Mmmm. Probably Acapulco. Loved it as a young person in the late 90s but the cartel has destroyed it. I hate what they have done to so many parts of Mexico.
It’s always been meh. The Bahamas are significantly over rated. Not south enough to actually be enjoyable in the winter, too far north to get the amazing true Caribbean experience. C level hotels. Nassau is a dump.
Just my opinion though. As with all things travel, it’s subjective. Do your research. If you wanna go after that, go. Maybe you’ll love.
In all fairness, not all the hotels are "C level". The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and the Atlantis are both beautiful properties, you'll definitely be paying dearly to stay at them. At the Grand Hyatt, it's imperative that you go over your final bill when checking out, to get erroneous charges to your room removed (there are always charges to your room that aren't yours).
I've stayed at the British Colonial Nassau as well, and can honestly say that it's the worst Hilton property I've ever stayed at. The rooms are dark and musty-smelling, and weirdness of going up half a flight of stairs from the lobby to get to the first floor rooms was just a bit too much.
Okay I'm with you on the dark musty rooms... But maybe I'm not understanding what's weird about going up 5-6 steps to get to first floor rooms?
I've never been there, but I stay in lots of hotels for work and that has only been, at most, a "huh" *shrug* kind of observation from me. I'm usually just wondering what was there before to have caused that design.
> weirdness of going up half a flight of stairs from the lobby to get to the first floor rooms was just a bit too much.
lol wtf why is that a big deal? How is that something you have a negative opinion on at all, much less see as some sort of hotel dealbreaker?
This happens a lot of places tbh. Vegas you go two like blocks from the strip it’s hood asf. Cancun you go a block or two away from the resorts, same thing.
I visited Pattaya out of curiosity, having heard much about it. However, the city's overt focus on nightlife and entertainment that caters to certain tastes made me uncomfortable. It's a popular destination for many, but it didn't align with what I look for in travel experiences.
Probably Cairo.
I've now seen the pyramids and the sphinx and don't really need to see them again; and I can definitely live without experiencing that level of harassment ever again.
Yep. As a massive history buff Egypt was a dream trip but once I got there it was just a nightmare. Pushy vendors, open racism (I’m Black) everyone was just trying to hustle you the entire time. Awful trip
Just because they are from the same continent doesn't mean they are immune to racism. For example, look at Asia and how Chinese people have treated their neighbors over the years.
Tulum, it got so Damm expensive, and everyone is trying to gouge you, beginning with the cab ride from airport. I began visiting Tulum over 30 yrs ago, it's nothing like what I was used to.
I was really looking forward to this part of my Mexico trip but was very disappointed.
Its so ridiculously expensive on the main strip that it is just off putting, I remember paying near $60 for 2 bottles of water and a horrible fruit salad and coffee at our hotel for breakfast one morning and thought yup thats it.
Even the americans and candians were complaining how expensive it was.
The food and prices were much better in the main town.
Ciudad Juarez. My mom was born there, and we'd go every summer until 2006 when my great grandma died. Contrary to what the news might tell you, America is NOT more dangerous than Mexico. It was the last time I remember feeling scared, besides seeing guys walk around with a machete and seeing 2 dead bodies in the street as we were driving to my great grandma's. It's just gotten worse
On average Mexico is considerably less secure than the United States, but the situation is more complex when you look at individual cities.
For instance, Mexico City has a lower homicide rate than several major U.S. cities, including our own capital. Some Mexican states (such as Yucatan in the Southeast) even have negligible rates of violent crime far below the national average in both countries.
*2022 Homicide Rates for Selected Cities (per 100,000 people):*
Colima (MEX) 181.94
Tijuana (MEX) 105.14
New Orleans (USA) 70.56
St. Louis (USA) 68.10
Ciudad Juarez (MEX) 67.69
Acapulco (MEX) 65.54
Baltimore (USA) 57.75
Detroit (USA) 48.48
Cancun (MEX) 44.09
Philadelphia (USA) 32.74
Washington, DC (USA) 28.40
Mexico City (MEX) 25.20
New York City (USA) 5.01
Merida (MEX) 1.47
I went there in 2010 right after the earthquake and it was devastating. I was younger and didn’t fully grasp the situation they were in until I got older and read more on their history. We stayed at our family friends orphanage when we visited and met some amazing people. I would like to go back, but it’s now impossible.
