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If you’re a truly ambitious traveler, you probably want to visit as many destinations on the planet as you can. While you hope every trip will be memorable, there’s probably a chance you’ll visit at least one place that you’d rather forget.
One netizen decided to ask the Reddit community what the worst countries and cities they’d ever visited were, and people were only too happy to contribute their stories of places they’d never go back to, for all sorts of unpleasant reasons.
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#1
Egyptians in this thread: *Oh boy here we go again*.
RELATED:
#2
Turkey as a single female visiting female friends. What made the trip awful? Men. As rich as the culture and amazing the food is there, I would never go back again and I travelled to many places in the world alone.
I do know quite a few Turkish people individually, including men, and they are all just normal, kind people. But as a country... I was constantly harassed, sexualised and accosted that I hardly enjoyed the bits that I did.
Dave Walters 1 day ago
My wife and I went to Antalya in the 90's. After hiring a car the owner of that business plagued my wife and the hotel staff for a week, including threatening me with his employees if I didn't talk my wife into it. We couldn't get moved, couldn't leave the grounds and the male police officers just laughed. The hotel owner did everything he could though but I think he was French.
Travel is all about the adventure of discovering new spaces, exploring different cultures, and making memories that'll last a lifetime. Unfortunately, if you travel long enough, you’ll likely come across places that don’t live up to your expectations. From hair-raising traffic and natural hazards to rampant poverty and unchecked crime, some destinations are better left unchecked.
#3
Altoona, PA: Went to. McDonald's there and it was filled with rats.
#4
Dubai.. everything is superficial and society is hierarchical.
According to The Broke Backpacker, depending on the type of traveler you are, some of the places you might want to miss include Morocco, Dubai, India, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Bali, Honduras, Japan, Bahrain, and Bolivia. Granted, the writer does describe themselves as traveling on a tight budget, so maybe take this list with a pinch of salt.
#5
Delhi, India. 2009. Even in the airport there was no concept of personal space and random men would be practically on top of you. The smell of body odor overwhelming. Once we stepped out of the airport it was hot and muggy, intensifying all the smells of rotting trash and sewage contents. The streets insanely crowded with people and cows walking in and out of traffic, families with 5+ people riding on a single motorbike.
Upon entering this clustered traffic, people and children were trying to open the cab doors, making the international signs for “money” and “food”. My dad gave us all cash to pass around. One of the people who approached the car window on my side was a little girl around 7 years old who was carrying a baby that was clearly deceased. People with horrific disabilities sat on the sidewalk begging for money and grabbing at you. Men ogle you and attempt to subtly grab you as they pass you. Keep in mind, I was still a minor when we went.
Alongside the malnourished children, rats, garbage, everything, were beautiful and well kept mansions with high walls and gates. A shocking contrast.
It was the worst place I have been out of 30+ countries because it was breathtakingly sad. The wealth disparity, pain, hygiene, it isn’t their fault. I love so much of the culture, the food, the history, the natural beauty but in Delhi it was overshadowed by the byproducts of poverty.
meh 1 day ago (edited)
Delhi used to be less crowded but an influx of migrant workers from neighboring states and government apathy has destroyed urban planning. However, having said that Delhi still has some beautiful historical architecture which I still miss. The pollution too, has added to the chaos. We used to love the Delhi winters but now pollution has made the city almost unlivable.
#6
Cape Town, South Africa.
Visited one of the townships (Khayelitsha) with about 400,000 inhabitants. The size and level of poverty, especially in comparison to the rest of the city, was just heartbreaking.
blackrose00786 1 day ago
I'm from Cape Town, and I agree one hundred percent! That's the after maths of apartheid, I'm what we call coloured here In south Africa and during apartheid both sets of grandparents were forced removed out of their homes to the worst parts of Cape Town
The Armormax website lists over 20 of the most dangerous tourist destinations in the world. Among these are Acapulco, Mexico, which has seen an explosion in crime; Kingston, Jamaica, also a hotbed of criminal activity; New Smyrna Beach, Florida, the world’s shark attack capital; and Snake Island, Brazil, home to thousands of venomous snakes.
