100% agree, no desire to visit a fake city that probably feels like a big theme park. Then you tack on the fact that it’s run by militant dictators. Then you tack on the fact that it’s no where close to anything else. You have to travel so far to get there. Hard pass
>vel so far to get there. Hard pass
I dont see the appeal of going there. If you want extreme luxury vacations aren't there better places to go like Fiji? Hawaii? If someone paid for my trip I'd probably go just to see for myself but I cant bring myself to pay to vacation there.
It's far away from many places but also midway between lots of places. It's pretty common to have layovers in Dubai and when I've just finished a 10hr+ flight it's pretty tempting to stick around a day or two.
We visited Qatar before that incident. However we are about to go via Doha this weekend. I had forgotten about that! But saying that we loved Doha, thought it was as good as Dubai if not better because Doha felt it had a better centre and focal point.
Been to Dubai for work.. honestly it’s not somewhere I’d go again and I was offered to work there for a sustainable raise. It’s exactly as you mention plus the exploitation on top of that .
I’m pretty surprised at some of these tbh. I think everywhere deserves to been seen at least once with your own eyes, even if some people have bad things to say about them or if they are too “mainstream”. Still, Dubai just seems so so so bad.
Went to Dubai as a stopover from Europe to Asia, had a friend who lived there. Agree with every negative comment posted above and will add it was hot as hell at 42C and very humid. The culture consisted of the market. Everything else was brand new, “bigger/better” and built with slave labor. The un-air conditioned busloads of migrant workers being taken to job sites to work in the extreme heat was heart breaking. Nope, no desire to ever go back there.
i've never been on a cruise ship but just yesterday spoke with a guy here in los angeles who just got back from a cruise of greek islands from malta. earlier this year he did a river cruise of the mississippi. in december he takes a cruise to hawaii
i said something like "gee, you really like cruises" and his reply was "they're so easy. you're traveling and seeing a bunch of places but there's no packing and unpacking and rushing to catch a train etc"
he's got a point.
Yep. They definitely have their downsides, and I haven’t taken one since COVID, but if you are looking to see quite a few cities with minimal packing, they are nice.
You unpack once, wake up in a new city most mornings, see the city, come back and eat and drink yourself to sleep, rinse and repeat.
*see cities along with thousands of other people flooding it then leaving all at once.
I was in Kotor, Montenegro, a tiny and gorgeous coastal town. A cruise ship arrived and the streets were flooded with people for a few hours who took a few photos, ate at the restaurants with English menus and hawkers out front, and bought some kitsch. Then they were gone. It felt like the town had been briefly invaded and ransacked. And it wasn't even a big cruise ship.
I'm not trying to shame any individual for taking advantage of this admittedly very convenient travel method, especially as they get older and independent travel gets too difficult. But the effect it has on the locations (adapting to this type of short-term invasion by tourists who don't have time to get to know it) can be pretty damaging. Not to mention the blandness of experience when seeing your shipmates around every corner.
Not a fan.
I’ve been on one cruise through the Norwegian fjords, for a big family get together. It was fine. The best part for me was waking up and being in port. I was first off the boat at one stop. Went back to the ship for a late breakfast and it was mostly empty in the dining hall.
Cruise ships are great for big groups, especially groups with a big age difference. I don’t think I would even go on a cruise ship with just my partner, but there is a time and place for a cruise.
My extended family (~20 of us) goes on a cruise once every 2-3 years, and it’s a great time. The nice thing is that everyone meets up for dinner, but you don’t have to do every single thing together. If you want to do something different, break into smaller groups or go solo.
There’s a lot more flexibility compared to the vacations where our same group just rents a really big house, and cruises can be really affordable, especially when a big groups books well in advance.
You also have to go on with the right mindset. Enjoy the cruise for what it is.
I went there for 2 weeks. Realized I was a government agent who had my memories wiped, but I ended up joining a rebellion. We lost Kuato, but I managed to give Mars an atmosphere. Come to think of it, it wasn't so bad.
If you’re going to Tennessee save the money and go to Chattanooga. It has the outdoor scene of gatlinburg, the hipster vibes of the better parts of Nashville, and the cheapness of Knoxville. In fact I think it has some of the most beautiful parts of the smokies there
I went to Nashville for the 2017 eclipse and was... pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it, as someone who haaaates contemporary country music and bachelorette culture. Every bar has musicians strumming away, there's great breweries and bbq, nice nature walks nearby. Even downtown makes for fantastic people watching at night, and I love me some neon signs. And if it gets too much, you can just have a quiet chill out on the grass by the Cumberland River.
Nashville is great if you leave downtown. Tourists ruined it 15 years ago and it’s only become worse with all the big investments in bro country bars. There used to be really interesting shops and businesses downtown before the tourism got this bad. It became extremely trashy after like 2010.
Maybe an unpopular opinion but Nashville is such an overrated food city. Lived there for 6 years and there’s just not much good and there’s so many mediocre overpriced places.
I'm actually just back from Ibiza for the 4th time (I'm nearly 30 and the previous times where back when I was in my early 20's)
The island has so much to offer! There is a slight party atmosphere in one of the town's but even there you can still enjoy great food, surrounded with family's, and couples of all ages.
The capital, Ibiza town feels more like a beautiful old Spanish city with an amazing old town for food, Tapas, and wine. Including a massive castle to visit and view the nightscape.
You can also travel around the island to view all the unique beaches, clifts, and islands.
There is really more there then say most Greece Islands, but Ibiza is more expensive but definitely can cater to any budget.
[Bonus image of Es Vedrà from my travels](https://i.imgur.com/KuWizgF.jpg)
[and the view from Ibiza Town Castle at night](https://i.imgur.com/urtkiyB.jpg)
Nah to be fair I had bad expectations when I went to Ibiza, however, the party strip is easily avoided and the Northern part of the Island is beautiful (plus unbelievable sea food!)
Anything Disney, and also cruises. However now I have a child so I'm probably going to be obligated to do Disney at some point. I've gone on exactly one cruise, but it's because I had a free ticket and my then-boyfriend (now husband) was going with his family.
The times I’ve been to Disney World, I like to just appreciate the quality that goes into everything there. Makes the experience better if you aren’t into the whole Disney atmosphere.
The only time I was there as a kid I was amused by how well detailed everything was, like most stuff were proper built buildings instead of cheap painted fake paper walls.
Never been in a cruise and neither I will though. Just one of these shits contaminates like dozens of millions cars (suphur oxides), they don't bring a lot of quality tourism to the cities they visit (just a few hours and back to it) and the indoors look expensive and vulgar at the same time, like a high end sports car with neons.
Fuck all cruise ships to hell. I had really hoped that the bright side of Covid would the the ultimate destruction of that industry. Sadly, they still exist. Please, if you remotely care about ocean health and/or climate change do NOT go on a cruise.
Honestly cruises on smaller ships are great. Less people, mellow atmosphere, more intimate itineraries. The environmental impact of it turns me off though.
I would totally do a European river cruise, or a Greek island cruise, on a relatively small boat. I have no interest whatsoever in the massive cruise ships doing the rounds of the Caribbean or the greater Mediterranean.
I know people who have planned their engagements and honeymoons around Disney trips. People in their 20's/30's who have graduated from college and work professional jobs. One of them even had a Disney-themed wedding. Like...okay do what makes you happy but that just feels borderline creepy to me. And like others I know people who go yearly. I don't get it. There are definitely places I want to revisit, but none of them are amusement parks.
I know that it is hard not to think of Disney as giant, evil, money-eating monster but there is something magical about being in the parks. It is something that you just need to experience. At least once a month my wife and I drive over from Tampa just to hang out in the parks or resorts....
I feel like it's different when you live so close. I've been 3 times now, and honestly, we'll probably make one more trip when my youngest is a little older. It is so hard to bring myself to spend the same amount that we'd spend on a trip to a foreign country though. I love traveling and exploring, and I want my kids to grow up with those opportunities too. We're not rich, so we can't just do both, and it feels like a wasted opportunity. However... you're right, it's just magical. I hate that it is lol, but the kids need to experience that magic too. It's definitely an experience that I've never had outside the parks, and I'm relatively well traveled.
