Nothing turns a trip sour more immediately than getting into a tourist trap. Trust me, been there, experienced that.
But hey, what if we all learn to detect those very suspicious red flags and be ahead of whoever it is that’s trying to rip us off, putting our vulnerable vacationing selves to their advantage?
So when someone asked the dear world travelers of Reddit to share “some of the worst tourist traps you have encountered?” and “what can be done to catch it beforehand?” they unknowingly did everyone a public service. After all, we all deserve an enjoyable and authentic experience abroad, without being used by greedy locals.
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Sounds counterintuitive but when you go to Iceland, pick an airport restaurant and have a decent meal there, and stock up at the duty free shop. Don't just sprint for the airport exit - Iceland will still be there in an hour.
Most people are in such a rush to get out of the airport they don't consider that the international terminal is their final chance to dodge Iceland's impressively high tax on prepared foods and alcohol. The airport in Reykjavik has some pretty good food, and there's no tax in the international terminal.
If you're in a crowded area and anyone approaches you saying, "My friend, my friend" just keep walking.
As a general rule, avoid restaurants that are right near very popular tourist attractions (the Eiffel Tower, Sagrada Familia, the Colosseum). These places are probably there to lure in tourists who don't know any better. There are some exceptions of hidden gems in touristy areas but unless you've done your research ahead of time, avoid these spots.
The rule is to eat where the locals are eating, there you will find god food.
If you're wondering whether a restaurant in Italy is authentic or a tourist trap, look at the opening hours. Legitimate Italian restaurants that cater to locals will open for dinner no earlier than 7 p.m., while tourist traps will stay open all day. There are obviously some exceptions but this works as a good rule of thumb.
If someone offers you something “ For Free!” Don’t f*ing take it! They will dump it on you. Make it as hard as possible to take it back, and then pressure you for money. I am talking about how in Italy people will approach you offering a bracelet attach tight and then ask you to pay them.
Also any restaurant that has watermark pictures on their menus.
I'm Dutch. If you tell me it's for free, you screwed yourself, dude.
At the pyramids in Egypt, people with fake badges will tell you that you are required to pay them extra to see the Sphinx. It's included with your park ticket.
My wife and I went to Rome for our honeymoon. This was my first time traveling abroad, but my wife had traveled her entire life. We were walking from the Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps when we were approached by a man, who gave my wife a rose and was very friendly to us. Immediately I told my wife to give it back, and she was irritated with me saying that he gave it to her as a gift. He was asking if we were from the US, if we were married, and if he could take our picture using our camera. While saying no to him, I kept telling my wife to give it back. She refused. After a few minutes his friendliness disappeared, and he jabbed me in the shoulder and pressed his index finder and thumb together, demanding money. We had been married for 5 days, and our first fight as a married couple is when I yelled at her “Give him the f**king rose back now!” She didn’t believe it was a scam until I pointed out all of the other men who were doing the same exact thing to other tourists. It doesn’t matter where you go, keep your head on a swivel.
Bring your own refillable water bottle.
Especially when travelling, but even just everyday, you'll save a ton of $.
Do this in places where you know that the tap water is good and not contaminated. Many people get food poisoning or gastroentritis from drinking untreated water or raw vegetables washed under that water. I speak from experience!!
Fiji.
Walking along the street and friendly locals will greet you with "bula vinaka" (hello) and beautiful smiles. Every now and then one will start a conversation with you and ask you for your name. Before you know it, they are carving your name into 'traditional' wooden spears and shields etc then asking you for money for the work you never asked for. They will look upset when you tell them you don't want it and they will explain that now they can't sell the item because they carved your name into it already and they will follow you down the street reducing their price until you finally agree.
Best advice: be friendly, say hello, don't give anyone your name.
Do not ride the donkeys or horses at Petra. They are terribly mistreated by their handlers and are often forced to carry more weight than they can handle. They are also kept in terrible conditions and starved. If you are too fat and lazy to do the hike yourself, don't force some poor donkey to carry your fat a** up the side of a f***ing mountain. Also, don't buy the sand bottles at Petra, as they take the sand/rocks from the archaeological sites which contribute to its degradation.
Another thing: if you take guided tours, there is almost always a part where they stop at some place like a factory or an artisan studio where they show you how people make things. I always just pass on these as they are usually overpriced tourist traps that the tour company has an agreement with. It's why I usually don't take tours at all.
I was absolutely livid at the way our driver treated his donkey. I told him if he abused it again, he would get no tip. He abused it again. He got no tip. I made a complaint to the tourism bureau. And for the record, your judgment about being "fat and lazy". My mother has chemo-related neuropathy and couldn't make the walk, so you know what you can do with your obnoxious comments, right? Incidentally, there are a lot of little kids selling postcards of Petra for $1 or 2. A lot of those kids are the only money earners in their families. Buy from them.
I was in Paris walking with a female friend and some guy in front of us picked up a ring off the floor and motioned to ask if it was her’s. She said no but he insisted she take it. I said “don’t, he’s trying to get money off of you” and she said “no, he just picked it up off the floor!” Sure enough, he asked her for money, she gave him a little, I guess it wasn’t enough so he asked for the ring back. When we walked away I said “you know that guy just took you for a ride, right?” We’re from NYC so she felt very ashamed.
