Places not to see before you die

[Adnerb95]

Anyone else got a list of holiday destinations they are really not bothered about visiting - even for free?

Mine includes:
Las Vegas - too bloody tacky
Florida - too humid
Norway - too many dark trees
China - pollution?
Australia - 22 hours in a plane? No thanks
Hong Kong - too humid
Madeira - too many people my age (old)
Iceland, which everyone raves about

Norway is breathtakingly beautiful - not just dark trees (Norwegian Wood is not a documentary song )

DubaiismyBlackpool I've had the misfortune to live in 2 places on your list.....

I think you can find good things and good people in all places. You just have to look harder in certain places. And much much harder in some places!

“Also never fancied going to Mauritius or the type of place where you are literally just on the beach and have nowhere else to go. “

Shows how much you know about Mauritius!

Spectacular temples, a forested mountainous national park with stunning viewpoints and hiking, all sorts of activities such as canyoning, going up rivers in boats, longest zip lined in the world over ravines where huge fruit bats fly under you, markets in the cultural Creole / Indian / Chinese towns, Sega music on the beach, ‘attractions ‘ such as Tea Plantations, Rum Distilieries and Sugar Plants....

We loved Vancouver Bin - never felt unsafe!

HK wasn't too humid either - it's easy enough to get to somewhere with some fresh air

I loved Vegas for a couple of days, but that was plenty and I can't see myself bothering to go back

I will admit to being completely underwhelmed by the Giants Causeway, and would need a very good reason to go back to Bolton, Middlesborough or Derby again

I would swerve Dubai and Las Vegas. I feel uneasy amongst ostentation and wildly unecological ‘manufactured ‘ places.

Africa - maybe excepting Morocco
Middle East
Far East

Jordan - hot, dusty, full of rubble. Absolutely lacking in any kind of charm.

Yup, that sums up Petra and Wadi Rum to a T. God damn that dusty rubble.

To be fair, one man's wine, etc. I really don't like Los Angeles. Plenty of people think it's brilliant.

I’m swinging in to drop in Hull, former City of Culture 2017 dontcha know. Keepin’ it real....

I remember Vancouver for three things:

1. The unremitting rain
2. The two young grizzly bears in the park at the top of Grouse Mountain playing together and
3. The policeman who was pinning some man he was in the process of arresting on the ground with one foot while smiling and saying “good evening ma’am” to me as we walked past. In my mind he was wearing the type of boots you see in pictures of Mounties but I think that may be a false memory. I’m sure Vancouver is nice in the sunshine but I don’t think I’ll be back.

I would not willingly go back to Las Vegas. I didn’t like Madrid much for no particular reason. I think the Middle East would be too hot and to culturally challenging.

Blackpool
Redditch
Manchester

New York - huge city with tall buildings. I don't see the appeal.
Dubai - lack of women's rights, yet quite happy to take our money!
Japan - they kill whales and dolphins.

Australia doesn't appeal, but only because I'm a terrible arachnophobe. If there is a place in Australia that is free of humungous terrifying spiders, I'd quite happily go!

Dubai sounds like a bit of a bore with regards to the shopping malls.

I've only visited Florida on my original list - not a bad experience just a bit "meh"

However, everywhere else has been visited by close family and friends and even when they've had a great time, their positive reports seem to be just things that don't appeal to me personally or where the selling point can be found a lot closer to home, with a load of other pluses as well. So Australia - ."life is lived outdoors" great, I don't have to travel for an entire day to find somewhere where that is true.

If Norway isn't full of dark trees their PR departments are doing a v bad job of selling it!

I'm with PPs on Dubai, Benidorm and North Korea. And yes, I'm sure China is not all polluted, but friends who visited said the lovely scenery was spoilt by the regimented nature of tours and quite a lot of rudeness.

As far as India and Africa are concerned, the fact that one is a sub-continent and one a continent is probably the clue to a wide variance in climate and landscape. (And I'm aware you could say the same about China!) UGanda is one of my favourites - stunning, welcoming and not at all what I expected. Also North East India scenic, temperate climate and exceedingly welcoming people.

OP only lighthearted everyone - I'm sure others will have had a grand time in some of these.

I would agree that someone would not lose out too much if they didn’t see Bolton

My sister goes to Bolton uni, after her interview she told the lecturer she was going to go to visit Manchester that evening. His response: "oh yeah, how close Manchester is is one of the best things about Bolton...if the UK was a human being Bolton would be the arsehole". He's meant to be selling the town to people

Oh dear. Just finalising a trip for DH and I to Vancouver next year!

I want to go everywhere - may not like it, but at least I'll have tried it.

Was pretty underwhelmed with Hong Kong - others love it. Didn't like LA but loved Santa Monica. Dubai - a bit iffy, but glad I've been - and would love to go to the desert camp (Al Maha?) just outside the city. South Africa - wonderful - want to go back and drive the garden route.

I do think the success (or otherwise) of a trip can largely be down to the planning - which is the fun part for me anyway. Everywhere has got it's good points and bad points, I think.

Newcastle
Rome
Hamburg

If somewhere offers you travel anywhere for free, take the opportunity. At least then you have a factual basis for any misgivings you have about a place.

Having said that, all these people dismissing fabulous places means fewer hordes for me to contend with when I get there.

Have you been to any of these places though? I have been to China and it's incredible. It's not all polluted.
Norway is beautiful.
It's a strange thing to Write about unless you have been to and not enjoyed these places

Rome? Seriously? And Jordan - one of my favourite places. So many fabulous places listed here being dissed with no basis!

Fwiw Mauritius/Canada and Yosemite are AMAZING!! Very beautiful

AnotherDay - what didn't you like about Hamburg? It's on my to go list.

Op, have you actually been to any of these places?
Florida- I’ll admit, I wasn’t keen at first. But I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Choose when you visit carefully, it’s not humid all year round.
Norway- beautiful, Not just dark trees! Amazing scenery and welcoming people
Iceland- I know it’s a bit “trendy” right now, but it’s bloody amazing. Great art scene, incredible sea life, good food...
Keep an open mind op, you sound really dismissive which is a shame, you are missing out on so many experiences.

I’m just back from Vancouver. Was sunny, bit smoky because of loads of BC forest fires as well as smoke from California. Saw no worrisome behaviour. Quite a lot of homeless folk but then that’s sadly been on the rise in London too. Bears still up grouse mountain. But bigger now. Seemed happy enough.

Kids loved it. (Started in Calgary and took in Banff/jasper/Vancouver island and Victoria). Would go back in a heartbeat.

@onetimeposter how can you say you don't want to go anywhere in the Far East and then say you want to see China & japan? Have you looked at a map?!