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Whether from personal mistakes or prudent planning, seasoned travelers know that it’s always best to do their own research when it comes to preparing for a trip. And what better resource than the internet to just ask locals directly about what to do and, maybe more importantly, not to do?

This is exactly what one netizen did when they asked Americans about what things tourists should avoid doing at all costs. The crowdsourced answers covered a lot of useful ground for any planning a US trip. We also reached out to veteran traveler Will Tang from the Going Awesome Places blog to learn some other good tips and tricks. 

More info: Going Awesome Places | Instagram

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Go where you want! My country is absolutely gorgeous, especially the national parks. Just 2 pieces of advice:


1. For the love of all that is holy, stay away from the f***ing wildlife. Seriously. The cute fluffy bison would sonner gore you than take a selfie with you.


2. Don't tell us how awful our healthcare system is. We. Know.

ServantofShemhazai , Brett Sayles Report

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BC
BC
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah nah, we’re all on the bison’s side… ✌️❤️

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#2

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Northern WI.

Because that's where I live and I don't like people.

ReddictatorsEaTD1cks , Jaime Dantas Report

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#3

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Death Valley in the summer especially if you consider yourself a strong hiker, and live in a cooler climate.

It has that name for a reason.

FabFrench , Abby Kihano Report

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Kim Kermes
Kim Kermes
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And Joshua Tree National Park. We're tired of hunting for dead bodies.

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Bored Panda got in touch with Will Tang, travel writer, and globetrotter, from Going Awesome Places to get some insights on what travelers should do in general when preparing for a trip. “If there's one big tip I'd provide to anyone that's new to travel, it'd be to pack light as best as you can. It's one of those things that doesn't feel intuitive and is the best thing when you learn that it's quite easy to wash your clothes along the way and you really don't use half the things you initially want to bring.”

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We also were curious to hear his take on “travel tips” in general. “Travel is totally one of those things where you end up becoming more comfortable and "seasoned" by just getting out there. There's no better teacher than going through the highs and lows of travel yourself because ultimately everyone has a different style of travel and there's no one-size-fits-all.”
#4

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs If you’re in a National park, listen to what the caution signs say and don’t venture off of paths. One is because of wildlife and the other is because humans don’t need to ruin everything in nature, just to get a photo.

Also, don’t fall into the Grand Canyon. You will die.

Yawheyy , Sam Loyd Report

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#5

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Avoid large chain restaurants. The best food in America comes from small owner operated businesses.

Insert_creative , Caroline Cagnin Report

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#6

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs If you go to a national park and you disregard the signs you're going to die.

It's not a joke.

Treat buffalo like field puppies? You're going to die. Try to pet the brown bear? You're going to die. See that moose and want to feed it? You're probably already dead. Oh look, a rattlesnake! *dead* Want to swim in Old Faithful? You're going to die painfully and completely dissolve into a soup.

S**t is dangerous here and if you don't respect it you'll be lucky to die quick.

Xanza , Ed Dunens Report

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PlatinumTheCat
PlatinumTheCat
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you are stupid enough to disregard the signs, please disregard the signs, I’m sick and tired of idiots not listening to the rules

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“THAT SAID, as someone that has gone through the gamut of travel, there are travel tips that I put under the "I wish someone told me about that before I went". As an example, it's good to know if pickpocketing is an issue in certain cities. You don't exactly want to learn from the actual experience of having your phone stolen.”
#7

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Don’t hike into the wilderness of Colorado (especially 14ers) without knowing wilderness survival and responsibilities. Tourists die on our mountains and in Rocky Mountain National Park all the time. Do your research! Altitude is no joke

eyjafjallajokul_ , Pablo Lara Report

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Ingo Sauer
Ingo Sauer
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I only drove up Pike's Peak, and even with no energy expended on my part the thin air up there was impressively ... well ... thin.

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#8

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Disney. Your life will be wasted away waiting in lines to pay too much. The time spent enjoying the Disney stuff will be nothing compared to the time being suffocated by crowds waiting around to do things.

Unless you came her to stand around ahd bleed money it's not going to be fun.

MichiganGeezer , Magda Ehlers Report

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#9

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs The deserts of the southwest, unless you're prepared for it and understand the dangers of that environment. It isn't uncommon for us to get folks from Europe--typically Germany for some reason--who decide to go hiking at the worst times of the day without enough water. Some of them die. It's really easy to get dehydrated and possibly die even in "safe" areas, and the danger can sneak up on you.

plushautopsy , Ganapathy Kumar Report

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Bernd Herbert
Bernd Herbert
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am from Germany. I was at the Monument Valley. I did the 4mile wildcat trail. It was awesome, much better than driving around in a car. But I agree with the advice, don't do it unprepared.

