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When we're planning our next vacation, we want to go somewhere that will wow us with its beauty and culture, and will enrich our lives in ways we may not even know yet. We think of our favorite books and movies, hit up our wanderlust friends, maybe do some research online, and finally pack our bags, hoping for the best. Unfortunately, some places just don't quite live up to the hype.

So to provide you with an alternative point of view and help you get the most out of your time and money, we at Bored Panda decided to scroll through the subreddit 'Travel' and see which locations its 7 million members have been listing as the biggest disappointments.

#1

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype don't bother going to Liberty Island (statue of Liberty). all you're going to end up doing is craning your neck upwards for a shi**y view of the statue.

Instead, take the Staten Island Ferry out to SI. It's FREE. 100% Free. read that again because it's not common in NYC. IT IS FREE.

It's a 30 minute trip from Financial District down to Staten island. The ferry has concessions which serve alcohol, or you can actually bring your own on board and drink. It offers an awesome view of the statue of liberty, and Ellis Island. 30 minutes to Staten, then just jump on the next boat back to Manhattan. That's an hour of your life and is totally worth it and fun.

cheeseburgerwaffles , Julie Crawford Report

#2

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Disney World. The lines are terrible. Expensive as hell. The rides are not even that impressive anymore. You're surrounded by weird people and jerks. The service is crap. It is completely packed. It's either raining or hot as hell.

babbyjay , Ivan Curra Report

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Sarcastic Fringehead
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hm. Well I enjoy the experience- no hate to anyone that doesn’t tho. I’ve been going since I was little too, so there’s a bit of nostalgia. But I truly like going to Disney, makes me sad that some ppl don’t enjoy it.

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It will be interesting to see how the travel industry will look in 2023. Day Out in England, a travel website on a mission to introduce people to the best days out in each county in England, recently surveyed 980 of their readers about their day trips for 2023, and found that 41% of them think they may have fewer days out in 2023 due to the rising cost of living, and 31% said they definitely will.

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"When it comes to those long-awaited holidays, 39% of people said they plan to stay in England for their main holiday in 2023, while 50% will be going abroad. 11% won’t be holidaying at all," Day Out in England told Bored Panda in an email.

#3

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Well, lots of people say the United Arab Emirates, and I'll agree. It held my interest for a while with the craziness of its modern elements, and I saw quite a lot of it, enjoying the rural places like Liwa and Al Ain, but it really gets tired quickly. The facilities just don't stack up to western cities and they always seem like a pastiche, with the repressive undercurrent throughout the place never fully hidden (did you know they had a spate of foreign maids falling out of apartment windows?).

Anyway, the reason I bring it up is because, for a better Arab experience, you can go next door to Oman. Old forts, dramatic mountains, dunes, beaches, souqs, old men drinking tea and playing chess on the corniche, it has it all and feels much more authentic and friendly than Dubai. It's certainly not as advanced and easy to visit but the roads are good, crime is low, and English is widely spoken, so it's actually not that difficult a place for tourists.

HotChickenHero , PinkFloydFanSince1986 Report

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SCamp
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Add Saudi Arabia. Went 3X for work and it was 3X too many. Every stereotype you have in your head about Saudi is true, all of them

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#4

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype LA.

Lots of stuff to do, but it takes forever to get there. I feel like I spent my whole LA stay in the car, stuck in traffic.

The rest of California that I saw was great, I'd do any part of it again, but not LA.

Kevlaars , Jirka Matousek Report

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Astrius
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

San Francisco, on the other side, is awesome. Also one of the most expensive places in existence, but if you find a good deal, take it. Goddamn is it beautiful out there.

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#5

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Boise Idaho, I know what you're thinking "It's hot, brown, nothing really interesting about it, and it's full of crazy mormons and republicans and spiders." In real life it's actually slightly worse

cyrusm , Elevate PC Consulting Report

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LA Murphy
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Idaho has tons of forests and mountains and the state itself is beautiful. But the right wing, religious, and often racist nuts make it a place I intentionally travel around.

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"As the cost of living crisis eats away at disposable income, the average person expects to spend £20-30 per person per day out, including transport, food, and attraction costs, so finding affordable activities could be big in 2023," they continued.

