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I Just Didn’t Like It…

Travellers tales of the places they just didn’t like.

Everyone always talks about the trips they have been on and the places they have visited where they absolutely fell in love with, but rarely do you hear the stories of the places that you just didn’t like. People are always hesitant with sharing these stories, because as travellers, it’s hard to complain about going anywhere without someone rolling their eyes at you. We are all lucky to get to travel anywhere, even if it is to a part of the world that we didn’t really enjoy.

I had an experience like this in Hanoi, Vietnam, and to be honest, it wasn’t that I absolutely hated my time there, in the end I was glad I visited, but it just wasn’t my favourite place and not on the top of my must-go-back list. Here’s why…

When my sister and I traveled to Hanoi in December 2014, we arrived from Luang Prabang, Laos, which is the most relaxing, laidback place in existence. Going from a hippie town to a full blown chaotic city, probably didn’t help my case. We arrived in Hanoi and it was just pure chaos. Motorbikes everywhere, no stop lights, tuk tuks and taxis waiting to scam you, it was just straight up overwhelming and I was definitely in major culture shock.

Hanoi, Vietnam

One of the first set of people we met were a couple from Australia, and the girl had warned us that this was the worst place she’s ever been and that we should just stay in the hotel the whole time we were there. Obviously not what you want to hear when you first arrive in a destination, but we had to give it a fair shot and determine what we thought of the city ourselves. The next day was rainy and cold, and this was entirely our fault, but we didn’t realize Vietnam can actually be way colder in December then all the neighbouring countries, so we literally had 0 pants with us, and 1 sweater each. I used my beach cover-up as a scarf, and piled on everything in my backpack. We headed out to explore, and between the cold, rain, the chaos and fear of crossing the street, and us constantly getting lost amongst the chaos, it was an exhausting day.

On top of the cold weather, we found the people in Hanoi to be less than welcoming. When we entered most stores, the people working could care less, or wouldn’t help us (not all, but most), we went to a night market and instead of people actually trying to sell you things, they wouldn’t even give us the time of day to tell us how much something was, we’d be walking down the street and it wouldn’t be shocking if people straight up pushed you out of the way. I had never traveled to a city ever where I felt unwelcome and uncomfortable because of it. Despite the fact we met a lot of friendly and helpful people, especially those that works at our hostel, it was hard to ignore the mean and un-friendly ones.

Hanoi, Vietnam

Overall, Hanoi was just not my cup of tea. We were happy when we got to escape to Ha Long Bay, and when we returned back for one more night we were antsy to move on to Siem Reap, Cambodia. But even though I didn’t love my time there, I wouldn’t at all say I HATED it, I found it interesting to experience a city so different from everywhere else I had ever been and that is what traveling is all about. So I decided to find out from other people what countries or places they’ve visited and really didn’t like. Here is what some other travellers had to say.


Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh just rubbed me the wrong way. Heaps of backpackers love it there, but I never really developed any sort of connection to this city. I traveled in Southeast Asia for 5 months prior to arriving and grew to understand how street vendors and tuk tuk drivers work, but I always felt in Phnom Penh that the rip offs were more extravagant compared to other cities in Southeast Asia. Overall, it was just an unwelcoming vibe. I ended up just rolling with it and staying for the amount of days I allotted to explore the city and focused on meeting cool people who were staying in my hostel. It is safe to say, I was definitely excited to move on to my next destination!

– Carrie @ There Goes Gypsy


India

I traveled on Semester at Sea to Chennai, India in the fall of 1999. I was quite young and the voyage was really the first time my eyes were open to the ways of the world. Our stop in Chennai was about half way through our around the world journey. I had a few countries under my belt, and a few more to go.

The first thing you notice when you step foot in India is the people. People everywhere fill the streets and sidewalks and you cannot walk without being bumped about.  Coming back to the ship on a bus late at night I noticed the sidewalks full of sleeping bodies. My naïve self did not understand this, but somehow I knew this was a very common occurrence.

