Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask which country you would not visit again and why?

1000 replies

travelcat · 15/09/2024 19:58

I love hearing about travel experiences and am interested in knowing about places you have visited that you wouldn't go back to.

AIBU to ask which country you'd avoid in the future and what specifically made your experience less enjoyable? Was it due to culture, safety, or something else?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
Marcipex · 15/09/2024 23:52

Turkey. Being harassed by men in the street, harassed to buy if I dared glance into any shop, harassed to buy a boat trip if I looked at the sea.
The terrible Erdogan government, and now they are going to cull thousands of dogs and cats.

ChishiyaBat · 15/09/2024 23:52

All the hate for Wales is sad, it's so beautiful.

mathanxiety · 15/09/2024 23:54

suburberphobe · 15/09/2024 20:58

Reading all the appalling stories on this thread, someone needs to start up a country with no men.

Duh! This will never happen, as you know. Typical Mumsnet. Men are the enemy. No they are not. While most on Mumsnet hide behind dreadful men in relationships and marriage.

Get out of your comfort zone, get down to the gym and do a self-defence course, then you can travel to your heart's content. This world really is a wonderful place to explore.

Yeah because fisticuffs on a foreign street will solve your problems...

Unbelievable.

Oktagrammata · 15/09/2024 23:54

Turkey.
In one week saw 3 road traffic fatalities.
Waiters have no manners.
Got accosted all the time.
Taxi drivers shopping on their phones while driving .
Food poisoning.

DoloresHargreeves · 15/09/2024 23:56

This is excellent. Happy to hear that all the idiots who think that an entire nation is "unfriendly", as if their country is some sort of theme park and they should plaster on a smile for the tourist, are going to be leaving those poor countries well alone from now on. A win for Italy, Belgium and Switzerland I'd say.

whyamiawakestillitssolate · 15/09/2024 23:56

I agree on some of the previous posts :

Belfast - went for a wedding about 13 years ago in a gorgeous hotel in the countryside but found driving through the city suburbs very intimidating - all the murals / flags etc - felt like a war zone still and I really didn’t like it

Turkey - probably a bit unfair as it was over 35 years ago but went as a child and still remember clearing running straight upstairs whenever we got to the hotel as I hated that all the staff would want to touch my hair (I’m a bit red), I got really really ill with food poisoning and we saw a goat with its throat cut hanging from a tree from our hotel window - not the best holiday memories!

Santorini - don’t get the fuss, too touristy, too busy and the donkey cruelty (we did not use them but many were) made my daughter cry

However I do love the USA - I can see its faults but it’s my happy place

fridaynight1 · 15/09/2024 23:57

Albania. It’s not a horrible place but the instagram hype is purely hype. Outside of the very instagrammable hotels and some out of town beaches there really isn’t very much to write home about.

The main tourist resort and beach are not nice. Sarande beach is dirty and full of fag ends, rubbish bins are overflowing, the sea is not clear and the promenade smells of sewage. There is certainly a lot of building work and investment going on but the infrastructure is not there and without that it will all come tumbling down very quickly.

The archeological sites are amazing. But I’m not sure the instagrammers are interested.

Velvetcupcakes · 15/09/2024 23:58

Crikeyalmighty · 15/09/2024 23:10

@NonsuchCastle got to admit California is one of my favourite hols- we've been 4 times now - Laguna, Santa Barbara - love it!! I like LA too but I'm just really specific- we stay in West Hollywood or laurel canyon , walk in that sunset and Melrose Ave area or use the car, drive to studio city area or Griifiths park or the Grove or Santa Monica or Burbank or Pasadena etc - I stick to really specific areas all the time and specific places.

I think plenty of US is awful- land of freeways and strip malls - but lots of it can be a great holiday too -my H really liked Chicago and Milwaukee too and Austin, Texas and phoenix etc -

I love Chicago. Much prefer it to New York.

NonsuchCastle · 15/09/2024 23:59

Drinkdrinkduuurink · 15/09/2024 23:11

I haven't been to New York City, but I have no real desire to as the twin towers was such an iconic part of the skyline I think its lost something.

My brother was on the top of one of them earlier in the year they were destroyed and I'm forever envious of him.

As much as I loved my first visit to London, there is one elephant in the room. What on earth have they done to Big Ben? Looks like a big cheese slice around the clock face. You don't change an iconic landmark regardless of "that's how it looked 150 years ago". When it was built the statue of liberty was a different colour than it is now, with the weather changing the tint....you don't see it being "restored to it's original colour".