Edit: Speaking of being from New York, I work(ed. F**kin covid) in Times Square at a broadway theater. If you take a picture with one of those characters on the street, a bunch of them will come over out of nowhere and get in the shot and all expect money. I see it all the time. I’m not one of those dbags who’s like “don’t bother going to Times Square, that’s not the real New York!”, it’s definitely something to be seen, especially at night, but I suggest staying away from the costume characters.
He was walking in front of you, picked the ring up and asked if it was yours? That's really, really dumb, and your friend was even dumber to fall for this scam. :)
This is for Paris. Great city. Couple of tips.
The Louvre. There's excellent art in L'Orangerie and the Musée D'Orsay, just a short walk away, without having two hundred tourists as part of the same tour group walking 40 abreast like a wall of humanity up the corridors. My recommendation is to make sure you have the Museum Pass (you can buy them online and have them shipped to you before you even head out) so you can enter museums when you like. Preferably later in the day when they're all doing something else like trying to fit 200 people into a small café. If it's too crowded, hit the next point of interest and come back another time. People pick the Louvre because it's popular, which makes it more popular, which makes people pick it more...
Travel. There's a travel pass that's never pushed to tourists because it was never designed for tourism, it's a Monday-to-Sunday-only weekly pass (there's a monthly one too that goes from the 1st of the month for longer stays) called the Navigo Découverte. You need a photo for the photo card, that part costs €5 on top, but even with that it's cheaper to buy that weekly Navigo that the Paris Visite card that's aimed at tourists ...and you look less like a tourist too so you're less likely to be accosted by sneaky people. This video explains everything about it.
Isn't it fair to say that the Louvre has the classical artwork of the 3? L'Orangerie is mostly impressionistic and post-impressionist? I mean, if you want to see that (YES PLEASE), great, but it's hardly like they're substitutes for each other.
Had some ladies pretend to be deaf in the plaza at the Louvre. They were deaf until I told them I had no money to give. They definitely heard that because they walked away pretty quick lol
If there is a host or hostess trying to lure you into a restaurant, walk away as quick as you can. Instead, ask the locals where they love to eat.
Scammers at Sacre Coeur in Paris. They block a chokepoint on the stairs up to the top of the hill and will pester you about signing some bollocks petition. I got "deaf refugee children charity". It's a tatty piece of paper with some black and white UN logos and crooked deaf symbols that they obviously made into a collage type thing and photocopied.
This scam is normally run by women and they are not afraid to use their children. If you are lucky they will just demand some money after you sign. If you are unlucky you'll get pickpocketd while distracted and signing. This happened to someone at my hostel. I was having none of it and told them in English I wasn't interested and tried to walk around. This pissed them off so they made a big scene about me being an "evil american who wants our deaf children to be murdered with bombs". Wailing and everything. It was quite something. I've come across alot of beggars and scammers but this was by far the most memorable.
My advice would be just pretend not to understand French or English, don't engage and keep your hands over your pockets. That pretty much goes for anyone that approaches you at any European tourist trap tbh
If you want a guided tour, arrange it ahead of time. A lot of popular sites are surrounded by unofficial tour guides. They may have a badge or an official-looking uniform, but if they approach you and ask if you want to hire a guide, it's best to politely decline.
A lot of them have no idea what they're talking about.
I had a guide at Machu Pichu who claimed that the Inca were "an ideal Communist society," then he took a break half-way through the tour to try and sell us essential oils.
Real tour guides won't approach you and give you a sales pitch. If you want a guided tour, arrange it ahead of time.
Thought that, too, but took a chance when a guy approached us in Guanajuato, Mexico. He wanted something like $20 & we figured he’d stick us in a van or something with a bunch of other tourists for an hour, but we decided to do it, anyway. Boy, were we in for a pleasant surprise. He spent the entire day with us - just us - in his air conditioned car taking us anywhere we wanted to go and to places we didn’t even know existed. His English was excellent, as was his knowledge of history. He explained social customs, laws, and etiquette tips, pointed out which vendors in the marketplace had street food safe for tourists to eat, and gave us general advice about driving ands staying safe throughout our visit. It was one of the best experiences we ever had. Spent over 8 hours with us that day. I tipped him VERY well, took his business card, and passed his information on to my (F100) company (I was there on business) with high praise. Sometimes you get lucky.
There's a Harry Potter gift shop in Kings Cross Station that's very popular with tourists. Outside the shop there's a free photo op where you look like you're pushing a trolley through the Platform 9 3/4 which leads you directly into the shop. It is just a small gift shop in a train station but it's always packed to bursting with tourists (covid notwithstanding) buying grossly overpriced merch.
The shop isn't even a film location and the station has been renovated since they shot the films anyway.
Likewise, any Harry Potter film tour of London. Be prepared to sit in a mini van and get shown various walls and doorways around London which have no obvious connection to the films.
