Travel Popular Travel Destinations & Holidays You Didn't Like

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Mar 21, 2008
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I find this to be an interesting topic purely because traveling and to a lesser extent even living elsewhere is such a sliding doors scenario. Whilst traveling (especially staying in hostels) you decide to spend 5 nights in a particular city and for whatever reason it might not tickle your fancy but if you did the same thing but a week later its entirely possible that your experience would change greatly due to things out of your control (the people you meet, events taking place, weather).

I'm not disagreeing with anyone but I just appreciate that sometimes you need a bit of luck to have a good time.
 

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Bali, Phuket are cesspit shitholes. The pure desperation of the poor people, the exploitation, the waves of plastic at the beach and the rubbish everywhere - its hard to take and relax. Hate those places and will never go back. I found Mauritius very boring, and thought Rome was a hole outside the city centre.
 

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Silent Alarm

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Bali, Phuket are cesspit shitholes. The pure desperation of the poor people, the exploitation, the waves of plastic at the beach and the rubbish everywhere - its hard to take and relax. Hate those places and will never go back. I found Mauritius very boring, and thought Rome was a hole outside the city centre.
I hated Rome the first day. Hordes of tourists everywhere congesting the road, many of which being the sort of tourists with no real respect for the local people. We were getting ripped off everywhere and struggling to find decent foods, paying £12 each for an orange juice and focaccia.

Second or third day we went for a walk around and found this awesome little neighbourhood with very San Francisco like architecture everywhere, bright sort of apartments, markets, little parks, and this awesome café that would sell you a pizza or a gnocchi with a Peroni for like £6. We ended up going there every day and it was nice to relax with almost no one at all around and parks to relax in in between wandering about. I think it was in the north eastern sort of corner? Not far from the centre.

I could see how you could hate Rome though, for sure. But we just managed to hook onto something.
 

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Bali, Phuket are cesspit shitholes. The pure desperation of the poor people, the exploitation, the waves of plastic at the beach and the rubbish everywhere - its hard to take and relax. Hate those places and will never go back. I found Mauritius very boring, and thought Rome was a hole outside the city centre.
Where in Bali?
Unfortunately most people don’t venture outside Kuta which I agree is a dump. Lots of beautiful places on the Island if you get away from Kuta.
 

Dhoni Dakurri

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Where in Bali?
Unfortunately most people don’t venture outside Kuta which I agree is a dump. Lots of beautiful places on the Island if you get away from Kuta.

There are many scenically beautiful places yes, but the over development, over population, poverty, traffic, animal cruelty and the presence of rude western tourists happy to barter the locals down as low as they can - its sickening. And it’s everywhere. Personally I can’t ignore it and relax.

The abhorrent Australian bogan tourists are particularly bad.
 

ioppolo

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My favourite Bali experience was when I went snorkelling on a remote part of the island, followed by a stop over at a beach community with mainly local fisherman and seaweed farmers. The memories of that trip bring an istant smile to me, I'd do that again in a heartbeat. Another favourite was driving a few hours north of Denpasar, stopping at the butterfly park, stopping at the hot springs, having lunch at some random dingy local restaurant, and ending up with a view of Rice Fields for miles around. Was so serene and relaxing. All my favourite Bali memories involve minimal tourist interaction.

Kuta should have a fence built around it and declared an Australian enclave. What a campaigner of an area.
 
Istanbul- felt it was dirty and rather unappealing. The only nice thing I liked there was the Grand Bazaar

Hollywood- Is real dumpy and trashy. Once you see a few Hollywood stars they are all the same

Thailand- Once again pretty dumpy an unclean away from the resorts. The beaches are pretty dirty too

Berlin- I found Berling quite over rated and boring however it pissed down rain for 4 straights days so being able to walk and fully explore was a little limited so this may be why I found it a bot boring. Will give this place a second try at some stage

Grand Canyon- I flew by chopper over it and landed down in the canyon. Don't get me wrong it was nice and all but it is just really a big hole in the ground.

