For anyone seeking an adventure or way to grow themselves as a person, traveling and learning about other cultures is a great tool.
But there are some places that really are not worth traveling to, and it's better to save money for other destinations.
Redditor SaggyT*tsSusan asked:
"Reddit, what is the worst city that you have ever been to (worldwide)?"
Johannesburg
"I've never been more terrified than when traveling into Johannesburg, South Africa. Our business partner drove us into town and she started removing her earrings, wedding band, etc."
"I asked her why and she said that the bandits would cut jewelry off of you if they stopped your car, so it's better to put it in the glove box."
"Our client was a major bank; to enter, you had to stand in a tiny plexiglass airlock where the guards (with machine guns) could inspect you before letting you inside. Once in, it was just like any other business anywhere, cubicle farms and conference rooms."
- gecampbell
N'Djamena
"N'Djamena, Chad. Where the human spirit goes to die."
- redditslim
"I watch this travel YouTuber who's been to tons of bad and impoverished places in the world, but he always manages to find something interesting and positive about the place. He went to South Sudan when they were in the middle of a civil War and still made a cool video hanging out with tribal leaders."
"He had absolutely nothing nice to nice to say about N'Djamena."
- CleanNDopeAsMethSoap
Cairo
"It’s gotta be either Cairo, Egypt, or Cairo, Illinois."
- HutSutRawlson
"I drive through Cairo, IL., several times a month going from MO to TN. I've always referred to it as a Scooby-Doo ghost town. It feels as though another building has fallen down every few trips."
- Clyne
Port-au-Prince
"Port-au-Prince, Haiti. If you know, you know."
"I'll put it this way: I spent time in Afghanistan and it was nicer than Haiti by a long shot."
- UJMRider1961
"I have only passed through Port-au-Prince and it was ... sad. And a bit scary. We were there as part of a company relief effort after a hurricane that hit the island."
"We entered Labadee from a cruise ship (yes, I understand the optics of that but the passage was donated by a cruise line). Mostly we were there to hand out supplies and kept largely to the port areas."
"There's a hardness and desperation there that I have never experienced before. There were some military types around and though they were doing their best to put on their best show, I saw some brutality that I never expected so close to the US."
- frank-sarno
Haiti In General
"It's crazy that only two percent of Haiti's land is still forested. Farming cash crops during colonialism and then timber exports to pay off their 'debt' to France after the revolution."
- Occams_l2azor
"I will never forget, I was in the car which was heading towards the border. We drove through the green forest/jungle on the Dominican side, and then I started to spot the yellow hills. Just plain yellow because of deforestation."
"And the driver just said, 'Yes, here it is green, there it's yellow.' What also shocked me was how much the Dominicans hated the Haitians."
- Nightotter3
"You can easily see the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic from outer space."
- Tom__mm
Pork Moresby
"Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. I went there once to consult on building construction, and I wouldn't go there again even if they pay me the CEO's salary. I may not live to enjoy those salaries."
- flyden1
Sinhaloukville
"Sinhaloukville, Cambodia."
"I’ve been to third-world cities before, and this place wasn’t the dirtiest or most dangerous. What it was, was horribly creepy."
"The place is filled with ‘compounds’ containing Chinese-owned casinos. What I saw was like a building site, with new compounds being built everywhere (the shiny newness of these places contrasted with the general grubbiness outside of them). The place is really two cities in one: the hidden parts owned by the casinos, and the rest."
"I knew nothing about the city. I was only there because it was the port for ferries going to the islands off the coast of Cambodia (the one I went to was lovely). However, these places gave me the creeps, even though I knew nothing about them. I just put that down to hating casinos."
"Only later did I learn that these places were centers of slavery and extortion rackets, run mostly by mainland Chinese gangsters. They entice people from elsewhere (many from China itself, Thailand, or Vietnam) with promises of good jobs, but once there they are enslaved and forced to work in various kinds of online rackets. If they complain or try to escape, they risk all sorts of nasty punishments."
"The local authorities are basically in the pay of the scammers… basically, China itself cracked down on criminal gangs engaged in such scams, so many of them moved here. The locals don’t like it, but are powerless to prevent it; these 'compounds' essentially rule themselves, and their owners have enough cash to be immune from consequences."
- Malthus1
Doula
"Doula, Cameroon. The whole place seems ready to implode at any time."
- Tonysaiz
"Mossy, rainy, muddy. A town built on the edge of mangrove swamps by the colonial French. Seems likely to return to the swamps in a few more decades."