If you're that interested in Harry Potter, honestly I'd advise you stuck up the price of the Studio Tour and go to that instead. Literally anything else you'll see surrounding the franchise is a tourist trap.
Source: I've either been to or worked at these places, and am still employed by one. Hence the throwaway.
The studio tour is worth it! Me and my friends enjoyed it a lot and there's tons of places inside to buy souvenirs :)
I'm not a super well-travelled person yet, but I did get trapped pretty good in New Orleans.
If someone comes up to you in New Orleans and asks you where you got your shoes, the proper answer is "on my feet". If they ask where you from, "from my mama".
Keep walking and don't let them polish or clean your shoes, because they'll charge you for that and for their "talk"
It's a good idea to never engage in unsolicited conversation wherever you are, period. "Where are you from?" Home. "And where is that?" At my house. "Which way are you going?" After my nose.
If you're getting into a cab in Vietnam, know the general direction of your destination or follow the route on a map on your phone, if possible. I've had taxi drivers take me around the city for 45 minutes to rack up a fare, only to realize later that my hotel was just short walk away.
Navy Pier and the Sears Tower in Chicago.
If you're a tourist in the city take an architecture boat tour instead and have a drink at the Signature Room in the Hancock and enjoy the view from there.
The Staten Island Ferry is FREE. If people are trying to charge you for tickets, they're scam artists. If you're traveling to New York, it's worth visiting for the views, especially considering the cost, or lack thereof.
Do not go with the guy who says his friend is the owner of a nice hotel nearby. Most likely won't be nice or nearby.
In Jamaica, we went on one of the guided hikes through the Dunn’s River Falls. The exit is completely covered in a maze of pretty typical touristy gift shop type tents selling cheap manufactured garbage. Of course we “coincidentally” had to wait for the buses so we had nowhere to go except the tents. My gf and I (both 18 at the time, & from America) meandered around with zero intention of buying anything but we were dumb enough to entertain the salesmen by letting them talk to us. One asked our names and when we answered, he carved them into the side of a wooden tiki head and tried handing it to us. We were taken aback because we obviously hadn’t asked him to do that but then he started demanding we pay him for it because otherwise he would lose his stock for nothing. I tried to lie about not having money to spend on it, and it was uncomfortable at most until one of the other salesmen blocked the entrance out of the tent and started saying that we were essentially shoplifting from them. We knew it was possible to give them the name of the hotel we were staying at have them charge us through there but there was no way I was a actually paying them or letting them know where I was sleeping so I just put one of the other resorts and a fake last name and told them to charge us. Luckily they let us go. Pretty freaked out through. I kept that tiki head for about 10 years as my “trophy” for swindling swindlers lmao
Pay very close attention to signing for your hire car after a long flight. I told the server at Budget Car Hire in Miami twice that I didn’t want any extras and just to have what I’d paid for and he still sneakily slid on cover that I didn’t want nor need.
Same attempt by a different company in Ireland caught before I signed - sat nav for £100? I think not.
Read the print and question the numbers
Women, if you plan to visit cathedrals I highly advise you to bring a scarf to cover your head. It’s just a rule of thumb always pack a scarf. I’ve seen it too many times where there are people at the front doors charging some absurd price like 15 euros for a cheap little scarf to be allowed to enter the religious place.
In Portugal specifically Lisbon pick pockets were rampant through the public transit. A family member was almost picked 3 times in the matter of a couple of hours. Keep your eyes peeled for people moving in tight groups and look like they’re up to no good.
In some countries I’ve visited, restaurants in tourist areas will have an English menu and a native language menu with cheaper prices. I usually ask for a native language menu then google translate the menu. Works most of the time in getting a better price.
Prioritize what you want to see. All tourist sites are technically traps I guess. If there’s one site where admission is super expensive try and save the money so you can see more or try to have a nicer meal one day. If you really want to see that one thing to say you’ve been there by all means go for it.
Always pay in the local currency when you can. A lot of restaurants especially in Europe will ask if you want to pay in USD or Euros and it’s usually cheaper for your credit card to pay in Euros. Just know what your bank and credit cards do when you’re abroad.
If you're a young guy and some attractive women come out of nowhere thinking you're cute and asking to go to a bar, don't go.
There's a very common scam where they'll start ordering ridiculously priced alcohol for you all night. You only find out at the end of the night when you get a bill for hundreds of dollars.
When you're traveling somewhere new, learn how the public transportation system works and how late it stays open. When I was in China, we went bar hopping in Beijing and stayed out past when the subway closed. The taxi cabs knew they were our only way home so they charged us four times the normal fare.
FYI the bridges in St Petersburg go up at night so if you aren't aware you get stuck, which is fun at 21 less fun when you are older
We wanted to visit the Colosseum in Rome. All the way towards it from the tube station, there are dozens of people offering "discounted tours" - you join a group, they get you in for a reduced price, seems good. Except it isn't. These tour tickets are about €20 per person, which seems reasonable until you get to the entrance to the Colosseum and see that it's €12 for an adult, or €2 for a student. My wife and I got in for €14 because she still had a valid student ID.
