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.
As citizens of the U.S., we don't think twice about the overly generous food portions in restaurants or flinch when strangers want to engage with us with small talk when in public.
Food portions are significantly smaller in Japan, and the French typically prefer not wasting their breath in asking people what they think about the weather.
"Non-Americans of reddit, what was the biggest culture shock you experienced when you came to the US?"
People must think we're a gluttonous country.
Food, Glorious Food
"Food advertising EVERYWHERE."
– UnAccomplished_Pea26
"The portion sizes in restaurants are huge too."
– ErfdsSdfre
Endless Refills
"When we first arrived, and I walked up to a soda machine. We never had those, and I think I drank 10-15 refills of coke before my parents started yelling at me. UNLIMITED SODA ARE YOU KIDDING ME WTF."
– Lord_Disagree
Beverage Options
"The different kinds of flavors for beverages. I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of options."
"Just so you guys know,I enjoyed having multiple options, until I came to the US I had no idea I liked Blue Raspberry flavored soda and I found out that I liked to mix different kinds of sodas from the fountain and make a cocktail soda occasionally."
"Also, I like how you guys have a shit ton of flavors for your alcohol. I liked a lot of them but to be honest I didn't enjoy the whipped cream flavored stuff."
– howwouldiknow--
The general friendliness in our country is something to embrace.
Familiarity
"Everyone I met treated me like a long lost friend."
– Red_Ranger75
"Americans are as one Canadian Redditor once said 'collectively crazy, but individually the nicest people you’ll ever meet.'"
– e2a0s1
Taking Initiative
"Yea, I also experienced this. I just loved it! it is not hard to get acquainted with people if they are so willing to take the first step with saying hi!. I am an introvert and a bit shy, so I helps a lot. Also people is kind on average."
– notastupid_question
Road Worker Assistance
"I was walking down the street and there were some road workers doing something a bit ahead. When I got near them, one of them approached me and super kindly asked me to cross to the other side, halted the traffic so I could cross and wished me a nice day as I went along."
"In my country they would've probably heckled at me for not crossing, and I would've told them to go f'k themselves for not signaling things properly as I walked in the middle of the street potentially getting hit by a car."
– madkeepz
There's apparently a size contest happening everyday in the U.S.
Go Big Or Go Home
"Everything being f'king huge. Literally. Road lanes, groceries, soda sizes. Especially distances: where i come from, 3 hours of driving are enough to cross half of the country, in the US it's just a small drive to go to see a relative or something."
– salderosan99
Everything Is Supersized
"The huge packaging units in the supermarket.. Everything just biiig."
–pillemille
Magic Of Costco
"I took a friend from France to Costco once. He just walked around saying 'wow' and touching everything."
"Edit: for those who don’t know, Costco is a magical place that will plan your funeral (sell you a casket), put new tires on your car, give you an eye checkup, sell you 10 pounds of king crab, sell you a Hawaiian vacation package, or a 75 inch flatscreen, or a new bed, or a 100 pack of pens you didn’t know you wanted. They also have the cheapest gas in all the land."
– IF'kTheDrummer
People discuss the in-your-face advertising in our country.
Too Many Commercials
"Commercials were particularly obnoxious."
– Grapezard
Can't Get Away From Them
"Yeah and they’re EVERYWHERE. Like random objects are shouting at me to buy sh*t every waking moment of the day. US TV has at least double the advertising of UK TV I’m sure of it."
"It’s got to have an impact on your sanity being bombarded with so many adverts."
– Heikold
Stop Yelling!
"As an American who recently drove through the south WHY THE F'K ARE THERE ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE GAS PUMPS AND WHY ARE THEY YELLING!? But really I just want to get my gas and maybe a donut at 7am I don't want to learn about the latest tik tok trend at 100db.
– aliendepict
Side Effects May Include Everything, Including Your Kitchen Sink
"Their commercials concerning health can be downright heartless."
– honeymochie
This is how Americans roll.
On The Road
"Turn right on red. Beautiful."