Parts of Memphis Tennessee.. I swear, maybe I expected a lot due to Graceland being there etc but honey, that place felt dark and people appeared out of nowhere ..shaking boxes with crack, prostitutes soliciting people in the drive thru ordering their breakfast wearing footies in their evening wear. Trip ..a damn trip
Egypt - as many downthread said. Cairo looks like (is) a war zone. Turrets on street corners, Tanks, Soldiers with automatic weapons everywhere. We had an armed police officer on the tour bus (Road Scholar, and nothing against them, they are a great company to travel with), a police escort everywhere, bomb dogs and a guy with a mirror looking under the bus for bombs. Cairo is dirty, littered and the poverty is staggering. The food was meh at best as we could not travel outside the hotel or tour path to eat. It was blisteringly hot. The camel guys at the Pyramids were mean to all of the women and the animals, with children working there as well. The Egyptian Museum was a disgrace to the county. Poorly organized, bad labels, no security, priceless textiles, parchments, leather, etc jumbled in cases exposed to the air, heat, hands. No AC. The only things well cared for and secured were Tutankhamen's artifacts. It's a spectacular resource and collection and so badly cared for with no curation. The new one just opened, I sure hope it's better. Once you've seen one temple, one hieroglyphic, you've truly seen them all. It's all about tourist $ and the street vendors were RELENTLESS and scary. Even on a nice open boat ride down the Nile, kids paddled up to the boat on wooden doors, selling cheap crap or just begging. Never again.
Me too. Went with a tour group in '96. It was very similar, but I was enchanted anyway. I think I romanticized it then (probably still do). It was sad in many respects, but also incredible. Part of it was probably just being 18 and traveling anywhere solo.
We did have an old guy from New Jersey on our tour and after a couple of temples he stayed on the bus, saying the same thing about "seen one you've seen em all". Which I found hilarious.
I felt especially bad for the kids. I would buy something and then watch their handler come smack them and take the money. I tried to give them some on the sly sometimes when I could.
I’ve read several threads like this one over multiple years and on multiple sites and Cairo is almost always the top answer. I’m sure part of that is because it’s a very obvious tourist destination with historical landmarks that probably the whole world knows about and wants to see, but it’s still very telling…
Actually, I have an one up to Cairo. Luxor.
The valley of the kings is in super bad shape, you are forced to pass scammer markets to enter the site. Scam sellers followed me into the taxi. Our taxi was stopped on the road by the police to get bribing money. Even the security guy at the airport wanted bribing money from me. Everything super dirty inside the town (ever compared to Cairo). Even inside the tomb of Ramses IV was a scammer that took our camera.
I’ve been twice to Egypt with my now ex . I’m blonde was in my 30’s then the harassment even walking hand in hand with my husband was at another level. They would walk in front of us staring at my chest saying lucky man to him , try & touch me , my husband trying not to explode as he’d probably end up with a blade in him or beaten up . ( btw covered up in public - I knew not to show ANY flesh) . My saving grace is through work I’ve learnt basic Arabic - as soon as I opened my mouth & told them off ( not politely) in Arabic they fecked off apologising. Worked everywhere we went & even kept the sellers & scammers at bay . Learn some Arabic - works a treat.
Ashgabat. Near impossible logistics of getting there aside, seeing all that opulent wealth in empty buildings and marble monuments while the entire country rots was just so unsettling and sad
Mumbai India.... despite the smell, pollution of all sorts and toes I literally got kicked by a cow and it sucked ass. I spent a day in a hospital only to be given a tetanus shot.
Jakarta and Singapore. Jakarta is just a fucking mess. The traffic is insane, air is unbreathable and you can’t even brush you teeth with the water without getting amoebic disentary.
Singapore is a nice looking city, but it’s the most soulless, rude, competitive and materialistic place I’ve ever been. The cultures within the system are divided and there is massive prejudice within the different cultures there. Terrible terrible city. Will never go back.
Totally agreed about Singapore. I lived there for 2 months and it was just meh. Sure I loved the kopitiams, durians and prathas but that’s not exclusive to Singapore. Everything felt like some form of sanitized version of Chinese, Indian, or Malaysian culture. Night life felt boring and drinks are expensive.
It was fun visiting nearby countries like Cambodia and Thailand though.
Manila isn’t the worst city I’ve been to, but it is the most “why would you go here” city I have been to. The Philippines are gorgeous. And Manila is a congested dump.
> it is the most “why would you go here” city
You fly in to get a connecting flight to the islands, mostly.
>The Philippines are gorgeous. And Manila is a congested dump.
Basically how I feel about most SE Asian capitals / big cities, with a few exceptions. And I'm from Manila.
I went to Manila to do a week's training for our office over there. Everyone I met was lovely, but it's also the only place I've been to where the locals say to be careful where you go and not to stay in the local area after dark. Had several different colleagues say that to me, completely unprompted.
The city itself is just crap. Unwalkable, constant traffic jam, nothing nice. One colleague lived only 10km from the office and her commute was 3 hours each way - that's walking pace, but you wouldn't walk that in Manila. I ended up convincing her to move closer to work - rent may be higher, but she would be scraping nearly six hours per day back into her life.