The exact same thing happened on the way to the Vatican - people coming up to us insisting that it's cheaper to get in if we buy museum tickets. It costs nothing to go into the Vatican! They rely on tourists who don't know any better, see the queue for the Vatican museum and think it's the queue to get inside the city. It isn't.
Rome's touristy areas are unbearable.
Every single popular site or place features the same mob of sketchy and all around annoying characters. Friendship bracelets, fake petitions, fake charities, s***ty toys and souvenirs. You can't take two steps without somebody trying to hassle you.
The Vatican isn't even immune to this. While approaching it, you still have scammers dressed in outfits to trick people they are part of the staff. They basically scam elderly and others into believe they bought the wrong ticket. we joked that The Vatican felt like Hollywood BLVD, but religious.
Then, on top of all of this, the food around these areas are scams as well designed to trick gullible travelers out of their money. I ate the best pasta I've ever had in Rome, and I've ate the worst.
Don't get me wrong, I love Rome as a whole. But man do their tourist areas suck.
If you're flying Ryanair or a similar budget airline, familiarize yourself with the rules and hidden fees before you arrive at the airport. I once forgot to print my boarding pass ahead of time and was smacked with a hidden $80 fee.
If you go to Bangkok and are on the way to the grand palace, you will encounter very friendly guys falsely telling you that the grand palace is closed due to some ceremonies. They are very friendly and are good salesman. They offer to take you on a Tuk Tuk ride to other temples for a really good price. On the way to these other temples the Tuk Tuk driver will be very friendly and tries to win your trust.
After the second temple or so, he will start talking about some great promotion for a tailor that makes custom made suits, or about some promotion of emerald sales and will eventually drive you to one of those places and if you refuse to buy anything the friendliness changes. The Tuk Tuk driver will just take you the next temple and then disappears after you paid him.
How to avoid this scam: Be very suspicious of very friendly Thai people around the grand palace telling you that the grand palace is closed. The best is probably just to say thank you and not get involved into any conversation with them.
I have travelled a lot, and Bangkok is the only place I have had people try to scam me or rob me. It's probably just my perception, but it felt like every single person in the whole of Bangkok is trying to scam you in some way. Bloody horrble place. The rest of Thailand was lovely, everyone really friendly and not trying to rob you, but Bangkok? Awful.
Las Ramblas in Barcelona.
Lovely city, but everybody hypes up this one street that’s crowded full of people. It’s practicallly highlighted in every tour guide of the city yet I still don’t understand the draw. Every restaurant and shop on the street is a tourist trap as well: overpriced and under-quality. It’s much more worth your time to stroll around the Gothic neighborhood if the city rather than Las Ramblas.
Always keep your belongings close when someone you don't know approaches you in a touristy area. In Europe, especially in big cities like Paris, pickpockets have a technique where they distract you to steal your things. If a stranger approaches you to talk, focus on your pockets, your wallet, and your phone.
In Phuket (Thailand) our taxi from the airport had to make "a quick stop" at a travel agency. He left us in the back of the cab so he could "go to the bathroom". We thought about getting out of the car but had no idea where we were or how to get a new taxi (pretty scary situation to be in). One of the salesmen from the travel agency came out speaking perfect English trying to trick us into buying every type of tour, luxury hotel, dinner, you name it and he was trying to sell it. We were very adamant that we had our itinerary and were not looking to buy anything. He eventually gave up and our driver came back a few minutes later. It was pretty uncomfortable but we were firm and acted like we knew what we were doing and that was the end of it.
In Mexican tourist towns like Playa Del Carmen or Cancun, when you go shopping there is a good chance someone will come up to you and act like they know you. They will say “it’s me ________ from your resort!” and try to make you think they work at your resort and remember you. Then they will ask what you are shopping for and whatever you say, they 100% have a “brother” with the perfect shop for that who will make you the best deal in town. That “deal” is around 3 times what you could find the same thing for at many other places. Also, if you book an excursion, make sure you bring some extra money because the will frequently have an extra $10 fee of some sort that they didn’t tell you about.
Cover your resort wrist band so they dont know where you are staying.
Look up exchange rates before you get there, and use ATMs inside bank branches. There are companies who operate ATMs in airports and train stations who just want to take advantage of confused tourists, by offering them s**t exchange rates and setting the default amount for withdrawal too high. In Prague for example, some ATMs have as their default withdrawal amounts the equivalent of a month's rent.
A note on English menus: If the menu has both the local language and English next to each other then it's probably fine, but if there is a separate English menu, make sure to compare the prices to those on the local menu.
Unlicensed cabs, always always use a registered company especially for safety never mind financially
A lot of countries have Uber equivalent... Philippines has grab, Bali has blue bird too
San Francisco, CA Do NOT leave anything in your car, ANYTHING...you will come out to broken windows. Also, be aware of your surroundings when using your phone, especially if you are elderly (you may get knocked down so they can steal your phone). Even in summer you may need a jacket.
Haven’t seen this posted yet but in Paris, coming out of a train station, there were young pretty girls asking for donations to a “charity”, brandishing notebooks with the names of people who had “donated”. My friends and I were approached by one, we declined and tried to walk away but she followed us holding out her pen asking us to write our names in the notebook and donate. We broke into a run, and this girl took her pen and straight up stabbed me in the arm with it before giving up.