- thirdworldfever
Rio de Janeiro
"Controversially, Rio de Janeiro. I was there for four days, got robbed IN MY HOTEL, robbed on the street, got eaten by bed bugs, a few friends got robbed on the beach by the police, another robbed in the street at knifepoint, and a guy in the hotel got kidnapped in a car at gunpoint and then kicked out of the car as it was still driving."
"We got caught in a riot between police and football fans and got pinned against a wall while the police shot rubber bullets at us, and I nearly got beaten up by local girls who took offense at their men trying to dance with me."
"As somewhere that is apparently famous for its nightlife, we couldn’t find a decent bar/club anywhere on three out of the four nights."
"For balance, I really enjoyed the lapa street party and football game, but it genuinely felt like the shadiest place I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to San Pedro Sula, previously known as the murder capital of the world)."
"In case anyone thinks I’m just a rubbish traveler, the stuff in the hotel was locked in a locker, so it was the staff that robbed me. On the street, I made sure my money was stashed in my bra so they only got a few quid, and we didn’t go anywhere dodgy, stuck to the tourist stuff, and traveled safely."
- StrategyKing4024
Ashgabat
"Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. So much money wasted on empty white marble building. So much poverty."
- kinda_alone
Baghdad
"Baghdad. The sad thing was you could tell that it used to be nice. I flew in by helicopter and saw that a lot of houses had swimming pools. They didn't use them for swimming anymore though, they filled them with their household garbage."
- blanchasaur
Manila
"Manila (capital of the Philippines)."
"A third of the population lives below the poverty level... and that's the Manila poverty level, which is pretty f**king poor. It's enough to give you nightmares if you leave the rich parts."
"You can insulate yourself from the rest of the city, by staying in the fancy parts, like the Makati, but you can't escape the air pollution or the trash."
"There was a storm last time I was there. Cubic miles of trash had washed out of the city, into the river, and into Manila Bay. Along the fancy hotels path at the edge of the bay, there were waves washing up against the wall... but the trash was floating a foot thick on the surface, and so the waves were TRASH WAVES."
"Well, maybe there are historic Asian things? Nope, sorry, the city was bombed to rubble and the end of World War 2. All that's left are the foundations of the Intramuros, which are interesting, but not worth the walk through the slums."
"Ugh."
- reggie_fink-noddle
Dubai
"Dubai."
"When I got back, a friend who had lived there for a few years asked me what I thought."
"I said, 'Well, I'll be honest, it lacked soul to me, it was depressing and materialistic and soulless to me. It genuinely made me a worse person somehow. But I'm a tourist, you lived there, surely you experienced the real Dubai.'"
"He said, 'No, you summed it up.'"
- bqzs
Las Vegas
"Las Vegas. Soul-less and empty."
"No one is actually FROM LV. Everyone moved there for the promise of service jobs, but most of them have crashed and burned. Most people who work there live in gated communities as far from the city as possible."
"If you go there as a tourist or for a convention, it seems all shiny and bright. Restaurants and casinos are all glittery."
"But if you step off the strip, it’s a s**tty, gritty mess. Lots of poverty and drugs. S**tty motels where the semi-homeless live. Terrible bleak-looking houses. The fake soul-less of Jacksonville with the poverty of Detroit."
- wilburstiltskin
Though traveling can be amazing, there are some places that simply do not live up to the hype.
These Redditors may be able to cross these places off as locations they've visited, but it seems there isn't much else positive they can say about the experience.
Traveling and seeing new places and cultures should be on everyone's bucket list, but like every other experience, there are going to be some disappointing ones.
Some travel destinations are so disappointing, however, that people vow to never visit them again.
Ironically, many of those locations are dedicated travel destinations!
Redditor Gourmet-Guy asked:
"Which city are you NOT going to visit ever again, and why?"
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti
"Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Devastating, hopeless, traumatizing, soul-crushing poverty that gets me emotional when I think back on it. The things I saw there… words fail to describe."
- MPD1987
"I 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."
- rayrayrayray
Birmingham, Alabama
"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."
- starwestsky
Cairo, Egypt
"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."
- kublakhan1977
"We hired a dedicated driver and tour guide for a couple of days so didn't feel like cattle. That said, the number of people harassing us to try to get money was obnoxious. When our guide was with us, they stayed back, but the second he gave us some time to explore, they were horrible."