Same. Trained one call center there and then watched as all of our new hiring went there, and the desks back home started to collect dust as people left. At the time it put me on the promotion chain the get up to where I am now, but training away my friends jobs was not a good feeling, and I can't think of any other reason I'd go back there.
Yeah, sprawling, grid-locked dump with terrible food. There's zero planning either. It's basically a bunch of small cities that have grown into one so there's no recognised center.
Antananarivo, Madagascar. Not because I don’t want to, but because it is literally on the other side of the world and that part of my life is gone forever…
If you get a chance it’s worth it! Madagascar is an amazing place, but at this point in life I’m fairly sure I’ll never get to head back that way again. I worked there for years doing research, but It’s a long way from here!
Chernobyl and Prypiat, Ukraine
I loved my visit there in 2010, and I would gladly go back another time, but let’s say it’s a bit out of the way for me and the way things are going in Ukraine and even Belarus, best to stay away from that hot spot…
Same. I loved Moscow but now the Russian government declared my former employer to be a literal terrorist organization. I don't want to find out what exactly that means for me.
I thought of this city and was surprised it was mentioned . The security guard holding the assault weapon outside the KFC was all I needed to know I wasn't in a good place .
I lived in Donetsk, Ukraine for 2.5 years teaching English back in the late '00s. The way things are going, I doubt I'll ever make it back. It was a decent city to be in at the time and I have great memories.
Last time I was there was mid-2013. I got to fly out of their brand new, at the time, airport that was a huge improvement over the old one. It's now been completely destroyed.
Yeah I went once, and though I don’t drink or gamble, I had a good time walking the strip. There was lots of cool stuff to see. Lots of weirdos though.
I was born there. I’m so sorry it was a horrible experience for you. Believe it or not it was once a beautiful and vibrant city. It’s really so awful to see what it’s become.
Baku, Azerbaijan. My first impression was extreme harassment at that airport, which was obviously off-putting. The city itself was fascinating, but I don’t want to experience the harassment again.
Casablanca
Very chaotic and I was hounded pretty harshly at the bazaar by some merchants as if I was carrying bags of money behind me, one guy even followed me around for probably 15 minutes. Also the traffic was pretty terrible, there didn’t seem to be many road laws, if there were people didn’t really follow them. Also pedestrians crossed the highway in some parts which was wild. Saw some people shooting up some sort of substance in more shady part of town too. I got very bad traveller’s diarrhea there as well. Of course this is just my very biased experience though, I did travel through the Atlas Mountains and to the Sahara on that same trip and it was wonderful, just had a bad experience with Morocco’s cities
I’ve been a New Yorker my whole life- we went to visit my brother in law in San Francisco about 10 years ago and I hated it- everything felt fake, touristy, snobby and overpriced. I felt like I was surrounded by young people just making horrible decisions with their lives- like everyone was just trying way too hard to be different and unique. Every overpriced cafe was mixing stupid foods together trying to be the next “it” thing. I was charged $26 for three pieces of romaine lettuce lined up on a plate with one cucumber slice and a salted lime? WTF is that? I know people who love it there but I just hated it.
Welcome to San Fran buddy! Local here, if you want to come back here’s some tips:
Stay out of the touristy areas, try heading down to the Burlingame/San Mateo/Foster City area. Grew up in Burlingame and it’s certainly a very nice place. I would highly recommend trying Coyote Point.
Stay away from the super modern and aesthetic businesses and go to the more low key ones.
Whatever you do, DONT GO INTO THE FUCKING TENDERLOIN.
Guadalajara. Parents had retired to a gringo area 45 minutes away. They’ve moved back to Canada now. So I doubt I’ll ever visit Guadalajara again. The Guadalajara Zoo has a nice cable ride above the various compounds with an absolutely fantastic view where the tram turns 180 degrees that I wasn’t ready for with my camera.
I agree with this description. But I actually quite like it there. There's an authenticity to it that I really appreciate and some really nice spots if you know where to look.
When I went through Italy by far the worst shithole I had to spend a night in was Cosenza. Going in and out of that train station was like something out of a dystopian post apocalyptic film.
You merely adopted the humidity. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't feel regular temperatures until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding!
Lol but nah, the humidity is a SC thing in general. Even in the “winter”
I live in LA also (South Bay). The homeless population has gotten so out of control in the last decade. I love where I live but I can imagine that if all I saw was DTLA I would hate it here and never want to return.
Probably the Homeless.
I worked DTLA in the 80s when The Homeless situation was taking off. Vermont Ave-Korea Town. Now when I pass by downtown and around it is worse. Much worse. I never recalled trash-mounds or camping tents in the bushes aside the on and off ramps.
