Traveling is one of our greatest passions, and we wish we had the time to visit more and more places each year. Alas, we’re forced to be very selective about where we travel! While we’re busy planning our vacations, we start hyping ourselves up about how utterly amazing the entire trip will be.
But there are a lot of factors outside our control. And it pays off to do some background research before you buy your plane tickets. Redditor u/Gourmet-Guy sparked an interesting discussion on the r/AskReddit online community after asking folks to share what cities they’d never visit again and why. Read on to see what they had to say and what cities you might want to reconsider vacationing in.
Redditor u/Gourmet-Guy, who started the thread in the first place because they were a victim of Paris Syndrome, shared their thoughts on traveling abroad and avoiding tourist scams with us. You’ll find Bored Panda’s interview with them below.
#1
Dubai. It features so much about what I don't like about humanity. All money and no substance.
Image credits: zordabo
#2
Marrakesh, Morocco. Only place I’ve ever been that I’ve sworn I’d never go back to. After 2 days of walking around followed by groups of men and boys trying to touch my wife (who was dressed modestly with legs and shoulders covered), followed by aggression when either me or her voiced our displeasure with this, we gave up trying to sight-see and spent the rest of our vacation in the hotel.
Image credits: ItsSupperHans
#3
Mobile, Alabama. There was a palpable aura of anger and resentment in that town that I'll never forget.
Image credits: Casual-Notice
To be fair, whether or not a place is worth visiting will depend a lot on the traveler. Some folks might value wonderful food and pristine beaches and so they’ll be very critical of otherwise gorgeous locales that don’t impress them in those two areas. Others might want to immerse themselves in the local culture and don’t mind the chaos. However, some cities are simply hostile to tourists or downright dangerous for all visitors, whether they’re coming in from the next town over or flying in from abroad.
For instance, Listverse notes that Kabul, the capital and largest city in Afghanistan, is incredibly dangerous due to the threat of terrorist attacks. The same goes for Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, where hotels and recreational areas are commonly targeted by attackers. We’re not talking about ‘just’ being swindled out of your money in the local market or having to deal with ‘soulless’ skyscrapers—these are life-or-death questions you have to consider.
#4
Dallas. Endless subdivisions and strip malls and mega-churches. And the name “Metroplex” tells you all you need to know about its charm.
Image credits: AMerrickanGirl
#5
Cairo. I've seen everything I wanted to see there, but would never return. Tourists are treated like cattle there, by those involved in the tourist trade, much to the embarrassment of the many good Egyptian people who live in the city.
Image credits: kublakhan1977
#6
Port-Au-PrinceWas checking my watch every few minutes counting down the days and hours until I could leave. It was a scary place where even those that are supposed to protect you are open to attacking and robbing/kidnapping/murdering you.
Image credits: rayrayrayray
The World Population Review reports that in November 2022, the 21 worst countries in the world to visit included Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, North Korea, Palestine, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The dangers there range from active military conflicts to the high risk of being assaulted, robbed, or held for ransom. The countries themselves might be beautiful and have a long and storied history, however, this doesn’t negate the fact that they’re incredibly unfriendly to tourists. Especially those unversed in local customs and who clearly act and speak like they’re foreigners.
#7
Las Vegas, Nevada. The crowds, the noise, and the general debauchery were just too much for me.
Image credits: Interesting_Bet5855
#8
Egypt Sharm El Sheikh.The ressort was fine.
But stepping in the city market....big agressive vibe towards woman tourist. even when the bf is next to her
Image credits: genkieveryday
#9
Pattaya.Never have I ever seen so many disgusting men and the down-classing of women so in your face.
Addis Ababa.
Absolute s**t hole. No idea where the city starts and the mud ends.
Manila
Traffic is literally 24 hours a day. It move took me 4 hours to go 10 miles.
Image credits: anon
However, it’s not all doom and gloom in all corners of the Earth. According to a recent report published by insurance company William Russell, the top 10 safest cities in the world include Taipei (Taiwan), Tokyo (Japan), Prague (Czech Republic), Copenhagen (Denmark), Singapore (Singapore), Vienna (Austria), Lisbon (Portugal), Madrid (Spain), Sydney (Australia), and Toronto (Canada). So if safety’s your primary concern as a traveler, these might be the cities to look into for your next trip.