Idiots!

You think NYC has "lost something" but you've never been there? Come on, now.

Drawahardline · 16/09/2024 00:03

@suburberphobe I will say this and say it again: NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE TRY TO FIGHT IT IT STILL HAPPENS. I do not want to live in a world where I am discriminated for who I love, my gender, race, age etc. it’s not as black and white as “take a self defence class and deal with it” there are fucking children being abused by predatory men. I will not simply “co-exist” with such monsters.

also, have you ever walked out on the street and been hit by a man simply because you held hands with your husband or partner? Because I was, for simply holding my wife’s hand.

people like you are disgraceful.

Jellybeansweets · 16/09/2024 00:05

For me it would be Dubai, way too engineered and in your face consumerism. Very dark history behind the country too, built by slave labour etc.

Another one is Bali. Terrible traffic and litter issues alongside the problems of over tourism (locals being priced out etc)

NonsuchCastle · 16/09/2024 00:06

Drinkdrinkduuurink · 15/09/2024 23:50

On my one disappointment in visiting London, this is how not to ruin a landmark by not "restoring it to it's original colour".

No-one in New York City would be daft enough to change it back.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4652254/The-Statue-Liberty-RED-turned-green.html

It's verdigris. That's what happens to copper.

Cantabulous · 16/09/2024 00:08

Germany. So dull. I’ve never had fun in Germany

Upupandaway10 · 16/09/2024 00:11

ButtSurgery · 15/09/2024 20:21

The Gambia.

Felt unsafe the moment I left the hotel compound. Constantly being groped and pawed at by men everywhere I went, even with an escort. Ended up wearing a ring on my left hand and making up a husband in the military.

"Sex tourism" (prostitution / exploitation) was rife and absolutely appalling - white men in their 70s with young girls in mid teens at the eldest, getting them drunk in the hotel bar before taking them upstairs - totally blatant in front of the staff etc.

I also got very sick on the 2nd last day - either the salad I ate (totally avoided it before then, don't know what I was thinking!) or from handling cash at the market where I bought a few bits, then not washing my hands until 2hrs later at the hotel. That lasted nearly two weeks...

So no I won't be back.

ETA - my luggage tags went missing on the way home and the bag had been rifled through. I received the tags a few weeks later in a envelope with a letter from a man sending me his photo, address and begging for money for his honesty in returning the tags. 🙄

Edited

Sounds an awful place Confused

NonsuchCastle · 16/09/2024 00:11

Cantabulous · 16/09/2024 00:08

Germany. So dull. I’ve never had fun in Germany

But, but, the SAUSAGES!

meercat23 · 16/09/2024 00:11

Any of the places that have said they don't want tourists. That is OK. If they don't want me there, I won't go!

Drinkdrinkduuurink · 16/09/2024 00:14

To this, a slice of cheese sir?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

Big Ben - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

WearyAuldWumman · 16/09/2024 00:14

Carrotmccarrotface · 15/09/2024 20:18

Tunisia. Grim lecherous men!

Kosova. Same.

Nottogetapenny · 16/09/2024 00:15

Terracata · 15/09/2024 20:22

Same experience in Egypt

Show quote history

Just the same in Turkey. Never again, even in the holiday was free!

Harry12345 · 16/09/2024 00:15

RainbowColouredRainbows · 15/09/2024 21:59

Czech Republic. It was so dirty and I felt so unsafe. We were in Prague and just got so bored, we literally left and took the bus over to Germany after 1 day for the rest of the holiday.
Malta as well is not worth the money getting there. Very meh.
I love Italy but I'd never go back to Rome again. I just felt like I spent the entire trip beating off scammers and I remember a lucky lucky man yelling at me for not buying some of his sunglasses. It was tiresome.

Hod they’re two of my favourite places, I thought Prague was spotless and so much to see and do

BlackShuck3 · 16/09/2024 00:17

This is why I never leave the village, I knew I had the right idea ☝️😁

DdraigGoch · 16/09/2024 00:18

I don’t understand the attraction of Dubai, a friend keeps going and is always on about the shopping.

You can get a pretty similar experience by visiting the Trafford Centre with an armful of fan heaters

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In
This thread is not accepting new messages.
Swipe left for the next trending thread