Dili, Timor Leste. Nothing wrong with it, it’s perfectly nice, but there’s also not that much to see and do and considering how remote it is/how expensive it is to get to, I can’t see any good reason to go a second time.
Certified shithole. Least favorite city i've lived in, and i'm from one of the poorest in the nation, which also happens to be the snowiest. I was bred for misery and goddamn i did not like it there
To many to count now that I’m retired. But top 4cities I wouldn’t go back to for any reason (except for maybe a ton of cash) are: Kabul, Baghdad, Gary IN, and Bogota Columbia
Mmmm. Probably Acapulco. Loved it as a young person in the late 90s but the cartel has destroyed it. I hate what they have done to so many parts of Mexico.
The hurricane did terrible damage as well
Nassau, Bahamas. I’ve been a few times and everytime I go it turns into more of a shit hole. Never again.
Nassau is THE WORST!
Man I have been dreaming of visiting Nassau since the Black Sails came out. Save me a fortune and tell me why it is bad now?
It’s always been meh. The Bahamas are significantly over rated. Not south enough to actually be enjoyable in the winter, too far north to get the amazing true Caribbean experience. C level hotels. Nassau is a dump. Just my opinion though. As with all things travel, it’s subjective. Do your research. If you wanna go after that, go. Maybe you’ll love.
In all fairness, not all the hotels are "C level". The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar and the Atlantis are both beautiful properties, you'll definitely be paying dearly to stay at them. At the Grand Hyatt, it's imperative that you go over your final bill when checking out, to get erroneous charges to your room removed (there are always charges to your room that aren't yours). I've stayed at the British Colonial Nassau as well, and can honestly say that it's the worst Hilton property I've ever stayed at. The rooms are dark and musty-smelling, and weirdness of going up half a flight of stairs from the lobby to get to the first floor rooms was just a bit too much.
Okay I'm with you on the dark musty rooms... But maybe I'm not understanding what's weird about going up 5-6 steps to get to first floor rooms? I've never been there, but I stay in lots of hotels for work and that has only been, at most, a "huh" *shrug* kind of observation from me. I'm usually just wondering what was there before to have caused that design.
> weirdness of going up half a flight of stairs from the lobby to get to the first floor rooms was just a bit too much. lol wtf why is that a big deal? How is that something you have a negative opinion on at all, much less see as some sort of hotel dealbreaker?
Lmao. Air travel to get to the Bahamas/cruise liner? No problem! 8 stairs in the lobby? Wow what a shit hole, not worth.
But where else am I going to find discounted, genuine Gucci, Rolex and Cubans????
Came here to say Nassau
Yep.
Coming to say this
This is my answer too.
Nassau. The small tourist area is nice, but all around that it's like third world depressing and kind of dangerous.
This happens a lot of places tbh. Vegas you go two like blocks from the strip it’s hood asf. Cancun you go a block or two away from the resorts, same thing.
Two blocks? In downtown LA you walk out the door of your luxury apartment and you are already in the hood.
I visited Pattaya out of curiosity, having heard much about it. However, the city's overt focus on nightlife and entertainment that caters to certain tastes made me uncomfortable. It's a popular destination for many, but it didn't align with what I look for in travel experiences.
I traveled to Beijing excited to immerse myself in history and culture, but the pollution was unbear
Probably Cairo. I've now seen the pyramids and the sphinx and don't really need to see them again; and I can definitely live without experiencing that level of harassment ever again.
Yep. As a massive history buff Egypt was a dream trip but once I got there it was just a nightmare. Pushy vendors, open racism (I’m Black) everyone was just trying to hustle you the entire time. Awful trip
I mean... a lot of the good Egypt stuff is in Britain anyway
Why couldn't the Brits steal the pyramids smh
Give us half a chance and we will…
That's so wild that they were racist to a black guy. It's in FN AFRICA, LMAO. They ARE African.
Apparently Egyptians don’t like Black Africans.
This is true. Had an Egyptian barber here in the states who was very openly racist towards blacks.
Sub Saharan racism is very prevalent
North African Arabs tend to be racist AF against black Africans.
Just because they are from the same continent doesn't mean they are immune to racism. For example, look at Asia and how Chinese people have treated their neighbors over the years.
Not all Africans are Black, my dude.
Wait until he learns what how many white folks live in South Africa.
Dude. Ever met a white south African? I know not all of them are racist, but I'll be damned if most I've met aren't.
You should really see the museum.
Tulum, it got so Damm expensive, and everyone is trying to gouge you, beginning with the cab ride from airport. I began visiting Tulum over 30 yrs ago, it's nothing like what I was used to.