However, people's desire to travel hasn't gone anywhere. 82% of respondents would rather have a day out than a big gift for their birthday or for Christmas.

#6

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Monaco. I was in southern France in 2012 and decided to take a quick bus ride over to Monaco one day just because I heard was almost like a paradise. But I was thoroughly disappointed with the place. Nothing but high end clothing stores, extremely overpriced, terrible food, and yacht docks. A complete absence of anything interesting. It seriously felt like a place for ultra-rich people to sit around jerk each other off.

crwrd , Vadim Limin Report

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assdog
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Want to be stuck in a traffic jam with super cars....come here. Want to try and find a parking space....don't come here. Want to see the F1.....don't bother unless you have a boat or an expensive appartment. Want to leave Monaco....good luck because there is another traffic jam. I know this because i used to work there and thankfully didn't live there. I live 2 hours away from this expensive toilet and every night getting home was like a breath of fresh air. I should have never accepted the job but as they say been there, done that and burnt the t-shirt....literally!

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#7

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Times Square is the most overrated tourist spot on the globe. New York is an incredible, wonderful city but Times Square is its nadir

DenisDomaschke , Joel Kramer Report

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David A Paterson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes and no. Do not, I repeat do not, stand in Times Square to see the ball drop on New Years eve. Freezing cold, packed like sardines, herded like cattle and nothing worth watching. On the other hand, do visit Times square between midnight and 6 am on a normal night, it's 100% tourists then, everything is open and well lit and bustling, and several of the stores are fun (you don't have to buy anything to enjoy them), just the place to be when your body clock is 12 hours out due to jetlag.

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#8

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype The Mall of America, its just like any other mall. There's just 4 Victoria's Secrets instead of 1.

Firedupchip , Tyler Vigen Report

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"The capital continues to draw people for days out, with 37% of people saying they plan to visit London in 2023," Day Out in England added.

"The South West is also a firm favorite, with 26% of people saying Cornwall was on their list for next year, and 25% saying Devon was their top choice."

#9

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Pyramids of Giza; might be being too harsh, but the swarm of aggressive market vendors surrounding them makes the place a bit of a nightmare. One woman from our group asked a guard to take her photo standing next to the pyramids, and the guard refused to give it back without recieving payment (I cant recall the amount but being extorted by a man with an AK-47 isn't an ideal situation). Inside the tombs themselves it reeked of piss and was a claustrophobes complete nightmare. A ~ 5 foot tall, very steep ramp with fuck all to prevent a fall wide enough to fit 1.5 men at best with a steady stream of people coming up from the opposite direction. Being literally yelled at to buy headscarves and assorted plastic shite by the truly horrible merchants outside completely ruined my experience of the place, which I'm so, so sad about because I spent months looking forward to the trip.

TheTrustyCrumpet , Vincent Brown Report

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Vanessa Panerosa
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I just got back - the merchants are no longer there. They’re in other places, but not the Great Pyramids. Also, if you’re asking a guard to take a photo of you I feel it is courteous and right to give a tip. Their culture is entirely based on that, plus you’re asking him to do an extra service that is not his job. We’re expected to give cashiers tips at Starbucks here for crying out loud. Also because of their terrible economy and extreme poverty it will probably cost you at most a quarter.

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#10

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I used to live and work in Waikiki. A lot of people don't know this but if you leave Waikiki there's a whole bunch more island to explore with more beaches and more food and more authentic culture than what you get in just one tiny area.

The number of tourists I used to meet out there who would spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles to come to Hawaii only to never leave their resort, much less the area it's in, never ceased to disgust me.

schnit123 , dlhnpdx Report

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kitten levels tokyo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes we travel for rest and relaxation. Don’t always have energy for intense cultural embraces.

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#11

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I present you the most overrated/underwhelming tourist attraction in the world...

Editor's note: It's Manneken Pis in Brussels.

PyongyangJim added:
If you find yourself in this situation, turn around, go into The Poechenellekelder across the street. Grab some nice Belgian beer and watch the people.

Triplen01 Report

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Ingrid Vanvuchelen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think it is overrated if you did your homework well before going on an amazing Europe trip.

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Even though the world is waking up to the environmental impact travel has on the planet, a surprising 67% of people say they still don’t look for eco-friendly activities when planning days out.