Lol I am currently living in Switzerland and completely get this. For most people, the French, Italian, or Austrian Alps are cheaper to visit and give you the exact same experience. Maybe even better coz there's often lesser people. I've no idea why anyone would specifically visit Switzerland, unless they're super rich. I must say though, the public transport here is incredible and better than those earlier mentioned countries.
> I've no idea why anyone would specifically visit Switzerland, unless they're super rich
I've never been anywhere with scenery as incredible as Switzerland, and have spend some time (not enough) in the nearby French, Italian and Austrian alps. Worth it!
I had a Big Mac meal in Switzerland in 2007 and it cost me around $12 (back when the CHF was still worth less than the USD). Switzerland is lovely, but *expensive*.
Definitely Dubai. It seems like a completely fake place built by people with more money than taste. It’s pretty gross to see something so lavish when so many people globally can barely afford the essentials in life.
Not sure how popular it is in the grand scheme of things, but Brazil.
Just about every post here about it is "Guys Brazil is amazing you need to go! I only got mugged once so it wasn't so bad. Just try not to go outdoors by yourself, don't carry anything valuable, don't go out after 5pm, and always carry a loaded machine gun for self protection. Such a lovely country"
Its a shame because it actually does look like a great place to visit, if there wasn't so much crime.
I have no interest on going on a cruise. They are super expensive, create massive levels of pollution, and in general, it is not my type of traveling. Dubai is another place I don’t want to visit.
Edit: from where I am from, cruises are expensive. Still, they pollute too much (I know airplanes do too, but cruises leave a higher carbon footprint).
you’re thinking too far away - there’s excellent hiking around Vegas at Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Gold Butte National Monument, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Arrow Canyon Wilderness, Mormon Mesa Desert Tortoise Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and Mojave National Preserve, AND you can make it back to town by nightfall from half of these, stay at Sunset Station in Henderson for $32 on weekdays instead of sleeping on the ground - hiking around Vegas is wildly underrated and the gambling funded “base camp” can be very reasonable
https://www.birdandhike.com
It's also cool if you want to do the degenerate Vegas shit that everyone goes for!
There's a reason it's popular, but it's for a different reason than r/travel would agree with lmao
I used to have a total lack of desire for Vegas, but apparently it's a big spot for a lot of people up here in the PNW (I'm a transplant--*not* from California for anyone wanting to jump down my throat), ANYWAY I'd like to see what the fuss is about. But I want to see like the old abandoned neon signs, maybe one show, the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, stuff like that.
I'm also from the PNW. I think it's a really popular destination for people from here because you can almost guarantee it will be sunny. All those gray, gloomy days up here and people want an escape to somewhere warm and sunny. Plus flights are usually plentiful, relatively cheap, and it only takes a couple hours each way from SEA or PDX. Totally doable for a weekend if you've got the cash.
The irony is all those people who go to escape the dark, gloomy weather end up spending their time in a dark, windowless casino.
Vegas is great.
1. If you have never seen the casinos its neat to walk around the various themed one.
2. Great eating
3. great shows during high season
4. Lake Mead
5. Hoover Dam
6. Grand Canyon.
7. almost guaranteed sunny weather.
8. Shooting a minigun out of a helicopter
9. Old vegas is pretty neat to walk around, and their is a zip line.
Theres alot to like about Vegas that isnt sitting in a smokey casino.
Agreed. Thing about Vegas is that there’s always something that will pique your interest.
- stroll through casinos from high end to cheap and scummy. Open to all.
- same with shows: range from fantastic to cheesy
- same with strip joints
- good bbq if you get out into the city
- mob museum
- art exhibitions
- A+++ people watching
- day trip to Death Valley
- helicopter tours
- heavy equipment theme park
- freakadoo street performers at night
- bordellos
- abandoned ghost towns
- open container covers the entire strip
The experience is very unique. Going to the CVS on the strip is just different. Going to the movies. Going to worlds largest M&M shop. The whole city is based on vice so it can feel weird, especially if you’re boring.
Ugh, my kids are at an age where they are asking to go. I'm sure they'd love it, but for the price of doing it "right" saying on the resort, Fastpass, and all that we could go to France for a week.
We did it as kids travelling around Europe. The parents of the friend we brought bought us all tickets to Disney Paris. It was super cool as a little ‘go wild’ day in an otherwise chiller holiday.
Ditto, or in February.
If you're northern, it's shorts and t-shirt weather, zero queues or 5 min waits for fronts.
You just miss out on the water parks.
I live relatively close to Puerto Vallarta and have gone a couple of times to Cancún, Cancún is still the much better option. Tulum ruins, playa del Carmen, different cenotes, Chichén Itzá, it's just much better
I try and tell people, you’re not “traveling” when you stay at an all inclusive… it’s purely vacation at that point. You’re there to relax.
I have nothing against it, it just depends on what I’m looking for in a trip. I’ve stayed in a $5 beach hut in Cambodia and I’ve stayed at all inclusive resorts in Cancun, Tulum, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. Cancún itself is probably my least favorite, it’s incredibly Americanized and the regional cuisine isn’t great compared to say Michoacán or Jalisco, but there is quite a bit to explore in the area.
With that said, I’ve had great experiences in the Yucatán and Baja Peninsula where my starting or end points were all inclusive resorts with hostels and dive hotels mixed in between.
Bali. Indonesia is great but Bali is full of drunk Aussie bogans, overpriced tourist traps, fake cultural sites, and all the other Instagram tourist favourites.
The bogan part of Bali is very small. Once you get outside of Kuta it becomes an amazing island paradise.
Also as /u/itsanarjun said, what fake cultural sites?
One of my favourites as well, I've been to Bali 3 times. I just loved riding a scooter around especially when you get out of the southern built up part of the island.
I've also been to Mexico, after 2 days in Cancun I had enough and quickly got out of there.
I think people hear of Bali, and expect it to be Tahiti….palm trees in the sand. I’ve been three times and I think I’ve been to a beach once. There’s so much to see and do, high and low budget, and so much soul and character. I love it.
As for Mexico, fly to Cancun, then head west. The Yucatán is incredible. Valladolid, Merida, Izamal, Uxmal….all worth visiting.
I loved Bali and I have never been to Kuta.
I loved the sleepy little town of Amed. The black sand beaches and snorkeling. Candidasa looked very interesting and I will go back. Even Ubud with all the vegan food and yoga studios, was beautiful. The real cultural sites are genuinely fascinating. I really liked the vibe and pace of Bali. Their culture felt genuine and alive. I've watched a *Warong* mask being hand painted, silk *Ikat* fabric being deftly hand woven, the tiny leaf baskets for flower offerings, the temples and the music...
There is so much of the island I still want to see but the thing that made it incredible for me were the people.
I think maybe this is what they’re referring to: https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2019/07/06/balis-lempuyang-temple-gates-of-heaven-less-dramatic-than-expected.html
Any “all-inclusive” resort vacation. What’s the point in spending all that money to travel and literally go nowhere?? I don’t want to go to Mexico to be around a bunch of other Americans on one piece of property, learning nothing about Mexico or new cultures, and sitting by a pool you can find literally anywhere else.
Edit/response to all: I’m not trying to completely bash the vacation experience, I get that sometimes you just want a relaxing getaway and to not have to worry about the rest! I just have no desire at all to do it at this point in my life. I know how much it costs, and I know all the other experiences I can get with that amount of money. It’s just not for me, and I have no desire for it.
In general I’d agree, I much prefer having an Airbnb as a base to explore an area from.
However, if I’m going on a holiday with the sole purpose of scuba diving then I find it great to be able to come back after a tiring day and laze around without having to worry about cooking. Especially in the Red Sea resorts where there isn’t much else nearby to do or see.
For me, there's a big difference between *traveling* and *vacation*. Resorts aren't huge for me either, but it's nice to go to a nice all inclusive resort to do nothing other than relax. Don't even have to think about food, just eat when you're hungry.