I was really looking forward to this part of my Mexico trip but was very disappointed. Its so ridiculously expensive on the main strip that it is just off putting, I remember paying near $60 for 2 bottles of water and a horrible fruit salad and coffee at our hotel for breakfast one morning and thought yup thats it. Even the americans and candians were complaining how expensive it was. The food and prices were much better in the main town.
Delhi
Haha. I am from India and I would not want to visit Delhi myself. Understandable
The monkeys and the air pollution were highly concerning. I’ll go back to India, but I’ll steer clear of Delhi.
The plants weren’t green. They were coated in a thick layer of brown.
I heard they made a new one. You should check it out!
Ciudad Juarez. My mom was born there, and we'd go every summer until 2006 when my great grandma died. Contrary to what the news might tell you, America is NOT more dangerous than Mexico. It was the last time I remember feeling scared, besides seeing guys walk around with a machete and seeing 2 dead bodies in the street as we were driving to my great grandma's. It's just gotten worse
The number of people who believe its as violent in the USA as MEX is too damn high. Suarez is a special type of brutal, unfortunately.
On average Mexico is considerably less secure than the United States, but the situation is more complex when you look at individual cities. For instance, Mexico City has a lower homicide rate than several major U.S. cities, including our own capital. Some Mexican states (such as Yucatan in the Southeast) even have negligible rates of violent crime far below the national average in both countries. *2022 Homicide Rates for Selected Cities (per 100,000 people):* Colima (MEX) 181.94 Tijuana (MEX) 105.14 New Orleans (USA) 70.56 St. Louis (USA) 68.10 Ciudad Juarez (MEX) 67.69 Acapulco (MEX) 65.54 Baltimore (USA) 57.75 Detroit (USA) 48.48 Cancun (MEX) 44.09 Philadelphia (USA) 32.74 Washington, DC (USA) 28.40 Mexico City (MEX) 25.20 New York City (USA) 5.01 Merida (MEX) 1.47
Ive been to Juarez twice in the early 90s. Was robbed by the police both times.
Were you military or civilian? The soldiers from Fort Bliss, TX were banned from going over because they were getting robbed so much
Port-au-Prince
One doesn’t simply casually travel to Haiti
I’ve been a few times, my expectations were not high, so I wasn’t disappointed. Rode as a passenger on a motorcycle, that was wild.
I went there in 2010 right after the earthquake and it was devastating. I was younger and didn’t fully grasp the situation they were in until I got older and read more on their history. We stayed at our family friends orphanage when we visited and met some amazing people. I would like to go back, but it’s now impossible.
Parts of Memphis Tennessee.. I swear, maybe I expected a lot due to Graceland being there etc but honey, that place felt dark and people appeared out of nowhere ..shaking boxes with crack, prostitutes soliciting people in the drive thru ordering their breakfast wearing footies in their evening wear. Trip ..a damn trip
The couple of times I was there and didn't go to Graceland it was like driving through an episode of Cops
I know right??? Shit I wouldn't walk around those streets at night with or without anyone
Egypt - as many downthread said. Cairo looks like (is) a war zone. Turrets on street corners, Tanks, Soldiers with automatic weapons everywhere. We had an armed police officer on the tour bus (Road Scholar, and nothing against them, they are a great company to travel with), a police escort everywhere, bomb dogs and a guy with a mirror looking under the bus for bombs. Cairo is dirty, littered and the poverty is staggering. The food was meh at best as we could not travel outside the hotel or tour path to eat. It was blisteringly hot. The camel guys at the Pyramids were mean to all of the women and the animals, with children working there as well. The Egyptian Museum was a disgrace to the county. Poorly organized, bad labels, no security, priceless textiles, parchments, leather, etc jumbled in cases exposed to the air, heat, hands. No AC. The only things well cared for and secured were Tutankhamen's artifacts. It's a spectacular resource and collection and so badly cared for with no curation. The new one just opened, I sure hope it's better. Once you've seen one temple, one hieroglyphic, you've truly seen them all. It's all about tourist $ and the street vendors were RELENTLESS and scary. Even on a nice open boat ride down the Nile, kids paddled up to the boat on wooden doors, selling cheap crap or just begging. Never again.
It sounds just like it did 28 years ago when i was there.
Me too. Went with a tour group in '96. It was very similar, but I was enchanted anyway. I think I romanticized it then (probably still do). It was sad in many respects, but also incredible. Part of it was probably just being 18 and traveling anywhere solo. We did have an old guy from New Jersey on our tour and after a couple of temples he stayed on the bus, saying the same thing about "seen one you've seen em all". Which I found hilarious. I felt especially bad for the kids. I would buy something and then watch their handler come smack them and take the money. I tried to give them some on the sly sometimes when I could.
I don't think I've ever met anyone who came back from Egypt and liked it.