Paris- Over rated. I like the buildings and what not but * me the people were rude and I don't see every bodies love affair with this city
 

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Have you ever traveled to a place that is generally a popular destination, that you were looking forward to visiting but when you arrived you found you didn't like it for one reason or another?

Cape Town for me - this is going to turn into a rant, cos I was so affected by it.

CT is marketed as this little European city on the Western Cape... and unfortunately that's kind of what they've made it. Especially around the city and the waterfront (which is the gateway to Robben Island) it's this horribly soulless, ugly place that gentrified away all of its history. It kind of reminds me a little of the Circular Quay if it didn't have the Opera House.

I was there for 5 days, and it was also windy as *, so the Table Mountain cable car wasn't in operation. So on day 4 I hiked my fat arse up the mountain on foot and could barely walk for 3 days... all for a slightly better view than you get from the car park!

My biggest problem with it though is culturally. I started out my trip in Jo'burg, including going to the cricket. Despite the dangerous reputation, I ******* loved Josi. Sure, as a middle class white guy from Australia there are things that are confronting. But I loved the culture, I loved how well it's preserved its history, and I loved it's people. It's the beautiful little microcosm of the rainbow nation, especially if you meet the locals and see how happy and cheerful they are while hustling there arses off to afford food to eat.

Cape Town though? You could be a tourist there, doing touristy things, and in a nation where something like 5 out of 6 people are non-white, the only non-white people you see are the people serving you, running tours etc. It's gentrification has deliberately driven black communities away from the city (with the exception of BoKaap, which is traditionally people of Asian descent anyway, as opposed to black people.) You go to the cricket there, and the non-white people are crammed into decrepit little stands that look like they're going to fall down, while the white people sit in these horrifically grandiose stands that are more private boxes than anything else. And if you see the outskirts of Cape Town? There are still thousands of poor black people living in corrugated iron shanty towns. Which is horrific enough in the 21st century - but even moreso when you consider that these ******* things were still being built to get poor black people out of sight and out of mind in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup. Which was over 15 years after Mandela became president.

Go to Africa, sure. Go to Josi, go to Durban, go to Kruger - but if I can stop one person from going to Cape Town and think that it's any sort of representation of what South Africa is (and should be), then I'll feel like I've achieved something for the non-white friends that I made there.
 

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Casablanca - Morocco. Absolutely nothing to see or do in Casablanca, much better off in one of the more touristy cities in Morocco.

Andorra La Vella - Andorra. If duty free shopping is your thing go for it, that's about all the city has to offer.

Dortmund - Germany. A complete dud of a city, there's nothing to see or do unless you want to go to the football. Industrial, grimy and miserable.

Tirana - Albania. Not a hell of a lot to offer, there's plenty more much better cities in Albania.

Chisinau - Moldova. Again not much to see or do, go to Transnistria instead it's much more interesting.
 

Silent Alarm

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Don't slag off Germany on here!

Nah grimy and industrial is a good way to put it across. Rude *ers, lots of seediness around in Berlin whether it's just pests in the streets or blokes banging each other in Berghain. Just take one look at Jurgen Klopp's unkempt beard and unwashed hair and there's your German city.
 

Dhoni Dakurri

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Istanbul- felt it was dirty and rather unappealing. The only nice thing I liked there was the Grand Bazaar

Hollywood- Is real dumpy and trashy. Once you see a few Hollywood stars they are all the same

Thailand- Once again pretty dumpy an unclean away from the resorts. The beaches are pretty dirty too

Berlin- I found Berling quite over rated and boring however it pissed down rain for 4 straights days so being able to walk and fully explore was a little limited so this may be why I found it a bot boring. Will give this place a second try at some stage

Grand Canyon- I flew by chopper over it and landed down in the canyon. Don't get me wrong it was nice and all but it is just really a big hole in the ground.

Paris- Over rated. I like the buildings and what not but **** me the people were rude and I don't see every bodies love affair with this city

I actually thought the Parisians were very nice people.
 

Dhoni Dakurri

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Cape Town for me - this is going to turn into a rant, cos I was so affected by it.