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Similar to some of the other tips here, we wanted to hear his horror stories, as those tend to be a great way to know what to avoid. “You hear about all the cab scams in certain countries and sometimes you feel like it'll never happen to you - until it does. For most of our time in Istanbul, we used Uber but in one particular case, we figured, "What's the worst that could happen" when we needed to get from our hotel to a hammam we had booked.”
#10

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Anywhere south in the summer time. Its too f****n hot.

BudgetBotMakinTots , Andrea Piacquadio Report

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Kathryn Baylis
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even if the temperature isn’t deathly high, the f*****g humidity will drown you in your own sweat—-which will start gushing out of you with the slightest exertion, like talking your first moisture-filled breath outside. It’s like walking through a steam bath.

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#11

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Avoid going to one location thinking another location across the country is a short trip.

Jebediah_Vorbeck , Enric Cruz López Report

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Yeet_girl360
Yeet_girl360
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To get from Dallas,Texas to Del Rio, Texas takes about 8-9 hours depending on the route, and that is just one way....

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#12

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs The Kensington area of North Philadelphia. Don't. Just don't

amhildreth , wikipedia Report

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Nacho Man Sandy Ravage
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And here's why.....read about this myself a couple of weeks ago https://nypost.com/2023/05/27/horrific-footage-shows-devastation-of-philadelphias-tranq-epidemic/

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“Tracking the route on my phone, the route he took didn't seem too crazy so it didn't ring any alarm bells but things got sketchy when we had to pay. They hand him a 50 TRY bill and he comes back and says we owe him more money even though we were expecting change. What he did was pull off a sleight-of-hand move and switched the 50 to a 5 TRY bill. There was a moment of hesitation but we were pretty sure it was a 50. Yelling ensued and we refused to give more. Despite overpaying, we decided to just walk away. The cab driver still got the last laugh though because when we looked around, we weren't close to where we wanted to go. We made sure we used Uber for the rest of our trip.”

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#13

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Area 51 seems the obvious answer

MaxwellsGoldenGun , Oliver Pacas Report

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#14

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs I see no one has said it, so I’m going to: HOLLYWOOD

Hollywood has like a single block of its area that’s actually worth a visit- it’s the one with the Chinese Theater. But the rest of the city is a complete opposite of the rose-tinted glass view it shows itself as.

It’s not even the fact it’s crowded that’s the issue really, but it is definitely a root issue too.
- it’s filthy, there’s not only garbage everywhere but it’s never clean. You could make a game out of how much vomit, p**s, booze, and cum stains there are.
- the people are scary. Not just the homeless people who are in a depressingly large number, but people in general seem to have a screw loose. There’s also a lot of… “entrepreneurs” trying to sell their businesses, and they aren’t afraid to be in your face about it
- don’t expect any decent eating either. Unless you bleed gold and c**p diamonds, and make reservations a month in advance, there’s no food to be had here.

Overall, it’s just not worth the visit. You want to see an entertainment capital worth your time? Visit Universal Studios theme park. Now there’s an ACTUAL good time to be had.

Edit: I am talking about Hollywood Blvd specifically.

Rexlare , Paul Deetman Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hollywood is disgusting. When go to LA I spend most of my time in Long Beach, Compton and East LA. Better food and less crackheads.

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#15

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs In Alaska, please don't go close to the wildlife the bears will kill you along with the moose. Just no period. -_- I've seen so many tourist get attacked by bears and moose, it ain't pretty.....

infinity-shatters , Elizabeth Meyers Report

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Michael Largey
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And remember that bear spray is not applied like mosquito spray. Not at all.

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“A contrasting story would be from our time in South Africa where we decided we would drive ourselves from Johannesburg to the Sabi Sands Private Reserve next to Kruger National Park for our safari. Luckily, we were able to speak to a friend knowledgeable about the area beforehand where she warned us about the police catching people speeding and then expecting a bribe. This put us on high alert throughout our drive and made sure we followed the speed limits to a T. We never encountered any speed traps along the way and arrived at our lodge without a hitch. Feeling pretty good about it, we then heard from other travelers that we met there that had the opposite experience and actually had to deal with the bribing sadly.”
#16

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs If you wouldn't go there in your home country, don't go there in a foreign country.

What I mean is, every city has a 'bad neighborhood'. Either research before you go, or ask around while you're there.