#10
Canberra . I saw a bit of an ugly drug and angry youth scene that I never dreamt existed in Australia. Couldn't leave the place fast enough.
Image credits: McMetm
#11
Atlantic City is just bizarre. It feels like a run-down, smallish city, but it's weirdly dotted with glitzy casinos. It's like Vegas and Scranton got drunk one night and made a really strange baby
Image credits: full_of_ghosts
#12
Cabo. It’s an Americanized beach with American prices with gang members offering you drugs every 50 feet.Bored Panda was very interested to learn what had inspired the redditor to start the viral thread in the first place. They were kind enough to tell us all about it. Like many other people, the OP was dissatisfied with their trip to Paris. In fact, it’s a phenomenon that’s so widely known that it even has its own name—Paris Syndrome. In short, it's the deep disappointment that people feel after realizing that Paris really isn't all that it was 'supposed to be.'
“I finished a journey lately which led me—next to other places—to Paris,” u/Gourmet-Guy said.
They listed all the things that went wrong with their trip. For one, there were too many tourists (though the redditor is aware that they were one themselves) and plenty of “pissed-off locals” who were angry at them.
What’s more, the French capital was “too chaotic, too dirty, and in the end, the classic hot spots were overhyped.”
“In addition, the local scene is not really interesting to me,” they shared that this horrible experience made them want to hear about other redditors’ recent travel disasters, too.
#13
Nassau, Bahamas absolutely horrible. Place is extremely run down. Locals don’t leave you alone and don’t take no for an answer . no I don’t want to buy a wooden flute from the 90s, no I don’t want to but D&G sunglasses from china for $80. Idk maybe I had a bad experience but I’ll never go back to the Bahamas, at least Nassau
Image credits: rodman666
#14
I don't need to go back to Miami, or at least to South Beach. My husband and I went last year and it was a little bit of a nightmare. We always find fun together, so it was still a good vacation, but I'd rather spend money elsewhere.
Image credits: loudlittle
#15
Bradford, UK.It just doesn't have a lot going for it, unfortunately. The sort of place where when people find out you are from out of town, they ask what you are doing there, but not in a sort of cheery "Oh, what are you here for?" way, but a "Seriously, why have you chosen to come here?" way.
Image credits: BobBobBobBobBobDave
In u/Gourmet-Guy’s opinion, some of the red flags that a city might not be worth the trouble include being overrun by tourists, “Especially from the American and Asian blocs who typically do rush-through travel.”
Some other red flags include vastly raised prices for goods and services, as locals try to scam tourists out of their hard-earned cash. What’s more, cities that tend to have nothing much going for them usually have one “super-hyped signature attraction, but nothing else.”
The OP didn’t want to share any of the awesome cities they think are worth visiting because they’ll “be flooded with tourists.” However, they were happy to share some tips and tricks to help travelers avoid getting scammed.
#16
Manila1. Traffic
2. Pollution
3. Poverty
Image credits: blacks11
#17
Fez, Morocco.The harassment of tourists by peddlers in that city is mind-boggingly aggressive and orders of magnitudes worse than anywhere else.
It doesn't help the old city is a labyrinth where Google maps does not work. You stop for one second to try to orient yourself and you are surrounded by people offering to "help" you. So stressful
#18
**LAS VEGAS** would be one, but at least I had fun there. Two others come to mind:**VENICE**. It is beautiful. It is unique. I was moved by it. But it is also...
a) unnecessarily expensive,
b) surrounded by black waters (they stink!),
c) non-practical to get around (you have to walk through the same bridges over and over again to get to different parts of the city),
d) on the verge of turning from "beautiful, old architecture" to "decaying, unsafe, old architecture",
e) full of ANNOYING TOURISTS, though I was a tourist myself.