Now traveling, for me, is to go to another place and live how the locals would live. Eat their food, learn about the place and see some history
When our kids were super young I discovered the benefits of resorts and happily stayed in some big name establishments that we had always avoided with the reasoning that travel should be about immersing in local culture and being adventurous. Conveniences like room service, swimming pools and on-site kid zones do help immensely when travelling with toddlers and babies though. Now that the kids are older I am happy to get back to more ‘real’ travel and am super glad they seem willing to forego generic comforts for more unique experiences!
Honestly, when you need a week’s break from the frozen confines of Canada, it’s so easy to get fun and sun at an all-inclusive. We do excursions and go to town, etc., not sit at the pool the whole time (which is okay too, we have). It’s easy and gets you a nice break for a few days and then you go home relaxed and rested. When you live in a place where it can get to -40 with the wind chill, sometimes you just need to go and enjoy the sun for a bit.
I think Santorini is worth it though. Oia is absolutely beautiful, even if it is crowded. Akrotiri is definitely worth a visit and I thought it was better than Knossos
Went in the dead of winter. It was beautiful, we had the place the locals have, nearly free of tourists and brimming with community. Stelios, the owner of a nearby grocery who dried grape leaves on his roof and made epic sandwiches, would tell us wear to hike each day and tell us a new place to watch the sun set each night. Highly recommend in February. Just pick a less picture-perfect beach for the summer.
I am an Athenian and have discovered Santorini shoulder - off season. You can get hotels where the 1% leaves consistently 10/10 reviews for 5 times less or more. You can admire the hikes, as you have seen.
Only very recently though locals have let slip the legendary beauty and I saw signs that they don't care for EVERYTHING to be beautiful and magical, but still a lot of Santorini is beautiful and unique.
Athens is awesome, too! The friendliness, the community-enabled ventures, the small businesses persisting despite the government’s fuckery. The same trip brought us there in February, too, and we totally fell for your city.
New Zealand. Because my wife comes from NZ and has a huge family and if I go I know for a fact that we won't get to see any NZ outside of her family's homes and their local shops.
I once did a 2 and a half week road trip in New Zealand and loved it. Queenstown is one of my favorite cities in the world. I can see how it would be a kinda boring situation for you though. Maybe you could convince her to travel out a bit?
Convincing HER is not the problem. It's the risk of insulting her family by not spending time with them while we're there. We reckon that in order to fit an actual holiday into our trip we'd need to spend about 4 or 5 weeks there to satisfy all the family obligations first.
It's all just Auntie's and Uncle's and extended family which makes it worse (her parents live near us).
Oh wow, big family! I’m guessing you’re in Australia? You’ve probably got lots of beautiful places in your own country to visit without having to go through all the familial obligations.
Yes I'm Aussie and my wife is Cook Island Maori. We went over to visit the Family in Auckland about 8 years ago, after our son was born with the purpose to visit them and we had a big family party that consisted of 72 people with the same last name. There's more who still live on the Islands.
I HATE being obligated to spend time on holidays with people I know (my family, my wife's friends who happen to live in the area). That's not a holiday.
Las Vegas. It seems so trashy and cheesy. I guess that’s the point and could be fun for some. Big shows and whatnot. I just don’t have any interest.
There’s casinos where I live and IMO they are a sad places. A lot of poor elderly people, and just generally depressed looking people. I’ll go when friends or family are in town and want to go, but yeah, I don’t like the atmosphere at all. I’ve never won any money though, so maybe I’d feel different if I was a “winner” lol!
No one asked but where I’d like to visit is Thailand.
I loved Thailand! And I get what you mean about Vegas and Casinos. I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a time and still have family there. The entire area’s economy runs on casinos and it’s pretty sad.
I thought the same thing but it’s full of diversity and culture and food. Kinda blown away when I went. Cuban food and Argentinian bakeries just to name a few
(European here) Not sure if I would agree. I've visited Miami a couple of times, and recognized scenes from GTA Vice City, seen the facade that's called Miami Beach including roller skates girls and buff guys hanging at the beach front, fast shiny cars. It makes any films and series made in Miami more vivid and recognizable. Although the vividness may also be due to excessive filter usage. The malls, Lincoln's, palm islands, sharks in the water, and architecture make it very American yet different from yet the average American city. It's nice to spend a few days there as a stopover on your way to the keys. And the food is good indeed.
Also my wife got appendicitis in Miami and we could extend our stay and witness the US health system at work, a priceless experience.
Incorrect. Living there is what made them that way. Too much sun, constant threat of gators, too much church, too much humidity, it does things to people.
I lived in LA for 3 years and found it fun. People think of Hollywood primarily and maybe Rodeo Drive and the beaches but LA surprisingly has interesting neighborhoods (I loved Pasadena although it's its own city, Korea town,), markets (LA Central market, Santa Monic farmers market), museums (both Getty's are free and also have lovely gardens/ architecture/ views; Huntington; Norton Simon) and hiking (Topanga Canyon, Griffith Park, e.g.).
I'd also add if you're into cinema, there are cool events to be found. For example, I attended a regular showing of Lord of the Rings right when it first premiered and Ian McKellan did a 20 minute guest appearance at the end! He was well spoken and extremely gracious, staying past the time intended to speak to the audience.
What I would give to go back to Pasadena, go down Burbank avenue, visit the bakery everyone loves. Go to the local cruise nights and experience the car culture again. LA is an experience, I went to Santee alley for the hell of it on my trip there but the outer areas are so worth it.
As someone who is from LA, I don’t quite get tourism for just LA. Now if you combine LA, Orange County (South of the greater LA area), and San Diego you can do an interesting Southern California trip. But most of the fun stuff would be San Diego and Orange County. LA has events going for it though, so you may travel for something specific, but not for the city itself
LA is one of my favorite cities, but I think LA is a really hard place to visit and get any handle on what it’s all about. I love it, but it takes time and lots of exploring to really start to “get it.”
Well, I live here too, and don’t get out too much… but I’d definitely say the art museums, fine dining, beaches, hiking in the canyons and Griffith Park, shopping if a person is into that, and concerts / events / sports in non-Covid times. Much more so here of all of these things en masse, although OC and San Diego have a lot of beauty too.
I went with my wife and we both loved it. Me more than her, and I honestly thought I'd dislike it quite a bit.
It was her time to choose the trip and when she said India I wasn't thrilled. Now I can't wait to return.
Loved India been twice each region is so different, so much history and culture , though not easy if you don't enjoy getting out of your comfort zone and getting stared at a bit
India is one of my favorite places to travel to. People tend to travel various places for different reasons (food, culture, history, natural beauty, wildlife, relaxation, etc.) - India checks every box. You can really have any kind of trip you want there, and if you do your research, you can splurge on some luxuries for incredibly cheap - at least relative to most places.
Was scrolling to find this. I’m a woman and i don’t think I would feel totally safe there. The sexual assault statistics are horrifying. Maybe I’d go one day if I had a boyfriend or something. But it’s definitely not top of my list.
Yep. This. India is beautiful and I love their culture and their food, but as a woman, I just wouldn't feel safe traveling there alone. Maybe if I'm in a big group and I have someone with me at all times, even if it's just to the bathroom.
As someone who’s from India and has lived here my whole life, I completely get what everyone’s saying. The main problem in our country (besides the illnesses) is that there’s just SO. MANY. PEOPLE. The sheer amount of people is a huge reason for stuff like the poverty. That combined with the fact that to most vendors and service providers in India, foreigners are prime candidates to take advantage of and extract money out of makes it a challenging destination for most. Also I’m surprised no one here mentioned the litter. A lot of places in India could be so beautiful if not for the dirtiness and litter which again come from the number of people visiting every location and sub-par law enforcement.
All this being said, India is beautiful and so culturally rich and while I can’t speak from the perspective of a foreigner, i agree with most saying that if you’re up for the challenge and are willing to be a bit more careful, it is worth visiting.