CT is marketed as this little European city on the Western Cape... and unfortunately that's kind of what they've made it. Especially around the city and the waterfront (which is the gateway to Robben Island) it's this horribly soulless, ugly place that gentrified away all of its history. It kind of reminds me a little of the Circular Quay if it didn't have the Opera House.

I was there for 5 days, and it was also windy as ****, so the Table Mountain cable car wasn't in operation. So on day 4 I hiked my fat arse up the mountain on foot and could barely walk for 3 days... all for a slightly better view than you get from the car park!

My biggest problem with it though is culturally. I started out my trip in Jo'burg, including going to the cricket. Despite the dangerous reputation, I ******* loved Josi. Sure, as a middle class white guy from Australia there are things that are confronting. But I loved the culture, I loved how well it's preserved its history, and I loved it's people. It's the beautiful little microcosm of the rainbow nation, especially if you meet the locals and see how happy and cheerful they are while hustling there arses off to afford food to eat.

Cape Town though? You could be a tourist there, doing touristy things, and in a nation where something like 5 out of 6 people are non-white, the only non-white people you see are the people serving you, running tours etc. It's gentrification has deliberately driven black communities away from the city (with the exception of BoKaap, which is traditionally people of Asian descent anyway, as opposed to black people.) You go to the cricket there, and the non-white people are crammed into decrepit little stands that look like they're going to fall down, while the white people sit in these horrifically grandiose stands that are more private boxes than anything else. And if you see the outskirts of Cape Town? There are still thousands of poor black people living in corrugated iron shanty towns. Which is horrific enough in the 21st century - but even moreso when you consider that these ******* things were still being built to get poor black people out of sight and out of mind in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup. Which was over 15 years after Mandela became president.

Go to Africa, sure. Go to Josi, go to Durban, go to Kruger - but if I can stop one person from going to Cape Town and think that it's any sort of representation of what South Africa is (and should be), then I'll feel like I've achieved something for the non-white friends that I made there.

My sister just got back from CT and said the same thing. She loved Pretoria but.
 

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My sister just got back from CT and said the same thing. She loved Pretoria but.
Heard CT is a beautiful looking city but very unsafe feeling.

Its my next travel destination

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
Sep 12, 2007
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Rome - just not for me, as Coach Bombay mentioned, the week we were there for was 40+ degrees everyday stacked with tourists and just generally unpleasant, no doubt it would be better in better circumstances.

NYC - amazing place but I think my expectations were too high, also probably the rudest place I’ve ever been.

Osaka - nothing particularly wrong with it but it was kinda dull compared to Tokyo and Kyoto

Funnily enough I wouldn’t speak poorly of any of these places because they all had some great moments and highlights plus it’s an incredible privilege to be able to travel the way we do but these three would be the least impressive for me.
 

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I've been to Barcelona 3 times now and I've never seen it as a party city. In the 6 years between visits I noticed a big change and that is the number of tourists. But it is such a great city once you get away from las ramblas. The beautiful boulevards and architecture. The skater culture, the little bars and the gracia district is my favourite. Full of locals with lots of piazzas with kids playing soccer, bars and restaurants. Really like the montujic area with the Olympic stadium and surrounding parkland.

Rome is another city I've been to 3 times and I love it each and every time. The times I've been there have been may, September and October. I highly recommend these times. The weather is magnificent and it is one of the great walking cities. Get away from the tourist spots and there is some outstanding food that is good value. Find the gems.

The first time I didn't like Paris, but gave it another chance in 2016 and grew to love it. So many different and diverse areas of the city, something for everyone.

Athens is not a great European city. Even though I was there for nearly 10 days there just isn't much going for it. It's a very poor grimy city outside of the small tourist area. The Olympic stadium is magnificent however. Don't mind the gyros either.

I'll make a big generalisation here and I've only been to new York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Hawaii, but I don't get the love for America. Don't like the culture, it's expensive, manhattan is just a big concrete jungle and it just didn't do it for me the month I spent there.
 