#12

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Don't go the Empire State Building. Instead, go to 30 Rock - the view is better, it's cheaper, it's bigger, and the wait times are 5 minutes instead of 5 hours.

[deleted] , Matthew Nissen Report

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#13

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I’m not sure if it’s really globally critically acclaimed, but Sunset Blvd in Hollywood.

It is literally just a rundown street with dingy storefronts and the Church of Scientology trying to rope you into joining their cult. But oh! There’s plaques set into the sidewalk for celebrities or celebrity-adjacent people you may or may not recognize that paid for them to be there. Seriously. There is nothing to see there.

I’m sure people more familiar with LA can give better suggestions (I’m partial to Venice Beach, but that is rough around the edges too), but I say, just go to San Diego.

BohoPhoenix , Doug Kerr Report

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Taibhse Sealgair
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're describing Hollywood Blvd, not Sunset. I used to live between the two (they run parallel at that point) two blocks west of the COS building. Hollywood is the famous one, it wasn't too bad back in the late 80s, but it's a cesspool of tourist, scams, etc. now. Sunset was just a long, boring road with a lot of shopping on it. Still is.

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#14

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Most underwhelming/overrated one I can think of is the Mona Lisa. It is quite small, with a 10 foot barrier around it and about 1000 asian tourists snapping photos at any given time.

ZAHANMA , Ninara Report

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Jeya Mackelle
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I understand to a certain level it might not be very exciting—unless you're an actual artist with a deep love and appreciation for art and Leonardo—but to add in ASIAN tourists like that makes a difference. Really? I'd say a 1000 tourists of any ethnicity crowding a place is annoying. But remember, amid those 999 tourists is an equally obnoxious 1000th tourist—you.

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CEO of Day Out in England, Victoria Philpott, better known online as Vicky FlipFlop said:

“As the cost of living crisis bites and we consider the cost of holidaying abroad, many of us will be changing the way we travel in 2023."

"Days out in England haven’t been this popular since before budget airlines began, and I always love finding out which English counties are the most popular on our site, as it can be so different for everyone," she explained.

"Whether you want to see the cities, have an adventure in the countryside, or find some photo-worthy towns and villages, England has it."

#15

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Shocked no one has said this yet.

Plymouth F**king Rock

If you haven't seen any pictures of it, you imagine it as this epic massive stone representing the pioneering spirit of the first European settlers.

What you get is a rock that's the size of about 3 footballs with a date carved into it. It's surrounded by this little gate thing and you look down into it. Since the pit the rock is in is surrounded by sand, people find it to be a convenient ash tray. There were cigarette butts everywhere when I went. Shit was depressing.

InferiousX , Thomas Hawk Report

#16

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Bourbon Street. Happy I did it once but it smells of garbage, is crowded, sketchy, and did I mention the smell?

Schmabadoop , Infrogmation of New Orleans Report

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Dip thong
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bourbon Street is better enjoyed during the day. It turns into an animal at night. That's when you watch the " goings on "from the safety of your room. We stayed on a side street. Lafayette Inn, I believe. Watched from the a nice little setup on the fire escape. Nice .

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#17

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Niagara Falls on the American side was not so great. The falls you always see in the movies are Horseshoe falls, and you can barely see those from the US. And in reality, there are like 20 "Maid in the Mist's," and you pay like $30 for a 10 minute boat ride, and to get drenched in stinky water. And there is nothing else to do in the area unless you go into Buffalo.

frogfeets , Doug Kerr Report

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Natasha
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Go to the Canadian side, it’s sooo much better. It was less crowed and honestly more beautiful

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For many, traveling was crazy in 2022. Rental car shortages, packed capitals, and sky-high airfares were really testing some nerves. Hopefully, travel in 2023 won't be as overwhelming.

#18

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I found Pisa to be overrated. It’s small and was extremely crowded when I went.

There are definitely some things worth seeing but I wouldn’t go back again. A day trip was plenty.

captainmagictrousers added:
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is great, if you want to see 500 people posing like they're mimes trapped in a box.