Every country has a backwoods rural area known for being a bad place for foreigners. Learn where it is and avoid it.

Every tourist destination has tourist traps. Learn what kind of traps to look out for in your destination.

ALiteralSentientTank , Laura Tancredi Report

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Kathryn Baylis
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you go somewhere and purposely try to trigger the locals, you deserve what you get. Research places you plan to visit. Read the news from those places too. Be polite and gracious, and avoid ruffling feathers. Most people who live in rural areas or even down South. aren’t MAGAts, bumpkins, or illiterate. Believe it or not. They’re just not as loud about it as those other people are. People aren’t stereotypes or caricatures. So don’t go lumping them in with their embarrassing neighbors, as it would insult them. In fact, avoid those topics entirely. Every country—-and I mean EVERY COUNTRY—-has its embarrassing citizens. If you wouldn’t like Americans to insult you by lumping you in with them, don’t do it to us.

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#17

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Maine. But that's just bc we don't want people here.

StoneIsDName , Zayn Shah Report

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#18

Look up current sundown towns. I know truckers who absolutely get the f**k out of those places before dark for fear of racial retaliation.

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Michelle A
Michelle A
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Me and my sis stopped to get gas in a small southern town last year...got out went into the store, 2 Black women traveling alone, all eyes fell on us and it got quiet. We turned the h.. around and drove to the next larger town. NNNOOOPE!

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The bottom line is that it never hurts to be prepared, even if the location is as “well known” as the United States. After all, it’s a pretty huge, diverse country with a lot to offer, so ask around, Google your destination and make some notes. And if you want to see more of what Will Tang does, you can find his blog here, his Instagram here, his YouTube here, and his TikTok here. 
#19

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs New Orleans during Mardi Gras and Manhattan, NY during New Years. If you like the smell of p*ss, sh*t and vomit, ignore my advice.

woodyshag , Cayetano Gil Report

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Angie
Angie
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think if you go to the Bourbon Street area of NOLA on any given Thursday - Sunday, it will probably smell like vomit. Best to go there during the day.

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#20

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Honestly, when it comes to nature, please visit everywhere you're heart desires. Just respect Native lands, and plan according to seasons.

City wise, every city has its problems. Do some research and learn the areas to avoid at night and you'll be fine.

Edit

Don't forget, private lands here are private. Take no trespassing and keep out signs seriously.

TheBuddhistTraveler , Annie Spratt Report

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#21

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Anywhere with a Rainforest Cafe and a Wax Museum on the same street is a tourist trap.

Edit: i love how many people keep guessing what city im talking about and no guess has been the same.

Klytus_Im-Bored , Sid Dalal Report

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#22

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Gas station sushi.

No matter how fresh they say it is. . . *Never. Ever. Eat it.*

Captain_Excellence , Jenny Salita Report

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#23

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Gary, Indiana. Americans should avoid it as well

terrariox , Gary Meulemans Report

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R Dennis
R Dennis
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG. Went to Chicago from SE Michigan and got off in Gary to get cheap gas before hitting Chicago. I am from Detroit and that was still the most desolate place I have ever seen. The gas station was closed, the on ramp to get back on the freeway was closed... so here we are driving in the dark trying to find gas before we run out and a way back on the road. (Before Google maps) My wife's BFF wakes up in the back seat, looks around, and asks "Where the hell did you bring me?!" Gary isn't an exaggeration...

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#24

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs As a native Californian, I'd definitely say the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That place is so dirty and grimy and all the people and street performers there are sketchy and aggressive. Definitely not worth it if you ask me

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#25

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Not American but if you ever find yourself in East Texas and think ‘I’m going to drive to New Orleans’ DON’T DO IT.

Rural Louisiana is like the f*****g upside down.

Meeeeehhhh , Ken Lund Report

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DE Ray
DE Ray
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you find yourself in East Texas, think "I wonder what's in Arkansas?" The oldest part of the national parks system (Hot Springs was designated for preservation before the national parks were formed), the only diamond mine open to the public, plenty of hiking in the mountains or kayaking or blues and jazz festivals... Just remember it's still hot and humid.

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#26

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Times Square. As a native New Yorker I highly recommend going to Chelsea, the Village, or anywhere in Central Park over this overrated monstrosity dedicated to capitalism.

ScarlettBeargonia , James Ting Report

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Hans Georg
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was there. It was okay. But the Hot Dogs are c**p. Even Ikea does better.