#7
I don't understand this type of thinking. I've had ups and downs while traveling but never thought of a trip as "awful" or any place as "the worst". If you have the right attitude, every place has something to offer.
Anyway, Vegas.
#8
Jamaica. Everything is covered in garbage and we were robbed twice in the same afternoon. .
ॐBoyGanesh 1 day ago
I’ve been to 39 nations and have travelled (for work & pleasure) most of my adult life. I’ve been to everywhere in the Greater (including Cuba & Haiti) & Lesser Antilles, but have staunchly avoided Jamaica. My concerns and my safety worries with this country have kept me away for 30+ years. I wouldn’t visit if it were a free trip. As a queer man, I’ve been to many many places that are dangerous for homosexuals, but I absolutely will not set foot on this island. It’s more dangerous than Bahrain, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen… The list goes on.
The World Population Review website offers a complete list of the worst countries to visit in 2024. Some of these places are war-torn and suffer from political instability, and have a high threat of kidnapping for ransom or illegal detention. Notable countries to avoid include Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Libya, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Mali, Mexico, and Myanmar.
#9
Had a great road trip driving all the way down NZ until we got to Invercargill. It has the weirdest aura of menace there - people staring with blank looks, groups of young men following us ("coincidentally" appearing several times and having to avoid bumping into them as if they were trying to start s**t or pickpocket).
Maybe everyone in town was having an off day but the only thing I could compare it to was when you walk down the wrong street and suddenly realize you're the center of attention in a way that you really don't want... but the entire place was that way.
Jason Boyd 16 hours ago
Yay, New Zealand never gets voted into these, very proud of my homeland for making the list!!
#10
Morecambe UK. Practically the type specimen of a run down English seaside town it’s a s**thole in every way. And the ‘beach’ has substantial areas of quicksand, though as you vanish into the ground you might think that a preferable fate to staying in Morecambe.
Dave Walters 1 day ago
I've passed through Morecambe many times and I am proud to say that on one of the visits it didn't rain!
Fodor’s Travel offers a list of places it thinks you should reconsider traveling to in 2025 - the Fodor’s No List. Destinations struggling with poor infrastructure, overtourism, pollution, water shortages, and a poor response to natural disasters all hold an unenviable spot in the catalog.
#11
St. Petersburg, Russia. Got beat up a bit at the phone and robbed. Fun times.
Petra Peitsch 1 day ago (edited)
Why TF do you even want to visit Russia? My country was visited by Russia for decades. It wasn't a funny time ...
#12
Benidorm. Absolutely devoid of culture and history. There was nothing there and then some idiot decided to build Blackpool on steroids. The only thing there is to do there is drink, people try to sell you d***s every five steps, the clientele is just the worst kind of English person, and due to the horrible, horrible lifestyle you’d have to be into to enjoy a trip there, it’s full of people with obvious medical problems that presumably occur due to alcohol and likely unmanaged diabetes. I saw more amputees in a week in Benidorm than I have in ten years in England, hands down. Super weird.
But if these are some of the worst places you can, but probably shouldn’t, go to, what are some of the best? According to World Population Review, the most popular tourist destination in the world for more than 30 years, France, boasts a myriad of attractions, while England's capital city, London, attracts visitors with a wide range of sights and nearby landmarks that see their fair share of tourists every year.
#13
New Orleans, LA.
I used to love the place when I was in college, I really did. It was wonderful. Music. Food. Just wonderful.
But that's not how it is today. It's like a city doing a s****y impression of New Orleans.
I hadn't been there in over a dozen years and went back last Summer. The food was lousy. There were homeless people *everywhere* on Bourbon St. which I've never seen before. And hookers patrol down up and down the road hitting up absolutely everybody. Right in front of the cops so you know (surprise surprise) that they're in on it.