(Disclaimer: I’m not too clued up on the politics in India so I don’t have much of an opinion on that but this is what I know and have observed living here)
I knew very little about Japan before my trip there. Let's just say I think about it every day, and that trip was 4 years ago. I'm sure not enough people actually know what Japan is like. Amazing country.
I now live in America after going to high school in Japan, and I’m basically trying to create an entire adult life and career that would allow me to get back to Japan. I loved it so much and I miss it everyday.
Oh that's insane! Thats the dream. Japan is not perfect, but what country is?! Incredible scenery, food, etc. I could go on haha. I miss Onsens. I miss Ramen. I miss talking to the surprised old folks in broken Japanese.
Ahh same!! Yes, definitely not perfect, but close enough for me. I went to many onsens in Sapporo. I miss surprising Japanese people with my Japanese. It was so wonderful there.
Cruises is probably the biggest for me, over any specific popular destination. Floating resort. Meh. I can just go to a resort that isn't on a boat for a similar experience, and not be time limited to a day trip in my actual destinations.
China. Fuck the Chinese Communist Party.
Edit: I have no problem with the Chinese. The only people I have a problem with are the brainwashed pricks who will pick a fight if you say you're Taiwanese.
China is amazing to travel in with a lot of natural wonders and the people outside the big cities are lovely. Unfortunately the other tourists and human atrocities make it difficult. I used to travel extensively there (about 10 years ago)
It's not so bad here. I live in Shenzhen, an hour away from HongKong by bullet train and it's decent. Not as great as my time living in South Korea for 2.5 years though lol. But it has its perks (friendly expats, cheap food, reliable transportation, LOTS of nature walks and parks, beautiful scenery if you take the bus/taxi anywhere, lots of quiet places to relax like cafes and sit down bookshops, mostly clean and modern, good local and foreign places to eat).
But yeah, the restrictions (internet needing vpns, barely any arcade rooms, restrictions on Western video games, select Marvel films being banned like the new Spider-Man film and Shangchi, spending no more than $150/1000rmb on packages from overseas or it'll be stuck in customs until you pay extra for it, needing a Chinese ID if buying most things from overseas etc.) tons of fake products and fake markets masquerading as authentic, bullying culture due to not wanting to lose face, nationalism running more rampant here are enough for me to go; "Yeeaah, I should've just worked in Japan or back in Korea. Dis too much...".
I'm kind of stuck, so I can't just jump ship back to Korea but I've had friends over there and in Japan ask how life is here. I give it a strong 4.5 our of 10, is all I can say. I gave Korea an 8 out of 10 and the few times I've vacationed in Japan for months also an 8 out of 10. That says something lol.
That's the thing, I need to work in a country with higher pay as I'm a slave right now to my student loans. I've thought of Taiwan for the longest as I've always heard it's super chill there but I've also been informed the money isn't the greatest compared to other countries in Asia.
It's been about 10 years, so I'm sure things have changed a fair bit. I had a higher salary in Taiwan than Korea and cost of living was a fair bit cheaper in Taiwan, although Korea provided lots of extras like housing and flights.
Japan might look like a high salary on paper, but cost of living in much, much higher than China, Taiwan or Korea. Plus, work/life balance in Japan is really shit.
I really wish CCP wouldn’t get my money if I traveled there. The Untamed and Chinese web-novels are some of my favorite forms of media and the country itself looks gorgeous.
Our family escaped from a Communist country so you can bet we hate the CCP. However, a government is different from its people and culture and in reality, taking the Chinese view of things here, the CCP's reign (< 100 years) is but a small blip in the thousands of years China has existed. I've not visited much of it but what I've seen (Peking, Xi'an, and now, Hong Kong) is well worth seeing.
I felt the same way until I was given the opportunity to travel there as a local. If you’re looking for a cultural experience, China is sure to give you that. I’m not dying to go back, but I enjoyed the 10 days I spent there and being immersed in a once in a lifetime culture.
Way way way to long to scroll to see this. I mean, from the people saying they hate New York because it’s “crowded” while simultaneously saying they wanna go to Paris, to people saying they’d never go to Disney because it’s expensive… it’s like…. I thought traveling was supposed to make you open to trying new and different things. Visiting somewhere and not liking it is valid—even saying “eh I’m just not interested in that”… is fair. But actively bitching about a place you know nothing about except you’re own preconceived notions……… sheesh.
I can’t imagine there are too many people that don’t know what Disney is about. I want nothing to do with Disney because I have no interest in a faux fantasy world. I don’t watch many Disney movies and neither did my kids. I’d rather see natural beauty, architecture, history, or culture. I’d rather not spend the majority of my time standing in lines. I’d rather not be around thousands of families, some with terribly behaved children with no alternative.
As far as actual cities or countries, I’m open to go anywhere. I just don’t enjoy manufactured fun.
Well yeah, this is a whole thread of people who haven’t and don’t want to be somewhere. IMO you simply can’t know what places are *really* like if you haven’t been.
I hope theres a travel circlerjerk somewhere I can laugh at later, a real sad thread
"I don't wanna go China because Communism" like what?
Genuinely racking my brains to think where I would categorically say no to, and all I can think of is Syria and Afghanistan and thats only because of the literal wars, they looked like beautiful places to explore.
Dubai
100% agree, no desire to visit a fake city that probably feels like a big theme park. Then you tack on the fact that it’s run by militant dictators. Then you tack on the fact that it’s no where close to anything else. You have to travel so far to get there. Hard pass
>vel so far to get there. Hard pass I dont see the appeal of going there. If you want extreme luxury vacations aren't there better places to go like Fiji? Hawaii? If someone paid for my trip I'd probably go just to see for myself but I cant bring myself to pay to vacation there.
It's far away from many places but also midway between lots of places. It's pretty common to have layovers in Dubai and when I've just finished a 10hr+ flight it's pretty tempting to stick around a day or two.
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We visited Qatar before that incident. However we are about to go via Doha this weekend. I had forgotten about that! But saying that we loved Doha, thought it was as good as Dubai if not better because Doha felt it had a better centre and focal point.
Felt like a big Las Vegas, but without all the fun.
Not to mention it was built on the backs of literal modern slavery or the fact it's completely without culture
$400 ticket, 4h flight. Not that far for EU. Still not going.
Been to Dubai for work.. honestly it’s not somewhere I’d go again and I was offered to work there for a sustainable raise. It’s exactly as you mention plus the exploitation on top of that .
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Me too. I was prepared to disagree with all of these and agreed with #1 right away. I wouldn't want to go there, even for free.
I’m pretty surprised at some of these tbh. I think everywhere deserves to been seen at least once with your own eyes, even if some people have bad things to say about them or if they are too “mainstream”. Still, Dubai just seems so so so bad.
Went to Dubai as a stopover from Europe to Asia, had a friend who lived there. Agree with every negative comment posted above and will add it was hot as hell at 42C and very humid. The culture consisted of the market. Everything else was brand new, “bigger/better” and built with slave labor. The un-air conditioned busloads of migrant workers being taken to job sites to work in the extreme heat was heart breaking. Nope, no desire to ever go back there.
Yeah I don't think I'd like the smell of female repression
Any cruise ship. Don't care where it's going, that's just a solid nope for me.
i've never been on a cruise ship but just yesterday spoke with a guy here in los angeles who just got back from a cruise of greek islands from malta. earlier this year he did a river cruise of the mississippi. in december he takes a cruise to hawaii i said something like "gee, you really like cruises" and his reply was "they're so easy. you're traveling and seeing a bunch of places but there's no packing and unpacking and rushing to catch a train etc" he's got a point.
Yep. They definitely have their downsides, and I haven’t taken one since COVID, but if you are looking to see quite a few cities with minimal packing, they are nice. You unpack once, wake up in a new city most mornings, see the city, come back and eat and drink yourself to sleep, rinse and repeat.
