Disappointing Travel Trips or Venues

[Wry Catcher]

Sodona, Arizona. Other than the red rocks and hiking trails it's a bore.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

We just went in October for the first time right before Sandy hit and I so agree. First and last trip.

Never was into gambling.
Went to Vegas..................so I could fourwheel through the desert from Vegas to Barstow Cali. Took a little over three days and an extra 15 gallons of gas. Never set foot in a casino.lol
It was great!!! Followed the old wagon train trails from hidden spring to hidden spring.
Explored old mines and Indian art on cliff walls. Found the holes where they ground corn.
Probably one of my favorite trips.....except for the drive time from Houston.

Same here. We are not into gambling but I would definitely love the kind of trip you describe. That is the plan this year. To fly into Vegas for the cheap flight and to grab a rental car and then off to explore the outdoors.

That four-wheeling trip sounds like a great time. I definitely prefer beach and mountains over neon.

Myself! The bright lights and foo foo dont do it for me.
A tent in the wilderness is far more appealing then a five star hotel.
The thing I liked about the desert crossing was the fact you were following the same trail as the original settlers. You could almost feel their presence and it made you understand how difficult it must have been.
What took us three days probably took them over a month of travel.
Those people were tough!!!

If you can rent a 4x4 I highly recommend it. You need at least one other vehicle to go with though in case of trouble.
You can gets maps and points of interest for the trip from offroad sites.
tacomaterritory.com is a good place to start.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Sodona, Arizona. Other than the red rocks and hiking trails it's a bore.

Thats one thing I learned about the desert. If you cant drive it,you wont see much.
It's a hell of a long way between points of interest.
But driving through the desert is a high point by itself.

 

[Saigon]

I aren't often disappointed, but then I often have low expectations!!

Certainly Bali is not what you might think from watching movies - to my mind it is over-hyped and largely now full of shopping malls and tourist buses. There aren't many nice beaches (except for surfing) and very little snorkeling close to shore.

I'm also not a big fan of India. I know many people love it, but to me it's a damn difficult place to travel, and for not always a lot of reward. Certainly it is an experience, but not always a good one.

 

[sfcalifornia]

Atlantic City N.J.

My wife and I vowed NEVER to go again.

We just went in October for the first time right before Sandy hit and I so agree. First and last trip.

LOL

AC...yuck!

Nowhere in the world beats Vegas for gambling and neon, if you are into that sort of thing (Macau in Asia comes in second for different reasons!) The surrounding parts of Vegas are beautiful and Death Valley is not to be missed.

 

[sfcalifornia]

Sodona, Arizona. Other than the red rocks and hiking trails it's a bore.

Thats one thing I learned about the desert. If you cant drive it,you wont see much.
It's a hell of a long way between points of interest.
But driving through the desert is a high point by itself.

I couldn't agree more.

I've spent months driving and camping through the Australian outback, sometimes driving 10 hours a day staring at the same desert scenery, just to reach some relatively mediocre point of interest. The real beauty of the desert is when you stop somewhere on the road in the middle of nowhere (most often just to take a piss) and you examine the detail of the rocks and sand and shrubs and bugs... There's amazing beauty in the desert. You just have to stop and look closely at it to see it.

And nothing beats the feeling of isolation in the desert when you know there isn't another soul around you not just for miles but for hundreds of miles.

 

[sfcalifornia]

I aren't often disappointed, but then I often have low expectations!!

Certainly Bali is not what you might think from watching movies - to my mind it is over-hyped and largely now full of shopping malls and tourist buses. There aren't many nice beaches (except for surfing) and very little snorkeling close to shore.

I'm also not a big fan of India. I know many people love it, but to me it's a damn difficult place to travel, and for not always a lot of reward. Certainly it is an experience, but not always a good one.

I haven't been to Bali but I have heard the same thing you just said and it's not on my list. I've also heard people rave about it.....but I'm not convinced.

I felt the same way about India.... Northern India, that is. I spent two weeks traveling around Kolkata, Varanasi, Agra, New Delhi...and wondering what the f*** it was that people loved about this country so much! Don't get me wrong, the sights and monuments are worth the aggravation, and what aggravation it is! So many touts and beggars, so much filth... you are right, a very difficult country to travel in.

But then I went to Kerala.

Southern India is so much different than northern. There is a prosperity in southern India which reduces the begging and hawking down to virtually nil (I suspect it's because of the different religions between north and south but that is a different discussion).

Anyway, southern India is the India I fell in love with and I can't wait to go back.

 

[sfcalifornia]

My most disappointing place was Koh Samui in southern Thailand.

I'd just spent two weeks traveling around northern Thailand loving it. Sometimes being the only foreigner in town, I felt like I escaped from the world I knew.

I met up with some friends in Bangkok afterwards and then we flew down together to spend a week in Koh Samui. We arrived at the airport and got into town. I was pretty disgusted. Nightclubs filled with tourists, beaches covered with topless, fat foreigners and the streets crowded with surly, apathetic backpackers... and hardly a Thai person in sight....a completely different Thailand from the one I'd just left. And we were booked in for a whole week. I almost cried LOL

 

[sfcalifornia]

My most disappointing place was Koh Samui in southern Thailand.

