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?

I never had a tummy bug in Thailand, 1 year of Turkey, Vietnam, two months of Tunisia. Eating in all the street markets and drinking tap water. The only tummy bug I had in my life was a full on food poisoning from a hotel next to Peppa Pig world 😆

I don't think Brits could get visas for Russia very easily even before February 2022.

That's correct. About a year before Putin invaded Ukraine I was looking into possibly going, but when I found out just a visa was £200 and you had to traipse to London to get it, I decided not to bother.

Romania. Misogyny & terrible food.

Sounds like my perfect holiday but then I like a bit of edgy.

@Bobskeleton · Today 20:40

phillippines.
It takes soooo long to travel between the islands. I do think this is more of a me problem though, and my bad planning.

We were thinking of going to the Philippines. Can you only travel between islands on ferries?
I’m an emetophobe so ferries are off the itinerary. I don’t mind small planes though.

I agree, Riga is fab. Been there a few times due to my husband working there. He doesn't need to go there for work anymore but we would definitely go back again. The old town is lovely and the bars and restaurants are brilliant. And we loved the market.

Albania. It was an experience but I wouldn't go back again. There was a strange feeling of 'menace' which I can't really describe but we didn't feel at all comfortable. We went to Sarande and there were a lot of very luxurious villas which were half built. Our guide pointed them out and made a joke that the sons were in the UK making money to bring back home to finish them - 'doing bad criminal things ha ha.' There was one gift shop we went in where we were invited to 'come in and have an eye around' which was better English than our Albanian, but this is now our shorthand for when we are looking around anywhere. We're having an eye around.

That said, the archaeological remains at Butrint were amazing.

Israel. I stayed in Eilat so can’t speak for the whole country. Very unfriendly atmosphere whilst there (90s) and I found the city really ugly.

Bulgaria, wouldn't go back if you paid me, absolute sh**t hole! Went for 2 weeks tried to get a flight back after 3 days, but was too expensive, so just had to suck it up. Food was atrocious, never had one decent meal anywhere, in 2 weeks, the local shop was like something from the Soviet Union, it only opened for an hour, there were ques of Russians,it's a popular Russian holiday destination and the shelves were cleared in under an hour!. The people were horrible constantly trying to scam you and rip you off and so rude, and Sunny Beach is so sleazy and dirty, not a place to take kids in my opinion, I was counting down the days to leave, in fact as we got off the plane on the tarmac my DH actually kissed the ground! 🤣
Would never set foot in the place again.

Definitely something in this, and also the exponential growth in tourist numbers due for example to a growing Chinese middle class, means it’s harder and harder to find uncrowded spots.

@Flidina well I went in 1993 but unless it's improved radically I totally agree- the food was so shit I lived on a diet for a week of chips with cheese on them and cheese on toast with paprika sprinkled on it. Horrible vibe!

I loved Marseille too. And the locals were unfazed when I found myself with blown headlights having to drive 30 minutes to one of the outer arrondissements after midnight!

I was warned by a van driver pulled up alongside me at some lights not to have my mobile in its holder with the car window open or it would be nicked. But we didn't actually see any crime. I took my pre-teens on a late-night wander around one of the more run down arrondissements on the hunt for a Lebanese takeaway. Felt just as safe as at home (I am aware that this is a subjective experience; as a Londoner, it is the sort of thing I would do around Tower Hamlets at night, but I know others wouldn't).

It does have a serious organised crime element. But you don't see that or experience it unless you have reason to come across it. Which you don't when you're just going about your business.

Those asking why people went to Tunisia - I went to see the ancient sites of Carthage and El Jem. I’m glad I saw them but still wouldn’t go back.

The seedy bits are super easy to avoid. We took our then two year old with no issues. Go out towards Volerdam park and you'll be fine. It a beautiful city with so much to do and excellent transport links to other parts of the country.

One of our favourite places to visit 🥰

@WearyAuldWumman i presume that quote is for the lady bitten half to death by angry Scottish midgets @DonnaBanana rather than me. I feel for her I really do it must have been a pretty traumatic experience doing battle with cannibalised Scottish short people talking a foreign language. I can’t believe she went to Scotland and expected the indigenous people to actually be speaking English and as for square sausage oh my god what a disaster. Well I’m afraid to declare its Scotlands loss and I’m sure our great tartan wearing midgets are going to be half starved at her refusal to ever revisit. Times are hard eh😀

@Barbadossunset we mostly took ferries but there are plenty of domestic flights so it shouldn't limit your experience.

Thank you Bobskeleton. We’ll look into it.

Yes, it was. Sorry for giving the impression that it might have been for you, although I did mean to tag onto your comment.

Not only am I woefully uncultured, but I'm also technologically inept. I've spent far too many years dodging wild haggis and it's had quite the effect on me. Small mercies though...no mention of DB being force fed haggis slice for breakfast.

I loved Singapore - clean, orderly an
very safe but very strict on law and order.

So I can see why some people describe it as "Disneyland with the death penalty "

Absolutely no need to apologize. “ Woefully uncultured, technically inept” we’re a match made in Heaven hahaha. Oh my word haggis slice would have tipped her over the edge although trying to catch the devious little buggers would have taken her mind off biting little people and square sausage. I have to confess she did make me laugh if that’s all she’s worried about.

I'm from London and moved to Wales in my thirties.

This is so, so random. Don't recognise any of it.

Must be depend in on the part. London isn’t perfect but it’s a great city. I have been to many a developing country but London doesn’t remotely resemble any city in any developing country (cannot speak for Glasgow as have never been though I want to.)

You are from the UK, it's pretty big, which part, I don't believe you were a Londoner unless you are very young as London is miles away from what it was in the 80s, 90s even early 00s, if you think it is bad now when it really isn't - it is candy coated version of itself, the essence of London has been lost and it's all about property values now, if you mean 'that' London, I can see why you may argue that there has been a decline in standards but otherwise I really don't think it's a real reflection on the situation.