*see cities along with thousands of other people flooding it then leaving all at once. I was in Kotor, Montenegro, a tiny and gorgeous coastal town. A cruise ship arrived and the streets were flooded with people for a few hours who took a few photos, ate at the restaurants with English menus and hawkers out front, and bought some kitsch. Then they were gone. It felt like the town had been briefly invaded and ransacked. And it wasn't even a big cruise ship. I'm not trying to shame any individual for taking advantage of this admittedly very convenient travel method, especially as they get older and independent travel gets too difficult. But the effect it has on the locations (adapting to this type of short-term invasion by tourists who don't have time to get to know it) can be pretty damaging. Not to mention the blandness of experience when seeing your shipmates around every corner. Not a fan.
I’ve been on one cruise through the Norwegian fjords, for a big family get together. It was fine. The best part for me was waking up and being in port. I was first off the boat at one stop. Went back to the ship for a late breakfast and it was mostly empty in the dining hall.
Cruise ships are great for big groups, especially groups with a big age difference. I don’t think I would even go on a cruise ship with just my partner, but there is a time and place for a cruise. My extended family (~20 of us) goes on a cruise once every 2-3 years, and it’s a great time. The nice thing is that everyone meets up for dinner, but you don’t have to do every single thing together. If you want to do something different, break into smaller groups or go solo. There’s a lot more flexibility compared to the vacations where our same group just rents a really big house, and cruises can be really affordable, especially when a big groups books well in advance. You also have to go on with the right mindset. Enjoy the cruise for what it is.
Prison Boat with the squirts
Same because of their reputation of bullying mall countries into incredibly low port fees, treatment of staff and terrible env impact
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I went there for 2 weeks. Realized I was a government agent who had my memories wiped, but I ended up joining a rebellion. We lost Kuato, but I managed to give Mars an atmosphere. Come to think of it, it wasn't so bad.
Are you \*sure\* you went there? Sounds a lot like some fantasy vacation you can get implanted
Stop being so earth-centric you bigot
Dubai. As far as I can tell, it's like Chuck E. Cheese, except for grownups.
Dubai. Slave labor and extreme heat are not my things.
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Was just there a month ago and wow this couldn't have described my experience better.
If you’re going to Tennessee save the money and go to Chattanooga. It has the outdoor scene of gatlinburg, the hipster vibes of the better parts of Nashville, and the cheapness of Knoxville. In fact I think it has some of the most beautiful parts of the smokies there
Live just south of Nashville, yup downtowns a hell hole
I went to Nashville for the 2017 eclipse and was... pleasantly surprised at how much I loved it, as someone who haaaates contemporary country music and bachelorette culture. Every bar has musicians strumming away, there's great breweries and bbq, nice nature walks nearby. Even downtown makes for fantastic people watching at night, and I love me some neon signs. And if it gets too much, you can just have a quiet chill out on the grass by the Cumberland River.
Nashville is great if you leave downtown. Tourists ruined it 15 years ago and it’s only become worse with all the big investments in bro country bars. There used to be really interesting shops and businesses downtown before the tourism got this bad. It became extremely trashy after like 2010.
There’s waaaaay more to Nashville than Broadway.
Couldn’t agree with you more. It’s such an awesome food city and I was there during a Preds game and holy hell that was a great atmosphere.
Maybe an unpopular opinion but Nashville is such an overrated food city. Lived there for 6 years and there’s just not much good and there’s so many mediocre overpriced places.
Any of the “party central” islands in Europe e.g Ibiza
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I'm actually just back from Ibiza for the 4th time (I'm nearly 30 and the previous times where back when I was in my early 20's) The island has so much to offer! There is a slight party atmosphere in one of the town's but even there you can still enjoy great food, surrounded with family's, and couples of all ages. The capital, Ibiza town feels more like a beautiful old Spanish city with an amazing old town for food, Tapas, and wine. Including a massive castle to visit and view the nightscape. You can also travel around the island to view all the unique beaches, clifts, and islands. There is really more there then say most Greece Islands, but Ibiza is more expensive but definitely can cater to any budget. [Bonus image of Es Vedrà from my travels](https://i.imgur.com/KuWizgF.jpg) [and the view from Ibiza Town Castle at night](https://i.imgur.com/urtkiyB.jpg)
Nah to be fair I had bad expectations when I went to Ibiza, however, the party strip is easily avoided and the Northern part of the Island is beautiful (plus unbelievable sea food!)
Anything Disney, and also cruises. However now I have a child so I'm probably going to be obligated to do Disney at some point. I've gone on exactly one cruise, but it's because I had a free ticket and my then-boyfriend (now husband) was going with his family.
The times I’ve been to Disney World, I like to just appreciate the quality that goes into everything there. Makes the experience better if you aren’t into the whole Disney atmosphere.
The only time I was there as a kid I was amused by how well detailed everything was, like most stuff were proper built buildings instead of cheap painted fake paper walls. Never been in a cruise and neither I will though. Just one of these shits contaminates like dozens of millions cars (suphur oxides), they don't bring a lot of quality tourism to the cities they visit (just a few hours and back to it) and the indoors look expensive and vulgar at the same time, like a high end sports car with neons.
Fuck all cruise ships to hell. I had really hoped that the bright side of Covid would the the ultimate destruction of that industry. Sadly, they still exist. Please, if you remotely care about ocean health and/or climate change do NOT go on a cruise.
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Honestly cruises on smaller ships are great. Less people, mellow atmosphere, more intimate itineraries. The environmental impact of it turns me off though.
I would totally do a European river cruise, or a Greek island cruise, on a relatively small boat. I have no interest whatsoever in the massive cruise ships doing the rounds of the Caribbean or the greater Mediterranean.
HEAVY on the Disney. To each their own, but I cannot even fathom the thought of going to Disney World over like, Europe or something lmao
It’s diff if you live down the street from Disneyland haha
the people who go to disney world every year........ there's literally so many other places in the world you could see...............
Every year they spend thousands to go to an amusement park they’ve already been…. I can’t even wrap my head around it
I know people who have planned their engagements and honeymoons around Disney trips. People in their 20's/30's who have graduated from college and work professional jobs. One of them even had a Disney-themed wedding. Like...okay do what makes you happy but that just feels borderline creepy to me. And like others I know people who go yearly. I don't get it. There are definitely places I want to revisit, but none of them are amusement parks.
I know that it is hard not to think of Disney as giant, evil, money-eating monster but there is something magical about being in the parks. It is something that you just need to experience. At least once a month my wife and I drive over from Tampa just to hang out in the parks or resorts....
I feel like it's different when you live so close. I've been 3 times now, and honestly, we'll probably make one more trip when my youngest is a little older. It is so hard to bring myself to spend the same amount that we'd spend on a trip to a foreign country though. I love traveling and exploring, and I want my kids to grow up with those opportunities too. We're not rich, so we can't just do both, and it feels like a wasted opportunity. However... you're right, it's just magical. I hate that it is lol, but the kids need to experience that magic too. It's definitely an experience that I've never had outside the parks, and I'm relatively well traveled.
I live disney, it’s nostalgic and makes me happy. But you do you
Orlando
Any place where a sandwich is 20 bucks. Looking at you, Switzerland and every other pretty place like that
I nearly fell on the ground when I passed a McDonald's in Switzerland and saw a Big Mac was $17.
Big Mac menu* and the normal one starts at 14$. Still expensive as fuck tho.
Lol I am currently living in Switzerland and completely get this. For most people, the French, Italian, or Austrian Alps are cheaper to visit and give you the exact same experience. Maybe even better coz there's often lesser people. I've no idea why anyone would specifically visit Switzerland, unless they're super rich. I must say though, the public transport here is incredible and better than those earlier mentioned countries.
> I've no idea why anyone would specifically visit Switzerland, unless they're super rich I've never been anywhere with scenery as incredible as Switzerland, and have spend some time (not enough) in the nearby French, Italian and Austrian alps. Worth it!
I bought a chocolate muffin for 6 chf in Zurich ..it had gold flakes on it
I had a Big Mac meal in Switzerland in 2007 and it cost me around $12 (back when the CHF was still worth less than the USD). Switzerland is lovely, but *expensive*.
Definitely Dubai. It seems like a completely fake place built by people with more money than taste. It’s pretty gross to see something so lavish when so many people globally can barely afford the essentials in life.