"Plus, seeing military personnel with assault rifles everywhere was a bit unsettling..."
"This was like a month before the coup, and we could sense something was off, as well."
"That said, our guide was awesome."
- fezmid
"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... nope."
- udontnowme
Marrakesh, Morocco
"Marrakesh, Morocco. The only place I’ve ever been that I’ve sworn I’d never go back to."
"After two 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 she or I voiced our displeasure with this, we gave up trying to sight-see and spent the rest of our vacation in the hotel."
- ItsSupperHans
Bradford, UK
"It just doesn't have a lot going for it, unfortunately. The sort of place where when people find out you are from out of town, they ask what you are doing there, but not in a sort of cheery, 'Oh, what are you here for?' way, but a 'Seriously, why have you chosen to come here?' way. Not very welcoming."
- BobBobBobBobBobDave
Stockton, California
"Stockton, CA. The McDonald's had an armed security guy."
- KalSethMoran
"Growing up, my dad was a crime scene investigator for the DOJ (Department of Justice) and covered all of Northern California. Like, the entire top half of the state. And most of the time when he’d get called, if it was a homicide, he’d be going to Stockton."
- DancesWithPibbles
Atlantic City, New Jersey
"Atlantic City, NJ, if I can help it."
- GoPhinessGo
"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."
- full_of_ghosts
South Beach, Florida
"I don't need to go back to Miami, or at least to South Beach. My husband and I went last year and it was a little bit of a nightmare. We always find fun together, so it was still a good vacation, but I'd rather spend money elsewhere."
- loudlittle
"As someone that grew up in Miami, my biggest recommendation for visitors is to do just about anything but go to South Beach."
"Miami has a lot of really cool areas but they’re not tourist hot spots. You’ll have a much better time, in my opinion, hitting up the bars in the gables than going to Wynwood, for example."
- TheMightyYule
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
"Dubai. It features so much about what I don't like about humanity. All money and no substance."
- zordabo
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
"Ashgabat. Glad I went, but creepy. Total authoritarian dear leader surveillance state. Basically can’t leave the hotel unless escorted. Bad food."
"Utterly fascinating, but I can totally scratch it off my list of 'been there, done that.'"
- timpdx
Mobile, Alabama
"Mobile, Alabama. There was a palpable aura of anger and resentment in that town that I'll never forget."
- Casual-Notice
Manila, Philippines
"Manila. The traffic, the pollution, the poverty."
- blacks11
"I'm from the Philippines, and dude, I also hate it there. I'm a province guy. I remember one time I rented an inn there, and the smell literally gave me culture shock. The sink was full of cigarette butts and the bed was cockroach-ridden. I was never able to sleep. I rather stay here in the forest with my fairy friends."
- rupleix
Hollywood
"Hollywood, specifically Hollywood Boulevard. It's really janky, the whole town kind of smells, and it's just wholly disappointing."
- rancidtuna
Gary, Indiana
"Gary, Indiana. Should be self-explanatory."
- No-Strawberry-5541
"Gary is fine, during the day. You can drive through there without much issue. But at night? If you have to go through there, treat every stop sign as a rolling stop and just never stop."
"The place is rundown and has been for decades, since the main source of income, left town. Now it's just, people who are too poor to move anywhere else. It's an all too common story in the US."
- KikiFlowers
Nassau, Bahamas
"Nassau, Bahamas. Absolutely horrible. The 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 buy D&G sunglasses from China for $80."
"I don't know, maybe I had a bad experience, but I’ll never go back to the Bahamas, at least Nassau."
- rodman666
While traveling is a tremendous experience, there are always going to be some destinations that are disappointing for some, and a reason to never visit again for others.
The best plan is to travel as much as you can, and keep mixing it up, so you can see as many destinations and cultures as you can in a lifetime.
So many exotic locales in the world to see... and plenty of places NOT to see.
When one travels, we have to be astute.
Do the research.
No harm in skipping where we don't need to be.
Redditor Just_Pizzy wanted everyone to share about the places to avoid when traveling, so they asked:
"What city is extremely overrated in your opinion?"
In my travels I've been very satisfied.
But tell me where to avoid.
Ouch
will smith miami GIF by RomyGiphy"Miami. A city of narcissists and attention wh*res."
_kevx_91
"I swear Miami Beach is the poser capital of the world!"
Cetophile
Value
"Scottsdale, AZ would be a close 2nd."
