If You Don’t Want To Visit Places That Are Simply Overrated, Here Are 25 To Steer Clear Of

The thing about traveling is that it needs prior planning and bookings and reservations and all that jazz. However, after so much effort, when the destination itself disappoints you, you might wonder what's even the point of it all.

Well, to understand more about such overrated places, Bored Panda interviewed Saee and Nikhil—avid travelers who document their travel stories on their Instagram account, apparentlytrippy. While they have traveled to over 22 countries, the number of destinations is too many to count, as every country has multiple wonderful spots.

They told us that Luxembourg City was one such place they had visited and had been quite excited to go to. However, they felt disappointed after reaching it because it was way too expensive, lacked landmarks to explore, and the weather was very gray.

One important point that we discussed with them was the impact of social media on travel destinations. Saee stressed that social media plays a huge role in overhyping certain travel spots as influencers always tend to show idealized versions of these places, like the picture-perfect sunsets, empty beaches, dreamy cafes, and dramatic drone shots.

"What you don't see are the crowds, long lines, entry fees, trash, or how small that 'epic' spot actually is in real life. As people only see the aesthetic version of the place on Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest, it leads to overcrowding, and Venice and Rome are probably the best examples of this," Nikhil explained.

Speaking about how tourists throng to places they see on social media, the couple also narrated how over-tourism simply damages the charm of a place. Nikhil said, "Just like every tourist, we were looking forward to visiting the Trevi fountain in Rome, and making a wish by throwing in a coin. We wouldn't deny how breathtakingly beautiful it was to stand there and just gaze at it wholeheartedly."

"But then, we snapped out of the charm when people kept moving past us, so much so that we couldn't even stand in one place. In fact, it was difficult to even get a decent picture there!" Saee added. They also expressed that while over-tourism is an issue, some people just don't know how to act like 'tourists,' and they go about littering and ruining places.

Out of all the hyped-up places that they have visited, the couple felt that Cologne was the most overrated. "Apart from the Cathedral, which was quite impressive by the way, there was nothing picturesque about it. We honestly couldn't figure out why people are so fascinated by it, as there was nothing much to do over there," Saee narrated.

"Moreover, it might be a decent place to live in, but it is definitely not a touristy spot as it lacks the things we expect from a place when we travel," Nikhil added. They also strongly believe that there are a lot of underrated places out there worthy of a once-in-a-lifetime visit, like the High Tatra Mountains or Banská Štiavnica in Slovakia or the whole of Slovenia in general, which is like a fairytale.

Well, that was definitely enlightening, wasn't it? Next time I plan a vacation, I would definitely love to visit a place that actually looks just as appealing in reality as it looks on social media. Wouldn't you want to visit such a place, too? Let us know your dream spots in the comments below. Also, if our list has missed any overrated places, feel free to share them with us!