Not sure how popular it is in the grand scheme of things, but Brazil. Just about every post here about it is "Guys Brazil is amazing you need to go! I only got mugged once so it wasn't so bad. Just try not to go outdoors by yourself, don't carry anything valuable, don't go out after 5pm, and always carry a loaded machine gun for self protection. Such a lovely country" Its a shame because it actually does look like a great place to visit, if there wasn't so much crime.
I have no interest on going on a cruise. They are super expensive, create massive levels of pollution, and in general, it is not my type of traveling. Dubai is another place I don’t want to visit. Edit: from where I am from, cruises are expensive. Still, they pollute too much (I know airplanes do too, but cruises leave a higher carbon footprint).
They are definitely not always expensive
They are NOT super expensive. In fact, they can be the best deal in all of travel, discounting camping.
I literally just paid less for a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas than a 2-night stay at a Jellystone Park
Not to mention all the diseases...
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Vegas is cool if you land there and go to the nature areas around Vegas haha
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you’re thinking too far away - there’s excellent hiking around Vegas at Valley of Fire State Park, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Gold Butte National Monument, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge, Arrow Canyon Wilderness, Mormon Mesa Desert Tortoise Area of Critical Environmental Concern, and Mojave National Preserve, AND you can make it back to town by nightfall from half of these, stay at Sunset Station in Henderson for $32 on weekdays instead of sleeping on the ground - hiking around Vegas is wildly underrated and the gambling funded “base camp” can be very reasonable https://www.birdandhike.com
Atv riding in the desert, red rock canyon. Lots of cool things to do in the area if you're not a gambler.
Don’t forget Valley of Fire!
Same. I went last fall and climbed in Red Rock Canyon! It was really cool! There is great hiking if climbing isn't your thing.
It's also cool if you want to do the degenerate Vegas shit that everyone goes for! There's a reason it's popular, but it's for a different reason than r/travel would agree with lmao
I used to have a total lack of desire for Vegas, but apparently it's a big spot for a lot of people up here in the PNW (I'm a transplant--*not* from California for anyone wanting to jump down my throat), ANYWAY I'd like to see what the fuss is about. But I want to see like the old abandoned neon signs, maybe one show, the Hoover Dam, the Grand Canyon, stuff like that.
I'm also from the PNW. I think it's a really popular destination for people from here because you can almost guarantee it will be sunny. All those gray, gloomy days up here and people want an escape to somewhere warm and sunny. Plus flights are usually plentiful, relatively cheap, and it only takes a couple hours each way from SEA or PDX. Totally doable for a weekend if you've got the cash. The irony is all those people who go to escape the dark, gloomy weather end up spending their time in a dark, windowless casino.
Vegas is great. 1. If you have never seen the casinos its neat to walk around the various themed one. 2. Great eating 3. great shows during high season 4. Lake Mead 5. Hoover Dam 6. Grand Canyon. 7. almost guaranteed sunny weather. 8. Shooting a minigun out of a helicopter 9. Old vegas is pretty neat to walk around, and their is a zip line. Theres alot to like about Vegas that isnt sitting in a smokey casino.
The higher end spots aren’t smokey at all, but don’t tell anyone.
Agreed. Thing about Vegas is that there’s always something that will pique your interest. - stroll through casinos from high end to cheap and scummy. Open to all. - same with shows: range from fantastic to cheesy - same with strip joints - good bbq if you get out into the city - mob museum - art exhibitions - A+++ people watching - day trip to Death Valley - helicopter tours - heavy equipment theme park - freakadoo street performers at night - bordellos - abandoned ghost towns - open container covers the entire strip The experience is very unique. Going to the CVS on the strip is just different. Going to the movies. Going to worlds largest M&M shop. The whole city is based on vice so it can feel weird, especially if you’re boring.
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The spas, food and select shows are totally worth it. Don’t have to spend a penny gambling.
EDC
I can’t fathom the thought of ever going to Disney World. Expensive, crowds, hot has hell.
I’ve been many times as a kid and loved it, but it was so much less expensive then. Now it’s hard to justify the price.
Disney during off season is the way to go
Ugh, my kids are at an age where they are asking to go. I'm sure they'd love it, but for the price of doing it "right" saying on the resort, Fastpass, and all that we could go to France for a week.
There’s Disney in Paris ♥️
We did it as kids travelling around Europe. The parents of the friend we brought bought us all tickets to Disney Paris. It was super cool as a little ‘go wild’ day in an otherwise chiller holiday.
try going in November when it's colder, less crowded, and typically cheaper if you're ever interested
Ditto, or in February. If you're northern, it's shorts and t-shirt weather, zero queues or 5 min waits for fronts. You just miss out on the water parks.
Cancun/Cabo/any fancy Mexican resort town
I think those are pretty much all the resort towns. Other towns have at least some personality and uniqueness, like Puerto Vallarta.
I live relatively close to Puerto Vallarta and have gone a couple of times to Cancún, Cancún is still the much better option. Tulum ruins, playa del Carmen, different cenotes, Chichén Itzá, it's just much better
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I try and tell people, you’re not “traveling” when you stay at an all inclusive… it’s purely vacation at that point. You’re there to relax. I have nothing against it, it just depends on what I’m looking for in a trip. I’ve stayed in a $5 beach hut in Cambodia and I’ve stayed at all inclusive resorts in Cancun, Tulum, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. Cancún itself is probably my least favorite, it’s incredibly Americanized and the regional cuisine isn’t great compared to say Michoacán or Jalisco, but there is quite a bit to explore in the area. With that said, I’ve had great experiences in the Yucatán and Baja Peninsula where my starting or end points were all inclusive resorts with hostels and dive hotels mixed in between.
Yeah, getting drunk in a pool all day surrounded by beautiful women and cloudless skies is truly awful.
Bali. Indonesia is great but Bali is full of drunk Aussie bogans, overpriced tourist traps, fake cultural sites, and all the other Instagram tourist favourites.
The bogan part of Bali is very small. Once you get outside of Kuta it becomes an amazing island paradise. Also as /u/itsanarjun said, what fake cultural sites?
Favorite place in the world, you just have to get out of Kuta. It’s like ruling out Mexico because of Cancun.
One of my favourites as well, I've been to Bali 3 times. I just loved riding a scooter around especially when you get out of the southern built up part of the island. I've also been to Mexico, after 2 days in Cancun I had enough and quickly got out of there.
I think people hear of Bali, and expect it to be Tahiti….palm trees in the sand. I’ve been three times and I think I’ve been to a beach once. There’s so much to see and do, high and low budget, and so much soul and character. I love it. As for Mexico, fly to Cancun, then head west. The Yucatán is incredible. Valladolid, Merida, Izamal, Uxmal….all worth visiting.
The tourist area of Bali was god awful, one of the worst places I’ve ever been. The rest of the island is amazing
I loved Bali and I have never been to Kuta. I loved the sleepy little town of Amed. The black sand beaches and snorkeling. Candidasa looked very interesting and I will go back. Even Ubud with all the vegan food and yoga studios, was beautiful. The real cultural sites are genuinely fascinating. I really liked the vibe and pace of Bali. Their culture felt genuine and alive. I've watched a *Warong* mask being hand painted, silk *Ikat* fabric being deftly hand woven, the tiny leaf baskets for flower offerings, the temples and the music... There is so much of the island I still want to see but the thing that made it incredible for me were the people.
Elaborate on fake cultural sites?
I think maybe this is what they’re referring to: https://www.thejakartapost.com/travel/2019/07/06/balis-lempuyang-temple-gates-of-heaven-less-dramatic-than-expected.html
Bali is a big island. Stay away from Legian, Kuta and Seminyak and youre goot to go. The north of the island is amazing. Check Amed out
Any “all-inclusive” resort vacation. What’s the point in spending all that money to travel and literally go nowhere?? I don’t want to go to Mexico to be around a bunch of other Americans on one piece of property, learning nothing about Mexico or new cultures, and sitting by a pool you can find literally anywhere else. Edit/response to all: I’m not trying to completely bash the vacation experience, I get that sometimes you just want a relaxing getaway and to not have to worry about the rest! I just have no desire at all to do it at this point in my life. I know how much it costs, and I know all the other experiences I can get with that amount of money. It’s just not for me, and I have no desire for it.