TWOCHOPPAS
"I’m visiting here right now, and am seriously wondering why I’m here. If I want high end, there are a million ritzy suburbs that do it better. Scottsdale is a ton of neighborhoods that all want to claim the Scottsdale name to increase the real estate values."
"But only 5% of it is actually high end Scottsdale. The whole Phoenix metro area seems like one long expanse of concrete and chain stores. The only reason I can see that Pheonix has so many urban hikes is that the rest of the city is completely unwalkable. What am I missing?"
Seachica
What is This?
"Nothing personal, but Dubai. And I'm not a city designer, but I don't think you call it a 'downtown' when there's a 12-lane highway cutting through a bunch of skyscraper walls and that's it."
GreatNameLOL69
"This city is so stupid. Instead of creating the palm island, they could have dug into the land, it still would have looked amazing, except much easier to build."
"They started from scratch with unlimited money, they could have made an awesome city with Arabic style and culture, something different. Instead they took the worse cities (from the US) as an example, and built something stupid."
Arvi89
But it has Luck...
"Dublin is a complete tourist trap. I am Irish and I see people coming to Ireland expecting the full Irish experience in Dublin, when really all the good stuff is outside the capital spread out all across the country. They head up to Temple Bar for the Irish pub experience and pay 3-4 times more for drinks than anywhere else in the country."
"The city itself is a product of British occupation, same style of city you will find up and down England with Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture along with generic modern design. Look, there are historic places and nice places to eat but nothing out of the ordinary."
"If you want to see the real Ireland go to the countryside, the unique landscapes of the ring of Kerry, the Clare Burren and cliffs of Moher, the Connemara and donegal mountainous areas along with tonnes off historical locations all across the country. If you want an Irish city experience go to Galway instead."
Historical_Line7109
Not the Happy Place
mickey mouse vintage GIFGiphy"I don't know if anyone but children and retirees actually like this city, but lawd I hate Orlando."
notafanofwasps
"My best friend moved from Seattle to Orlando for financial reasons. His parents live in Orlando and had to move in with them. A year later they said f**k this and moved back. Drove cross country both times."
SubduedChaos
Orlando isn't that bad. I've had fun.
Bad Queen
Muriels Wedding GIF by Sundance NowGiphy"Gold Coast, Queensland. It tries to be Australia's Miami, but really, it's a tacky over-developed sh**hole."
otherpeoplesknees
"It is really bad, I loved every place I went to in Australia but the Gold coast was terrible. Reminded me of the cities in Spain where PPL only go to to get drunk at the beach (Ballermann in Palma, Benidrom, Lloret….)"
trbo91
“trendy”
"Not a fan of the 'trendy' cities like Charlotte or Nashville. A lot of younger people my age are moving there and they act like going to a mediocre brewery and spending $30 on a craft beer and tiny cut of brisket is some type of unique southern cultural experience."
"Not to mention the cities are now barely affordable for the people actually from there and every other block is full of those cookie-cutter gentrified apartments that just look bland as hell. Both cities have some cool parts to them but to me they just aren’t as special as people make them seem."
yinzerthrowaway412
Sounds with Problems
"The worst city I’ve ever been to is Oklahoma City, which is rated appropriately. No complaints on the current rating."
Shut--Up--Bird
"I have traveled to Oklahoma City a good number of times over the past six years, usually for a couple of weeks at any given time."
"Some areas of the city are okay, and I was pleasantly shocked upon the sight of a functioning streetcar service downtown. That being said, parts of OKC and its suburbs are so miserable that I almost convinced myself that Grand Theft Auto had become real life."
wheresaldopa
Off Tune
"Nashville. It’s a bunch of honky tonks and bachelorettes. It’s just a big party town now. I might be salty because I live here and remember old Nashville that was quiet and civilized, where locals could enjoy going downtown and we still had Opryland instead of a giant mall."
iwishiwereonabeach
Bad Falls
hanna barbera animation GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy"Niagara Falls. Even if it’s poorly rated, that rating is still too high."
vanityfear
"It’s pretty cool to see once though. The area is just meh."
SparklyRoniPony
Go to Wendy's
"Vegas."
Calm-Associate-214
"I used to go there every summer for tech conferences. I always use the analogy that Vegas is a lot like KFC. It’s gross, greasy, and messy, and you wonder what possessed you to go there in the first place. 6 months later, for some inexplicable reason, you get the urge to go again. You remember what it was like the last time, but somehow you’re still drawn to it."
