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30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
TravelAPR 9, 2023

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was

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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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Dubai. It features so much about what I don't like about humanity. All money and no substance.
338points

#2

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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
279points

#3

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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.
276points

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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Las Vegas, Nevada. The crowds, the noise, and the general debauchery were just too much for me.
209points

#5

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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.
208points

#6

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.
Report
184points

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

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.
180points

#8

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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.
164points

#9

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Hollywood, specifically Hollywood Boulevard. It's really janky, the whole town kind of smells, and it's just wholly disappointing.
164points

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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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
159points

#11

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Dallas. Endless subdivisions and strip malls and mega-churches. And the name “Metroplex” tells you all you need to know about its charm.
153points

#12

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Mobile, Alabama. There was a palpable aura of anger and resentment in that town that I'll never forget.
148points

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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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
137points

#14

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Port-Au-Prince
Was 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.
132points

#15

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
125points

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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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.
114points

#17

I'd like to avoid going back to San Francisco if I can. It just makes me sad now.
112points

#18

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
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.
108points

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

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Manila
1. Traffic
2. Pollution
3. Poverty
106points

#20

30 Cities That These Tourists Never Plan To Visit Again Because Of How Nightmarish The Trip Was
Stockton, CA. The McDonald's had an armed security guy.
102points
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