Is there anything more disappointing than traveling to a new city or country and being entirely underwhelmed by the experience? Many travelers know the feeling of new-city heartbreak all too well and recently met in an online discussion to reveal the places that disappointed them the most. Here are the destinations worldwide that travelers should avoid at all costs.
1. Manila, Philippines
Thanks to disappointing reports like this, it doesn’t seem like I’ll be visiting Manila anytime soon! “It is a pretty awful city,” confesses one recent visitor. “The traffic is ridiculously crowded, there is an extreme poverty level, and few interesting tourist attractions. When you ask someone where to visit, the person will often recommend going to a mall. I can go to a mall in my own country. The airport is also one of the worst I have visited. It has a severe cockroach infestation, which is never what anyone wants to hear.”
2. Guatemala City, Guatemala
Unfortunately, a visit to Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, sounds like the opposite of a stress-free trip! According to countless travelers, Guatemala City is openly hostile and rude to tourists, making everything from catching a cab, riding the bus, or eating at restaurants a hassle. I’m sure that if Guatemala’s residents showed more hospitality, more people would come to visit!
3. Shijiazhuang, China
Some cities are so dull that I wonder why anybody would visit in the first place. One traveler blames it all on her friends, and for good reason! “This is not a city people go to for tourism,” explains one woman. “I went there several times to visit friends when I lived in China. It is an extremely polluted industrial city with no interesting attractions. It’s a total stay-away city.” I can safely say I will never visit Shijiazhuang.
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
To anyone living outside the United States, Las Vegas seems like a utopia filled with endless possibilities. Unfortunately, upon arriving, foreign visitors discover what Americans have known for decades: Las Vegas is a depressing city that caters to our basest instincts. For most people, the excessive drinking, partying, and gambling in Vegas is depressing and sad. If anyone needs to gamble so severely, I suggest traveling to nearby Reno, Nevada, which is infinitely more bearable than Las Vegas.
5. Sihanoukville, Cambodia
It’s depressing that places as naturally beautiful as Cambodia sometimes get re-purposed into gambling destinations. “I think this is a place that used to be nice for backpackers looking to visit the beach,” deciphers one woman. “Around 2018, when I went there, the town was a giant construction site. The town is being reinvented as a gambling destination. The beaches are not nice, and it’s sad, really.” Cambodia is about relaxation, not degenerate gambling!
6. Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida, caters to one type of person: Someone who enjoys tacky decor, humid weather, and everything Disney-related! Many travelers confess to disliking Orlando because it caters to everything they despise. From rampant consumerism to overpriced food and drinks everywhere you look, there’s no reason for any self-respecting world traveler to step foot in this part of Florida.
7. Fethiye, Turkey
Sometimes, a simple one-sentence city description tells you everything you need to know. “Fethiye is Cancun for British people,” states one traveler. For anyone who loves house music, nonstop pool parties, and watered-down frozen cocktails, Fethiye is a dream destination. But for the other 99% of worldly travelers, Fethiye is an example of where not to visit.
8. Dublin, Ireland
Unfortunately, Dublin has a reputation for being drab architecturally, and one recent visitor admits it’s also a little dull culturally! That’s not an ideal combination. “Not a bad place, just found it incredibly overrated,” confesses one man. “Edinburgh delivers everything Dublin is meant to be, but much better. I didn’t think the pubs or the nightlife were anything special. It just felt very gray, both weather-wise and in architecture. Two days visiting was more than enough.”
9. Bucharest, Romania
There are many wondrous and breathtaking cities in Romania, but countless people cite Bucharest as the one that sticks out the most in a negative way. Urban decay runs rampant throughout the city; many buildings desperately need repair and are falling apart. The road infrastructure is falling apart, and a general unhappiness permeates the city. It’s a shame; Bucharest could be one of the best places to visit if the city dedicates itself to self-improvement!
10. Negril, Jamaica
Safety is a priority for millions of travelers, and it’s never good to hear that a particular city or region is dangerous. “I was excited to visit, but Negril was just super sketchy the whole time. We had to have armed guards, and generally, most people were unfriendly to tourists,” one woman explains. “We were there for eight days, and I hate to tell people not to go there, but we just felt so unsafe all the time.” Jamaica has lovely places; I recently visited Montego Bay and had a wonderful time!
Source:Â Reddit.
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