Ikarian
So many places in the world... NOT to go!
What destinations should we strike from our bucket list? Let us know in the comments below.
Who doesn't love a good travel experience?
While difficult right now, what with the seemingly never-ending worldwide pandemic, there still lingers in many people's hearts the desire to see the world.
But where to go? Don't want to go any place too touristy, too on the grid, right? Certainly there must be some spots that you've heard of but never given a second thought to see.
Reddit user, justarndmacc, wanted to give some space to the underrated locales of the world when they asked:
"What city is massively underrated?"
Having fun is key to any bit of travel. After all, experiencing the day-to-day life of local eateries and shopping is fun, but what you really want is to see how the people live there celebrate and enjoy themselves.
Knowing How To Party
"I was not expecting Krakow to be one of the highlights on my trip to Europe" Mallonhead
"I loved Krakow! Wouldn’t have thought to go there but my friend married someone from Katowice so checked it out on the way."
"Great place and Polish people certainly know how to have a good time at a wedding"- VegetableVindaloo
Beer On The Streets? Hello!
"Savannah, Georgia."
"Absolutely stunning architecture, not overcrowded, rich history, and you can drink beer on the streets."- americanslang59
It's Australia. Everything Might Try To Get Ya.
"Underrated by other Australians, but my city of Adelaide."
"Beautiful wine regions, nice beaches, great nature walking trails in the hills and boutique eateries, great nature reserves, all within about an hour drive."
"Come during festival season and the arts scene is insane."
"Stay more than a week or so you might start to struggle, but a lovely stop on an Australian trip."
"People just focus on the murders..."- eroticdiagram
You might have heard of the city before this, but it wasn't for what people want you to know it for. There seems to be more lying under the surface than we might think when we imagine these cities.
When The Belfast Child Sings
"Belfast, Northern Ireland."
"People still think it's the 1980s with Gerry Adams, masked bandits doing street patrols, uniformed police beating up Catholics, murals everywhere and a car bomb parked on every street corner."
"That is basically all gone now, apart from the usual marching season and a few dodgy suburbs you'd best keep away from."
"Most normal people aren't that bothered and the city centre is really good."
"Seriously good friendly people, clean and beautiful city, great vibe, stellar entertainment and nightlife, awash with culture and history. Houses and property are also dirt cheap."- _spookyvision_
Can't Beat History
"Plovdiv, Bulgaria"
"Not a small city, actually a big one, but it has so much in it and also it has 8000years old history"- ShortResearcher4173
"I LOVED Plovdiv."
"Very beautiful city center, seems to have a rich artist and cafe culture."
"Food was also A++"- halbesbrot
Catch All The Sports
"Madison, Wisconsin."
"I was only there for a day but everyone was super nice, the city was incredibly clean, there was plenty to do, and the scenery was amazing."- gil_beard
"Wisconsin is super underrated as a state; and Madison is the best the state has to offer."
"Madison has so much more than college sports, but either way I'd like to add: "
"That place is something else during game day."
"From Women's volleyball to football."
"Sure it's not Alabama or Duke, but we have relevant sports on both men and women's side all year round."- TimmyRL28
Come In For A Good Drink
"Da Nang."
"It’s changed a lot from what it looks like in all those Vietnam War movies"- throwaway4127620
"
Hello from Paddys Irish Pub in Da Nang as I write this"
"I lived in and visited many many cities and this place is by far the most liveable place I've been to."- its-not-me_its-you_
Sometimes a country is lucky enough to have more than one city worth visiting. Would such a country exist?
A Dream Country
"Kanazawa, Japan."
"It has the charms of Kyoto without the overcrowdedness that Kyoto suffers from during peak tourist seasons."- PumpkinSpiceBiscotti
"Japan is cheating."
"Japan has so many cities outside of the usual (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) that are skipped by tourists but are fantastic."
"Nara, Hiroshima, Nagasaki/Kagoshima, Kobe, Nikko, Kamakura are all worth a visit if you’re willing to spend a few weeks in Japan."- ExoticCommunication
"Asahikawa, Japan. Has a much less crowded snow festival than Sapporo and the snow is so beautiful. Plus, a really cool zoo."- semispooked
The Unofficial 6th Borough
"Jersey City."
"Everyone whines about how expensive NYC is when all they have to do is look across the river."
"Lots of new, big, spacious apartments, and if you live next to the local PATH station, easy access to NYC."
"It’s just so nice to be able to enjoy all if the things in NYC without actually being there."