I'd just spent two weeks traveling around northern Thailand loving it. Sometimes being the only foreigner in town, I felt like I escaped from the world I knew.

I met up with some friends in Bangkok afterwards and then we flew down together to spend a week in Koh Samui. We arrived at the airport and got into town. I was pretty disgusted. Nightclubs filled with tourists, beaches covered with topless, fat foreigners and the streets crowded with surly, apathetic backpackers... and hardly a Thai person in sight....a completely different Thailand from the one I'd just left. And we were booked in for a whole week. I almost cried LOL

What, you expect to have THE EARTH to yourself when you travel? Nobody else might have the same idea to visit some place you decide to visit?

LOL No of course not. But if you read carefully, I specifically said, Koh Samui was a Thailand completely different from the one I'd just left. It was more shock at the unexpected than anything else.

 

[Saigon]

My most disappointing place was Koh Samui in southern Thailand.

I'd just spent two weeks traveling around northern Thailand loving it. Sometimes being the only foreigner in town, I felt like I escaped from the world I knew.

I met up with some friends in Bangkok afterwards and then we flew down together to spend a week in Koh Samui. We arrived at the airport and got into town. I was pretty disgusted. Nightclubs filled with tourists, beaches covered with topless, fat foreigners and the streets crowded with surly, apathetic backpackers... and hardly a Thai person in sight....a completely different Thailand from the one I'd just left. And we were booked in for a whole week. I almost cried LOL

Yeah, I know that feeling. Much of Thailand has been turned into a giant brothel with full moon parties.

It isn't just over-touristed, but the way it has been touristed. Too much prostitution, too many drugs, too many tourists with no interest in anything but sex and sun.

That said, parts of Thailand are magical; they just aren't as easy to find as they used to be.

btw. Unkotare is VERY threatened by anyone who travels. I have no idea why.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

When I was young I was told "don't shit where you eat"

Unk did not grow up in my neighborhood.

I had/have friends who traveled the world and would come back with photos, slides. movies, and stories about people they met along the way and the places they passed through. The ones who never failed to fascinate me with stories while I was growing up, were the ones who appreciated things for what they were and shared that with me. From what I know they appreciated people and places for who and what they were, not for what they expected them to be - good or bad. It was a great life lesson

 

[Sallow]

For me it was the Dominican Republic. All inclusive resort in Punta Cana and the food was terrible. I became pretty sick. Not that impressed with the beaches either. Not as clean as other resorts I have been too.

I have Dominican neighbors and they could not be nicer people but the employees at this resort were anything but nice nor helpful. Also the plumbing was faulty and our upgraded room was worn and shabby and not shabby chic.

We did enjoy some of the beach activities like para-sailing and met a great guy from Haiti who was working the beach selling excursions and activities.

DR sucks..but my 2 worst trips were to Haiti and Greece.

 

[Unkotare]

When I was young I was told "don't shit where you eat"

Unk did not grow up in my neighborhood.

What are you talking about? Had I even commented on this thread before now?

 

[Saigon]

For me it was the Dominican Republic. All inclusive resort in Punta Cana and the food was terrible. I became pretty sick. Not that impressed with the beaches either. Not as clean as other resorts I have been too.

I have Dominican neighbors and they could not be nicer people but the employees at this resort were anything but nice nor helpful. Also the plumbing was faulty and our upgraded room was worn and shabby and not shabby chic.

We did enjoy some of the beach activities like para-sailing and met a great guy from Haiti who was working the beach selling excursions and activities.

DR sucks..but my 2 worst trips were to Haiti and Greece.

Haiti I can understand...but Grece?

How can you have a bad time in Greece?!

 

[Unkotare]

For me it was the Dominican Republic. All inclusive resort in Punta Cana and the food was terrible. I became pretty sick. Not that impressed with the beaches either. Not as clean as other resorts I have been too.

I have Dominican neighbors and they could not be nicer people but the employees at this resort were anything but nice nor helpful. Also the plumbing was faulty and our upgraded room was worn and shabby and not shabby chic.

We did enjoy some of the beach activities like para-sailing and met a great guy from Haiti who was working the beach selling excursions and activities.

DR sucks..but my 2 worst trips were to Haiti and Greece.

Haiti I can understand...but Grece??!

Is that near Greece?

 

[Gracie]

I have been to vegas a few times. Hate it. Why go then? Cuz hubby wanted to. I mostly stayed in the room.Anywhere else was too noisy and busy. I was getting anxiety attacks. And the room sucked, too. Blech.

Loved Jacksonhole, but I only spent one night there.

I can't think of any really bad place I have ever been to...except Vegas.

 

[Unkotare]

Good or bad travel experiences are often determined by factors somewhat apart from the destination itself.

 

[editec]

I recently visited somebody living in Bayone New Jersey.

Not on my highly recommended list of places to see.

Not unless you're a big fan on places polluted by heavy industry, then it's like heaven, I suppose.

 

[Saigon]

I recently visited somebody living in Bayone New Jersey.

Not on my highly recommended list of places to see.

Not unless you're a big fan on places polluted by heavy industry, then it's like heaven, I suppose.

I don't mind a bit of industrial chic....a kind of post-apocalytpic Max Max-type thing.

However, I'd prefer I didn't have to go to New Jersey to see it.

 

[longknife]

San Felipe, Baja Mexico