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

Dublin. Grey and wet and completely underwhelming

But I agree one experience of weather, company, choice of ‘highlights visited’ can affect your whole impression. That said I won’t be back to Dublin anytime soon

Iceland was phenomenal

Tate Modern would probably be okay if other people were banned from it; as it is, it's hideous.

Birmingham, New York
I lived in Birmingham and just couldn’t stand the entire place. Maybe I lived right in the city centre so had a negative experience but my oh my, ghettos, drugs (saw someone openly taking heroin). It rained the entire time I lived there (unless it was snowing) I remember walking around and being entirely depressed with the landscape. Bleak and full of tower blocks. The only PR pic they seem to use is the bullring. That is nice. But it’s one building.
I’m sure people like it. My whole family visited me once while I was there they agreed was not great.

New York was ok but just that. I really wanted it to be great but I found it a bit dirty and overloaded with obviously homeless people which was just sad. No real will to go back.

FWIW I loved Mauritius and went on a few trips there. Saw whales and dolphins etc and went out and met locals a few times who were very friendly, haven’t the desire to go back but I’m glad I went. I’m well travelled having worked in travel and like experiencing everywhere for myself before forming an opinion.
Saying that, anywhere where that is dangerous according to home office also doesn’t tickle my fancy!

I would be interested in going to India, but I know someone who went and said its dirty, polluted and bloody stinks, so that's out for me.

India is all of those things, but it is also completely amazing. I love India. Every day you see something you never even knew existed. It's full of surprises.

Lanzarote - windy, chilly, boring.

Not been to Dublin but can recommend Belfast: The Dark Hedges (Game of Thrones), amazing Giants Causeway and Rope bridge walk. Was blown away.

A pp said Cuba but I loved it so it's horses for courses.

Paris - hated it.

Don't fancy New York or any part of the US for that matter, South American, Africa, middle east, far east, Asia.

Quite fancy Australia but not the long plane journey,

Gibraltar. I visited in 1987 & returned to Spain after a couple of hours, swearing I'd never go back. It was dirty & run down. I had no desire to go to Australia but went last year, for a wedding and it was amazing. I can't wait to go back.

Places I've been and would never go back to: Orlando - specifically Universal and Disney - was shit.

Places I've never wanted to visit for no reason apart from ingrained prejudice - Germany (not including Berlin), Dubai. Australia.

Places I would love to go and have never been - China, New Zealand, anywhere in South America, the pacific, Haiti.

Places I have been and loved - Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Amsterdam, Spain, South west USA, New york, Scotland, Wales, republic of Ireland.

Egypt. The pyramids are just about OK due to their sheer impressive size, but they're just piles of blocks of sandstone. Lots of temples that would have been good in their day, but likewise, just piles of blocks of sandstone. The sphinx would have been OK but a bad mix of old and new which ruins it. Valley of the kings - loads of holes, no doubt where they dug out the sandstone blocks. Other than the history, the place is filfthy and grossly overcrowded.

Skegness is one place I can think of that I’ve visited and would not want to return to. Also Blackpool. Not a fan of that type of seaside setup.

Lots of my favourite cities are mentioned on this thread though! Especially Rome and Geneva. Love both.

Anywhere that the English choose to holiday en mass.

Funnily enough Moonlight I was just thinking about this thread and thought that Skegness was one place I definitely wouldn't choose to go back to. (I used to have a good time when I was a teenager & went there on the bus with my mates though - was the cheapest & easiest seaside place to get to by bus.)

No desire to go anywhere in the USA. I just don't understand it as a country.
We may speak the same language but it feels so alien to me.

I'be enjoyed most places - standouts were Australia New Zealand Fiji Japan Beijing Morocco California and the Ardeche region of France, the Lake District and West Coast of Scotland.

Dull towns are a necessity everywhere so I try not to linger to long (I'm looking at you grimsby Hartlepool Hull Kings lynn Stafford Redruth and didcot).

I'm not sure there is anywhere I would pass up the opportunity to visit - just in some cases when it's a little safer - Afghanistan Iran North Korea & parts of central Africa for example. But if someone offered me the chance I would take it. I might not go again or like it - but I'd go and have a peek.

Yes Skegness is utterly depressing. I think most UK seaside towns are. Nothing for anyone to do, disillusioned youth, high unemployment, and mainly elderly population.
There are always loads of NHS jobs in seaside towns away from cities.
I thought Euro Disney was pretty shite.

Been and wouldn’t go back: (travelled a lot, so this features rarely but...)

Barbados. Beaches were lovely and some things (caves/orchids/best meal I’ve ever ever eaten in my life at ‘The Cliff’) but the poverty elsewhere was not okay at all and the divide didn’t feel nice.

Been and would go back:
Maldives
Anywhere in west wales (genetically biased).
Mallorca (didn’t want to go much, had to eat my words, palma city and some beautiful coastal villages/small towns not all all what I expected)
North East Spain (Tamariu, Lloret (not Lloret de mar!) lovely places.
Sri Lanka
Zanzibar

I wouldn’t visit :
Egypt
Tunisia
Turkey
Cape Verde
China
India
Orlando

I would love to visit Australia and different North American states(apart from Fl). Also Canada.

I won’t go to Dubai but currently in lanzarote. Done loads (not boring) and some spectacular beaches and snorkelling. Horses for courses.

Tenerife, awful grey, tacky and depressing.

You went to the wrong part of Tenerife if you think that, I thought the scenery was stunning (Anaga Park, Masca, Teide,) and I loved La Laguna (town).

www.theguardian.com/travel/2016/dec/12/northern-tenerife-canary-islands-volcano-winter-sun-wine

www.lonelyplanet.com/canary-islands/tenerife/la-laguna

www.google.co.uk/search?q=masca+tenerife&rlz=1CATAAB_enGB740GB742&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj64tmKxY7dAhUMAcAKHUq0DXsQsAR6BAgEEAE&biw=1093&bih=523

I agree with a couple of PP that Barcelona is overrated - I definitely didn't hate it though, just did not live up expectations given how so many people rave about it.

Don't think I have been anywhere that I loathed/hated - Narbonne (France) was dull, dull, dull though. Wouldn't go back there, so many nicer places in that part of France and in France generally.

Australia and South Africa don't appeal to me at all. I've no interest.

Places I have been to which I wouldn't go back to: Cairo, Barcelona, Sicily, Glasgow, and Liverpool.

My favourite places are Hong Kong (used to live there), Paris, the Côte d'Azure, Turkey, and Israel/Palestine though I wouldn't go there now I am very glad I did.

Lucky enough to have visited over 50 countries with work and adore Demark and Norway which has the cleanest air I have ever known, love sensory overload of India and also passionate about West, East and South Africa

Underwhelmed by Dublin as a city, same goes for Washington DC because of rich/poor divide although I do get that sadly that features everywhere, didn’t really enjoy Japan, Toronto has been called New York run by the Swiss and can understand that, it was too clean and efficient somehow

Liverpool. I found it very depressing with people drinking at 11am.
Aran Islands- utterly bleak.