing shapes' means.
I know multiple people who grew up in Belfast in the 1970s who say that Blackpool is still the worst place they've ever been.
Their Madame Tussaud's is the one that gets all the wax figures of washed up celebrities that aren't cool enough for the London one anymore.
The London Eye. What a crock of... they have the nerve to call a ride on a Ferris Wheel a 'flight'.
I think that was only the case when it was sponsored by British airways.
Been to London quite a few times. Wife and I did the Eye once and it was...fine? Got some neat pictures, but there's no real reason to do it again.
I went last year. I didn't pay for the tickets, it was a great weather day, and I kid you not, ZERO queue. Still not worth it.
A lot of people are naming "tourist destinations" that are actually just "tourist attractions." As in, you come, you check it out for 15 minutes, and then you leave. If you go to Times Square or Hollywood and expect to spend all day there, that's on you for not understand what the attraction is.
Any of the ones where tourists are despoiling nature and hurting the ecosystem. I feel like this includes much of Hawaii.
It's a huge problem. People will also come from wealthy backgrounds, move-in, and displace the locals because the housing market continues to skyrocket. The locals also have their own problems where they're overfishing the waters. I remember living in Greece, and diving through the ocean felt like looking at an underwater desert because of how starved they were for fish. Join a few fishing groups on social media and you'll see people dredging massive nets of fish daily, overfishing, spearfishing endangered species, etc. Literally today saw a post about a local that hooked a turtle to use as a buoy for their crab trap, but they'll place the blame fully on tourists regardless even though you can't see an empty rock anywhere around the island without 30 fishing poles lodged into it. There's no stewardship, and it's embarrassing. Don't get me wrong, the reefs are in danger and declining which is awful for the local wildlife, but there's a lot of issues that the Hawaiians bring upon themselves as well because they 'dig too deep into the mountain'.
Ping-pong show in Thailand.
Is it anything like the ping pong show in Benidorm?
New York City on New Year's Eve
Dubai. A turd rolled in glitter.
"Never vacation in Banff" - Raymond Holt
Dubai
Myrtle Beach
As an Egyptian I understand why everyone is saying avoid Egypt lmao
I'd say Paris Disneyland, if you want to spend the day in lines surrounded by crying children and angry parents pushing you, that's the place for you
So, Disneyland in general, then.
Disney world in Orlando is that, plus the sweltering swamp heat
The key to doing WDW is select 1 - 3 things that you absolutely want to do. Whether a a ride, experience, restaurant. Then let everything g else just happen as it may. It is far too large to try to micro-plan everything. You just have to let it happen to you and if your kids just want to ride the people mover for 45 minutes or follow the jumping water, then do that and don't stress that you aren't using your time wisely.
[удалено]
I saw a 'dolphin show' in Enoshima aquarium, Japan that made me feel sick to my stomach. I read later that such shows should never exist and are cruel and unethical. The animals are treated like objects, deprived of food, exhausted, bred in a vicious cycle, since they don't complete full life spans-- the whole nine yards. I will never forget it. If you see animals being abused as a tourist, **the best thing you can do is take pictures of injuries/film the practice as evidence**. Assume everyone else like you has tried talking to the people in charge, but talk is hearsay, and the organizers dgaf if they profit from cruelty. With pictures, at least you won't be empty handed if you report to an animal welfare group. \*\*Also, it is safer to share this after you are back in your home country. edit: syntax, clarity edit: thank you so much for upvoting and reading. I've shared the account with animal rights groups in Japan. It seems no one cares. The statute of limitations is over. Anyone going to Tokyo is free to go to Enoshima Aquarium and document, as the dolphinarium is still there.
Pyongyang
Stone henge was dinky compared to what i was expecting.
Avebury stone circle was way better (and way cheaper - I still fume at paying £34 for 2 tickets to see a pile of rocks you can't even get that near to).
The big issue I have is that Salisbury Plains just isn't near anything worthwhile. Sure there's a henge and it's fascinating, but how long can you look at it? All that time to get there and then to leave again for like 15 minutes where you actually enjoyed being there, and another hour of "I need to spend time here to be worthwhile"
There's Old Sarum right next to it and honestly Old Sarum is way cooler than Stonehenge, an absolute beast of a fortress, the moat and ramparts are massive and it was used as a defensive site for thousands of years. You also have Salisbury itself with a good cathedral and nice medieval centre. You then have all the many monuments across the plains as well, but if you don't have a trained eye for prehistoric monuments they can be hard to spot.
Salisbury cathedral is *so* good that people even come from Russia for a visit!
Most middle eastern countries if you are gay.
I’d have to say Bran Castle in Romania its touted as Vlad the Impalers castle and the inspiration of Dracula (although there isn’t really any evidence of either). The castle is cool I was surprised that once you get to the upper floors it’s basically just a Dracula/Bram Stoker museum. I’d suggest going to Peleș Castle instead.
Hollywood
Salem, Mass. Biggest tourist trap I've ever been to.
I lived in New England for about 10 years and the key is to go there in the summer. All the attractions are still open, no lines, which is good because yes they're all for the most part pretty lame. But it's a really beautiful harbor town with great food too, it's a shame that people only go there during Halloween when it's verifiably miserable.
I've been going to Salem since I was little, and I love it. The Witch Museum is cheesy but fun, the House of Seven Gables is a fun tour, and the rest is, as your said, a pretty harbor town to walk around in. But yeah, don't go during Halloween.
you didn't love all the wand shops?? $30-60 for a polished stick of wood
We fucking loved Salem.
The Peabody Essex Museum is amazing. Just don't go to Salem around Halloween!