Silent Alarm

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I'll make a big generalisation here and I've only been to new York, Atlanta, San Francisco and Hawaii, but I don't get the love for America. Don't like the culture, it's expensive, manhattan is just a big concrete jungle and it just didn't do it for me the month I spent there.
You've been to some fairly different cities and I went to a similar mix and had the same experience.

New York is hugely disappointing. The people are rude arseholes, no other way to put it. They care about themselves and that's it, and a lot of people in New York seem to think this is some hilarious in-joke and a part of the city. To me it's depressing. They all work too hard for no pay off and all do it to simply say they live in this intense, cosmopolitan, huge city but they're selling their souls to do so. There's no heart to the people and a lot of them who do talk might be approachable but they're very very dull.

It's weird, there's not like nice beaches or like snow or really anything like that but nor is there medieval buildings or anything. I don't get the appeal either. Aside from supermarkets I also found it to be a pretty expensive city. The food is pretty bad as well which is to be expected but you seriously have to try really hard to just find some basic Japanese.

Also, so dangerous. You go from decent area to total shithole within a block and due to the hugeness of New York especially, you don't know when you're getting in or out of one. I found I was always on high alert and also found I was a bit of a target because of the way I dressed and my age and skin colour... a lot of white people in America are essentially wiggas with big baggy shorts on, so if you have a printed shirt or coloured sneakers or something you can be seen as fruity or soft or something weird.

That's without mentioning their severe lack of humour and the fact any banter is met with odd looks. I also had to put on American accents a lot to do something simple like ask for a certain store or to tell someone what I wanted on a sandwich. *in joke.

Just an odd place.
 

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Cairo. Dirty shithole only made attractive by the pyramids and the museum.
 
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Malta - Dirty, expensive, horrible food (could not find a single restaurant that served palatable food). People are friendly enough but would not go back.

Thailand - Great people, food was pretty good, cheap, but its pretty dirty and unappealing. Not a very good family destination or place to just relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Libya - Despotic place, racked with corruption. Plenty of horrible looks from the locals, had to travel with an armed escort when travelling through parts of Tripoli.

California - Never again, the place has lost its freaken mind. LA is disgusting and the people are loathsome. Seattle is ok, reminds me of Melbourne but even further down the progressive rabbit hole. Mid West and Northern states, however, are geographically beautiful and diverse. The people are very friendly and are always happy to take you in.
 
Sep 12, 2007
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Malta - Dirty, expensive, horrible food (could not find a single restaurant that served palatable food). People are friendly enough but would not go back.

Thailand - Great people, food was pretty good, cheap, but its pretty dirty and unappealing. Not a very good family destination or place to just relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Libya - Despotic place, racked with corruption. Plenty of horrible looks from the locals, had to travel with an armed escort when travelling through parts of Tripoli.

California - Never again, the place has lost its freaken mind. LA is disgusting and the people are loathsome. Seattle is ok, reminds me of Melbourne but even further down the progressive rabbit hole. Mid West and Northern states, however, are geographically beautiful and diverse. The people are very friendly and are always happy to take you in.

I think Thailand (much like Bali) is actually popular for families because its so cheap, the adults can pay bugger all for a nanny at the resort for a day to themselves and they do have a lot of family friendly activities.

Its basically a much cheaper version of the Gold Coast for a lot of families.
 
Dec 21, 2005
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California - Never again, the place has lost its freaken mind. LA is disgusting and the people are loathsome. Seattle is ok, reminds me of Melbourne but even further down the progressive rabbit hole. Mid West and Northern states, however, are geographically beautiful and diverse. The people are very friendly and are always happy to take you in.
California is an amazing place. LA and Disneyland are shitstains, but the rest of the state is beautiful.

Oh and nothing like Melbourne.
 
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yep its paris for me as well. wait you gotta be kidding. Paris is one of the most awesome cities in the world. Spose you have to know a bit about the history first and have some coin to enjoy it though. I could spend a month in paris and still run out of time to do things. There are just too many neighbourhoods to enjoy all with their own history.

Now Sydney. That place is a dump for tourists. I struggle to fill a day.
 

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