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#27

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Right now.... Vermont.

belac4862 , cnn Report

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Christos Arvanitis
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Vermont homeowner here. We had a double whammy last week and it has been brutal.

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#28

Avoid swimming in Lake Superior. People read the name “Lake” and get excited. What they don’t realize is they’re (Great Lakes) inland fresh water seas. It’s cold af and it can be fatal.

Edit: too many people missing the point here

- I know that are some decent beaches around LS where you can go and swim and do stuff, I was talking about the lake as a whole.
- For those who can swim in it, it’s good, I myself have been fortunate enough to have swam in it a few times, however, my point being, that the Great Lakes in general are a powerful entity and unlike your regular lakes, moreover, except for a couple of months, the weather can be erratic and can change multiple times in a day, so, if someone’s planning to swim, they need to be careful.
- It’s great that if you can swim there all the time, doesn’t mean everyone should. It’s a general advice, not a specific one.

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Shark Lady
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are ships that have gone down in the Great Lakes due to weather conditions and rogue waves. The most well-known is probably the Edmund Fitzgerald, listen to the advice of locals, if they don't swim somewhere then you shouldn't either.

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#29

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Steaming Acidic hot springs in Yellowstone.

SuvenPan , Siegfried Poepperl Report

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Kim Kermes
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yellowstone is fascinating if you learn the geology. And follow Park Ranger instructions.

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#30

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Not American but as a visitor trying to travel on the cheap, I made the mistake of booking a greyhound bus ride. There's a reason why it was cheap lol

toadkarter1993 , wikipedia Report

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Petra Schaap
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

unless something has changed recently, i dont see why. Did several Greyhound trips. Its the same as bustraveling in Europe. Usualy nice, can be bad.

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#31

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Trenton NJ. It’s the state capital, there is a good museum. But it looks like a bombed-out looted s**thole and I won’t even stop at red lights while in Trenton.

colomommy , Jimmy Woo Report

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William Teach
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are tons of nice places to visit in NJ, just stay away from the Trenton area and Newark area (excepting to see the Devils play). Go to Shore in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Go up to the NW part of the state. See the Pine Barrens.

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#32

Don’t go on hikes in the southwest- unless you know what you’re going into. The deserts there can be pretty hot, so you’ll need to bring plenty of water, and sunscreen up.

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Kathryn Baylis
Kathryn Baylis
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And watch where you’re going. There are rattlesnakes, scorpions, and tarantulas out there, amongst other critters you don’t want to come face to face with.

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#33

It's not "places" as much as "situations" that you should avoid. Depending on where you're from, you'll have some of these instincts, but not others. It's not all or nothing.

But here's some situations I can see happening to a European, as an example.

* Getting stranded in the desert. Whether you're hiking without water, or driving too far on a single tank of gas, there's a real risk of being stranded without very immediate help, and no cell reception.
* Underestimating travel time. You're not going to see NYC and LA on the same trip. They're three time zones apart. They are exactly as far apart as London, England and Baku, Azerbaijan. You'll either be driving for a week, or flying. Even things that seem close, like NYC and DC, are not actually that close. It would be about 6 hours of driving or train to get from one to the other.
* Trespassing. It is taken VERY seriously here, and you could wind up shot if you are on the wrong person's land. We do **not** have the [right to roam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam). And we **do** have the right to bear arms. Some states even have "castle laws" which considers trespassing to be sufficient reason to shoot someone in "self defense".

Any places people are mentioning are places that Americans wouldn't go to either if they could help it.

But if I can say one place in particular, it would be Camden, NJ. It's just across the river from Philadelphia, and has a couple of tourist draws like the Aquarium or the concert venue, but anywhere that's not those specific places is ***incredibly*** unsafe.

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#34

Most of Downtown Los Angeles at night. When the streets get quiet and the locals go home, that's your cue to go back to your hotel or a more popular hotspot.

Edit-I should have said "populated"

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#35

East st louis. One of the highest, if not the highest, murders per capita in the country.

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Petra Schaap
Petra Schaap
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rest of St Louis too :-D On the backseat with friends who didnt even stop for red lights 😂

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#36

Pine Hills, Florida. It’s in the Orlando area. Just stick to the tourist areas. I used to live there and it’s a s**t show.

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#37

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Circle Ks at 2 am..

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ninjaTrashPandaBoom
ninjaTrashPandaBoom
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Any convenience store at 2am, but definitely Circle Ks....and 7/11s

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#38

Walker County, Alabama.

Just don’t go there. Don’t.