In India, in a lot of popular tourist spots, photographers will compliment you and start taking pictures of you. They'll ask you to pose this way and that, and then they charge an exorbitant amount for the pictures. You just have to be rude because they are very persistent and will start following you.
A great reply to their pestering, especially in India, is to ask if they play cricket. Almost all of them adore the sport. Then ask if their scam is a good example of respect and fair play, ask if their mothers would approve of their lies. This more often that not makes them go away. Also good for phone scams
I went to London with my friends for the weekend while I was still in uni. We wanted to go to a certain nightclub in London so we pulled up google maps and were discussing the club. A local man (early 20s) overheard us and offered to bring us there. We were cautious and stayed a bit behind him while he walked us through the streets. He brought us to the nightclub and we thanked him profusely. We joined the queue and on entry had to pay £15. While paying we noticed this man had taken a few more girls to the club and winked at the doorman.
Later in the club we were chatting with locals that were bewildered we paid £15 on entry. Apparently the club had no entry fee.
Do not ever rent a jetski in thailand. The bottom is damaged and they will claim you did it and hold your group at gunpoint while one of you gets the money. And the police wont help you, they get a cut.
Cities in Italy are excruciating. I bought a 5 Euro 12 ounce bottle of water at some cafe in Venice, took it outside and sat down at one of the tables out front. The instant my ass touched the chair, one of their employees sprinted outside to tell me that I now owed them a 10 Euro "table fee".
They had literally been watching me and waiting for me to sit down because they knew an American would never expect a table fee
The table fee is not just for tourists. If you stand at the bar and drink your coffee - no fee. If you sit there is a fee.
A really bad tourist trap is Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau in Bavaria. Both castles are expensive to see, you have to go at a very specific time printed on your ticket, and then the tour is lightning fast with no time to linger and enjoy things. It's all over in a blink. Photos cost extra, and that is enforced. Super-duper crowded. Not at all worth it.
Here is one for all of you who are traveling to see the sites of Detroit.
When a random guy comes up to you asking for $15 to park in a field / abandoned type area, don’t pay him.
Especially if his name is Reggie which you incorrectly hear as Richie and he aggressively corrects you with a “hell naw I ain’t no Richie!”
And when he then has the gall to ask you for a tip, don’t do that either.
Actually , maybe pay him for both of those or look for a better parking spot.
You know he is going to screw with your car if you don’t.
... wait a second, what the hell are you doing as a tourist in Detroit anyway?!
I spent a great afternoon wandering around Detroit taking pictures. I was very aware of my surroundings and chose my parking spots carefully. The few people I encountered were pleasant and we had interesting conversations. It is truly a unique place to visit, many areas are returning to nature but you can still see the ghosts of the town's boisterous past.
My dad, brother, and I took a trip to Egypt. We booked a tour with a local guide and the experience was great. However after we saw the pyramids we were brought to "look" at some local stores. Basically you take a look around and the shopkeepers do some convincing and you end up buying some cheap s**t like a poster made out of "genuine Egyptian paper" or "exquisite cologne" My dad knew what they were doing but he decided to buy some to "support local business" If you want to avoid things like this just look at reviews and if you find yourself in this situation either be persistent in refusing or buy the cheapest thing there to satisfy them.
This is common everywhere even with organized tour groups. If the guide takes you to a shop and you see something you like note the price and look for the item elsewhere. Few tourist items are "exclusive' to a particular shop.
when at an airport, if you're walking towards the cab/taxi line and an employee pulls you aside to tell you that he will help you get another cab, and he/she proceeds to walk you away from the official cab/taxi waiting area, chances are they're going to scam you into taking a much more expensive car service. just because they're airport employees don't mean they have your interest at heart; they're often working alongside these other services so they can get a cut.
and on a similar note, when possible, just take public transportation when possible. it's cheaper, and it's a part of the traveling experience.
Thailand: If you rent a scooter/moped/bike do not give them your driver's license as ID/collateral (Seems like common sense -- but some are insistent). Police will see a tourist and pull them over over for not wearing a helmet (place doesn't give you one), or for not having a license (some places REQUIRE you give it for collateral), and ticket you. Just them taking advantage.
I have had them ask for my passport. Told them my hotel kept it and most accepted a photocopy of my int'l licence. Best thing to do is ask other tourists who to trust, there are good shops and bad. Some rental places will try and charge you for every scuff and minor ding. had a friend who gave them his passport and they wanted $1800 or they wouldn't return it. He eventually, after several hours, talked them down to $100 or so. I got in the habit of taking photos of the bike in the rental yard before taking it. And yes, wear a helmet, the police watch for tourists without one.
In Turkey, shoe shine operators "accidentally" dropping the brush in front of you then offering to clean your shoes after you stop to pick it up. Followed by charging an extortionate price for the job.