The place has absolutely zero charm now.
Sue 1 day ago
I went in the 80's & it was just like that then. Nothing has changed for the better or worse. Bars won't let you go to the bathroom unless you're female (me). One of our very shy guy friends tried peeing in some bushes & 5 cop cars pulled up & arrested him. There was a party in the police station with everyone who was bailing out their friends. Someone who lives there told me they arrest people a lot since they usually work off their punishments cleaning up after Mardi Gras.
#14
Orlando. I don't mean the parks, I mean the time I happened to be in Orlando outside of them. I've never been anywhere else where so many people are so consistently aggressive and mean.
At the mall people (not a person, plural people) would drive behind us in the parking lot which itself isn't anything I haven't experienced elsewhere, but they'd honk their horns and cuss us out for walking to the car too slowly. Eventually someone asked politely if she take our parking spot and we were just so happy someone was nice about it we told her exactly where we parked and said we'd wait for her. We were not surprised to see she had Alabama license plates.
On another time some guy in a black priest robe and that white collar just stopped on the side of the road long enough to call my wife a "fat b***h."
That was also where we had the most near misses while driving, from so many people either pulling away from the shoulder without looking or turning left from the right lane/right from the left lane.
Wang Zhuang 1 day ago
I've been to Orlando at least a half dozen times in my life and have never had a problem. I think OP just had the misfortune of running into terrible people.
#15
Macau
The stark difference between the uber rich getaway spots, the local housing projects, the desperation of gamblers and constant scamming of just about everyone trying to sell you something.
Also, our hotel smelled like an open sewer and we were chased by an angry taxi driver because we asked to be taken to a specific casino but didn’t go inside. We gave him that name because it was a good focal point for us to explore but had no interest in gambling. When we got out and paid our fare but then turned into a pedestrian shopping area he shouted and chased us. I assume he got a kick back for every person he actually brought to the casino and was angry at missing out.
Another hotspot is Spain, which is abundant with interesting attractions. Gaudi's Sagrada Familia cathedral, the Guggenheim museum, the Generalife Gardens, and the beaches of Gran Canaria are all picture-perfect destinations. The South Asian country of Thailand, also known as the "Land of Smiles", offers both modern comforts and awesome adventure. The country's capital, Bangkok, gets over 20 million visitors every year.
#16
Varanasi, India. Our trip leader decided it would be a good idea for our group to stay in a hotel really close to the main ghat. While cars are banned in that part of the city, scooters are not and they are blaring their horns 24/7. Add to that the constant bell ringing and the sheer amount of people and it is noisy as hell. I had a street facing room and couldn't sleep even with noise cancelling headphones on. The people in the alley facing rooms fared no better, as screaming monkeys were trying to break into the rooms and at least one person found a nest of dead rats. There was no drain in the bathroom, which I didn't realize until after taking a brief shower, which resulted in me having to scoop the water into a tiny sink like I was bailing a sinking boat. Outside of the hotel wasn't a whole lot better, not only because of the noise, but also the piles of cow s**t everywhere and the large open air crematoriums making it hard to breathe. That city f*****g sucked and I will never go back.
Have you ever had an underwhelming travel experience? What made it so disappointing? Would you ever go there again? Don’t forget to upvote your favorites on this list and leave a comment if you can relate!
#18
I had to go to Bakersfield, CA for work once.
That place is just depressing; also, at the time there was a heatwave with temperatures reaching well over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, so double fail.
#19
Niagara Falls, NY. Went there for a family road trip a few years ago. While the falls and park were beautiful and we made the most out of the trip, the city is an absolute ghost town and a complete dump. Nowhere to eat, nothing to do. Had to eat at a Hard Rock Cafe which I'm still perplexed about it still existing. We couldn't figure out why so many hotel reviews warned us about vagrants or where to safely park your vehicle or walking at night but once we got there, we figured out why.