Anywhere else in Alabama is fine though, Huntsville is great and so is Birmingham. Decatur has a really good BBQ joint, and don’t forget white bbq sauce on your chicken.

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PlatinumTheCat
PlatinumTheCat
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was born in Huntsville, Alabama and my grandmother lives there so my family went there last summer (it might have been winter) and it was great, there were a lot of things to see

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#39

East St Louis

Gary. Indiana

Outside the tourist French Quarter in New Orleans

Anything named "Ward" in major cities....example Houston 5th Ward

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ConstantlyJon
ConstantlyJon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm honestly surprised to not see Detroit or Flint on this list. As a Michigander, those are the go-to for "don't go to these places" for many people.

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#40

Overall? Mississippi.

You see American redditors bash it all the time but they really aren’t just memes. It’s miserable there, the government works against you, and the people are (understandably) in a constant state of unpleasantness.

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Saint Tim the Godless
Saint Tim the Godless
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mississippi is one of the poorest states in America with one of the lowest standards of living.

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#41

Downtown Albuquerque at night. So many cracked out homeless dudes getting in your personal space. I told my wife to wait in the car while I stood in front of the taco truck. One guy tried to start a fight with me because I wouldn't lower my window to talk to him while I was at the McDonald's drive-thru.

I'm used to NYC where the beggars ask you for money while leaning against the wall or something. In downtown Albuquerque, it's like they own the streets and the roads.

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#42

Not necessarily avoid it... But San Francisco is wild. If you leave things in sight in your car there is a fairly good chance it could be stolen. It's an expensive city to visit and having to worry about all that extra crime after paying so much to visit sucks. It's a cool city though.

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WoodChuckCouldChuck
WoodChuckCouldChuck
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m glad to have visited but not a chance I’d stay longer than a weekend. It’s a decaying shell of what it once was.

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#43

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs The poor sections of every large city. That's where the overwhelming majority of crime happens.

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#44

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs I’ll say it. Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, TN. Too many people, and it’s a huge tourist trap.

While the Smoky Mountains are beautiful you can enjoy less crowded scenery by staying in North Carolina and visiting the park around that side. Also the Cherokee National Forest is magnificent.

Edit:// I live a few hours from there which I why I mentioned it. Dollywood is about the only reason I’d go up to visit. I live close to many great hiking areas in National Forests so I have no need to see the National Park (where I can’t even bring my dog). It’s just not worth it to point someone in that direction if they’re visiting, I’ll tell them to go to different areas.

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Team Jay
Team Jay
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Could not agree more to avoid Gatlinburg. It's Myrtle Beach in the mountains.

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#45

Don't go to Six Flags and don't stay in any ~~hotels~~ motels with an exterior entrance that leads directly into your room.


Edit: Motel added. Thanks for your useful contribution.

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Arnaud
Arnaud
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why shouldn't I stay in a Motel with exterior entrance and cheezy neon sign like I see in the movies? Crackheads will burst into my room? It will be infested by bugs?

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#46

I see a lot of posters suggesting national parks, which is great. But please be aware some parks are crowded, and some need reservations, so call ahead or check their web pages.

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Madam Puddyfoot
Madam Puddyfoot
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are just as many beautiful places that are not national parks.

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#47

Arizona is very hot in the summertime, otherwise a nice place to visit…bring your own water please!

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#48

Avoid the place in your head that says you can visit Miami and LA in the same week. You can, if you fly but youll spent 15 hours in the air and get to see very little with at most 48hrs to see the city

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#49

“Danger Can Sneak Up On You”: 30 Americans Share Places To Avoid At All Costs Any tourist place will be a money trap, crowded and underwhelming.

Unfortunately lots of cool stuff in the US just gets turns into a business with bizarre gift shops with unrelated gifts

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Megan Curl
Megan Curl
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except this is the Lincoln Monument - free. The Smithsonian Museums - all free. Show some self control and stay away from the gift shops, food courts and various street vendors.

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#50

Apparently Harrison, Arkansas

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White Sauce Hot Sauce
White Sauce Hot Sauce
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's the hometown of the Knights of the KKK and considered the most racist town in America. Don't go there if you're not a straight, white, Protestant, American male.

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#51

Skid Row, LA.

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#52

San Bernardino California at night with no money walking and waving/screaming obscenities at police officers

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#53

It’s subjective, but I hated Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. It’s pretty, but otherwise over-priced tourist trap with terrible traffic. Go to Asheville instead.

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CC Boom
CC Boom
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No stay away from AVL. You'll fall in love and never leave. This means you people from Florida.

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#54

Pueblo Colorado

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