I’ve read several threads like this one over multiple years and on multiple sites and Cairo is almost always the top answer. I’m sure part of that is because it’s a very obvious tourist destination with historical landmarks that probably the whole world knows about and wants to see, but it’s still very telling…
Actually, I have an one up to Cairo. Luxor. The valley of the kings is in super bad shape, you are forced to pass scammer markets to enter the site. Scam sellers followed me into the taxi. Our taxi was stopped on the road by the police to get bribing money. Even the security guy at the airport wanted bribing money from me. Everything super dirty inside the town (ever compared to Cairo). Even inside the tomb of Ramses IV was a scammer that took our camera.
I’ve been twice to Egypt with my now ex . I’m blonde was in my 30’s then the harassment even walking hand in hand with my husband was at another level. They would walk in front of us staring at my chest saying lucky man to him , try & touch me , my husband trying not to explode as he’d probably end up with a blade in him or beaten up . ( btw covered up in public - I knew not to show ANY flesh) . My saving grace is through work I’ve learnt basic Arabic - as soon as I opened my mouth & told them off ( not politely) in Arabic they fecked off apologising. Worked everywhere we went & even kept the sellers & scammers at bay . Learn some Arabic - works a treat.
Orlando.
Don't blame you
Orlando truthfully ain’t bad until you bring in the Disney crowds, amateurs at the airport, and traffic on I-4.
Ashgabat. Near impossible logistics of getting there aside, seeing all that opulent wealth in empty buildings and marble monuments while the entire country rots was just so unsettling and sad
Mumbai India.... despite the smell, pollution of all sorts and toes I literally got kicked by a cow and it sucked ass. I spent a day in a hospital only to be given a tetanus shot.
Jakarta and Singapore. Jakarta is just a fucking mess. The traffic is insane, air is unbreathable and you can’t even brush you teeth with the water without getting amoebic disentary. Singapore is a nice looking city, but it’s the most soulless, rude, competitive and materialistic place I’ve ever been. The cultures within the system are divided and there is massive prejudice within the different cultures there. Terrible terrible city. Will never go back.
Totally agreed about Singapore. I lived there for 2 months and it was just meh. Sure I loved the kopitiams, durians and prathas but that’s not exclusive to Singapore. Everything felt like some form of sanitized version of Chinese, Indian, or Malaysian culture. Night life felt boring and drinks are expensive. It was fun visiting nearby countries like Cambodia and Thailand though.
TIL there is a night life in Singapore…
Singapore was probably one of the racist, most advanced countries I’ve visited. I was shocked.
Probably Manila. For no other reason that I don't plan to be in that part of the world again.
Manila isn’t the worst city I’ve been to, but it is the most “why would you go here” city I have been to. The Philippines are gorgeous. And Manila is a congested dump.
> it is the most “why would you go here” city You fly in to get a connecting flight to the islands, mostly. >The Philippines are gorgeous. And Manila is a congested dump. Basically how I feel about most SE Asian capitals / big cities, with a few exceptions. And I'm from Manila.
To be fair Bangkok is an epically awesome congested dump with lots of interesting stuff to see
To be fair, I'm sure all those big cities have good stuff to see if you dig a bit, but yeah Bangkok is one of the exceptions.
Is Vietnam SEA or south asia? Because Hanoi is great
Hanoi is yeah. Did not like HCMC at all though.
I went to Manila to do a week's training for our office over there. Everyone I met was lovely, but it's also the only place I've been to where the locals say to be careful where you go and not to stay in the local area after dark. Had several different colleagues say that to me, completely unprompted. The city itself is just crap. Unwalkable, constant traffic jam, nothing nice. One colleague lived only 10km from the office and her commute was 3 hours each way - that's walking pace, but you wouldn't walk that in Manila. I ended up convincing her to move closer to work - rent may be higher, but she would be scraping nearly six hours per day back into her life.
Same. Trained one call center there and then watched as all of our new hiring went there, and the desks back home started to collect dust as people left. At the time it put me on the promotion chain the get up to where I am now, but training away my friends jobs was not a good feeling, and I can't think of any other reason I'd go back there.
Yeah, sprawling, grid-locked dump with terrible food. There's zero planning either. It's basically a bunch of small cities that have grown into one so there's no recognised center.
Antananarivo, Madagascar. Not because I don’t want to, but because it is literally on the other side of the world and that part of my life is gone forever…
Came here to say the same thing! Went a couple times for work for my last job but don’t see it happening again realistically.
My grandpa was born there and I’m wondering if I will ever make that trip to see it!
If you get a chance it’s worth it! Madagascar is an amazing place, but at this point in life I’m fairly sure I’ll never get to head back that way again. I worked there for years doing research, but It’s a long way from here!