In New York City near Rockefeller Center there is a group of guys selling baseball caps they will falsely stop you and say that there's a television show filming so you can't walk away and then they will try to sell you on whatever charity they're claiming their hats are for usually the FDNY this is a lie and a scam they just want to get you to pay however much you can for a cheap hat. Also there's a scam of people dressed as some kind of Monk handing you a piece of jewelry or a coin when you take it they shake You down for a donation to a pretend religion.
DO NOT under any circumstances let yourself get separated from a group. This happened in India when I was 17, my dad and I were part of a tour bus going to the Taj Mahal that was surprisingly full of Indian citizens and we were the only white people on the bus. The bus "broke down" and some guy came on and offered to give us a tour of Agra in his rickshaw instead. We figured he had a deal with some local shops that were too expensive but we really didn't mind so we said yes and went with him. First part of the day was great, we were looking for souvenirs anyway so we bought a few things at the places he took us to and did actually get to see some cool areas the bus would not have taken us to. Then things got weird after dinner when his "buddy" showed up to hang out with us and they proceeded to use every possible excuse they could think of to try to separate me from my (burly) dad. They got really aggressive and sketchy and we finally got away from them and basically fled the city and ended up paying an exorbitant fee to take a taxi from Agra to Delhi in the middle of the night. TLDR: people can make some money off of you going to stores and stuff, but they'll make a lot more money selling a 17 year old white girl.
Unfortunately, that can happen anywhere you go 😬 Always be alert (this country needs more lerts).
I'm not exactly a world traveler but this happened in Cocoa Beach, Florida while my family and I were on vacation. While we stopped to look at a menu for a food shack a Westgate employee approached us. (Westgate is a timeshare company, and timeshare are awful scams) He said that the new Cocoa Beach location was having a grand opening deal. They offered a $100 MasterCard gift card for a meal at an all inclusive buffet if we listened to their 'short' presentation. They said we would be back at the beach in 90 minutes.
My parents thought it was a good deal and we knew that we weren't going to buy a timeshare, but that a free meal and gift card would be nice. So we hopped in their van with one or two other families. We arrived the buffet and there were cheap microwaved hotdogs and some canned chili. Yum. Not what we were expecting but we could deal with it if we would be back soon. They presentation took 1.5 hours and then they took us on a tour to their suites.
The presentation include blatant lies guilt triping and "for only x amount more you could get this suite." We ended up spending 2.5 hours for the sucky scam and obviously we didn't buy a timeshare. We lost a beach day because it we had to tickets to visit an overlook tower in a nearby city soon after. Lesson: DONT take free stuff it might be worth the money, but it's not worth the time. And definitely don't buy a timeshare.
Italy: Avoid the obvious "main strip" areas: pickpockets and expensive everything. Grab a bed and breakfast off the beaten track and look one or two streets over -- all of a sudden you can feed an army (wine included) for the same price as a pizza in the "main square".
If you’re in Rome at any big tourist site (Colosseum, Spanish Steps, etc) or just anywhere on the streets where there are people selling trinkets and a guy tries to show you bracelets, DO NOT LET THEM. They will put them onto your wrist and demand high payments for them, like a you wore it you bought it type situation, even though you didn’t want to wear it.
Went to Italy in February with a group from my school and like 7 people got scammed this way. One kid lost €50 to it.
ALSO if you’re in outdoor markets like the Mercato Nuovo in Florence, always haggle. Things are priced way higher than they are actually valued because they know tourists will spend ridiculous amounts of money. One kid I was with got a €250 leather jacket for €75. The people selling things know they’re overpriced, that’s why they’ll take the prices down so much. The best advice my teacher gave us was to ask for what you think is a reasonable price and if they say no to start to walk away, chances are they’ll chase after you because they want to make the sale.
A common one in that you’ll encounter in Central Europe and the Baltic countries is two young attractive women will approach you, and friendly and flirty, and see if you want to go to a pub. The prices for things will be wildly inflated when you get the tab and they will have a couple of local gopniks escort you to the atm to pay the bill. Often the local police are in on the scam and receive a cut. Obviously not everyone who approaches you is a scam artist, but still best to go to perhaps the bar in your hotel or someplace that appears to, I don’t know how to put this, maybe be more legitimate. Oftentimes these pubs are shady looking. This was a big scam in Budapest for many years.
In Istanbul I connected with two random dudes, we had some beer together at a bar, spent a good two, three hours there. I bought them a few beers and they offered me beers aswell. Had a genuine good time as I often do when meeting strangers since I travel alone most of the times.
When the bar closed they said they knew a good place near by so naturally we went there. They ordered a bottle of whisky (cheap one), and some girls came to our table. Also, not unusual. But they were working girls, not whores, but charged for company and no one told me this.
When the bill came it came with three gorilla like turks. 3600 euros. ”My friends” said we all pay the same amount but they had already paid at the bar .
Things escaladed, I was alone in Istanbul 04:00 in the morning, drunk, angry and afraid. Oddly enough I slapped one gorilla open handed over the face, drunk mode, so they carried me out front and said some s**t and let me go. I would still have paid for the whisky, and possibly for one of the girls company, but not 3600 €.
So you're in a popular touristy hub and looking for a nice sitdown to dine at?
