People Share 25 Of The Worst Travel Destinations That Don’t Live Up To The Hype

Unfortunately, not every travel experience lives up to expectations. In fact, some destinations might not be worth the hype at all.

Redditors have been discussing popular tourist spots they recommend avoiding at all costs, so we’ve compiled some of their thoughts below. From overcrowded locations to places that just don’t sit right with travellers, take a look at this list before planning your next trip.

#1 Couldn’t pay me to go to Dubai.

#2 Most middle eastern countries if you are gay.

#3 Your mormon friend’s church.

#4 People should go to the grand canyon…. but not the side closest to Vegas. It’s a tourist scam. Take the time to go to any of the parks that access the canyon.

#5 UK: Land’s End and John O’Groats are neither the northernmost nor southernmost points of the country but have become tourist attractions because people believe them to be. Both are utter cp holes that exist only to relieve tourists of money for cp souvenirs and overpriced drinks.

#6 Really surprised it hasn’t been said but…

Hollywood, California.

As someone who lives down the road and works in the area frequently, it is a shithole. Dirty and crime ridden. A few cool things locals can do frequently on weeknights, but trust me when I say everything you see on TV really is smoke and mirrors.

#7 So apparently India. Especially if you’re a female. Seen too many posts bout it.

#8 Times Square. Shops, buskers, and those overly aggressive Muppet characters all trying to separate you from your cash. It’s just a few billboards and a place to buy cheaper Broadway tickets.

#9 Hollywood walk of fame.

#10 Mount Rushmore.

#11 India and Egypt if you are a solo girl.

#12 Any of the ones where tourists are despoiling nature and hurting the ecosystem. I feel like this includes much of Hawaii.

#13 Bondi beach. Honestly one of the crappier beaches in Sydney that is so chock full of tourists that you’re swimming/relaxing with 8 million other people. If you can, go down the coast further – Wollongong, Kiama and Gerringong have beautiful beaches with much less traffic and friendlier people.

#14 A lot of people are naming “tourist destinations” that are actually just “tourist attractions.” As in, you come, you check it out for 15 minutes, and then you leave. If you go to Times Square or Hollywood and expect to spend all day there, that’s on you for not understand what the attraction is.

#15 New York City on New Year’s Eve.

#16 Wherever 7000 passenger cruise ships can dock.

#17 Dubai.

#18 Cabo. Went in honeymoon in 2017. We never left the tourist areas yet wife’s drink was still drugged. Thankfully the “free drink” they offered me, I declined. Also thankfully my wife was okay. Just needed to sleep it off. I had a friend who also had a laced drink in Cabo last summer.

#19 The Liberty Bell is a bell. Don’t know what else I was expecting.

#20 Salem, Mass. Biggest tourist trap I’ve ever been to.

#21 I‘ve been to a lot of places mentioned here and had a lovely time. Maybe you‘re all just doing it wrong?

Some suggestions that have worked for me:

1. Don‘t travel somewhere on local holidays. Yeah Paris is full on easter weekend, shocker. Also avoid school vacation time.

2. There‘s usually one really crowded tourist street but in my experience, just going a short distance into a side street will be much more relaxed.

3. Learn a few words in the local language and don‘t be afraid go to local places. There are always ways to communicate, I guarantee it.

4. Don‘t chase spots you‘ve seen on instagram, if you have seen it, millions of others have seen it as well. There are usually similar but less crowded spots nearby.

5. Learn about the culture and history of the places and spots you visit beforehand, it makes it much more enjoyable and makes you aware of what‘s important and what may just be a tourist trap.

#22 Nassau. It’s in the Bahamas and most cruise lines always stop at that port. But it’s a whole town dedicated to trap tourists into buying overpriced stuff. They play music through the whole town and you can’t walk more than 2ft without someone trying to sell you something.

#23 I’d say Paris Disneyland, if you want to spend the day in lines surrounded by crying children and angry parents pushing you, that’s the place for you.

#24 It’s not as s****y as a lot of other spots mentioned here, but Plymouth Rock is super lame. Don’t do it.

#25 I have a couple that will be unpopular:

Neuschwanstein Castle-Yes, you’ll get a great picture. The same picture that the other 500 people on the bridge are currently taking and the same one that a million people have seen over the years. There are a lot better castles in Germany to visit.

Venice-Venice didn’t do anything for me. If you want to see canals, go to somewhere like Bruges, Belgium instead. Better food, better beer, smaller crowds, etc. I’ve loved every other place I’ve visited in Italy, just not Venice.

Shanilou Perera

Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.