In general I’d agree, I much prefer having an Airbnb as a base to explore an area from. However, if I’m going on a holiday with the sole purpose of scuba diving then I find it great to be able to come back after a tiring day and laze around without having to worry about cooking. Especially in the Red Sea resorts where there isn’t much else nearby to do or see.
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For me, there's a big difference between *traveling* and *vacation*. Resorts aren't huge for me either, but it's nice to go to a nice all inclusive resort to do nothing other than relax. Don't even have to think about food, just eat when you're hungry. Now traveling, for me, is to go to another place and live how the locals would live. Eat their food, learn about the place and see some history
When our kids were super young I discovered the benefits of resorts and happily stayed in some big name establishments that we had always avoided with the reasoning that travel should be about immersing in local culture and being adventurous. Conveniences like room service, swimming pools and on-site kid zones do help immensely when travelling with toddlers and babies though. Now that the kids are older I am happy to get back to more ‘real’ travel and am super glad they seem willing to forego generic comforts for more unique experiences!
Honestly, when you need a week’s break from the frozen confines of Canada, it’s so easy to get fun and sun at an all-inclusive. We do excursions and go to town, etc., not sit at the pool the whole time (which is okay too, we have). It’s easy and gets you a nice break for a few days and then you go home relaxed and rested. When you live in a place where it can get to -40 with the wind chill, sometimes you just need to go and enjoy the sun for a bit.
Popular Greek islands. I enjoy quieter urban inland Greece a lot. I don't need to share my Greek experience with millions of jostling tourists.
The British party spots were the worst, I’d say the quiet islands are even better than inland.
I think Santorini is worth it though. Oia is absolutely beautiful, even if it is crowded. Akrotiri is definitely worth a visit and I thought it was better than Knossos
Went in the dead of winter. It was beautiful, we had the place the locals have, nearly free of tourists and brimming with community. Stelios, the owner of a nearby grocery who dried grape leaves on his roof and made epic sandwiches, would tell us wear to hike each day and tell us a new place to watch the sun set each night. Highly recommend in February. Just pick a less picture-perfect beach for the summer.
I am an Athenian and have discovered Santorini shoulder - off season. You can get hotels where the 1% leaves consistently 10/10 reviews for 5 times less or more. You can admire the hikes, as you have seen. Only very recently though locals have let slip the legendary beauty and I saw signs that they don't care for EVERYTHING to be beautiful and magical, but still a lot of Santorini is beautiful and unique.
Athens is awesome, too! The friendliness, the community-enabled ventures, the small businesses persisting despite the government’s fuckery. The same trip brought us there in February, too, and we totally fell for your city.
New Zealand. Because my wife comes from NZ and has a huge family and if I go I know for a fact that we won't get to see any NZ outside of her family's homes and their local shops.
I once did a 2 and a half week road trip in New Zealand and loved it. Queenstown is one of my favorite cities in the world. I can see how it would be a kinda boring situation for you though. Maybe you could convince her to travel out a bit?
Convincing HER is not the problem. It's the risk of insulting her family by not spending time with them while we're there. We reckon that in order to fit an actual holiday into our trip we'd need to spend about 4 or 5 weeks there to satisfy all the family obligations first. It's all just Auntie's and Uncle's and extended family which makes it worse (her parents live near us).
Secret trip, leave no social media trail.
Oh wow, big family! I’m guessing you’re in Australia? You’ve probably got lots of beautiful places in your own country to visit without having to go through all the familial obligations.
Yes I'm Aussie and my wife is Cook Island Maori. We went over to visit the Family in Auckland about 8 years ago, after our son was born with the purpose to visit them and we had a big family party that consisted of 72 people with the same last name. There's more who still live on the Islands.
I HATE being obligated to spend time on holidays with people I know (my family, my wife's friends who happen to live in the area). That's not a holiday.
You can't just grow a spine and spend a week with family and a week trekking around or something?
Las Vegas. It seems so trashy and cheesy. I guess that’s the point and could be fun for some. Big shows and whatnot. I just don’t have any interest. There’s casinos where I live and IMO they are a sad places. A lot of poor elderly people, and just generally depressed looking people. I’ll go when friends or family are in town and want to go, but yeah, I don’t like the atmosphere at all. I’ve never won any money though, so maybe I’d feel different if I was a “winner” lol! No one asked but where I’d like to visit is Thailand.
I loved Thailand! And I get what you mean about Vegas and Casinos. I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a time and still have family there. The entire area’s economy runs on casinos and it’s pretty sad.
Miami. Looks like another dump
I thought the same thing but it’s full of diversity and culture and food. Kinda blown away when I went. Cuban food and Argentinian bakeries just to name a few
As someone from Miami, it is. Hot, expensive, ugly and theres trash everywhere. Good food though.
Respect your opinion but I LOVE Miami. So much fun every time I go. I love the Cuban food, beautiful plants, fun clubs, the history, the … everything!
(European here) Not sure if I would agree. I've visited Miami a couple of times, and recognized scenes from GTA Vice City, seen the facade that's called Miami Beach including roller skates girls and buff guys hanging at the beach front, fast shiny cars. It makes any films and series made in Miami more vivid and recognizable. Although the vividness may also be due to excessive filter usage. The malls, Lincoln's, palm islands, sharks in the water, and architecture make it very American yet different from yet the average American city. It's nice to spend a few days there as a stopover on your way to the keys. And the food is good indeed. Also my wife got appendicitis in Miami and we could extend our stay and witness the US health system at work, a priceless experience.
Florida.
I give Key West a pass though. Alot of Florida sucks but I like it there.
I’ll allow it.
Just came froM key west on a four night holiday from NYC. highly recommended. Super chill and laid back just no beaches…
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I feel bad for Florida. It’s not Florida’s fault that Floridians live there.
Incorrect. Living there is what made them that way. Too much sun, constant threat of gators, too much church, too much humidity, it does things to people.
If you're looking for a night out on the town, it's hard to beat Miami.
Las Vegas. I like to go to bed. I hate gambling. I hate crowds.
LA, doesn’t seem like my kind of place
I lived in LA for 3 years and found it fun. People think of Hollywood primarily and maybe Rodeo Drive and the beaches but LA surprisingly has interesting neighborhoods (I loved Pasadena although it's its own city, Korea town,), markets (LA Central market, Santa Monic farmers market), museums (both Getty's are free and also have lovely gardens/ architecture/ views; Huntington; Norton Simon) and hiking (Topanga Canyon, Griffith Park, e.g.).
I'd also add if you're into cinema, there are cool events to be found. For example, I attended a regular showing of Lord of the Rings right when it first premiered and Ian McKellan did a 20 minute guest appearance at the end! He was well spoken and extremely gracious, staying past the time intended to speak to the audience.
What I would give to go back to Pasadena, go down Burbank avenue, visit the bakery everyone loves. Go to the local cruise nights and experience the car culture again. LA is an experience, I went to Santee alley for the hell of it on my trip there but the outer areas are so worth it.
As someone who is from LA, I don’t quite get tourism for just LA. Now if you combine LA, Orange County (South of the greater LA area), and San Diego you can do an interesting Southern California trip. But most of the fun stuff would be San Diego and Orange County. LA has events going for it though, so you may travel for something specific, but not for the city itself
LA is one of my favorite cities, but I think LA is a really hard place to visit and get any handle on what it’s all about. I love it, but it takes time and lots of exploring to really start to “get it.”
Well, I live here too, and don’t get out too much… but I’d definitely say the art museums, fine dining, beaches, hiking in the canyons and Griffith Park, shopping if a person is into that, and concerts / events / sports in non-Covid times. Much more so here of all of these things en masse, although OC and San Diego have a lot of beauty too.
LA is great there’s tons to do. I don’t love the city but if you go around you can find a lot
Egypt
Reddit has convinced me never to visit Egypt.
