A poor mans italy can still be a great thing.
Travel Popular Travel Destinations & Holidays You Didn't Like
- Thread starter emuboy
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In what ways? What were you expecting that didn’t meet those expectations? Paris is a different thing to a lot of people.
I dont know what I was necessarily expecting, but the fame of Paris across tourism, culturally and even in pop culture markets it as the best city to visit in Europe, it's Europe's go to destination. I loved the architecture and the food, many of the sights were beautiful, but it was grubby, felt unsafe to me at times, the locals were some of the least helpful of places I've visited, it was overpriced (probably tourist error), ridiculously filled with tourists, and it just didn't justify its popularity for mine.
That's not to say I didn't get something out of it, I just feel it's hugely overhyped. Plenty of other European cities were better holiday experiences for mine.
Same scam cost me 5 euros, out the front of The Louvre within 30 minutes in the city, mine was even black and yellow. Also had the gypsy ring scam on Le Pont des Arts which I didn't fall for.. for long.
I understand your experience but it's all about personal history too. Paris was the first city outside of Australia I ever visited (except for cities in Cambodia and Thailand on the way over). I'd left Australia for the first time to go and live overseas with my GF at the time(now my wife). We landed in Paris after 'that' flight and I had so much energy just to get out and explore.
We must have walked 15 kms that day, all over the city and as night fell we sat on the steps of the Trocadero and I did a facetime with my mum. It's a special memory for me Paris. I've been maybe 5 or 6 times and I always feel this magic.
I've also been hit on the head with a can of red bull sitting on a Metro train as it departs the station... The can came flying through the window from someone on the platform.. I think that was at Pigalle, or even maybe more in the 18th.
As for Italy. I've been to Italy maybe 30-40 times, and only once to Rome. Once was enough. The country villages of Italy, the food(I always go hungry and eager and always return saying never again). I love Italy and Covid restrictions permitting, I hope to go to Sicily this summer.
Travel is unique to everyone right, I'd never try and tell someone a place they loved wasn't good, we can only share our experiences. I've been to Europe twice, and from the places I went Rome was my favourite of the big cities, but as mentioned I had the benefit of a cousin who spent 20 years growing up in a town about 45 mins away from Rome, so apart from the main tourist sites, which I do enjoy some of, I also had the benefit of local knowledge to guide.
Shell
Premium Platinum
Yeah we were warned big time of all those scam artists around Paris on my tour.
While I didnt encounter anything like you did (thank god)- they definitely did try it on. They soon lost interest with me tho lol- I always stared straight ahead, no eye contact, and ensured my bag was always secure.
My friends tho, didnt fare so well, they got caught up with some palm reader bullshit. And yep, they had to pay.
Shell
Premium Platinum
Lol that reminds me when I first landed in LA. Was on a bus (had an 8 hour stopover) to Santa Monica and this lady (probably some whack job) just completely elbows me in the head like the *...
She just stared at me not even saying sorry.
Had the worst ******* headache the rest of the day. ******* bitch.
/other than that I loved the US.
I'm generally pretty good, but this guy grabbed my arm and was quite a big guy and didn't let go and was pretty aggressive. It was also late twilight so getting dark, and didn't look like much help around. I know some people who got caught with that ball in a cup game scam, and the help me with my groceries scam (old lady comes and asks you to help carry her bags to her place a few streets away, down an alley where I'm guessing you get pickpocketted or something else) both of them were tried on me but I was awake to it.
I had my worst experience here as well, I always have my hands in my pockets around these guys but one guy tried to grab my arm 3 times and each time I had to shrug him off more aggressively as I walked past, It was all a big joke to him and he laughed in my face.
Another bad place is the Cathedral in Milan, I had a guy came up wanting to shake my hand but I said no with a grin on my face about 5 times and eventually he took the hint and wasn't aggressive about it.
You go to a few places in Milan and all you see are bracelets on the ground, amazing in this day and age that people still have no clue and let these guys put them on without any resistance.
- Sep 21, 2004
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Whattya mean? I plan on a visit to Lake Como next month.
He means for Australians in Australia. I drove all around the Balkans last week. No problems whatsoever.
- Sep 21, 2004
- 36,979
- 25,732
- AFL Club
- West Coast
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- Norwood & Liverpool.
Saw an article saying international travel could be stopped until 2024 from Australia.
On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
On SM-G925I using BigFooty.com mobile app
Another one to add to the list for me was Los Angeles. I did it once, never really need to do it again. Very "Hollywood" - yes I get the irony of that lol. In saying that I did enjoy Universal Studios though.
I think quite soon we will have a travel bubble with at least NZ but also some other Asian/South Pacific countries.
- Sep 21, 2004
- 36,979
- 25,732
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- Norwood & Liverpool.
The only time I could see myself there again is maybe spending a night after flying from Aus as a transit place just to break up the trip before doing the second leg to somewhere else in the US.
I think so as well, the article said Australians will probably have to quarantine when they return until 2024.
Thats what Hawaii is for
That's pretty sad.
Even if you have had the vaccine?
Scomo or Hunt said yes but maybe at home
it was in the paper this morning
- Jun 18, 2010
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Throughout Covid I have let my leave bank up but I did manage to cover a bit of domestic ground in the past few months. It was interesting because over the past 10 years I had pretty much stopped travelling domestically.
Anyway, the result of my domestic travel in the past few months has been interesting. There are some beautiful places. To see them, you take a bit of a hit on other things. From the good to the not so good:
Overall, I am glad I have taken the family to a few places we would never otherwise see. I can't say that we flat out "didn't like it" but we just didn't like it enough to do much more of it. Post Covid, I can't see myself doing anything more than a 2 nighter domestically. And even if I wanted to, the family would not be happy. From here on, my travel will be the occasional domestic long weekend, visiting family and the rest will be international. My leave balance is in bank up mode!
Happy to be viciously attacked in relation to all points.
Anyway, the result of my domestic travel in the past few months has been interesting. There are some beautiful places. To see them, you take a bit of a hit on other things. From the good to the not so good:
- Locations. There are some spectacularly beautiful locations that we don't see enough of. Yes you have to drive for days between them but I like that. The drive is part of the enjoyment.
- Activities. As long as you are not in one place for more than a few days there are a lot of things to do as a family. The state capitals can generally keep you going for 3 to 4 days before you are onto decidedly second rate stuff. And in the country you need to keep moving every couple of days unless you are doing a long beach / diving / fishing thing.
- Accommodation. There are patches of excellent accommodation, but they can cost you a lot. If you want to get away from the capitals, coastal QLD or the wine regions you are generally struggling even if you choose the best option in each town.
- Dining. This is the worst part. In the state capitals there is very good cheap ethnic food and that gets pretty much the only tick in the dining area. Mid range is mostly incompetent bland junk. The high end is really poor value and generally faddish and gimicky. (This is the area that compares least well with international travel.) And like accommodation, once you get away from the renowned tourist areas it is just genuinely awful. Motels, country pubs, regional restaurants and in particular country lunch options are woeful. I mean, I like a pie from a country bakery but don't want one 5 days in a row.
Overall, I am glad I have taken the family to a few places we would never otherwise see. I can't say that we flat out "didn't like it" but we just didn't like it enough to do much more of it. Post Covid, I can't see myself doing anything more than a 2 nighter domestically. And even if I wanted to, the family would not be happy. From here on, my travel will be the occasional domestic long weekend, visiting family and the rest will be international. My leave balance is in bank up mode!
Happy to be viciously attacked in relation to all points.
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