KrytenLister , Ray Harrington Report

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ProbablyIsaac
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want to go but don't like the crowds, try checking out the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo!! It's a great museum and almost no one goes there, so it's very rarely congested. It has beautiful works of art, and the best part is the very quiet center gardens/cloisters. It's very peaceful and has a great view of the leaning tower without the congestion. https://www.opapisa.it/en/square-of-miracles/opera-del-duomo-museum/

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#19

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype If you want to see Redwoods or just Nature and you are in San Francisco, do not, I repeat, do not go to the Muir Woods. The traffic and congestion going over the Bridge to Marin County is horrible. The woods are packed with noisy people and there is no parking. Instead go hike amongst the trees at Henry Cowell State park instead. It's in Santa Cruz and the drive is almost as lovely as the hike.

Badmoterfinger , Vinay Shivakumar Report

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David
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is sad. It wasn't like that for me but I have not been there since the 60s or maybe again in the 70s.

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#20

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Mount Rushmore was much smaller IRL than I expected

thedistrictof , Kevin Gates Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Then you remember it's carved into a mountain the Native Americans considered sacred and you just get a little sick inside. Lakota: Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, or Six Grandfathers in English. We stole a mountain and carved it up in our own image. We can't take back what our ancestors did, but we can stop glamorizing it.

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#21

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Rainbow Mountain in Peru. First time I realised just how much some photos on Google are photoshopped

SalamancaVice , Brian Jeffery Beggerly Report

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GREYNOOK
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And you've got some colored mountains in China too. The Rainbow Mountains, located in China’s Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park are considered one of the geological wonders of the world. These mountains take their colors from the colorful rock formations and are a major tourist destination. This site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most amazing about these all, they have been mentioned in the Holy book of Islam, The Holy Quran, " “Do you not see that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and We produce thereby fruits of varying colors? And in the mountains are tracts, white and red of varying shades and [some] extremely black.” in the year 610 amazing fact.

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#22

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype The entirety of Orange County, CA. Rich and vapid; where creativity and personality goes to die. I drove all the way across the country to visit the OC and ended up having more fun in Des Moines.

[deleted] , D Ramey Logan Report

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Bri Lancaster
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why would anyone drive across the country to visit Orange County, California? The only tourist attraction it has is Disneyland, and maybe Knott's Berry Farm. It has beaches, but well other US states and countries have beaches, so...

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#23

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Honestly I think NYC is overrated (and I'm an American from the East Coast). I've been probably 8-10 times in my life, and different stages of life (kid, teenager, adult, seeing friends who live there) and every time I go I feel thankful I don't live there and I'm happy to be gone. I've visited a fair number of neighborhoods and off the tourist track sights, restaurants, etc. and I still feel the same way. It's worth visiting and it's certainly diverse but it's just exhausting and kind of faceless in my opinion.

palindrome03 , JJBers Report

#24

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Being from Miami I can truly say Miami is a bit overrated. True the beaches are nice, we have beautiful weather compared to other states, and especially S.Florida is a melting pot of exotic people. Other than that..there is a lot of crime and snobby people. The club scene is nice, and shops are nice (if you have the money to spend on ridiculous over priced items). Don't get me wrong, I have lived in other states and even in Europe and I Love living in Miami, but for an average Joe, its not what people make it out to be.

Michyluv , James Willamor Report

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AwesomeLeoWife
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like this post is actually talking about Downtown Miami and/or South Beach. There is so much more to Miami than that. Probably would stay away from Model City, Overtown or Little Haiti but that’s about it. Calle Ocho and Mid-Beach are amazing to visit.

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#25

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I can't believe I'm saying this (Because.. it's in WACO), but: Magnolia Silos.

We have people from all across the country DRIVING to Waco, TX, to see the magnolia silos thanks to fixer uppers.

It's not that great, people. Please do not drive for 30 hours to see this place.

It has food trucks, a vastly overpriced store, and an "okay" bakery. You get about an hour out of it, max.

Stop.

StephenSRMMartin , Kathy Report

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Den Ver
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But if you're going to be in Texas for the 2024 total solar eclipse anyway ... maybe.

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#26

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Austin, Texas, USA: Insanely overrated
Insanely terrible traffic for a city its size, whether along I-35 or along the myriad thoroughfares and neighborhood routes otherwise.

Stupidly long waits to get into "hip" BBQ or taco joints that might be the "best" in Austin, but would be par-for-the-course, holes-in-the-wall in many other places throughout Texas.