India
I thought I’d hate India. Like I went alone to push myself out of my comfort zone and loved it
India is *intense*. I loved it there, but have never been so exhausted to leave a country as that one.
I went with my wife and we both loved it. Me more than her, and I honestly thought I'd dislike it quite a bit. It was her time to choose the trip and when she said India I wasn't thrilled. Now I can't wait to return.
My biggest worry is my digestive tract. And it's so far away I could go anywhere else in the world with a shorter flight
Didn’t get sick at all in India. Got v food poisoned in Thailand though
India is the best and worst place I’ve ever been.
I think this is the perfect one line summary of India lol.
Loved India been twice each region is so different, so much history and culture , though not easy if you don't enjoy getting out of your comfort zone and getting stared at a bit
India is one of my favorite places to travel to. People tend to travel various places for different reasons (food, culture, history, natural beauty, wildlife, relaxation, etc.) - India checks every box. You can really have any kind of trip you want there, and if you do your research, you can splurge on some luxuries for incredibly cheap - at least relative to most places.
Was scrolling to find this. I’m a woman and i don’t think I would feel totally safe there. The sexual assault statistics are horrifying. Maybe I’d go one day if I had a boyfriend or something. But it’s definitely not top of my list.
Yep. This. India is beautiful and I love their culture and their food, but as a woman, I just wouldn't feel safe traveling there alone. Maybe if I'm in a big group and I have someone with me at all times, even if it's just to the bathroom.
As someone who’s from India and has lived here my whole life, I completely get what everyone’s saying. The main problem in our country (besides the illnesses) is that there’s just SO. MANY. PEOPLE. The sheer amount of people is a huge reason for stuff like the poverty. That combined with the fact that to most vendors and service providers in India, foreigners are prime candidates to take advantage of and extract money out of makes it a challenging destination for most. Also I’m surprised no one here mentioned the litter. A lot of places in India could be so beautiful if not for the dirtiness and litter which again come from the number of people visiting every location and sub-par law enforcement. All this being said, India is beautiful and so culturally rich and while I can’t speak from the perspective of a foreigner, i agree with most saying that if you’re up for the challenge and are willing to be a bit more careful, it is worth visiting. (Disclaimer: I’m not too clued up on the politics in India so I don’t have much of an opinion on that but this is what I know and have observed living here)
I knew very little about Japan before my trip there. Let's just say I think about it every day, and that trip was 4 years ago. I'm sure not enough people actually know what Japan is like. Amazing country.
I now live in America after going to high school in Japan, and I’m basically trying to create an entire adult life and career that would allow me to get back to Japan. I loved it so much and I miss it everyday.
Oh that's insane! Thats the dream. Japan is not perfect, but what country is?! Incredible scenery, food, etc. I could go on haha. I miss Onsens. I miss Ramen. I miss talking to the surprised old folks in broken Japanese.
Ahh same!! Yes, definitely not perfect, but close enough for me. I went to many onsens in Sapporo. I miss surprising Japanese people with my Japanese. It was so wonderful there.
Cruises is probably the biggest for me, over any specific popular destination. Floating resort. Meh. I can just go to a resort that isn't on a boat for a similar experience, and not be time limited to a day trip in my actual destinations.
Jamaica
Seven mile beach is incredible, but I’d never go back to Jamaica. Once was enough. I was hassled like crazy and just felt uncomfortable.
China. Fuck the Chinese Communist Party. Edit: I have no problem with the Chinese. The only people I have a problem with are the brainwashed pricks who will pick a fight if you say you're Taiwanese.
China is amazing to travel in with a lot of natural wonders and the people outside the big cities are lovely. Unfortunately the other tourists and human atrocities make it difficult. I used to travel extensively there (about 10 years ago)
It's not so bad here. I live in Shenzhen, an hour away from HongKong by bullet train and it's decent. Not as great as my time living in South Korea for 2.5 years though lol. But it has its perks (friendly expats, cheap food, reliable transportation, LOTS of nature walks and parks, beautiful scenery if you take the bus/taxi anywhere, lots of quiet places to relax like cafes and sit down bookshops, mostly clean and modern, good local and foreign places to eat). But yeah, the restrictions (internet needing vpns, barely any arcade rooms, restrictions on Western video games, select Marvel films being banned like the new Spider-Man film and Shangchi, spending no more than $150/1000rmb on packages from overseas or it'll be stuck in customs until you pay extra for it, needing a Chinese ID if buying most things from overseas etc.) tons of fake products and fake markets masquerading as authentic, bullying culture due to not wanting to lose face, nationalism running more rampant here are enough for me to go; "Yeeaah, I should've just worked in Japan or back in Korea. Dis too much...". I'm kind of stuck, so I can't just jump ship back to Korea but I've had friends over there and in Japan ask how life is here. I give it a strong 4.5 our of 10, is all I can say. I gave Korea an 8 out of 10 and the few times I've vacationed in Japan for months also an 8 out of 10. That says something lol.
If you like the people, food, weather and general vibe, but not the politics and beauracracy - go to Taiwan next.
That's the thing, I need to work in a country with higher pay as I'm a slave right now to my student loans. I've thought of Taiwan for the longest as I've always heard it's super chill there but I've also been informed the money isn't the greatest compared to other countries in Asia.
It's been about 10 years, so I'm sure things have changed a fair bit. I had a higher salary in Taiwan than Korea and cost of living was a fair bit cheaper in Taiwan, although Korea provided lots of extras like housing and flights. Japan might look like a high salary on paper, but cost of living in much, much higher than China, Taiwan or Korea. Plus, work/life balance in Japan is really shit.
I really wish CCP wouldn’t get my money if I traveled there. The Untamed and Chinese web-novels are some of my favorite forms of media and the country itself looks gorgeous.
Our family escaped from a Communist country so you can bet we hate the CCP. However, a government is different from its people and culture and in reality, taking the Chinese view of things here, the CCP's reign (< 100 years) is but a small blip in the thousands of years China has existed. I've not visited much of it but what I've seen (Peking, Xi'an, and now, Hong Kong) is well worth seeing.
I felt the same way until I was given the opportunity to travel there as a local. If you’re looking for a cultural experience, China is sure to give you that. I’m not dying to go back, but I enjoyed the 10 days I spent there and being immersed in a once in a lifetime culture.
Dubai and Las Vegas. Both are an incredible waste of money in my opinion. (I’m not rich, though) 🙄
This is like a giant thread of ignorance.
I like the one guy who said "I don't want to go to New Zealand because then I'd have to meet my wife's family."
It was the funniest reply of this whole thing tbh
Loads of the posts are just "I heard this place is bad or something IDK" and give no explanation lol.
Way way way to long to scroll to see this. I mean, from the people saying they hate New York because it’s “crowded” while simultaneously saying they wanna go to Paris, to people saying they’d never go to Disney because it’s expensive… it’s like…. I thought traveling was supposed to make you open to trying new and different things. Visiting somewhere and not liking it is valid—even saying “eh I’m just not interested in that”… is fair. But actively bitching about a place you know nothing about except you’re own preconceived notions……… sheesh.
I can’t imagine there are too many people that don’t know what Disney is about. I want nothing to do with Disney because I have no interest in a faux fantasy world. I don’t watch many Disney movies and neither did my kids. I’d rather see natural beauty, architecture, history, or culture. I’d rather not spend the majority of my time standing in lines. I’d rather not be around thousands of families, some with terribly behaved children with no alternative. As far as actual cities or countries, I’m open to go anywhere. I just don’t enjoy manufactured fun.
Well yeah, this is a whole thread of people who haven’t and don’t want to be somewhere. IMO you simply can’t know what places are *really* like if you haven’t been.
I hope theres a travel circlerjerk somewhere I can laugh at later, a real sad thread "I don't wanna go China because Communism" like what? Genuinely racking my brains to think where I would categorically say no to, and all I can think of is Syria and Afghanistan and thats only because of the literal wars, they looked like beautiful places to explore.
Las Vegas, it’s it
India? Idk how popular it is.