Buffalo Museum of Science was a gem.
R Dennis 1 day ago (edited)
I used to take my stepkids to Niagara (Canadian side) about once a year, but you can only take so much of the gaudiness of Clifton Hill. We crossed over to the U.S. side and the falls are in a park and it was amazing! Outside the park, it's just a city with a casino, but the nature is better on that side. If you want tourist trap which is fun sometimes, Canadian side is good for that.
#20
There is pretty much nothing to do in the Cayman Islands when it's raining, so naturally, it rained the entire time I was there. Didn't help that everything's insanely overpriced, the public transport is awful, and road safety is practically nonexistent.
#21
Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
We gave some places a wide berth the 2 nights we were there, so we didn’t see the worst things that I’m sure go on there. But it was in the air. The sleaze and the vice felt omnipresent.
Imagine a Liam Neeson or Charles Bronson vigilante movie set in a beach town run by a vaguely Eastern European mob, and you’re imagining Sihanoukville. .
Simon Chen 1 day ago
The only place on this whole list i have been to and i have to say, it depends. If you have been there before 2019 it was quite nice, then the chinese came and bought the whole dmn city and now you just can not go there anymore. Maybe a daytrip to the beach, thats it. Its a chinese colony now, all restaurants, hotels, shops, everything is chinese and very expensive now. The beaches are still quite nice, but apart from that there is really nothing nice there anymore. Very sad, used to be one of the nicest places in cambodi
#22
Indiana, but specifically Evansville. Broke down there. Walked from the hotel we landed at to a Honda repair shop. My son and I are walking down the side of this major road and the shoulder is carpeted in cigarette butts. And I mean carpeted. For 2 miles it looked like someone had pored out the contents of thousands of ash trays. And those were just the two miles we walked. Just a mean, angry town.
Cathy Jo Baker 1 day ago
I'm a Hoosier who spent an overnight in Evansville because I was doing an early morning 8K race and yeah, I wasn't impressed
#23
Fort Yates, North Dakota.
It was September and my fiancée and I were on a road trip. We were driving from Rapid City to Fargo and we stopped in Fort Yates for lunch. We drive into town and every house is boarded up and condemned, and every building that looked like it had been a buisness at one point had long been closed. We found the town grocery store and stop to grab something. As soon as we got out of the car, the homeless people in the town began casing the car. So we noped out of there and drove to Bismarck for lunch.
I grew up in poverty so seeing it isn’t as jarring to me as it is to a lot of people. But reservation poverty is DIFFERENT. Everyone looked strung out and miserable.
#25
Raqqa. Was very loud and there were a lot of people trying to [end] me. 0/10.
#26
Seminole Texas -
In fairness it only has a population of about 300, but I had to stay there for a couple of weeks for work. The only motel in town was infested with scorpions, climbing up the walls, behind the furnituer, and eventually in my bed.
#27
Personally, I hate Birmingham AL for its nonsensical highway layout, the fact it always meant lost time when I tried to travel through it to anyplace, and the scummy residents I've run into there.
But objectively I'd say Cairo IL is the most dilapidated and creepy town I've driven through. It's as if that [big gateway into town]
#28
Wichita, Kansas.
Even by the loooow standards I was expecting, it did not meet.
As a random example: In the second largest city in the state of Kansas, when we turned on the radio there were 11 preacher channels, and only two music options. Of those, only one was secular. This is on the great plains were a radio signal should travel 1,000 miles! What is this cultural black hole of a landscape?
#29
I was very disappointed in Reno - Nevada. I am Dutch and love the US and its people. Unfortunately Reno is one stay I want to erase from my memory. Lots of d**g addicts. Unsafe feeling especially downtown.
Fire Singer 1 day ago
We used to go to Reno fairly often when I was a kid as it was on the way to my grandparents house when we drove. I remember it being so fun and the games were like a big casino for kids. As we got older it started to really become run down and we no longer felt safe going.