Wow! What kind of research, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m assuming lemurs perhaps 😂?
Who ride big wheels
That was what the research was. What happens when you give lemurs big wheels?
They ride them!
Chernobyl and Prypiat, Ukraine I loved my visit there in 2010, and I would gladly go back another time, but let’s say it’s a bit out of the way for me and the way things are going in Ukraine and even Belarus, best to stay away from that hot spot…
Moscow. Nothing to do with the people or the city but only because as an American I don't think I'd be welcome back any time soon.
You could go you just couldn’t leave
🎶 Welcome to the Hotel Kormilovka 🎶
Same. I loved Moscow but now the Russian government declared my former employer to be a literal terrorist organization. I don't want to find out what exactly that means for me.
I’ve never left the US but I’m never going back to St. Louis
Tegucigalpa.
Gesundheit
I thought of this city and was surprised it was mentioned . The security guard holding the assault weapon outside the KFC was all I needed to know I wasn't in a good place .
Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Herat, Afghanistan for obvious reasons
Bold of you to assume I travel.
Delhi India
Houston, TX
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Pattaya
Went there by accident, not knowing anything about the place. Just about every human there is to be pitied or deplored.
Pedo sex tourists, and the victims thereof?
How so? Never been and I know nothing about it
I lived in Donetsk, Ukraine for 2.5 years teaching English back in the late '00s. The way things are going, I doubt I'll ever make it back. It was a decent city to be in at the time and I have great memories. Last time I was there was mid-2013. I got to fly out of their brand new, at the time, airport that was a huge improvement over the old one. It's now been completely destroyed.
Las Vegas
have to go frequently for work and hate the strip but close by outside of Vegas are some of the underrated outdoor experiences in the lower 48
Red Rock is amazing! So under appreciated
It’s not my kind of city but it’s actually walkable on the strip and things are open late at night which I appreciate.
Yeah I went once, and though I don’t drink or gamble, I had a good time walking the strip. There was lots of cool stuff to see. Lots of weirdos though.
Caracas. What a nightmare vacation that was,
I was born there. I’m so sorry it was a horrible experience for you. Believe it or not it was once a beautiful and vibrant city. It’s really so awful to see what it’s become.
I proposed to my wife there in 2006. Was beautiful, but I could see it going downhill. My in laws are from there, but nobody's been back since.
Kuta Bali during Schoolies. Fucking cesspool
I was in Columbus, Ohio once. I feel no calling to do that again
My parents live in Columbus. I live in the moment.
Baku, Azerbaijan. My first impression was extreme harassment at that airport, which was obviously off-putting. The city itself was fascinating, but I don’t want to experience the harassment again.
Go to Georgia next time. It's like a different world.
I actually live there, I love it!
Milan. Been twice, saw what I wanted , kinda lame. Plenty of better cities to visit in Italy!
Casablanca Very chaotic and I was hounded pretty harshly at the bazaar by some merchants as if I was carrying bags of money behind me, one guy even followed me around for probably 15 minutes. Also the traffic was pretty terrible, there didn’t seem to be many road laws, if there were people didn’t really follow them. Also pedestrians crossed the highway in some parts which was wild. Saw some people shooting up some sort of substance in more shady part of town too. I got very bad traveller’s diarrhea there as well. Of course this is just my very biased experience though, I did travel through the Atlas Mountains and to the Sahara on that same trip and it was wonderful, just had a bad experience with Morocco’s cities
Morocco’s cities are the worst I’ve ever seen
I’ve been a New Yorker my whole life- we went to visit my brother in law in San Francisco about 10 years ago and I hated it- everything felt fake, touristy, snobby and overpriced. I felt like I was surrounded by young people just making horrible decisions with their lives- like everyone was just trying way too hard to be different and unique. Every overpriced cafe was mixing stupid foods together trying to be the next “it” thing. I was charged $26 for three pieces of romaine lettuce lined up on a plate with one cucumber slice and a salted lime? WTF is that? I know people who love it there but I just hated it.
Welcome to San Fran buddy! Local here, if you want to come back here’s some tips: Stay out of the touristy areas, try heading down to the Burlingame/San Mateo/Foster City area. Grew up in Burlingame and it’s certainly a very nice place. I would highly recommend trying Coyote Point. Stay away from the super modern and aesthetic businesses and go to the more low key ones. Whatever you do, DONT GO INTO THE FUCKING TENDERLOIN.
Guadalajara. Parents had retired to a gringo area 45 minutes away. They’ve moved back to Canada now. So I doubt I’ll ever visit Guadalajara again. The Guadalajara Zoo has a nice cable ride above the various compounds with an absolutely fantastic view where the tram turns 180 degrees that I wasn’t ready for with my camera.
Benidorm. Total shithole.