I'm sure the locals pre-tech-boom were generally friendly. However, today's Austin reveals a general population that is snobby, pretentious, surly, and aloof. I realize that many of these twits are nasal-sounding, vapidly-conversing, fast-talking, self-absorbed asshats from major coastal cities, although many are also Texans who wanted to get out of their hometowns and now seem to feel the need to "act Austin." The customer service in most stores and restaurants seems to reflect that accordingly.

Speaking of service, the way that my partner and I have been treated at Austin's airport on numerous occasions has been just flat-out rudely. Despite AUS being a fairly modern airport, I place it on par with LAX, Sea-Tac, Newark and Miami airports for being the worst of the worst for personnel attitudes.

Lastly, if I wanted to pay L.A., San Francisco, or NYC prices for dining out, I'd go to one of those cities.

I live down the road near Houston and am no fan of this place either, but at least we aren't trying to pass ourselves off as the coolest, most tourist-friendly city in the state. I can tolerate Austin for less than a day, then I can't wait to bail. By the way, San Antonio is fairly close to Austin and has had a far better developed tourist infrastructure for decades.

yckawtsrif , Floyd Wilde Report

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Ka Wenzel
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a native Austinite and I agree with most every point, sadly. Austin in the 60s-70s was more community centered and kinder. in the 80s-90s, so many bands to see, awesome restaurants, good food and not so many dang people absolutely everywhere. These days, I'm a unicorn in my own hometown. So much "corporate" so little genuine character any more. Too many "be and be seen" places, must-see, must-do, must-eat places, and so many tourists. Hey, if you wanna come see what ATX is like now, be my guest. Don't expect it to be friendly, cheap, uncrowded, or genuine.

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#27

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype PSA: If you're planning a trip to Greece, skip Mykonos. It's totally overrated.

My wife and I are honeymooning and while planning it booked four nights in Mykonos, something we realized late was a big mistake. This was our fault for not doing the proper homework and including it just due to brand name recognition, really. Arriving in late August, the island was very crowded and expensive to stay, eat and drink at most places. On top of that, there are not really that many beaches compared to other Islands and Mykonos lacks aesthetics (it's a dusty rock.) Mykonos locals and fans of Mykonos like to boast about the fact it's a party/clubber's destination, which seemed plausible enough except that if I wanted to go and pay for a Vegas experience, I'm more inclined to just go to Vegas. Granted, we're in our 30s and aren't the clubber types.

For our Mykonos leg we ended up calling an audible and double-booked a night to skip over to Naxos, which was absolutely wonderful by comparison. Beaches were plentiful and mostly deserted, food and lodging was very good and reasonable. We love Naxos and can't wait to go back someday. Mykonos? Not so much.

Hard to get over the fact that for the price of a single night's stay in Mykonos we were able to rent a luxury suite in Ikaria for three nights (By the way, if you're coming to Greece, GO TO IKARIA!) It's green, has amazing beaches, friendly locals,

dynohack , Jean Morton Report

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Joe Russo
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you go to the big three Greek island destinations, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, you'll be surrounded by tourists, be charged 3x - 4x as much per night, and see the overdevelopment. There are, however, a few *dozen* other islands with amazing beaches, food, rooms, mountains, and with a little research whatever else you were hoping for (ancient ruins, etc.). Only Santorini had a volcano collapse the middle of the island, revealing huge cliffs and yes truly amazing sunsets, but only go there in off season times (May, or after August 20th or so...).

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#28

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Wall Drug Store

About 10,000 signs alert you to the fact that Wall Drug is ahead when you drive across South Dakota, probably on your way to or from Mount Rushmore. The signs are fun, giving you something to look for while you drive what seems like an endless highway.

But just keep on driving and don’t stop: Once a gimmicky but real drug store, Wall Drug is now a shopping mall that specializes in crap. Imagine fake cowboy hats, fake cowboy boots and tacky t-shirts, not to mention overpriced food, as far as the eye can see. The only thing worth stopping for is the jackalope (a made-up jack rabbit/antelope cross-breed) statue, and the still-free cup of water.

MrFahrenheit_451 , Konrad Summers Report

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LooseSeal's $10 Banana
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're trying to make good time, no reson to stop, but if you're taking a road trip, Wall Drug is one of those kitchy, quintessential sort stops.