The next thing you notice is the pollution.  I wear contacts and for the length of my stay in India I could not wear them due to the irritation of the pollution in the air.  Back on the ship at night, I would blow my nose and find it black. This was a common, surprising occurrence amongst all travelers on the ship.

I was eager to try the food, but had been forewarned about Delhi belly.  I ate only granola bars and other snacks during my time there, but it did not help. I got the dreaded Delhi belly along with over half the ship.

More than anything now, I am ashamed of my uncomfortableness in a foreign country. Try as I might I could not wrap my heard around how very different India was. On the ship, we had a saying, “It’s not weird, it’s just different.” It helped me a lot throughout most of the countries we traveled to, trying new food or witnessing interesting cultures.  Nothing could help me in India when I walked the streets with tears streaming down my eyes at the unfairness of location or birthright.

I’d like to think that if I ever return, I will be ready. I will relish the uniqueness of such a diverse country and I will be comfortable knowing that the differences make us better.

– Kari @ Words and Other Such Things


Morocco

Casa Blanca, Morocco

Casablanca, Morocco conjures up visions of romance, intrigue and old Hollywood, but the reality is the complete opposite and quite disappointing. The city was very dirty and unattractive with very little to do or see. At night the streets were crawling with cockroaches and we couldn’t go anywhere without being followed and harassed by men who would not leave us alone, even following us into restaurants and down dark streets. Needless to say, we could not wait to leave Casablanca for the much nicer city of Marrakech!

– Kartina @ The Two Week Traveler 


Prague

Prague

I have read so many blog posts about Prague, all telling me how beautiful the fairytale city is. The city is famous for the Charles Bridge, it’s Astronomical Clock on the Old Town Square, and the Lennon Wall. The city is known as the gateway to Eastern Europe, but it isn’t, really. It’s just like any other city centre in Europe, I counted 8 Starbucks on our walk this summer, I spotted a Hooters, TGI Friday’s, tons of McDonalds & H&M’s on every corner; definitely not my picture of Eastern Europe. We walked across the Charles Bridge, and it was so packed that I didn’t even see it properly! I pretty much spent the walk clinging onto my guide so I didn’t get hauled off the wrong way in the crowds. Just to prove how fake it is, there is a polished up spot on one of the statues, said to be lucky if you rub it. What really happened was it was polished by students one night to make it popular- and people still fall for it. Not only that, when you get out of the crowds from the bridge you fall into another watching the Astronomical Clock, it’s even been voted the most disappointing tourist attraction in Europe!

On my last visit, I was lucky enough to stumble across an exhibition of Tim Burton’s work which meant I escaped the overcrowded city. It actually turned out to be the best reason to be in Prague, and I had a great time admiring one of my hero’s work, including favourites like The Nightmare Before Christmas. If you do find yourself stuck in Prague, I would also recommend visiting the Lennon Wall, it’s ever changing, and you can even add to it yourself.

– Sammi @ Wanderlustin


Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

When people talk of Sri Lanka, it brings to mind sweeping views of beautiful beaches, swaying palm trees and amazing food. But we found we were not fond of the country after our visit. We flew into Columbo and, after an extremely bumpy 3 hour drive, we arrived in Bentota at the Taj Exotica Resort. From viewing the website, we expected an amazing hotel, but found it quite mediocre. Our room was very no-frills and on the bottom floor, a floor that had previously been under water from the Tsunami of 2004. Tiles were chipping around the pool area and the food was not anything to write home about. Outside the resort, we were not any more impressed. In fact, we found everything a bit depressing. We have visited many third world countries and were shocked by the poverty in Sri Lanka. It was quite dirty and lacked the charm that many other countries we had visited in the Indian Ocean region.

