Tourists reveal the holiday spots they will NEVER return to – including a ‘gross’ U.S state – and the ones they’re keen to revisit (with a ‘gorgeous’ English seaside resort making the cut)
Vacations are not always the dream experiences we would like them to be.
Even to destinations that are home to world wonders, stunning mountain scenery and waterfronts beloved by the rich and famous.
On the other hand, there are also places where tourists like to return.
But where are they?
Two Reddit threads reveal all. In one, users discuss places they never want to visit again – including a “tourist trap” in the US – while another is about places users want to visit “over and over again”, with a beautiful English seaside town as the highlight, along with a city in Louisiana.
Places visitors NEVER want to go to again
In a recent thread on a Reddit forum, tourists shared the travel destinations they would never visit again, with Monaco (above) coming in for heavy criticism
It may be home to a world wonder, but tourists are criticising Egypt for being ‘ruined by scammers’
This discussion was started by Reddit user ‘Affordable Traveler’, who asked, ‘What place would you never travel to again?’
From Europe to Africa and the US: several top destinations in the world failed to convince the participants.
Included Cairo.
Reddit user ‘Cheat-Meal’ said: ‘Cairo, Egypt. I will never go there again. Sure the pyramids are beautiful but the scammers and touts ruin the experience.’
‘Crap_bag’ shared their experience in Egypt and said: ‘I got locked in a perfume shop in Egypt, still didn’t buy anything and eventually he gave up but he was a bit scary at the time. I had only gone for a walk. Also I saw a man washing his balls with a hose on the street while I was walking, so not the best first impression but definitely a memorable one.’
India Complaints were also made about ‘constant intimidation and disrespect’ and ‘being stared at, harassed and groped’.
‘Thecwestions’ declared: ‘India. No amount of love for curry could ever drag me there again.’
Floridahas been criticised as a ‘hot, dirty, filthy tourist trap’, although one user did say it has ‘amazing nature… if you can escape the clammy grip of the shopping malls to find it’.
For a traveler it was the bright lights of Monaco that didn’t impress. ‘Tazdevil64’ said: ‘Monaco! The public toilets in the palace were downright filthy! At the Monte Carlo casino the dealers and employees paid no attention to you unless you were a regular or very obviously rich.’
The price was a deciding factor for one traveler, ‘Joecoooool418’, who said: ‘Probably Switzerland. It’s beautiful but holy s*** is it expensive. The cheapest dinner we had was about $150 (£117) and most were over $200 (£156). Thirty minute train rides or lifts up into the mountains were $130 (£101) per person. The Alps are just as beautiful in France, Italy, Austria and Germany and food/activities are about half the price.’
Sometimes it’s not about the destination itself, it’s about the circumstances. ‘Gre209by’ said: ‘Rome at the height of summer. Personally, I found the heat and crowds quite awful.’
Dubai was also blacklisted by some – ‘a giant tourist trap’ – along with Jamaica (‘scandalous fraud’ and ‘crooked’).
Places tourists want to return to again and again
A Reddit user describes St Ives (above) as ‘beautiful’, with ‘pristine beaches’
‘Strictcompliance’ said of New Orleans (above): ‘This is the most culturally vibrant place I’ve ever been in my life’
On a separate Reddit thread‘Shape’ asked: ‘What place, city, resort or hotel is so good that you keep coming back?’
In the United Kingdom it was Cornwall leaving a traveler wanting more.
‘Coffeewalnut05’ said: ‘St Ives in Cornwall. You are spoilt with pristine sandy beaches in that town, great history and architecture, the sea is turquoise, there are some beautiful bays and coastal paths to walk with an endless variety of fragrant flowers. Probably the closest thing to a tropical environment you can find in the UK.’
Another traveler liked the coastal town Penang in Malaysia, where he described it as “like being in several countries at once” because of the “mix of cultures”.
They were also impressed by Oman in the Middle East, noting that there was ‘so much to see and such a variety of landscapes: desert, mountains, beaches, forests, wadis, old villages and nice people’.
‘JusthereforNachos’ said: ‘I love all of Japan, but if I had to choose, Kanazawa would always win my heart.’ Kenrokuen (pictured above) is a ‘beautiful garden’ in the city
New Orleans also received the highest score.
‘Strictcompliance’ said of the Louisiana city: ‘This is the most culturally vibrant place I’ve ever been in my life.’
“My husband and I go there every chance we get and everything we learn about the neighborhoods, the music culture, the history, the food, and the politics is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”
Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are major tourist attractions in Japan, but one traveler mentioned another place he can’t stop visiting.
‘JusthereforNachos’ said: ‘I love all of Japan, but if I had to choose, Kanazawa has my heart every time. It is known as “Little Kyoto” and it exceeds expectations.
‘Kenrokuen [there] is a beautiful garden, they have temples and geishas and their local craft is gold leaf.’