Monday, December 15, 2014

Disappointing Travel Destinations (according to Reddit users)

Have you ever been on vacation and said, "This is it? What a disappointment!" Well you may not be alone in that comment. Yahoo! Travel posted this article about disappointing travel destinations and I wanted to chime in and give my opinion as well.
 
Also, helpful tip - don’t go in with expectations for something to magical, amazing, and awe-inspiring. Go to have fun, see some cool things, and experience the culture. If you go to the UK just to see Stonehenge then yes, you may be disappointed but just make it PART of your trip and not the focus - the UK and London has so much more to offer!
 
1. Los Angeles: ‘The whole city is a lie’
LA was one of the biggest let-downs for holiday-makers. Travelers expecting Hollywood glitz and glamour were shocked to find what they called a run-down, dangerous and dirty urban sprawl. Many said it was concrete and “uninteresting,” believing there was little more to it than the tacky Hollywood Boulevard (with homeless people sleeping beside the Walk of Fame).

One of the biggest gripes was the fact that great distances make it impossible to walk around, and that the public transport is poor, making much of the city inaccessible to non-drivers.
 
Most cities in America are impossible to walk around - for some reason city planning did not plan for subways, trains or descent bus routes. The same can be said for my city of Houston; there is no train/tram/subway that will take you from the airport to the city center. Poor planning at its best!
 
2. The Pyramids: ‘Stayed 15 minutes’
Egypt tops many a bucket list, particularly for the world-famous Pyramids of Giza. But you may think twice after you read reams of horror stories of stolen belongings and garbage-strewn streets.
 
The wondrous pyramids themselves “can be seen from Pizza Hut,” and are so close to the city you cannot imagine them away from the noise and chaos, visitors said. Many said they were constantly harassed by locals trying to sell them things, and one said it was a “kick in the stomach” to find that the inside of the central chamber “looked like a cow shed.”

I have never been here so I cannot speak from experience but I did see Karl, from Idiot Abroad, visit here and all that is said above is true. In the episode he seen eating at a Pizza Hut and looking at the pyramids as trash blows by his view.
 
3. Stonehenge: ‘Very anticlimactic’
The ancient English monument is a major disappointment for tourists. It’s small, you can’t get very close to it, and it’s really not worth the rather long journey from London, many agreed.
 
An archaeology student pointed out that nearby Avebury Henge was much better — “bigger and you can walk right up to it.”
 
4. Paris: ‘Worst city on earth’
The French capital comes in for plenty of criticism from the naysayers, mainly thanks to the reported rudeness of the locals. While some said this was down to tourists’ failure to attempt the language, others called it a general air of superiority. 'I couldn’t order a f***ing coffee, in English or in French, without a disdainful look from any cafe employee,” became a familiar story.
 
Other accusations levelled at the city were that it was overpriced, dirty and “smelled of urine.”
 
{how can you be dissappointed when this is your view?!}
I think the above is 100% false! I had no problem in Paris and neither did my husband. When he was trying to buy some wine the old man running the shop was so excited to try his English on someone and even though they didn’t have what we were looking for he made some great suggestions.
 
And the city did not "smell of urine" at all! See the next city for that smell!
 
5. Venice: ‘A gigantic tourist trap’
While Rome and Naples also got votes, picturesque Venice was most frustrating for visitors. Many thought it was sad to see how it had declined because of tourists, making it impossible to find affordable food and drink in central areas.

{take a relaxing ride on a water taxi and enjoy the sights}

Others said it was crowded and full of scammers and worth a weekend visit at most.
 
Now talk about a city that smells of sewage! And I visited in the winter! This was the place that I took notice of pick-pockets. I think visiting some of the neighboring islands should be on your agenda and not just Venice.
 
6. Dubai: ‘Smoke and mirrors’
The UAE’s massive, expensive land of giant malls and skyscrapers hit the wrong note for many visitors. Tourists slammed it as “overpriced, superficial, fake and unfriendly.” with others left feeling empty at the lack of culture. Many hated the intense heat, coupled with scenery of “malls and slums.” while others objected to what they saw as a sexist culture.
 
The large buildings were “cool to see for about 45 seconds.”
 
For the "intense heat" that is something guest should be prepared for as you are visiting essentially a desert. Personally, I would only visit here if it was for work.
 
7. Jamaica: ‘I will never go back’
Jamaica came up frequently for being full of opportunists looking for “tips” for doing nothing. Even beauty spots like the Duns River were dismissed as no more than “tourist traps.”
 
Some found that local vendors were aggressive or hostile, and even said they felt physically threatened by people who were simply after their money.
 
8. Bali: ‘Every beach sucks’
Bali was a crushing disappointment to visitors from far away. One said the infrastructure was so bad they wanted to “run away and hide” so as not to contribute to the “degradation of culture.”
 
Others said Bali’s beaches were filthy, touristy and full of scammers; certainly not the paradise they had flown around the world to see.
 
Were you disappointed in any of these locations?

 

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