Places people rave about but you don't really have any desire to visit

[nuitdesetoiles]

I know there's some element of judgement here but just based on what I've heard, seen on TV, types of people who go there, read about..

Dubai.. like plastic fantastic, cultureless and horrifically tacky

Thailand.... Looks like it's been ruined by all the tourists and those full moon parties look a bit dark and sinister

Australia.. some parts look lovely but just seems a bit British and dare I say it racist...

U.K. - bland flavourless food, grey, not great weather, rough

Australia - too far but looks amazing

I don't have any desire to visit Japan China Thailand Russia or the whole African continent. Not saying that these places aren't wonderful but I just don't have any interest in wanting to visit them.

@lightand

Anywhere with a waterfall. The water is up high, then it falls lower. Like watching a tap.

🤣👌🤣👌🤣👌🤣

This thread is amusing.

We were discussing holidays the other day and pretty much decided that being anywhere other than London for a week would be a massive treat after the last 12 months.

This thread is blowing my mind. You don't have to love somewhere to have got something from going there. Also you might find that actually you don't hate the things you thought you would. That's why they say 'travel broadens the mind'. But... you have to allow it to

Well, I wouldn't go on a cruise at the moment. 😆

I'm pretty open-minded really about places to visit. I've been to Dubai and it was really cool. I'd like to go again. Actually, I've been to a lot of the places mentioned on this thread.

@LawnFever

Disney in any capacity anywhere, just looks like spending days in a massive queue eating shit burgers with kids crying over something or other

Again not true. Some Disney restaurants are outstanding. Look at places like Narcoossees or California Grill. Disney is also immaculate and even detail is themed, even the lines. It is a safe and fun place for the family. Disney is far more than a theme park.

Also, look at Disney’s Castaway Cay in the Bahama’s. I’ve been three times and it is so much fun and so stunning.

And then there’s Disney’s Vero Beach and Disney’s Aulani in Hawaii.

Disney is the only place in the world where I’ve stayed at some of the most beautiful hotels, with amazing views. Animal Kingdom Lodge for instance. Every morning I stepped out onto the balcony and had a coffee whilst watching the giraffe, antelope, gazelle and pick backed pelicans roaming around the little lakes. I’m positive you could find amazing places like that in Africa, but Disney allowed me to experience things like that with young children and I felt safe.

Given the opportunity, and if money was no object, I'd travel full-time. There's so much of the world I'd love to see, but there are obviously some places I'm less enthusiastic about than others. I'd avoid places with large ex-pat communities, and too Britishy, and I'm not remotely interested in theme parks. From watching food shows I'm not sure I'd enjoy Japan, China, or India either but wouldn't say I'd never go. I'm very drawn to mainland Europe and Scandinavia.

The only places I've been where I've been a bit disappointed are coastal Cornwall - amazing geology (although I prefer the Jurassic Coast), but it's pretty much closed off season, and my Cornish friends don't like tourists - and Paris (so much dog shit on the pavements when I went 20 years ago). Maybe it's because they'd been so hyped up that they were never going to "stun" me.

Dubai is incredibly commercialised and essentially fabricated to be appealing to western tourists. One of my DDs friends is from there, and growing up was incredibly difficult- their phones were tapped, not allowed to use FaceTime/vieocalling, being gay is illegal, not safe for women to be out alone, very dubious political leanings on education- they weren't allowed to learn about the holocaust when being Jewish was a crime. Could never visit knowing what it's really like.

Australia does not entice me - it is a bone of contention between my DP and I. They want to go, I would prefer NZ. Neither of us know why we prefer what we prefer, but it means we have to wait until we can have 6-8 weeks to travel both of them to appease each other

I would not entertain visiting several countries for security reasons, eg I would love to visit parts of the Middle East and North Africa, but think it is foolish to pretend that they are not dangerous places to visit when there are alternatives.

I also agree with offering no tourism money to countries with heinous human rights records.

Tbh, I mostly travel to Europe now and even then rarely - even before covid - because the cost is prohibitive. C’est la vie! Good thing we like Wales!

I would never go to.
Any all inclusive resort
cruise ship (to many people rushing to shopping destinations)
Dubai too may pretentious people
Isreal ( went once never again)

I would go to
NZ
Austrailia
cambodia
Vietnam
USA
Africa
south America

Dubai - I've seen enough from take off and landing.
Any destination where the only thing to do is sit on a beach/by a pool.
New York - it's just a big city.
Theme parks
Las Vegas
Hot places

Other people might love them but they aren't my thing.

Places I'm glad I've been:

St Petersberg, Moscow, Murmansk, Fairbanks, Juneau, Churchill, North Bay (Ontario)
Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, numerous other cities in Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland (well towns, it doesn't really have cities like we know them)

@Chunkymenrock

China-horrific animal cruelty. Anywhere hot with stray dogs and cats around-so heartbreaking.

