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

[travelcat]

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?

Gosh. How depressing that the majority of this thread is about the men :-(

Athens - full of dirty stray cats and pervy men.
New York - went once and don't get the hype.

Israel probably not at the moment. Beautiful and amazing as it is.

Egypt. Creepy men and men wanting money.

Agree. Not a nice atmosphere in many places. I loved the pyramids and would love to go to Luxor sometime but yeah, not my favouritte country.

Morocco, Jordan and Egypt: harassment from men ranging from constant badgering and sexual propositioning, to sexual assault in the street.

Russia - For obvious reasons but also because I felt quite threatened in Moscow the atmosphere just felt oppressive. I got lost and ended up walking through some kind of housing estate at night - obvious drug taking going on and lots of men kept approaching me - a friendly group of women eventually realised I was a lost foreigner and got me back to the metro - thankfully they spoke some German as my Russian is beyond atrocious. It was beautiful in many ways though. When I went out into the country side a lot of the people were very reserved - I just felt it wasn't somewhere I felt comfortable.

Tunisia - Perhaps it's better outside the tourist areas but felt constantly mobbed by people trying to get my money. It might have helped if I'd spoken Arabic as although French is widely used lots couldn't / wouldn't speak it

Hungary - no specific reason just found it rather boring though oddly dd went recently and loved it.

I'd love to return to Romania and Bulgaria where the people were so friendly and the scenery was stunning (but not Sofia) Italy and Greece. I also loved Mongolia and I'd like to go back to China and explore it more as I never left Beijing except on the train. I felt less threatened there than I did in Russia that's for sure

Its not that I wouldn't visit them again but I would think twice about France, their ways are just strange/rude and as some one with dietary issues its a bloody nightmare.

Surprisingly I WOULD go back to Ibiza. We won a holiday there and I was very 'iffy' as we are definitely not party people but it was actually really lovely. We didn't go clubbing but its just lovely weather for lying by the pool, a scenic place, lovely wildlife and was very quiet. Might be because we where off peak season but it is really a beautiful peaceful island.

That's hectic that you would be so happy to holiday in a country actively murdering tens of thousands of innocent people and children

@TroysMammy

Glangwesyn, Abergwesyn, Powys.

Don't understand this at all.

Well, don't bother going back in middle age – it doesn't get any better, whatever precautions you take. I was counting the minutes to get home. Revolting place.

+1 for Egypt. Intrusive tipping culture, even for being passed a hand towel in the ladies' lavatories, constant street harrassment, awful, salacious men, corrupt culture very obvious from touters/loiterers near the pyramids trying to persuade people to go away with them, constantly being approached when I just wanted to take in the sights around me, filthy dirty cities, rubbish piled up to the second storey in both Cairo and Alexandria, dead horses in canals and needing an armed escort on the roads. Plus the Giza pyramids are in the middle of a dusty suburb with the golden arches of MacDonalds clearly visible in the near-distance.

Never, ever again.

I think this is the case - I think poverty has a large part to play too. Rich, well-policed countries like the UAE and Qatar, you're unlikely to be hassled. Poor countries like Egypt, where one third of the population are in poverty, are a different kettle of fish, Western women are perceived as rich and loose-moralled and thus a potential route out of poverty.

Finally a more balanced viewpoint. It's good to make yourself aware of potential issues before travelling but such a shame people would tar a whole country so readily. You don't go to some parts of the world for a relaxing easy holiday. Many places you will be outrageously wealthy in comparison and be perceived by a lense that population has seen of western culture via movies, media, porn etc. This does not excuse especially male behaviour.

I have discussed this on here before but I am still not sure how I feel about 'ethical' travel.

Because so many countries in the world treat women or minorities badly. My niece in a red US state can't get an abortion for instance. There are other countries which treat white people very well but black people very badly.

Should we travel only in Europe?

There are some places, though, where you can be as respectful of their culture as you like and still have a rough time. Egypt for example, I covered my head and entire body when out but still got hassled. My DH and I were tricked into visiting a shop and then locked in. The hotel arranged a snorkelling trip and the guide molested me on the beach. The list goes on...

Nowadays I don't holiday in places where there is such disparity between tourists and locals. It felt uncomfortable staying in an oasis of luxury surrounded by shacks. You can't blame them for seeing you purely as a walking purse, but it doesn't make for a fun holiday.

No and I agree that it's a very tricky discussion and the grey area is very, very broad. I would have thought however that of all states we would think holidaying in is grim, Israel and Russia would currently be up there with say Syria and Sudan (under the new regime), for their utterly barbaric and in-the-open campaigns of terror against innocent people.

I've also had issues in Wales but that was North Wales. I prefer South Wales

We had a month in Vietnam.
Lovely people.
Lovely place.
We rented 2 small 110cc motorbikes in Hanoi.
Bike rental, £30 each for the month, and £100 cash deposit.
Over the month, we went out on the ferryboat, with our bikes, to Cat Ba Island for a couple of days, then returned back to Hai Phong, and rode our bikes to Saigon.
2000 km almost.
Stopping where we wanted.
Hotels where we wanted.
$10 to $15 a night..
Stunning places.

Really don't get dislike for Amsterdam - I suspect some people stick to the main tourist bits and it's like not liking London round Leicester Square/ Piccadilly-

Find your Nottingham Hill/Richmond/Hampstead etc !!

I've had many a happy few hours wandering round the market in The Pipj - or coffees ( and I mean coffee) and cake and a gallery in TheJordaan whilst hubby is off in record shops in various peripheral areas .

Yep if you handy around Dam square or near train station or red light area it's a bit weed central!!

Other thing is like the UK it's very variable weather and it's admittedly far more enjoyable in sun and not raining or windy !! As is London or Paris

Ds didn't care for Brussels but loved Antwerp. Maybe try there?

I wanted to visit N. Wales but now I’m wary, as someone of East Asian heritage I’m not sure what my experience would be like.

This is outstanding. Could be used by the Scottish tourist board to promote Perthshire as an exotic location for the adventurous traveller

I’d love to go to Antwerp just to be a fashion nerd. Anyone know is the fashion museum any good?

South Africa, felt very unsafe and hated the culture.

Turkey, constant sexual harassment.

I don't know, but it does allegedly have the best vintage shopping in Europe! I'm determined to get over there via the ferry (which has no baggage restrictions) and take a spare suitcase to fill with spoils.

And next time I go to Brighton, I mean to hire a van 😀