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#29

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Jamaica. Terribly dirty, poor, violent, dangerous, and chock-full of rude and loud British and American tourists. You have to spend a fortune to get a nice holiday out of it, by heading to a decent resort.

I_AM_A_IDIOT_AMA , Steven Gresser Report

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David A Paterson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes and no. Poor, violent and dangerous yes. You can always pick an American tourist in Jamaica because they go into their "all-inclusive resort" and never leave it. German and French tourists know better, stay in midrange places, and get to see some of the beautiful countryside. Travel in a minibus. Visit the Blue Mountains. Go for a walk. Sample the tropical fruit from a roadside vendor. But avoid those places where mixed-race natives are afraid to travel. Residents will ask for money, but they don't expect any, and you're more likely to get conned in the USA, Naples or Belgium than in Jamaica.

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#30

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype The Bahamas. Beautiful place and all, but Nassau is full of tourist traps and the locals are kinda a**holes.

_random_rando_ added:

Resorts in the Bahamas. Especially when you compare them with just renting a house and a boat for a week in the Abacos. There is so much more to see beyond an overpriced and overhyped tourist trap.

laxdstorn , Laura Report

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shan
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I visited Nassau I asked a person to take a pic of me & my kid. He took the picture and then made me pay him to get my camera back. :(

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#31

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Venice. I know that's blasphemy for some, but I found it stinky, dirty, and unnecessarily expensive. I was bored within 5 or 6 hours... and I had 3 days to fill! Ended up traveling out of the city and exploring the lovely surrounding cities/countryside.

ayb added:
I had a really bad time in Venice. All I can remember are pigeons, filthy water, scaffolding, pictures of the virgin mary, spaghetti with sauce that tasted like ketchup.

Florence was quite a nice experience though.

sarah_cate1 , chillilogic.com Report

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Tuna Beach
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would say the opposite. The history of Venice was nagnificent! Florence...was more of a soap opera. It sounds like you didn't get out of the tourist lane. Honestly, I'd love to live there for 6 to 12 months. Right now it's even affordable.

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#32

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Stonehenge.

The cool part is how old it is. That's not something you can see with your eyes.

EmeraldIbis , mari Report

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Den Ver
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a young, I got to touch the stones. I'm debating with myself whether I'd be too disappointed if I went there again. I do like visiting the smaller more intimate henge sites that dot the UK

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#33

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype The first semester of my sophomore year of college, I studied in Moscow. Man, was it ever awful. The people were so rude to me, the city stank, everything was incredibly expensive, people would lie to me about speaking English, and the food was just disgusting. The city is basically an overpriced toilet.

[deleted] , Andrey Filippov 安德烈 Report

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Mark Melton
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Remember, the majority of Russians support the Raping of Ukraine. Don't EVER forget or forgive what they are doing.

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#34

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Obviously can't speak for everyone but personally I think Bali is pretty overrated. At least compared to the sky-high expectations everyone here seems to have and compared to all the pictures on instagram.

V_the_Victim added:
Can't pick a country myself, so I'll chip in with the most popular destination in Indonesia:

Bali.

It's full of tourists and so much more expensive than the rest of the country. It's a veritable desert of culture in a land with nearly 1,000 spoken languages and hundreds of ethnic groups. Heck, it doesn't even have the best beaches in Indonesia. Any traveler looking for a real experience should avoid Bali like the plague.

aleksndr_a added:

—The taxi hawkers at the airport are a mob unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They swarm you. They follow you. It is very unpleasant.

—The driving is insane. I never felt safe in any vehicle.

—Sewage is openly left everywhere, and the smell of burning trash fills the air each evening.

—If you go to any of the beaches, most are so dirty you won’t want to swim at them.

—If you go to any resort town, it’s overrun by tourists and dive bars.

—If you go inland, prepare to be eaten alive by mosquitos.

I know this is very disparaging, but Bali is in a tough situation. They are trying to build a tourism industry and make it accessible, but their local issues are too great to overcome at the moment.

snoea , alleksana Report

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K- THULU
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Though a friend of mine took his 8 yr old daughter to Bali , her first holiday outside Australia, and the were having an awful time, drunken aussies , rubbish everywhere... They were going to call the whole thing off until he was talking to a young taxi driver who invited him and his daughter to his village away from the tourist side..... And they had the greatest holiday of their lives.... Beautiful scenery and wonderful people... So it just depends where you go....