– Melissa @ The Roaming Family


Hong Kong

Hong Kong

I think the reason I didn’t like Hong Kong was just a series of bad luck. You can do HK in two ways- the rich way and the poor way, we were backpacking so we went the poor way. First off, the day I had arrived it was a “code black” for weather, meaning it BUCKETED rain and stormed for the 8 days I was there. No sunshine, no warm clothing, no strong enough umbrella to withstand the rain. I could not go outside without being soaked. Anyways, I stayed in a hostel in Chunking Mansions, it was really dirty, and loud and I felt a bit unsafe there as a solo female. My 6 person co-ed dorm room, which was $26 for a bed, was ALL male. The bathroom didn’t even close all the way and the hostel didn’t really care to help. I think it was just the bad luck with horrible weather, feeling a touch unsafe, a lot of haggling, uncertainty of certain meats in my food, and the weird smell caused by the rain. I’ll go back one day, but it’s definitely not high on my priority.

– Jen and Jack @ Who Needs Maps 


Lisbon

Lisbon, Portugal

I can’t say I HATED Lisbon. We did see a few buildings that were cute, and Praça do Comércio wasn’t bad, but overall, I was surprised to see during our brief, one day visit how neglected this capital of Portugal looked. There was trash on the sidewalks, graffiti on the walls, and many buildings were close to falling into ruin. So sad, really. I hope Portugal’s economy will improve soon, so that the money flowing in will trickle to city services and improvements as well.

– Jolanta @ Casual Traveler


New Orleans

New Orleans

Many travelers seem to love New Orleans, so maybe my expectations were a bit high when I decided to spend 5 days there around Christmas. However, it seemed to me that there’s not much else to do other than walking up and down Bourbon street, and that gets old quite quickly if you’re not a party animal. On Christmas Eve and Christmas day museums and many restaurants were closed, and I spent those two days wandering around the deserted French Quarter, looking for an open cafe to shield myself from the cold, hoping my vacation would end soon.

– Valeria @ Rome, New York, London, World


Other Stories:

– Sarah from A Week at the Beach’s story of hating Playa del Carmen.
– Anne from Anne Everywhere’s story of hating Boracay.
– Dave and Ayngelina of Bacon is Magic’s story of hating Las Vegas.

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20 Comments

  • Reply
    Julia
    June 3, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Interesting collection of stories Lauren! I totally didn’t mind Hanoi, I actually liked the absolute chaos of it. But that is the essence of travelling – everyone’s perspectives and experiences are so different from one another. Can’t wait to hear about your next adventure!

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 3, 2015 at 2:06 pm

      I loved to hate it. By the end I was happy to have gone, but I don’t think I’d choose to return!

  • Reply
    Melissa--The Roaming Family
    June 3, 2015 at 10:57 am

    Thanks for the post! I felt bad about not liking Sri Lanka because I felt so fortunate to be able to travel to such a faraway place….but I just didn’t like it! 🙂

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 3, 2015 at 2:06 pm

      Everyone has different opinions on different places 🙂 I’d still like to go and see for myself.

  • Reply
    Ayngelina
    June 3, 2015 at 3:55 pm

    So many places I didn’t really care for, it happens. Although I will say this. The first time I went to Cuenca Ecuador I didn’t care for it and I returned for a festival and loved it then went back 3 more times.

    So much factors into a place, the time, weather, who you’re with but I never feel bad for not liking a place.

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 4, 2015 at 12:17 pm

      Exactly! I’ve had that feeling about some places too. I’m sure if I returned to Hanoi I’d like it more, especially if I went when the weather was nice. If you have any specific place you’d like to include in my next edition of this post, let me know! 🙂

  • Reply
    Alexandria
    June 4, 2015 at 10:37 am

    I get it. I’ve been there. I wasn’t that into Brussels. I mean I loved Delirium, but overall i just wasn’t all that thrilled when I was there.

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 4, 2015 at 12:16 pm

      Everyone has their own opinions right? That’s what makes traveling so interesting! I’ve never personally been to Brussels, but I’m looking to do another post like this maybe in the next month or so, if you’d like to contribute your story on Brussels, I’d LOVE to include you in it. Email me 🙂 (I think you have my email)

  • Reply
    Erin
    June 4, 2015 at 2:20 pm

    What different takes on cities. I always enjoy hearing why someone doesn’t like a place. Sometimes I agree with them, but other times the reason a person didn’t like a city is exactly what I’m looking for! As for the place that always stands out in this category: I didn’t love Naples, but I think putting it as the last stop on our vacation which had otherwise been in much smaller parts of Italy might have been part of the problem. It’s not on my “must go back to” list, but I’d go again if I had the chance.

