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?

Morocco - felt very conspicuous being a woman although this was Rabat and not Marrakesh. The men just stared and leered at you in the street.

Went to Tunisia and lived it although I was with my husband so that might have made a difference.

Phnom Penh Cambodia. The western men with under age girls everywhere- restaurants, bars, on the street. It was so sickening and upsetting. I was young, back packing aline and staying in a cheap hostel and the sexual abuse was happening there too. Young girls lined up and men paying for them. I could even hear the abuse from my room. If it was traumatic for me, what was it like for them. I felt so powerless and angry. I left the city the next day. I would never go back and even though it was years ago, I often think about it and wonder could I have done something.

Loved Vietnam. Completely awesome country (albeit 16/17 years ago)

India

The extremes between rich and poor were unconscionable.

I loathed not being able to talk to anyone I wanted to with a man telling me it was not appropriate.

It's not reasonable to be 41 degrees at night.

New York in summer. Awful, dirty, feet sticking to the pavement with fizzy drinks spilt everywhere and rubbish. Vile smells, homeless people sleeping in the subway in their urine, and everyone is trying to rip you off. Hailed a taxi cab, asked how much to get to a concert in NJ, the answer came - so much for the ride, so much for the toll and 30 dollar tip - yes, seriously, the taxi driver said that. Restaurants adding tips on top of service charge, inedible food. Absolutely vile, and even dirty toilets in the Plaza, which was such a disappointment for my dc, as they love Eloise!

Not in my experience, did the Camino from Porto to Santiago last year and found the locals exceptionally welcoming, the food and accommodation in Spain was amazing. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Mexico, Jamaica and Bulgaria are places I don't think I'll ever go back to.

I love Morocco and don’t recognise the description of it here. The people were so hospitable and friendly, even in the souks, and they made a great effort with children.

I wouldn’t go back to Barcelona - it felt dirty and crowded, although we could’ve just gone at a bad time!

Another vote for Tunisia

My sis and bil spend a lot of time in Gambia where they are hosted by an old friend. She says most of the 'sex tourists ' there are women though? Still sounds a bit depressing though its a beautiful country.
Agree about the awful immigration staff at NY Kennedy. Wonder if 9/11 affected them. I know they're probably stressed and underpaid but they even shout and bellow when you are leaving NY , not entering.

I really believe it's a one week place. Unless you like to flop by the pool (not me)

Think Londonlass61 may be projecting their own internalalised aged prejudice and lack of knowledge of their own country.
I agree, there's plenty of loveliness to be found everywhere outside of London.

This thread is ridiculous. People writing off whole countries because their hotel was bad? Or because they didn't like the one resort they stayed in?

I've been to many of the countries that people have mentioned and I don't recognise them at all.

India? had a horrible time in Kolkata, but a wonderful time in Darjeeling. Spain? I'd avoid Benidorm but loved Seville. I had nothing but good experiences in Turkey, where the locals were wonderfully hospitable, and had no hassle at all. And the list could go on.

I'm waiting for someone from another country to say they'd never go back to England because they had a bad meal or someone was rude to them in Cambridge.

Interesting @GreenMarigold - I was just thinking Brussels, and it rarely appears on threads like this. For me, it felt quite run down, soulless, and difficult to navigate. I was only there for a few days for work though, and thought it might have a more interesting side I missed. What was your experience?

I haven't visited Tunisia myself but it's interesting to see it mentioned here so many times.

My cousin (age 63 and very fair skinned so was covered up, for context - not that it should matter) was there with her husband in the summer. He went for a swim in the sea while she stayed on the beach, reading. The beach was busy so she didn't notice at first that there was someone beside her. She looked up properly to see that it was a young local guy, standing right next to her, staring at her and wanking!

I was just thinking the same.

Reading this thread, most of the world is ruined by skanky men 🙁

I wore a scarf on my head and long sleeves/long trousers though, maybe that saved me from it?
But yeah, no issue and I was alone everywhere, and we're not speaking nice hotels here but hostels on the suburbs of Tunis and Tunis itself. quite unsafe when I read about your experiences actually!

i went about 15-16 years ago. Wore long sleeves but no headscarf. Maybe the more touristy areas are worse for that because that’s where the expect to see the “immodest” women that deserve harassment?

I find these odd reasons to dislike a whole country 😂 I love Wales, the scenery is amazing.

Bali. Beautiful island but unbearably hot and humid, plus can't go anywhere without being ambushed by hawkers.

Fly via Dublin and you get a much better experience by doing immigration there. Then when you land you just get your suitcase and go.

The USA is of course a vast place either both overhyped and wonderful destinations.

Writing it off is like saying you'd never go to mainland Europe.

Italy, found them extremely racist.

@suburberphobe splitting hairs but Stephen Lawrence would have been 50 this year rather than it being 50 years ago.

@Eastie77Returns sorry to hear about your experience in SA. Your work colleagues sound ignorant.

@dayswithaY there's a non fiction book out this year How To Say Babylon that makes the same point about how most of the coastal land in Jamaica has been taken over by the 5* hotels and there's now very few beaches that local people can go to. Really sad.

I don't recognize the descriptions of Spain as not welcoming. I've traveled extensively there. We also loved Vietnam. It may have been a bit polluted in Hanoi but I didn't really notice it and thought the people were friendly without being overbearing.

I also love India but have been harassed in the past. I think it's improved (having traveled there since the 80s) and is better once you're away from the cities - with the exception of Goa, which is worse now than when I first went in the 90s.

Morocco
Probably Australia although do fancy trying NZ.

I'm saying this lightheartedly because it's trivial compared to some of the reasons on here but the bloody tipping culture in the US is enough to put me off going there again. Bloody rude service in New York restaurants and then being told that you have to tip the misery who dumped a plate in front of you 20% as they dont get a living wage, what the hell!

What, all of it? 😀

Mykonos - really did not get the hype. Much more beautiful places to visit that aren’t so unnecessarily expensive!