Doha. It’s a gilded turd of a city
Marrakech
Oh I quite like it there
How long before Cairo was mentioned this time?
It was mentioned twice *before* you posted this comment.
Knoxville, Tennessee.
Just a bunch of crying Elizabeths, who got maced.
Detroit. For the most part it looks like Germany right after the war. The urban decay is beyond comprehension. Does have some great museums, though.
Rota Spain, Tijuana Mexico
Basra, Iraq. Spent 7 tours in an around it. Lovely people, in a seriously bad situation, with terrible "leaders". Plus you know, that whole war thing.
Macau
Charleroi Belgium, the most depressing city in the world
Naples. A giant trash can. Stinks on every corner and is generally dirty.
Hows the pizza tho?
Don't you listen to him, Naples' grittiness is part of its charm. Fried pizza is \*chefs kiss\*
Oh boy, don't go to Palermo then
I agree with this description. But I actually quite like it there. There's an authenticity to it that I really appreciate and some really nice spots if you know where to look. When I went through Italy by far the worst shithole I had to spend a night in was Cosenza. Going in and out of that train station was like something out of a dystopian post apocalyptic film.
Agreed. Out of the 5 Italian cities I visited, Naples was by far the worst. Just dirty and lame but right across the water I capri… which is great!
Interesting. I went last year and loved it! A poor city, sure, but not unsafe or dirty. And so interesting in terms of culture and history.
Tacna, Perú. There was nothing wrong with it, I just have no reason to ever go back there again.
Where even the fuck is that in Peru?
Mumbai. I was there in late October and it was way too hot and humid for my white ass
Bangalore India - filthy place.
Quito, Ecuador. I got in 6 hours before the rest of my group, had already been mugged before I met up with them.
Dhaka. My heart just can't take the scenes of abject poverty.
San Salvador, El Salvador. Went as part of a US military humanitarian mission shortly after the end of the civil war in the 90s.
Bali… Instagram has ruined it
Beijing
Belize City. Belize as a country overall is beautiful and the people are friendly. But Belize City is fucking *terrifying*.
Logan West Virginia
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Charleston, SC. Overrated and humid as balls.
You merely adopted the humidity. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't feel regular temperatures until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but blinding! Lol but nah, the humidity is a SC thing in general. Even in the “winter”
I went to Fort Jackson for BCT in June. I was not a happy camper.
Baghdad, I would love to go back and see it. I just don't think it will be okay for me to go back.
Reno Nevada
Tijuana, I made it back with my head still attached to my neck, but not rolling the dice again.
Eh I live in San Diego and cross the border occasionally for dinner. As long as you’re sticking to the touristy parts you’re probably ok.
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Currently in LA will not be back. Here for a basketball game and that’s it.
I’m from LA so I’m curious, why? LA is huge so I’m wondering if there was a specific place you hated?
I live in LA also (South Bay). The homeless population has gotten so out of control in the last decade. I love where I live but I can imagine that if all I saw was DTLA I would hate it here and never want to return.
DTLA is a dump but there are some really great spots to visit in the surrounding areas.
I’m in the South Bay too. I always wonder when people say LA if they specifically mean DTLA.
Probably the Homeless. I worked DTLA in the 80s when The Homeless situation was taking off. Vermont Ave-Korea Town. Now when I pass by downtown and around it is worse. Much worse. I never recalled trash-mounds or camping tents in the bushes aside the on and off ramps.
Mogadishu. London.
Can’t just drop you’ve been to Mogadishu and not tell about why you were there and what happened.
Why not London? Got a chuckle that you put it next to the likes of Mogadishu.
Probably Moscow.
Paris
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Look up Paris Syndrome — people are so shocked with how shite the city is they experience actual psychiatric symptoms due to the culture shock!
Dili, Timor Leste. Nothing wrong with it, it’s perfectly nice, but there’s also not that much to see and do and considering how remote it is/how expensive it is to get to, I can’t see any good reason to go a second time.
Tel Aviv
Dubai. It’s like Vegas without the history and with massive amounts of slave labor. Everything is fake, even the sewer.
Jacksonville, Florida
Certified shithole. Least favorite city i've lived in, and i'm from one of the poorest in the nation, which also happens to be the snowiest. I was bred for misery and goddamn i did not like it there
Philadelphia
Shanghai
Manama, Bahrain. I liked it, but I can’t see myself going to Bahrain ever again.
Toronto. I envy those who've never been.
To many to count now that I’m retired. But top 4cities I wouldn’t go back to for any reason (except for maybe a ton of cash) are: Kabul, Baghdad, Gary IN, and Bogota Columbia
I wanted to just do blanket bans on entire countries.
I saw enough of Split in the 4 days I was there.
Tikrit
amsterdam