I agree. I spent most of a holiday I took to a coastal area just outside of Athens feeding the stray dogs. My friend and I found a home for a stray puppy. Not the most relaxing holiday 🤦🏻‍♀️ I just can’t go to those sort of place anymore, which kind of rules huge parts of the world out!

I think Dubai just looks like a rich persons shopping centre in a desert, soulless and bland.
Las Vegas- concrete centre of debauchery
Amsterdam- (pretty much as Las Vegas but with canals thrown in + British stag parties- no thanks)

@nuitdesetoiles

Agree re the Maldives looks beautiful but dull. Can't be doing with places where there's nothing to do but sunbathe.

Loads of Europe is amazing! Have travelled a fair bit round Europe but there's still lots of places I'd love to visit, particularly in Scandinavia.

The Maldives is amazing for diving. If I didn’t dive I would have been bored stiff. Utterly beautiful place but yes, boring if you’re not into sea life.

Cyprus - their appalling treatment of a British rape victim has put me right off the place.

Various countries due to human rights abuses - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, China...

The USA. I know it’s very varied and there’s a huge amount to see, but after so many years of being bombarded with with American TV and films, my curiosity has been satisfied.

I’m much more interested in the places we’re never seem to hear about - Bhutan, Greenland, Vanuatu, Sao Tome and Principe... I’ve been to Bhutan and I loved it - it’s beautiful and utterly unique.

Funny how people are getting so affronted. I didn't take offence to the poster who put about "mainland Europe" despite loving much of Europe. I can fully appreciate what I look for in the holiday destination might not be everyone's cup of tea and vice versa.

The Australia thing, it's not somewhere you can try and see for a long weekend. Getting there is expensive and you'd need to be there a long time to make it worthwhile. It just doesn't have enough of an appeal to make it worthwhile both financially and using precious annual leave.

I'm happy to try a shorthaul destination in Europe for a long weekend and see if I liked it though. There aren't many places I don't fancy visiting in Europe though to be fair.

A lot of our holidays so far have been based on a compromise so the kids enjoy it, e.g Cornwall, the resort in Mallorca etc. As soon as the flight paths are open again I'm looking on Skyscanner seeing where's cheap to go to and going there... Even if it's not a bucket list place!

@ThePlantsitter

This thread is blowing my mind. You don't have to love somewhere to have got something from going there. Also you might find that actually you don't hate the things you thought you would. That's why they say 'travel broadens the mind'. But... you have to allow it to

Most people like to travel. I do. But this is a light hearted thread about where you wouldn't choose to go... most of us will never visit everywhere anyway!

Can we play the alternative game too? Places people are really negative about, but actually you'd love to go there at the moment.

I'll start the list:

• Softplay.
• A motorway service station.
• Bournemouth.

HibernatingTill2030 yes, I see what you mean and maybe I did take it all too seriously but seeing so many people posting in an almost proud way about their prejudices - that they're just not prepared to challenge - is a bit depressing. But it's fine I shall just choose not to look at it

Someone has mentioned Amsterdam, I can totally see why it wouldn't appeal. I've been 5 times and love it, however I know it pretty well now and no where to avoid.. most of the horrible tourist cafes near the station and round Dam square for example.

The Dutch government are trying to clean up Amsterdam, both literally and it's reputation. They're clamping down on the red light district and the cafes, there's amazing culture there it's just been eclipsed by the "party destination" element.

A few destinations in the US- Las Vegas probably wouldn't be my cup of tea.

Other than that it's probably only the cruise ship that I couldn't cope with. My db raves about them, but I would find it stressful: being cooped up in this very artificial manmade environment with very short visits to the shore, always worrying about how to get back to the boat on time, and nothing much to do on board except eat and go to the gym. The way he tells it it's basically food and stressing about how to get back to the docks on time.

I did go to California once because of work and enjoyed it more than I'd expected. My BILs holidays in Florida look like everything I would least enjoy, but I am sure you could use the same location to go bird-watching or something I really would enjoy.

I would love to go to some of the places people have mentioned (Japan looks like it has beautiful scenery, India & Thailand I'd be really interested in the architecture, could get excited about visiting a rainforest anywhere), but I don't see how I could justify it on environmental grounds.

Funny how people are getting so affronted. I didn't take offence to the poster who put about "mainland Europe" despite loving much of Europe. I can fully appreciate what I look for in the holiday destination might not be everyone's cup of tea and vice versa.

I wasn't offended by it, I just thought it was absurd to write off almost an entire continent.

@Roystonv

Ha! Poor food in the Lake District, what a weird comment.

I know right, so weird and ignorant.

Australia.. some parts look lovely but just seems a bit British and dare I say it racist... I think this too.

I hated Paris, over priced, busy and felt very unsafe in some areas.