...
also, **MONTECARLO, MONACO:**
a) there is nothing to do there if you're not part of the trending jet set (have money to splurge around),
b) everything is expensive,
c) save for the tiny, ordinary beach, everything else takes place indoors,
d) there's nothing unique about it: French, Italian and Spanish coast towns are way more beautiful and charming than Montecarlo,
e) **NICE** is right around the corner (a 20 mins bus ride), so go there instead.
Image credits: valdezlopez
According to u/Gourmet-Guy, the most straightforward but complex piece of advice is learning to speak the local language. Even knowing a few core sentences can make a vast difference in how you’re treated.
Meanwhile, try to avoid street markets, and stay away from tourist hotspot restaurants. “The fewer English menus available, the better. Check out the restaurants that the locals frequent, too,” the redditor shared their thoughts with Bored Panda.
They added that you should try to avoid giving off too strong of a touristy vibe, too. “In some cities, you are regarded as a walking wallet if you strut around with your city guide, camera or smartphone, and funny T-shirts.”
#19
Birmingham, Alabama. My wife was almost kidnapped right in front of me while I was holding our infant. Luckily she’s scrappier than she looks and they gave up when they couldn’t quickly shove her in the car.
Image credits: starwestsky
#20
Blackpool. Not unless I'm forced against my will#21
Cairo.... My god... I have said this before but... the pollution, the people asking you for money everywhere you go, the mistreatment of animals... I wish I could say that the historical side of the city makes up for it but... nop.#22
Hollywood, specifically Hollywood Boulevard. It's really janky, the whole town kind of smells, and it's just wholly disappointing.
Image credits: rancidtuna
#23
I'd like to avoid going back to San Francisco if I can. It just makes me sad now.#24
New Orleans, for fun at least. I’ve had to go there a lot for work and witnessed the following:On Bourbon st. I saw two guys get into a scuffle then one pull a gun and aim it at his head.
On Poydras st as we were pulling out of a parking area a woman dropped trou and started s******g infront of us
Next to the Superdome as a crowds of people were pouring into the stadium a guy pulled his peeper out and started pissing aimed towards the crowd but not in proximity.
In French Quarters a woman pulled her car in front of us and began beating a man yelling he’d be going back jail.
Place is out of control.
Image credits: Lives2Splooge69
#25
Kamloops. It's dirty, and whoever designed their roadways had no idea what they were doing.#26
Stockton, CA. The McDonald's had an armed security guy.
Image credits: KarlSethMoran
#27
Paris. Somebody spat on me and called me a filthy Jew. I got lots of evil looks the whole time I was there because I was visibly Jewish. Never again will I visit Paris.#28
I'm both shocked and pleased to see Detroit yet-to-be mentioned in this thread.It isn't perfect but as a city it's **really** turned itself around over the past 15 years.
#29
Ashgabat, glad I went, but creepy. Total authoritarian dear leader surveillance state. Basically can’t leave the hotel unless escorted. Bad food.Utterly fascinating, but can totally scratch it off my list of “been there, done that”
#30
Memphis, TN. Had to do some field work there. Cool park next to the river. Cool BPS pyramid. Never seen so many people driving around with cracked windshields. Almost got hit while driving multiple times by people running stop signs and red lights. Last straw was when I was coming up to an intersection, had a green light. Noticed someone in a white truck coming from the left. Slammed on breaks, barely slowed enough for the white truck to pass just in front of me and T-bone a sedan that was in the lane next to mine. Firemen had to jaws-of-life the car open to get the guy out and immediately sent him off to the hospital in an ambulance. Guy wasn't moving or responding to EMS, don't know if he died or what. Immediately called my boss and told him I'm GTFO and going home.#31
Miami - the beaches aren't worth the traffic and the hotels / restaurants / bars are astonishingly pretentious / expensive for how mediocre most of them are.I'm also perfectly content to never go to Venice again. I figured that looping it into a weekday work trip and being there in April would mean fewer cruise ship tourists. I was very wrong. It is almost as though you shouldn't even bother going out during the day, I was only able to walk unimpeded during the evening hours.
#32
Gary, Indiana. Should be self-explanatory.#33
Nashville. Felt like I entered the same bar over and over and over again. Bachelorette parties everywhere. Great for age 25.from Bored Panda https://ift.tt/60jfKpJ
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