#30
Haven't really had any bad experiences out of country but I really did not like Texarkana one single f****n bit.
#31
The US state of Indiana.
Absolutely textbook flyover middle America, nothing but average clapboard housing, 4 way stops, fields everywhere. Saying there's nothing there is being very generous, there aren't any notable focal points or tourist attractions, there isn't even a foodie scene like some of the other flyover states do have.
I now totally understand why American teenagers and young people stereotypically always seem to slide off the rails, doing dumb s**t and getting into d***s and booze. Being brought up in such a boring environment where you can't do anything without a car must really wear you down after a while.
Was staying with relatives (who have since died) on a normal street in a boring crummy town and was there for four days. Absolutely dire and Indiana was hands down the worst state we went to.
#32
Lived in Omaha Nebraska for a year and it’s the biggest s**t hole I’ve ever seen in my whole life.
John Boy 23 hours ago
We went there a couple of years ago for a couple of symphony concerts (They were playing with the "Go Now!" group). Could not disagree more! Having heard that there was "nothing to do" there, instead we found that there were so many things to see & do there that we wished we had stayed 7 days instead of only 5!
#33
Seattle, WA.
Expensive, nasty weather, won't turn on the heat in public places, and the meanest/snobbiest/rudest locals.
Like no one makes eye contact, holds open a door, or says hello but then your tab will be $75 for 4 drinks. Small coffees from almost anywhere were $7+.
Most places are worth it in some way but not Seattle.
The area is absolutely gorgeous and the city's infrastructure is great for the US. But neither make up for the rest of the nonsense.
Trista JW 1 day ago (edited)
HAHA HAHA I was born in Bremerton and lived in Tacoma until I turned 21. Seattle is NOT bad at all--- if you want to see bad, crime and price-wise, get out of Seattle and visit Tacoma, Lakewood, or Puyallup. Seattle just gets its bad reputation because of how damn glamorized and sensationalized it is. Tacoma's the a$$hole of Western Washington. People from Western WA are damn sure not going to greet some random person or hold a door for you, there's no reason to expect that kind of treatment unless you know that person. They don't want you in their business and have no desire to be in yours. It's just a different way of life.
What do you think ?
Ron Man 1 day ago
So many of these are people who didn't research where they were going, or were sad and upset because of what they were doing there. I've travelled a lot, and the one thing I can say for sure is that you need to do your research, and your experience is mainly based on the mental space you bring with you.
Petra Peitsch 1 day ago
80% of these places being in the USA, cities and states, what never will cross my mind to even google them.
Apatheist Account2 1 day ago
For me, it's Milan. So humid on one occasion that my watch stopped working and wouldn't dry out, even when I got back to the UK - not ideal when one is trying to catch a plane, and this was before smart phones. Also a lot of Chinese people - not a problem in itself, but that was a big open door for Covid. When asking for pasta, one has to choose between the Italian way or the Chinese way, so be specific when ordering.
BookFanatic 21 hours ago
Biggest disappointment for me was Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. It was the influencer plague that did it for me. Everywhere I looked there were idiots climbing past the "DO NOT CLIMB" signs on the rocks, clambering over the safety fences to get the perfect shot, using selfie sticks, and generally being 100% oblivious to the fact that other people wanted to take a picture as well.
Uncle Schmickle 1 day ago
I've been to many places around the world and like to get away from the tourist spots, but had a stopover in Bangkok once on the return trip to Oz. It was the worst place. Traffic, pollution, corruption, dodgy people. Wanted to see the giant golden Buddha statue, but the traffic was so insane, I requested my tour guide to return to the hotel or I would have missed my flight. I'd allowed 4 hours for this trip, but it was impossible in this time. The limo driver blatantly bribed a motor cycle cop to allow him to avoid a traffic violation.