"A few new parks, and easy access to I-95 and I-80, among others."- Academic_Olive8675
It's Gorges...
"Ithaca NY has my heart."- pumpkin_pasties
The Home of Prosciutto
"Parma, Italy."
"It's the perfect mix between big noisy city and little cute Italian town."-
Brotherly Love... and Cheesesteak!
"Philly."
"I mean yeah it sounds like a perpetual cod lobby but at least you get some Philly cheesesteaks."- MrBoots47
Small, But Full Of Life!
"Ljubljana, Slovenia."
"Slovenia as a country is incredibly underrated."
"Their coastline, only 11 miles long, but a couple of beautiful towns, the capital, their alps, the wine country."
"Stunning country. Incredible food. Incredible people."
"Can't wait to go back."- Bobgoulet
A City Of Many Names
"Saint Petersburg, Russia."
"Beautiful city, friendly locals, not so many tourists except at landmarks."- dushi7
Cleveland Rocks!
"I am not sure many people will agree."
"It I moved to Cleveland for health care and it’s just a nice place to be the people are nice, it’s affordable and I am happy to be here."- SnooRecipes5028
So Much More Than The Motor City
"Detroit has some incredible architecture, amazing public art and museums and yes, even a monorail."
"Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac built Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit in 1701, giving the (now downtown) area a distinctly European feel."- HolsKitchen
Vegas East?
"Gatlinburg, Tennessee."
"Think of it as Las Vegas on weed."- Leviticus99
Beautiful Inside And Out
"Brasov, Romania."
"Went there so often but the time I visited the centre during summer, ah it was absolutely gorgeous! "
"People were dancing and signing together right in the middle of everything."
"It was such a beautiful sight, many others joined!"
"Also absolutely gorgeous architecture!"
"And not to mention how beautiful it is during winter, one of the most popular skiing destinations of the country."
"Miss it incredibly."- kalosity
Wherever you do get to travel, make sure you take in as much as you can.
Barring world events shaping our daily lives, you might not get another chance for a long while.
Have you ever traveled to a city you've always heard good things about, only to be totally let down upon arrival?
When a friend insists we travel to certain cities because we would "just love it," they're setting the bar pretty high.
And a city can also boast a rich history or an attraction that makes us curious enough to find out what makes it so appealing.
But, alas, when we finally reach the destination, it's never exactly what we thought it would be.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor tshirtguy2000 asked:
"What city is overrated?"
These are not officially real cities but they do have a rotating population.
It's Always A Party There
"Party city."
"As a former slave associate at party city. I 100% agree."
Lotsa Crime
"Cabot Cove, the murder capital of the world."
"Sure, the murders are all solved, but would you really want to live in a city with that much, easily solved, crime?"
– Andvare
Neighbor To Springfield
Shelbyville. Those f'kers steal trees from neighboring cities.
These were once considered destination cities but their popularity eventually took a nose dive.
Not Pair-A-Dice
"Atlantic City. Venture a few blocks off the boardwalk and it's incredibly depressing. Very clearly an area exploited by the big casinos while the locals have been driven to absolute poverty, while they still force a smile to work the shops that are required for the tourist traffic."
– juanzy
Lots Of Water
"Niagara Falls, Canada. I grew up there. Mayor pumps most of tax $ to casinos and tourism with flashy vegas-esque attractions."
Meh Beach
"Myrtle Beach. I'm not even saying that it has a good reputation, I'm just saying that any shred of positive thinking about it makes it overrated."
Where A Creek Is An Exciting Attraction
"Lamb's Grove, Iowa. It's not the paradise on earth that people always say it is. Don't get me wrong, it's got great Chinese food but the motel 6 is meh at best."
– shah357
Impressions for these cities fell far below expectation.
Do-Bye
"Dubai. It's the clickbait of the world. 'We have the biggest/tallest/most expensive YOU WON'T BELIEVE when you see THIS...' It's hot as f*k, everything's a man-made tourist trap; labor exploitation and racism are rampant, and they try so hard to prove to the world how modern and Westernized they are. Really, it's just government propaganda."
Truth be told, many cities can be overrated.
It just depends on a person's experience, or a resident's perspective about what it is about the location they live in that is nothing worth writing home about.
If I had to choose, I would say Las Vegas is overrated, but that's because there is nothing in Sin City that is of personal interest to me.
I may be severely judged for my opinion, but that is a gamble I'm willing to take.