First rule: avoid chains restaurants. If you've heard of it, and your from way outta town, chances are you've not heard of it because it's good, but because it's commercial. Like, Joe's Crab Shack is nothing special - you're just paying 20% more for pretty basic crab.
But the next big one is avoid places that are on the 'main strip' of either walks or roads. If it seems really easy to find/get to, chances are they do large volumes, and that almost never means higher quality.
Your best bet are the places that are a block away from the main hub. Also if you ever see "Trip Advisor Approved!" or the like, it literally doesn't indicate anything, except they were savvy enough to pay for that sticker endorsement.
Best advice is to consult a local. Don't be too annoying about it - remember they don't want their local spot to get flooded with yuppies, but they want the business to do well.
You really don't have to do this. For places with tables outside, look at what people already in the restaurant are eating and see if it looks nice. Look how many people are in there - if it is deserted, it likely isn't very good. If they are full and can't accomodate you, that is a good sign, so you might reserve a table for the next night.
Sadly, it's the London Aquarium for me.
I used to visit the place several times (since 2002). It's heralded as the 'best' aquarium in Britain, but unfortunately it's very basic compared to even smaller aquariums in towns like Bournemouth (but I was okay with that because, hell, I f*cking love looking at sharks).
What stopped me from going anymore (besides the covid) was because since '16, the aquarium started hiring people to accost visitors as soon as they paid the entry fee, and to get the visitors to pose for pictures which were 'mandatory' if they wanted to see the animals.
So you start posing and feeling like an idiot, and when they're satisfied they let you go to enjoy the animals--so they could quickly send your pictures to a separate team to print and develop them without your consent (and by the time you head for the exits, you get accosted yet again by a different team of desperate college kids holding printed calendars/booklets with your pictures plastered all over them). They would be absolutely polite and cheerful, but they would do their damnedest to guilt you into purchasing something because 'they did all the trouble printing off you and your family's best moments' or 'because it'll help finance the aquarium'.
I hear the same thing was being done at the London Zoo (which really upset a lot of locals and tourists). As much as I love animals, I didn't like getting grifted after paying 20 bucks per person to visit.
Welcome to London. It generally sucks! It's overpriced, overcrowded, run down and dirty.
Havana, Cuba: Women in colourful dresses will swarm unsuspecting tourist men and pose for a picture then demand money. They get very aggressive if you don't pay. Don't engage.
When you're dining out in Europe, the bread or crackers that is brought over to your table probably isn't free. If you don't want it, tell the waiter to take it away. Otherwise, expect to see a line for it on your bill.
Just where in Europe? In my experience, bread is complimentary. I live in Europe since 42 years and I never had to pay for bread in a restaurant. If you go to a tourist trap in say Portugal and they bring you a little something from the kitchen (like dried meat, olives, cheese...), then you have to pay for that. In a decent (honest, not necessarily expensive) restaurant, a so-called greeting from the kitchen is on the house.
JUST DON'T GO:
-Checkpoint Charlie
-Fisherman's Wharf
-St. Louis Arch
You think they are tourist traps, but they are not:
-Bourbon Street
-Stonehenge
Don't know if I count as a world traveler (26 countries out of 195...) but in general I do not get the appeal at all of trashy hostels or party hotels. I'm still young myself (early 20s) but I think they're horrid places and absolute tourist traps but somehow they're considered cool by many people I've encountered in my generation. Usually they come with entire city quarters filled with bad food, trashy service, and a lot of sketchy salespeople.
When I was in my early 20s hostels were all I could afford! That's the only reason I stayed in them.
We were warned by our hotel in Beijing that the taxi drivers can get pretty aggressive with money. The first time we took a taxi, we asked what the cost would be from where we were back to our hotel. The driver said "100." We asked whether that was in Yuan or Dollars. She kept repeating "100" until we decided to walk away, and then she clarified that it would be 100 Yuan (roughly 13/14 dollars). When we got to the hotel, she locked the doors and demanded 100 dollars (not Yuan). Luckily, the hotel staff were watching and came over and handled the situation for us. We were very careful with our taxi rides after that!
To add, in many places in Europe the waiter has set water bottles down on the table without asking us if we want water, and then charged us exorbitant prices for the bottles (Like 5 euros for a glass of water). If you are in Europe and they set water down in front of you, it is NOT free. Ask them to take it away or you will likely be charged for it.
In Fes, Morocco, we hired a tourguide to show us around the medina. The first half of the day was great. We walked, saw some interesting sites, he explained things to us. At lunch time we got taken to a restaurant that was clearly full of tourists doing the same thing. Lunch took far, far longer than it should have, and was expensive. Me and the others in my group kept asking if we could get to a specific landmark we wanted to see, and the tourguide kept telling us yes. Everything after lunch was a weird sales pitch. We got taken to some weird place where they were selling doors. A place they were selling rugs. A place they were selling pottery. Me and my BFF who were kind of ringleading this whole thing were annoyed after the rug place and said we weren't doing any shopping but wanted to see that specific part of the city/landmark. When it was clear he was just dragging us around to places he was getting part of the commission on sales, we insisted he just take us back to the riad.