– klonricket
"Yeah this f'ked me up too! Had some aaaangry people behind me wondering why I wasn’t moving!"
– D_Cakes_
Pearly Whites
"People really care about their teeth like whitening and straightening."
– WhitePhatA**
"I was talking to a friend about hair transplants. I said it would be nice to get since I'm balding but I don't want to pay that much for something cosmetic. She says, 'Have you thought about whitening your teeth?'"
"Well, I hadn't but ever since that comment I think about it all the time! Thanks, friend!"
– CaesarWrap
Different Interpretation
"British here, the first time I visited the US I was 11, I heard a mom scream at her daughter 'get your fanny over here' Fanny means vagina here 😂😂😂"
– After_Cheesecake3393
Rise And Shine
"How early everything starts. School, work. 6am wake ups. That was hard."
– helicoptercici
Despite the currently weird political climate, I do see how we are generally kind people here in the U.S. of A.
So it's mind-boggling to me how certain groups of people have not been treating others with enough kindness and compassion in these recent years.
I'm guessing we just lost our way and we have the capacity to eventually get back to a place where the foreigners' positive opinions about us can be validated.
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The United States is going through a bit of growing pains, isn't it?
According to these people, yes. That appears to be the move to make.
Reddit user, FrozenChair, wanted to know your reasons for taking off when they asked:
"People who want to move from America to Europe, why?"
The appeal is right there on the surface.
Want more time with your family? Want to pay less for medical care?
Want to eat better food?
Europe.
More Time With The People You Love
"Still trying to get used to my five weeks of vacation. The three weeks this summer with my family was incredible."
"Still having two weeks to spend with them at Christmas, is beyond belief. All vacation is paid vacation."
"And it is standard everywhere. Oh and the two hour lunch, and 32 hour work week."
"I think this is is literally going to add up to years more with my family. Since I think time with my family is the most important thing, this just makes the quality of life here so much higher."
"I don't know if I will ever get used to it. But I love it! Berlin!" ~ witaji
But, Pineapple!
"Because Italy has some of the best food in the world." ~ BlueMysteryWolf
Short. Sweet. To The Point.
"I can walk to all the amenities I need."
"People say what they mean."
"Sh-t works as intended a lot more." ~ _Steve_French_
While not for everyone, there can be a certain level of attractiveness to it because things are already so bad for some people here.
Taking It Easy
"Quality of life - I hate having to drive everywhere in the US, city parks are usually way worse, and my friends thought I was crazy for not wanting to default to spending money as a way to hang out (restaurants, bars, concerts, nail salons, shopping)."
"I know that exists in Europe but there still seems to be more appreciation for the slow life."
"That plus being able to walk more and use public transport, long vacations, better social safety nets…I just feel happier and healthier with that lifestyle." ~ wingswednesdays
Practicing Your Skills Somewhere Less Corrupt
"Because practicing medicine here feels dirty. I was never in it for the money or prestige. I've already started working on my exams to go to the UK."
"There are pros and cons to the way healthcare is handled in the UK, but I'd rather be able to treat a patient and sleep peacefully knowing that I haven't financially crippled someone for life."
"Medicine as a career is much better in the US than anywhere in the world, but I'd rather make much less money and have a clear conscience." ~ Tzanax
There Does Seem To Be A Lot Stacked Against You
"You won't be bankrupt for being sick, your kids won't end up with serious student loans (in most of Europe) or be funneled into a for-profit private prison system."
"Less chance of a maniac shooting you. You aren't afraid of losing health insurance after a layoff/firing." ~ WorldCitzen99
Will you actually do it?
Depends on how brave you are and how comfortable you are with starting over in another part of the world.
Still, the appeal can be too great to miss, isn't it?
Pick Your Battles With The Support You Deserve
"I moved to Spain from the US 6 years ago (initially through a program to teach English, now I'm married to a Spaniard). As much as I deeply love and miss the US—the nature, the food, friends, the VIBE -- I have no plans to move back."
"Healthcare in America scares the bejeesus out of me, especially as I age. I just had surgery on an injury that cost me nothing—I still feel like I'm getting away with murder."
