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.”
+DSC_0729.jpg) |
| {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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