Jessica SpeLangm 1 day ago (edited)
This seems eeriely the same as a post with the same content a few months ago. I can easily find something bad about EVERY place I visit, or live. But that doesn't make them bad places....just not what you wanted as a visitor.
Racing Tadpole 1 hour ago
South Africa got ripped off by a taxi driver, never again.... not a safe place at all..
T'Mar of Vulcan 7 hours ago
I was disappointed by London. People are always like, "Oh, you can get anywhere using the Tube!" No one mentions the long walk TO the tube and the long walk FROM the tube. (I'm from a city where a car is a must - even if you don't have a license, you can get an Uber or taxi easily.) I was more tired from all the to-and-from walking than anything else. Also, the weird thing Londoners do where they don't make eye contact (though when you talk to someone, they're usually very nice). I'm from a city where everyone makes eye contact, so I kept having to dodge people who weren't looking. How do Londoners not bump into each other all the time? Paris: exceeded expectations. I loved it. Would go back tomorrow.
BarfyCat 17 hours ago
Eh, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Personally, I hate megacities. All of them. Too many people, too much chaos. I know this about myself and choose quieter places to visit. I'm sure places that are my dream destinations would be unbearably boring for someone else.
Ron Man 1 day ago
So many of these are people who didn't research where they were going, or were sad and upset because of what they were doing there. I've travelled a lot, and the one thing I can say for sure is that you need to do your research, and your experience is mainly based on the mental space you bring with you.
Petra Peitsch 1 day ago
80% of these places being in the USA, cities and states, what never will cross my mind to even google them.
Apatheist Account2 1 day ago
For me, it's Milan. So humid on one occasion that my watch stopped working and wouldn't dry out, even when I got back to the UK - not ideal when one is trying to catch a plane, and this was before smart phones. Also a lot of Chinese people - not a problem in itself, but that was a big open door for Covid. When asking for pasta, one has to choose between the Italian way or the Chinese way, so be specific when ordering.
BookFanatic 21 hours ago
Biggest disappointment for me was Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. It was the influencer plague that did it for me. Everywhere I looked there were idiots climbing past the "DO NOT CLIMB" signs on the rocks, clambering over the safety fences to get the perfect shot, using selfie sticks, and generally being 100% oblivious to the fact that other people wanted to take a picture as well.
Uncle Schmickle 1 day ago
I've been to many places around the world and like to get away from the tourist spots, but had a stopover in Bangkok once on the return trip to Oz. It was the worst place. Traffic, pollution, corruption, dodgy people. Wanted to see the giant golden Buddha statue, but the traffic was so insane, I requested my tour guide to return to the hotel or I would have missed my flight. I'd allowed 4 hours for this trip, but it was impossible in this time. The limo driver blatantly bribed a motor cycle cop to allow him to avoid a traffic violation.
Jessica SpeLangm 1 day ago (edited)
This seems eeriely the same as a post with the same content a few months ago. I can easily find something bad about EVERY place I visit, or live. But that doesn't make them bad places....just not what you wanted as a visitor.
Racing Tadpole 1 hour ago
South Africa got ripped off by a taxi driver, never again.... not a safe place at all..
T'Mar of Vulcan 7 hours ago
I was disappointed by London. People are always like, "Oh, you can get anywhere using the Tube!" No one mentions the long walk TO the tube and the long walk FROM the tube. (I'm from a city where a car is a must - even if you don't have a license, you can get an Uber or taxi easily.) I was more tired from all the to-and-from walking than anything else. Also, the weird thing Londoners do where they don't make eye contact (though when you talk to someone, they're usually very nice). I'm from a city where everyone makes eye contact, so I kept having to dodge people who weren't looking. How do Londoners not bump into each other all the time? Paris: exceeded expectations. I loved it. Would go back tomorrow.
BarfyCat 17 hours ago
Eh, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Personally, I hate megacities. All of them. Too many people, too much chaos. I know this about myself and choose quieter places to visit. I'm sure places that are my dream destinations would be unbearably boring for someone else.
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