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 4, 2015 at 8:19 pm

      Hey Erin! Thanks for leaving a comment. I also wasn’t a big fan of Naples. My Mom & I felt unsafe there and never wanted to venture out after dark. I LOVED everywhere else in Italy though and the food in Naples too!

  • Reply
    Jolanta | Casual Traveler
    June 4, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    I feel kind of bad for not liking Lisbon. It’s not their fault that they don’t have money to fix up the city. But that’s just how I felt. Yes, I did not see everything. There might be places in Lisbon that I’d love, but all in all, if I’m ever in the area, I’d rather go to Sintra, just about an hour away. Thank you for putting together this post. It’s very interesting to see what people dislike about various places.

  • Reply
    Richelle
    June 5, 2015 at 4:56 am

    I’ve noticed a lot of travelers feel that way about Hanoi but I loved it! I think it was because Hanoi was the first stop on my SE Asia trip, and it felt so fun and different from where I was living in cold, polluted China. The food was great, the motorbikes were fun and I felt like the people were super nice. But, this is all compared to China where I was sick of the food, the people can be pretty un-friendly if they don’t know you and it was freezing cold.

    I totally agree with Carrie on Phnom Penh though. On my first day my friend was robbed by motorbike TWICE (once his cross body bag, then his necklace). It really made me feel on edge the entire time I was there. I was constantly clutching my bag and camera for dear life, jumping every time a motorbike went by. While I’m glad I went, two days was enough for me.

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 5, 2015 at 10:25 am

      Thanks for sharing Richelle! I do have to agree that the food in Hanoi was AMAZING. I think maybe coming from Luang Prabang in Laos which is so peaceful, maybe didn’t prepare me for it!

  • Reply
    Valerie
    June 5, 2015 at 9:10 am

    Interesting post! My first big travel dislike was Paris — my first trip was cool, but not charming in the way I’d heard. Luckily my second trip was much better and I recommend Paris whole-heartedly now! 🙂

    • Reply
      Lauren
      June 5, 2015 at 10:23 am

      I hear that a lot about Paris! If you want to write about that in my next edition of this, let me know 🙂

  • Reply
    Dana Newman
    June 9, 2015 at 6:48 am

    A very interesting post to read! I found myself reading along nodding my head in agreement and understanding about why, first you and then later the others, just didn’t like the “popular” destinations visited. But then of course it’s always hard to suddenly stumble across your absolutely favorite in the whole world! 🙂 For me Prague is the most amazing city I’ve ever been to, but then I am of Czech heritage (second generation born in America), and so I grew up learning about the culture and history. I’d always been curious about the country of my ancestors, so after college I sold off everything and moved to Prague to start my life 🙂 I’ve since moved to Germany and traveled around the world, but Prague is still holds a very special place in my heart.
    Great post and blog! Thanks for sharing and happy travels 🙂

  • Reply
    Alouise
    June 19, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    I loved New Orleans, but I can see why the city wouldn’t be for everyone. I can’t think of any place I really hated, but I felt a little indifferent toward Ottawa, even though there wasn’t anything wrong with the city I just didn’t connect with it.

  • Reply
    Bethaney - Flashpacker Family
    July 28, 2015 at 11:51 am

    I’m with you on Hanoi!!! I think it’s my LEAST favourite city on the entire planet.

  • Reply
    Alex
    July 28, 2015 at 2:49 pm

    Whoever spent 5 days in New Orleans and thought Bourbon was the only thing to do clearly did not do her research 😖.
    I think that holds true for any city and I can understand not venturing out for a day or two but 5 days… Come on!!!

    • Reply
      Lauren
      July 28, 2015 at 7:46 pm

      To each their own! I have never been, but I always find it interesting as one persons bad experience or place that they didn’t like can be another persons treasure & favourite place on the planet! 🙂

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