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#35

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype I think the worst tourist attraction I've seen was in Myanmar when I signed up for a local tour in Mandalay. They took us to a monastery where a S**T TON of people had all gathered to watch the monks walk from their dorms to go have lunch. Dozens and dozens of old (almost all of them over 65) tourists were lined up to take pictures of these poor guys as they were trying to go have a meal, and apparently this happens every day. For those of us under 30 this was incredibly strange and really embarrassing. I couldn't figure out why so many old tourists were all gathering to aggressively photograph these guys just going to have a meal.

The monastery was home to a ton of cats so I wound up hanging with them until our cab driver told us it was time to move to the next attraction.

[deleted] , Hybernator Report

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Saint Thomas
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I enjoyed Mandalay, but we rented mopeds and did our own thing at our own pace. It's a shame what happened in Burma... all the people I met where so happy with their new found freedom (it was in 2016)... and now it's back to square one with the military in power.

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#36

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Antalya, Turkey. A formerly beautiful ancient city ruined by the massive amounts of tourist traps. During my stay in the city I had the constant feeling I was going to be ripped off. In shops, in cafés or restaurants, you name it. Not to mention the fact that the city is filled with eyesores of buildings designed to lure in tourists.

At least it's not as much of a Resort Central as the surrounding areas.

optimalg , Harald Brendel Report

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David
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've been here too but again, cuz US Navy on a med cruise. Don't recall too much. I forget exact location but one thing I did was take a day tour to some old ruins (probably not in Antalya proper). It was just old columns and some leftover stone road and such but it was weird walking on a street from biblical times. Like somebody made that approx 2000 years ago and it's still here. I remember picking up a piece that had roman numerals carved in it and wondering if it was an old address or what.

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#37

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Ohio is a f**king wasteland. I had to go the cleveland once, first time, and i am always excited to see a new state especially driving because i go by everything and i can stop and look around, take pics and what not. I went to my destination turned around and left nothing at all to see.

d3lan0 , Bruce Fingerhood Report

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jglod
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downtown CLE is really neat, actually. Rock and roll hall of fame included

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#38

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Panama City Beach, Florida. It's loud, it's not fun, and you're likely to get your car towed no matter where you park it.

Rexus1099 , Domenico Convertini Report

#39

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Guatemala City.

I thought I was going to be murdered.

grimelines , Rene Hernandez Report

#40

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Lake Louise in Alberta. Don't get me wrong, the view is breathtaking. But there are so many tourists that even at the crack of dawn, its packed. It's more hectic than enjoyable.

Bow Lake which is between Jasper and Banff is just as (if not more) beautiful and far less people.

[deleted] , Seckington Images Report

#41

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Unpopular opinion: Hawaii is overrated.

I've experienced Oahu and Maui. I loved the astonishing coastal views, swimming holes, pineapple ice cream, poke bowls, and hiking, don't get me wrong.

But it's quite pricey compared to other similar destinations around the world, and that's just if you're doing it fairly economically (no fancy resorts or eating out 3x/day). The people of Hawaii - natives and "mainlander" transplants alike - honestly seemed pretty aloof, pissed off, and even hostile (this was especially pronounced around Honolulu); oddly similar to cities like Miami and Houston where I'd expect that sort of behavior. Customer service doesn't seem to exist in the state. HNL is one of the worst airports I've seen in the wealthy, developed world. Hawaiian Airlines is also an okay airline at best, it seems, and I've encountered some pretty unpleasant staff while flying with them. (As a side note, Southwest is now providing much more service to the state, but I don't like SWA at all. Alaska is a much better airline to fly if the opportunity is there.)

Update: I went in 2017 and 2018. Pre-pandemic.

Anyway, which tropical or otherwise warm-locale holiday destinations have I enjoyed more? Key West, Gulf Shores area (Alabama), Fiji, Northeast Queensland (Australia), Okinawa, and even Bali. I also quite enjoy New Zealand, definitely not tropical but a country whose Maori traditions/culture have a lot of similarities with native Hawaiian traditions/culture. Yet Maori people have been much kinder in my experience.

