Do I just go home?

[DoIgohome]

I've been on holiday for 2 days. I hate where I am (European city).

A lot of issues.
I can't find any good places to eat in a walkable distance.
My hotel is pretty grotty (not dirty, just old).
Hotel in a dodgy area and I don't feel safe going outside early morn or into the evening.
Weather is temperamental.
The city is grotty and definitely not one I like.

I've talked to holiday provider about at least moving hotels but they've refused. I've spoken to 2 different people.

Do I just give this up as a bad job, lose about £1500 and get a flight home? I can't afford another holiday anytime soon.

I'm not much of a crier but I cried tonight. I've travelled alone before so I'm usually a very confident traveller.

@DoIgohome

Do, please, tell us where it is, OP.

There will be posters who will advise on great places to go.

Another vote for Naples which is rough in parts - if there take stunning train trips or Uner from your hotel to the central fancy bit

Oh I’m sorry it’s like that. Make sure you leave a review when you’re safely back home.

Good luck in the new place, let us know how it goes.

Oh dear. I'm not going to engage in teenage stuff. Just leave it. Not interested.

If the city is Rome I can't understand your attitude i'm afraid- You can just wander around Rome and see hundreds of amazing buildings and sights- the food is expensive, and not that good- but that is true in many capital cities including London you have to spend a fortune to get really good food, especially in touristy areas.

I'd make the best of it, look for a walking tour or food tour so you can explore with the safety of a group if you aren't comfortable alone. Take a few taxis to get to nicer places to eat, stock up on some nice snacks and wine and chill in the hotel and read a book. Look for a cheap Airbnb in an adjacent town. It would have to be really awful or unsafe for me to return home early from a trip I'd spent £1500 and a week of annual leave on!

Ok, well OP, not much more to say.
So I'll just leave with best wishes for a safe return 🙏

Sofia? Fly home op. I have been, its not great and I wouldn't return.

Dont be so defeatist! Sorry about the grim hotel and bad area, but theres no rule that says you have to stay there 24/7. Most European cities have public transport. Get up and get out and remove yourself from where you are, spend your days in the better parts of the city and then go back, rest, have a glass of wine and go through your photos. This city must have attractions that you wanted to see and that influenced your decision to fo there??? Surely you didnt plan on spending your whole holiday in the hotel and immediate neighbourhood? get out to the parts of the city you DO like, and make the most of it. Put your energy into salvaging this opportunity to have a holiday and experience something new instead of into sulking and wanting to give up and you'll feel a lot better. Sorry OP, I know youre feeling down and a bit disappointed but you also sound like a wet blanket - get up and go do something and see if you cant make it better.

Maybe it’s Gstaad? A dump compared to what she’s used to. Or maybe it’s Pyongyang and someone with a distinctive haircut is watching her.

Unless your username is outting and you’te hiding from someone it makes no sense to keep the place a secret.

@palona

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-brussels-railway-police-belgium-trains/

That's from 2024 but I went last year and it was just as bad (IMO) as it's always been. I like Brussels on the whole and feel safe in the centre but it's just that area as you start to walk towards the Midi station, it's not nice. But you said we, so you won't be alone, which is what I would be most worried about.

@DoIgohome If I hated somewhere that much I would just leave. There’s no medals for enduring it. I went to Tunisia once and absolutely hated it (thankfully not on my own). Had I been there for two weeks instead of just the one we would have left after the first, the money be damned.

Oh I use Brussels Midi all the time, often in my own - it's not great but I have never been shot, stabbed or robbed. A perspective here guys.

I was thinking Athens or the Greek Islands. Possibly Crete.

As much as it's frustrating that OP won't divulge, I do hope she can make something positive of her holiday. Sounds like she just needs to explore further.

Good for you, full of admiration for your efforts.

Perhaps we forget how life has deteriorated so badly in many countries.
I would find it extremely distressing to be in the Canaries and see refugees for example. I do find seeing people in a bad way distressing. And yes, dangerous.

These silly names like Snowflake are utter nonsense.

I had a lovely time in Athens with my teenage daughter last summer 🤷‍♀️ We used busses regularly and had no issues whatsoever. It was a magnificent place I thought. Plus, it has sandy beaches 🏖️

I also never realised people thought Brussels Midi was rough. I change trains there when going London to Cologne. Again, never had any issues.

Maybe because I'm used to rough parts of London I don't notice 😂

Last year we spent money coming home early from a holiday that we just didn’t like. We decided that our time was better spent at home than trying to enjoy something we didn’t like. The difference was that we knew we had other holidays lined up and we didn’t feel like the money aspect was a big thing (if you have scraped together a holiday then you are more likely to feel like you need to suck up the bad times and make the best of it). OP I see you have decided to stay but if you want to go home then get a flight home as actually having done this once I would have no issues doing it again if the holiday wasn’t working for me.

Oh ok then! Ignore what I said it's fine

This reminded me of my visit to Naples. I appreciate that you don’t want to share where you are OP, but if you are, I can recommend a day trip to Ischia on the ferry (maybe see if any of the hotels do a day pass), and that the coach to Pompeii is much nicer than the regional train.

Hope you manage to make the best of it. Maybe worth looking up nicer hotels to see if non-residents can have lunch or dinner there - might get some better options.

Well to be fair it's not inside the station that's rough! Although I've just been put right on it being dodgy as someone upthread has never been stabbed there.

Well done to you hope you enjoy. Ignore the negative.

I do challenge you to find ONE think you love about the place after your trips and let us know. Enjoy!

Are there sandy beaches in Athens? Who knew?

I’ve got it! OP has gone to Midsomer. It’s very dangerous there…

I don't think it is Naples, because while I can see that the city isn't everyone's cup of tea, it is so easy to go visit lots of interesting places from here. I reckon it is Brussels. I like Brussels, but you do have to work a bit at it to find the interest and beauty there. Also, the area around the station is grim.

@Saltysweetspicy not need to be that sarcastic - the area around Brussels Midi isn't the nicest but it is not a dangerous stations. Millions of people use it yearly for domestic and international travel