"And the work-life balance is so insane once you see it from the outside. I stopped being able to understand how my mom was slaving away for a company that really didn't pay much for 2 precious weeks of paid vacation a year (and I would describe my family as privileged)."
"COVID really changed my view, seeing everyone in my city dutifully wear the mask even after it's not required, whereas my state in America devolved into a culture war. 'Devolving' is, unfortunately, the best word I have to describe the US in the last decade(s)."
"But I do want to also stress that fascism is on the rise in parts of Europe too, and issues like racism are still around even though it's a different flavor."
"Part of me feels guilty for giving up on America instead of fighting the good fight there. But here I am." ~ sweetest_oblivion
People Explain Activities They've Added To Their Post-Pandemic Bucket List | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
While we've all been cooped up for the better part of two years, many of us have been dreaming up exciting plans for the future. Maybe it's finally time to s...Can't Overlook Castles
"I moved from the US to Germany almost 5 years ago:
-cheaper Uni
-more respect for employees
-sensible gun laws
-affordable healthcare
-more liberal politics
-cool old castles" ~ Ririkkaru
Hard To Argue Facts
"I moved from the US to Europe (Austria) quite some time ago (nearly 20 years). I don't regret it and can't ever see myself moving back to the US."
"A couple of my friends are still trying to figure out ways to move over where. Just a few things off the top of my head regarding why:"
- 5 weeks of paid vacation
- up to 2 years of paid parental leave (including for dads as well)
- no such thing as a copay at the doctor
- price cap on prescription drugs (like EUR 6)
- low crime rate
- more well developed social safety net (ie. less poverty)
- I once spent 10 days in the hospital and needed emergency surgery. My bill: EUR 0.
- Free daycare
- Excellent and well-funded public schools
- No tuition for college
Obviously, make the choice that seems best for you and the people in your life that would have to uproot and move to another part of the world.
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Washington D.C. is honestly pretty sketchy.
It's the "land of the free", but it seems like politicians take that literally and just do whatever they want. Especially if a dirty deed will line their pockets with money. It can be difficult to find a handful of American politicians with clear morals and boundaries, and that goes for any political party.
Redditor u/BEnnETT103 asked for people's opinions on "What's the most ****ed up thing the US government has done?" and the answers were a history lesson on borderline (if not legitimate) crimes that the United States government has gotten away with.
10. Makes you rethink every outbreak...
"Back in the 50's and 60's, the US military tested several different biological weapons on and unbeknownst to the public. They specifically targeted low income and poverty-stricken areas. They tested things from chemicals to viruses. It wasn't declassified till 10 years ago."
9. The Ludlow Massacre
"I mean, there was the time the national guard shot and killed coal miners and their families who were being horribly exploited by coal companies so they were striking. See also: the Ludlow massacre"
8. The effects of Agent Orange are unfathomable
"Agent Orange , depleted uranium Arms that polluted battlefields (people's homelands) and left generations of people with birth defects after the war was 'done'"
7. Gary Webb's death
"The silencing, embarrassing, and killing of Gary Webb.
Gary Webb was an investigative journalist who proved that the CIA was selling massive amounts of drugs (particularly cocaine) to (typically black) poor neighborhoods all over the US. This was in order to fund an overthrow of the Nicaraguan government by US-friendly terrorists during the 90's.
He was forced to resign, disgraced, blacklisted, divorced, and found dead with two bullets through his head in 2004. It was ruled a suicide despite the facts he owned no guns, and it being two bullets through the head in a suicide."
6. Having the idea is bad enough
"Well this probably isn't the worst thing America has done since it didn't happen, but Operation Northwoods. This was a proposed false flag attack on US soil that would justify going to war with Cuba. It was rejected by Kennedy, but approved by every man before him. It's stuff like this that makes the whole 9/11 inside job conspiracy sound a little less wacky, because this was essentially the same thing."
