I’ve been on plenty of trips where I was slightly (or extremely) disappointed. Honestly, I blame social media and misleading travel influencers for the expectations I set for some of my past trips. But, on the other hand, I probably should’ve done more research on my side before making any plans.
It turns out, I’m not the only one (and you’re probably not either). This Reddit thread I found from optimalbrain90 proves it. Here are the places travelers really expected to love, but didn’t:
1.
“Dubai and Bali. Dubai seems so fake. Bali was overrun and the beaches were dirty.”
3.
“Cape Cod. I’ve read so many books set there. Famous people have holiday homes there with great architecture. I was very underwhelmed. Wouldn’t go back.”
4.
“Sedona. When we hiked through Zion National Park, folks said we’d love the hiking even more in Sedona. Everyone said it had magical vibes, but we just weren’t feeling it. It is truly beautiful to look at, particularly at sunrise/sunset. But my happy place is Zion, I think, because when you hike through the canyons, you feel like you’re a part of it, rather than on the outside looking in.”
5.
“Los Angeles.”
6.
“Being in Ireland has left me traumatized, jaded, in despair, and hateful. Can’t wait to leave.”
7.
“Switzerland. Sure, it’s beautiful. It’s also incredibly touristy, crowded, and wildly expensive. Terrible food. We wouldn’t go back. But we LOVED Austria — all the same beauty, less expensive and commercialized, and much better cuisine. Austria and Banff are just as beautiful as Switzerland, if not more.”
8.
“New Orleans. My partner and I are not ‘big drinkers,’ and it seemed that was all there was to do on Bourbon Street. I know, I know, NOLA is more than Bourbon Street, and there’s a lot of fun stuff to do. To be fair, the live music scene was incredible. But there are many other places I would go back to before visiting New Orleans again.”
9.
“Nashville.”
10.
“Santorini, Greece, and Kotor, Montenegro. Both are stunning, but the towns are overcrowded with tourists and have nothing but gift shops and tourist trap restaurants.”
11.
“Venice. It was my least favorite of all the cities and places I visited/stayed in Italy. I loved the architecture, but I didn’t like the atmosphere. I love Liège and Amsterdam, but I found Venice gloomy. Also, I kept thinking of the horror movie, Don’t Look Now, so it didn’t help.”
12.
“Charleston.”
13.
“Azores…I still liked it, but had very high expectations.”
14.
“Key West.”
15.
“Thailand. It was way too hot and humid. And the very obvious in-your-face sex tourism in Bangkok was a bit much. Then add a bunch of drunk Australian frat guys, and I was over the place pretty quickly.”
16.
“Portland, Oregon”
17.
“Iceland. It is very pretty and different, but not enough to make me want to go back.”
18.
“Barcelona.”
19.
“Paris. I’ve been twice, each with an expectation that I will love it. And I just don’t. Last time I got stuck in the metro at the airport with the cardboard ticket not working and had to pay a cleaner €20 just to get me out. I almost missed my flight. It also feels like a place where you need a lot of money to enjoy it. Sometimes a negative experience can really color your view of a place.”
20.
“Norway, specifically Oslo.”
Have you been anywhere that was a complete letdown? Let us know in the comments or the anonymous form!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