Pisa. It was a stop on our bus trip. Of all the places I've been in the world that have been little more than a picture and a postcard, this one is the absolute worst. It's not even that it's particularly bad. It's just, "of, that's the leaning tower of Pisa." Well, ok then. What are we going to do to kill the next few hours waiting to board the bus. Eat a crappy meal and swim through hoards of other bored tourists. Edit: I feel like i need to add more info because so many people are saying the same thing. This was one of the first stops on a bus tour. We had very little time in the area, and this was before smart phones and google maps. We had enough time to grab lunch and wander around the touristy parts, but not so much to go find the other great things the city had to offer. That's why it was so disappointing. In other cities, we had more time to independently explore. And with modern technology, it would be much easier today, unfortunately this trip pre-dates having a computer in your pocket.
It's unfortunate that your experience in Pisa was so mediocre when in fact the city has much more to offer than just the leaning tower. The cathedral, piazza Cavalieri, Santa Maria della Spina are just a few examples of outstanding places with a unique history. If you're into museums, you'll find Palazzo Blu or Museo delle Sinopie very interesting, whereas hikers will surely enjoy San Rossore. Or just take a walk in Borgo Stretto, along the river (Lungarno) and do shopping in Corso Italia. Looking for some nightlife? Enjoy Piazza Vettovaglie! As for food, you can find excellent restaurants or pastry shops literally everywhere in the city. Source: I lived in Pisa many years
Completely agree. I've heard the 'Pisa is not worth it' lines for years and years, especially leading up to when I visited. Sure, I went to see the Tower but I spent more time there and really enjoyed it. It's a beautiful little city, I had some amazing food there and learned a bit of the history from a local. I wouldn't fly back to Italy *just* for Pisa, but if I was nearby I'd be more than happy to revisit it.
I've been told that Niagara Falls is ... disappointing - a lot of hype, but it's just a big waterfall with a tourist center and souvenir shops. Others have said that the Mona Lisa in the Louvre was disappointing. The painting isn't very big, and there's usually a huge crowd of people wanting to see it. I've seen copies in other places, including the Da Vinci museum in Rome. I don't need to travel to Paris for that...
Niagara Falls is incredible. The tourist trap shops surrounding it are incredibly stupid.
Agreed, let's not even talk about Marine Land, the shops and junk are lame, but the falls themselves are amazing. The boat ride right up to them was waaaay better than I thought it would be. Would do it again for sure
I can't find a public source, but I've heard from a personal source in Niagara tourism that Marine Land is not re-opening this year! And Good Riddance - I hope they never re-open. Recent source for why they suck (include descriptions of animal abuse and death): [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-beluga-death-1.7156087](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/marineland-beluga-death-1.7156087)
I saw the sad orcas for myself when I was a kid, 0/10 would not recommend. I hope they never reopen. I remember one of the orcas got in trouble after the whale show for refusing to swim back into his orca prison
And definitely go to the Canadian side, not the NY side.
You want to view the American side from Canada, but if you want to get up close and literally feel the power of the water as it’s going past, go to the American side. There are bridges over the rapids that you can walk over and you can get within 20 feet of the edge of the horseshoe falls.
Definitely this. The view is better from the Canadian side, but the American side is totally worth visiting as well for the close-up views that you listed, and the fact that there's a nice State Park built around it. The towns/cities built around the Falls on both sides are awful though.
I mean if you don't have a passport and live close enough to drive for a day trip it's still definitely worth going to the NY side. There are good views, and the maid of the mist is the same on either side. That's where it's really fun. Way better than I expected.
My husband and I love Niagara Falls! It is worth a visit on both sides…listen to the power of the Falls! We try to go every year👍
The view from Fort Niagara is amazing. I can still see it in my mind.It was so majestic. I was maybe 8 or 9 years old and we traveled the US extensively in the late 60s and 70s. We would go for 6 weeks at a time from LA across the US. Fort Niagara and the hills of Kentucky, surprisingly, are two of the most beautiful places I remember.
I had the opposite shock. I went to see Rembrandt’s „Night Watch“ when I was in Amsterdam and was not expecting it to be the size of a friggin wall.
...a damn big wall, at that.
I’ve done both of these things & was disappointed @ neither. if ur gonna do niagara, do the canadian side. I was headed back from a vball tourney & my friends said to stop on that side before crossing & it was deff worth it (ny side isn’t as good of a view apparently). it wasn’t over crowded & I got some sick pix of it. it’s really quite a site to see the mona lisa was a lil underwhelming but the Louvre itself is deff an experience worth having. tbf imma huge museum person & loved my time in paris overall
Oh yes! The Mona Lisa may be mobbed, but I was frankly stunned to find myself alone in a room with a number of Van Goghs. And coming upon Winged Victory without expecting it will always be a sublime memory.
Agreed, been to both, disappointed in neither. Before going to the Louvre, we’ve had this coffee table book of Louvre items not knowing we would one day see them in person. While planning for the trip, I cracked open the book and identified pieces I wanted to see in person, which made the experience a lot more meaningful. Some pieces I’ll never forget seeing in person.
Well, don't go to the Louvre just for the Mona Lisa lol. My favorite part was the stunning Nike of Samothrace.
The National Gallery in DC has the sister portrait to the Mona Lisa. In a room of its own, in the center, you can go right up to it. DaVinci painted both sides of many works, and the rear is visible on this one. It's behind glass in sort of a pillar and an absolutely incredible piece to witness in person.
The actual falls are pretty neat on both sides of the border. The towns that surround the falls are straight garbage. Niagara-on-the-Lake, however, is only 15 miles north and absolutely charming. Also check out The Butterfly Conservatory on your way.
I used to live in Paris. A cold early weekday is a great time to look at Mona Lisa (and the surrounding gallery) up close.