Maybe I've just done Hawaii wrong during two visits...

yckawtsrif , Bevis Chin Report

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Rumina Io
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I spent a summer living on big island and found everyone really friendly. The locals are pissed off by the attitude of the tourists who treat their home like its a theme park.

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#42

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Singapore. It's like if Orlando became a country and moved to SEA.

iamGIS , Fabio Achilli Report

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Mama Penguin
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd go to Singapore for the hawker centers alone lol. My family used to live short walking distance to Orchard road. I was a kid but I remember Singaporean food being excellent. I'm craving some prawn mee now.

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#43

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Don't know why Istanbul is often called the most beautiful city in the world. If the major attractions are of religious nature than something doesn't feel right. I cannot recall it correctly but I didn't see many women there, mostly angry looking men. The city centre was full of stray cats, more than I've ever seen.

Harry-D-Hipster , Jeroen Report

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David Andrews
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why doesn't it feel right just because the mosques are some of the big attractions? One of the major tourist attractions in London is St Paul's, in Paris it's Notre Dame, Rome has endless churches that are major tourist sites. It's the same everywhere that has history, and Istanbul has far more to see than just religious buildings

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#44

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype The Great Barrier Reef. It wasn’t more exciting than any other place I have snorkeled. Also it is all dying so it was more sad than anything.

[deleted] , Kyle Taylor Report

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Penny Clifton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait, you saw TOURISTS at the Great Barrier Reef? Which has been desroyed by - wait for it - TOURISTS? Oh golly gee....

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#45

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Thailand. Very touristy, overcrowed and far, far away from any authenticity. Quite a disappointment.

ntripping , Diethelm Scheidereit Report

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Edda Kamphues
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What do you expect when you go to a top tourist situation: tourists! If you don't like other people, go off the beaten track.

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#46

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Agra. The Taj is gorgeous, but Agra is not a nice place to visit. I honestly think that city can be completely missed. There are other spectacular Mughal monuments in Delhi. I'm not saying the Taj isn't beat taking, but I don't think it's worth allocating time away From Jaipur or Delhi if you're doing the Golden Triangle.

Also, Portland, Oregon

koreamax , Laurent de Walick Report

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Deb M.F.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downtown Portland sucks! It used to be amazing but it's so overrun with the homeless and trash. I used to love it but it's one of the reasons I moved away from the area.

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#47

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Kuala Lumpur. I don't even know why this was hyped to me so much since ever since then I've heard no one think of it as a remarkable tourist destination. It's for a reason that all the photos of KL are either of the Petronas towers or the Batu caves entrance....

Berubara , Ben Metcalfe Report

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Varvara Bondarenko
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I liked Kuala Lumpur. Found a lot of interesting places including beautiful mosques and a fruit farm

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#48

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Im from Vancouver, and cant really tell why its one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. I only speak of the city itself, not the surrounding nature; our nature is up there with the rest of em. The city itself is overpriced and overrated.

thadiusb , PoYang_博仰 Report

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Larry XK
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was in Vancouver a few times, it's only 4 hours drive where I live. Everytime I visited the city I wished I could move there for good.

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#49

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Langkawi Island. I see a lot of South-East Asian people go there on holiday but the place is incredibly tacky and looks like it hasn't been looked after for 20 years.

ChefGamma , IBRAHIM ANOUTI Report

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Jos Tiguidou
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Best thing about Langkawi is that you can take a ferry to go to the Thai Islands (like Koh LIpe). If you want to stay in a really nice resort, check out The Danna. It feels strangely out of place in Langkawi as it is an old colonial style of resort (minus the slavery...). Also, I guess if you REALLY love chocolate, Langkawi is the place to buy.

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#50

50 Disappointed Tourists Share Travel Destinations From Around The World That Aren't Worth The Hype Las Vegas is probably on my "skipping list", just because of the idea of it just doesn't interest me whatsoever.

I haven't really been anywhere that I would put on a skip list though. Places I wasn't too fond it (like Malta) is probably part to do with my age.

thetimlumb , Peter Boolkah Report

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kitten levels tokyo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So… you’ve never been to Las Vegas. You are advising us against it because you don’t like the idea of it. 🤔

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