5. Messing with other governments
"The incessant need to overthrow democratically elected socialist leaders and/or assassinating them and then planting fascist dictators in their place
Victims:
- Salvador Allende (Murdered by US backed coup in Chile)
- Patrice Lumumba (Assasinated by CIA in DRC)
- Thomas Sankara (Murdered by US & French backed coup in Burkina Faso)
- Jean Bertrand Aristide (Ousted by US backed coup in Haiti)
.... anyone care to add to the list? There's lost more I'm sure.
Oh, and the US literally invaded the tiny island of Grenada in the Caribbean to take down a socialist government... sad."
4. Refusing to protect African American citizens (and many other minority groups)
"I'm gonna go with not doing anything to stop the brutal lynching, rape and murder of African Americans up until the 60s"
3. Now the government is itching to take it away...
"The CIA testing birth control on unsuspecting women in Puerto Rico"2. Taking advantage of the pandemic crisis
"Currently, they are abusing the fact that the whole population is tunnel-visioning on the Corona pandemic to pass a highly controversial bill, that will grant them access to every single phone call or message passed/sent/received on American soil, WITHOUT warrant or court order..."
Some one night stands are unforgettable.
Unfortunately, the reason a one night stand is memorable is not always great.
Redditor u/DD275 asked was very specific when they asked... "People who had one night stands on September 10 of 2001, what was the next morning like?" And people did actually have stories of trysts that turned tragic.
10. "He was spending the night in Jersey City..."
"Not me but an old friend. He was spending the night with an friends with bee of his in Jersey City (he lived in Brooklyn at the time). Long story short they literally wound up watching everything happen from the roof of her building."
9. "Trapped in the house with two crying women..."
"I used to work with a guy who this actually happened to. He was in DC so the Pentagon bombings were more what he was dealing with. It was apparently an older woman and she immediately called her friend over to commiserate and had put his clothes in to wash so he was trapped in the house with two crying women in front of the tv wearing nothing but a woman's robe."
8. "I woke up first..."
"I woke up first, saw the news, and had to go back into the bedroom to wake her up and tell her what was happening. That moment felt very intense. I had the feeling I had a dire responsibility to choose my words very carefully. We spent the next few days together. Then we dated for a couple of years and got married. We're still married and have a little family."
7. "I would have never been born..."
"Fun Fact: Both my parents were in the military at the time. If it wasn't for 9/11, then they would have never been stationed at the same military base, never have met, and I would have never been born."
6. "My news took a back seat..."
"I actually lost my virginity on Sept 10th 2001. I woke up the next morning excited to tell my buddies about my night. I didnt know about the attacks until I got to school and our teacher was listening to the news...obviously my news took a back seat to the attacks, until lunch time."
5. "She was from NY..."
"I got laid because of the 9/11 attacks. Quite literally i would not have met this woman if not for the attacks. She knocked on my door asking to watch the news because she was from ny and didnt have a tv of her own."
4. "There was a girl on a lot of missing posters..."
"There was a girl on a lot of missing posters back then. She went missing on 9/11 but didn't have any reason to be at the towers. Around 2011, they finally learned that she had a one night stand with a guy who worked in the towers and brought him lunch the next day. Terrible timing. She was from a conservative Indian family so hadn't told them where she was."
3. "Everything turned into a ghost town..."
"I woke up to a phone call from my mom, who didn't know where I was, saying "we've been bombed." I was a teen at the time and thought we were all just going to die. The weirdest part of that day was how everything turned into a ghost town. Driving home. No cars. Everything was closed. It felt like everyone died and I had missed it. I've never felt that same fear since that day."
2. "I'll never forget him..."
We met on 9/10 and he stayed the night at my house. He was a friend of a friend visiting from Seattle. We spent most of the day together in shock, eyes glued to the news. He went back to Seattle two days later and we haven't spoken since. I don't even remember his name but I'll never forget him."
1. "It was awful..."
"Not that awkward. It was awful and the awfulness was very...humanizing. We watched tv and had coffee. Nobody went to work (we were in nyc). We met up later that week. Stayed friends for a while. I just remember how sad it was."