I don't know how to avoid it, but if I'd known what I know now, I'd have just skipped out at lunch and left him there to figure it out on his own.
Sometimes it works out. We were in Mombasa and a young guy offered to tour us around. Had a wonderful afternoon and we took him for dinner afterwards. He was genuinely interested in where we were from and knew the city. No visits to shady shops etc. I suspect for every one of him there are several of the "My uncle has a great shop we should visit" types.
Avoid Leicester Square altogether. I think the best service anyone could do for London tourism would be to stand in Leicester Square stopping tourists before they enter any of the establishments like Madame Tussauds and telling them where to go instead to have a good time in this city.
When you're in India, don't eat the street food unless you have a strong stomach. Sometimes you can get an upset stomach from the chaat masala. But it's delicious. Stay well-hydrated, don't drink Maaza. That's it, thank you!
When going on a cruise, always check what food and drink options are available. We went on one a couple of years back and the majority of the food and drink was massively overpriced, however there was an extensive buffet that served free food and soft drinks 24/7 (you just go elsewhere for alcohol). Stay savvy and you'll find that you can eat very well and not break the bank.
A week long cruise later and me and my GF had only spent about £200 from our spending money (and we'd eaten and drank like kings)... the couple we were travelling with had been to all the fancy restaurants and bars on the ship and had spent over £1500.
Waikiki beach is the worst place in Hawaii literally everywhere else in Oahu Maui and Big Island is better because it's more authentic
Prague is beautiful. Parts of it feel like walking through Kings Landing in Game of Thrones. It was a rich city in the middle ages and still has the old bridge, castle, and pedestrian district so well preserved.
But it's a fairly poor country, and for some reason staying in the tourist areas is as expensive as somewhere like London. If you go outside of the city a little bit, you can find non-touristy restaurants and eat a meal with a beer for the equivalent of $5. But if you go to a fancy restaurant in the tourist section, you'll pay $50. Same with hotels. There are some really high-end hotels in the city that cost hundreds of dollars a night.
In Prague, Czech Republic, do your research before using money exchange. They will often have big sign saying “1 Euro = 25 Czech Koruna” but that only applies if you are selling CZK, to buy CZK there will be “1 Euro = 16 CZK” in small print somewhere.
Only use registered brick and mortar money exchange, rogue dealers will give you great deal but sell you russian ruble or similar, it all looks the same to foreigners right… Beware of fake money when breaking large bills at street vendors in touristy spots.
Call your U.S. Representative or your ambassador before visiting Washington, D.C. You'll get a much better tour of the Capitol and the White House, and it's free. It's not as awesome as it used to be (the subway ride and pedestrian tunnel between the Capitol and the congressional office buildings are closed, for instance), but if you're going to D.C., it's still must-see. Also, if you go to the National (Catholic) Shrine or the Holyland, USA in D.C. (a church complex which is a recreation of the Jerusalem shrines that are operated by the Franciscan friars), the people who take you on tours are legit, but they will ask you for a small donation, which goes to the maintenance of the church.)
How about places that aren't tourist traps? Standing in front of the christ statue in Rio and looking out over the city is one of the most breathtaking sights I've ever seen in my life.
If you ever go to Spain and land on the Barajas airport. Watch out for the taxi drivers, they will pretend they do not know the Hotel you want to go and will drive you around Madrid to charge you for the long fare. If you are tired after a long flight is awful but, otherwise . enjoy the tour...
Think twice before you buy cocktails like the infamous mojitos from vendors on Barceloneta Beach. Rumor has it they store those ingredients in sewers to keep them cold. Whether or not there's truth to it, you probably don't want to get E. coli to find out.
you know people should really learn to turn off the "add post" button to these
Some of them do. So it's no shame to be cautious and informed.
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Montreal: Ask the locals for good spot to eat, visit and more. I was a guide at a museum in the Old Montreal and it was my pleasure (and the one of my colleagues too) to tell a tourist to avoid some tourist trap restaurant that overcharged for everything from burger to poutine (more than 10$ for a regular poutine is WAY overpriced). A short subway ride of two or three stations and you can get great portion of amazing food for half the price of those tourist traps. Pizza ? Try Pizzeria dei Compari on St-Denis street. Poutine ? There's La Banquise or Poutineville which are great! But yeah, ask some locals (not the one trying to rip you off) is always a good reflex to have when traveling.
Some of them do. So it's no shame to be cautious and informed.
Load More Replies... Montreal: Ask the locals for good spot to eat, visit and more. I was a guide at a museum in the Old Montreal and it was my pleasure (and the one of my colleagues too) to tell a tourist to avoid some tourist trap restaurant that overcharged for everything from burger to poutine (more than 10$ for a regular poutine is WAY overpriced). A short subway ride of two or three stations and you can get great portion of amazing food for half the price of those tourist traps. Pizza ? Try Pizzeria dei Compari on St-Denis street. Poutine ? There's La Banquise or Poutineville which are great! But yeah, ask some locals (not the one trying to rip you off) is always a good reflex to have when traveling.
