Most disappointing trip

[coinlockerbaby]

What is the most disappointing place you have been?

I would have to say: London.

Partly it was the frame of mind I was in - I flew in direct from South America - swimming in the Amazon, partying on the beach - to a grey London "Summer". It just seemed so unexotic. Pretty much just like home (Australia) except twice the price and colder, and on the other side of the world.

Of course, now I realise, you dont go to London to experience the exotic. You go there for the nightlife, for the streetscene...but still, I dont quite "get" what makes the city so popular.... the "big" sites like Westminster, Buckingham Palace , the Tower are all pretty drab and smaller than you would expect. It has less visible history than many European capitals, and sure there are lots of cool clothes...but lots of VERY poorly dressed people as well.

Not my cup of tea I guess.

I will say though, that outside of customer service situations (which were uniformly woeful - I actually passed out waiting for a checkout chick to process my groceries) people were pretty fun and friendly. That was a plus.

Where else sucked?

[Serge]

Most US cities except for Miami and NYC.

They're pretty much American mirrors of Canadian cities.

[Cue]

From my experience company and state of mind make a huge difference ...

I had a pretty average time in Rome ...

[beast]

What is the most disappointing place you have been?

I would have to say: London.

Partly it was the frame of mind I was in - I flew in direct from South America - swimming in the Amazon, partying on the beach - to a grey London "Summer". It just seemed so unexotic. Pretty much just like home (Australia) except twice the price and colder, and on the other side of the world.

Of course, now I realise, you dont go to London to experience the exotic. You go there for the nightlife, for the streetscene...but still, I dont quite "get" what makes the city so popular.... the "big" sites like Westminster, Buckingham Palace , the Tower are all pretty drab and smaller than you would expect. It has less visible history than many European capitals, and sure there are lots of cool clothes...but lots of VERY poorly dressed people as well.

Not my cup of tea I guess.

I will say though, that outside of customer service situations (which were uniformly woeful - I actually passed out waiting for a checkout chick to process my groceries) people were pretty fun and friendly. That was a plus.

Where else sucked?

I thought the Australians and Kiwis really loved UK because of historical reasons ie. its their homeland. Just like how the older Chinese expatriates love China?

[Cue]

nah - it's the bogans liking the cheap drugs that does it

[coinlockerbaby]

Why spend 24 hours in a plane to go somewhere thats just like home?

Doesnt that defeat the point?

Indeed, many Aussies and Kiwis do love the UK (although usually to live there for a few years, since we can easily get working visas, speak the language etc. rather than for quick trips).

But I have to say, its never really appealed to me...

In Asia, as I once discussed in a previous post, I thought Kyoto was not quite as great as people make out too....

[coinlockerbaby]

Most US cities except for Miami and NYC.

They're pretty much American mirrors of Canadian cities.

__________________

Um....shouldnt that be the other way around????

[kiya]

Venezuela.

[coinlockerbaby]

why????????????????????

[Guest DUM]

Most US cities except for Miami and NYC.

They're pretty much American mirrors of Canadian cities.

__________________

Um....shouldnt that be the other way around????

BACKWARDS.

We're more important than you.

ummmmm....I can't think of any places that really disappointed.

[beast]

Indeed, many Aussies and Kiwis do love the UK (although usually to live there for a few years, since we can easily get working visas, speak the language etc. rather than for quick trips).

If Aussies and Kiwis love UK because of the visas and language, why dont they scoot off more to USA which is closer via Pacific Ocean than UK via Asia and Europe and its a more than 12 hours flight.

[Cue]

^^ it's way easier to get a uk visa than a green card. i think it's an automatic two-year visa (with some restrictions) for any kiwi/ ocker under 30

kiwis get 12 month visas for canada, france, sweden pretty easy too, but London seems to pull more in ...

this could be due to the strong communities there/ better job options ... I dunno

[azn8oi]

Phoenix, Arizona

... lol

[vincentvostok]

3-Prague

2-Brighton in the u.k.

1-Key West

[Tisswat]

Wow, I had to think really hard to come up with a trip that was disappointing. Some trips are better than others, but I usually preserve good memories of any trip, even if the destination or the company isn't what i'd expected. I definitely agree with Cue, that company and mood make all the difference.

As for disappointing destinations I can think of two..

Ortisei in the north of Italy. I went skiing there and it's supposed to be an out-of-this-world experience to ski in the Dolomiti Superski area with the Sella Ronda. However being used to the fabulous ski resorts of France it was just not very good.

Egypt was pretty shite. Apart from the scuba diving and the kite boarding, it was plain boring. Luxor in itself was impressive, but the tourist traps and the fact that everyone is (trying to) rip you off get tired. Haven't been to Cairo, but I hear it's filthy. I would only come back if I could spend all of my time on/in the water and there's tons of more interesting spots that offer similar scuba and kiteboarding circumstances.

[test]

definitely malaysia for me

[catcatcatcatcat]

I have to say London, I was really young and hade huge expectations. Can't understand why anyone would like to live there.

Vietnam was also really diseappointing. Too many tourists and everybody who spoke english were assholes

[coinlockerbaby]

definitely malaysia for me

I like Malaysia, but yeah, more in a mellow "this is chill" kind of way than an "oh my god! This rip changed my life " way, which is how I responded to Thailand. I would still pick KL over Singapore tho...

[fre-co]

Yeah London can be rubbish for the visitor. I think you need to be a Londoner or really know the place well to get the best from it.

From a tourist point of view I can wholly understand that you would be disappointed. Most people in London don't like tourists so I guess the welcome is not great.

The weather is usually not great but this summer was one of the worst on record, unlucky.

Tourists spots are rip-off, busy, traps that in no way represent the nice side of London. Again, you need to know the place well to figure out the good places.

One thing you can say is the food is good. Apparently we have the more restaurants in the worlds top 50 than any other city. But still there is a load of shit food that you have to be savvy to avoid.

And whoever it was that said Brighton.... Yes it is a hole.

[Tisswat]

Us Brits got it wrong. Sending the criminals to Australia when it should have been the other way round...

Judging from all the British scum that roams around the Red Light District in Amsterdam each weekend, I wonder if they did got it right after all.

[smurf]

Somebody early on said something about "state of mind" and I agree that any place can be great of a piece of shit depending on what's going on and who you're with.

On paper, I hate Los Angeles and everything about it. But, I've also had some fun time and met some great people there. Terrible moments, sure, but I'd be hard pressed to call any of them disappointing.

I also think that people sometimes let there expectation get way out of control. What the guy from London was saying about his city not being that great for tourist is more often true than not. Just think of the place that you go on a daily basis and how they're not in any Lonely Traveller book or even on this site.

There are a couple of just-add-water cities like Vegas where "fun" is almost guaranteed, but either knowing somebody where you're going or having some sufu or other info in you head is going to make any trip better than going there blind.

[apocalypse later]

I hated LA but I loved San Francisco. Dunno.

[djrajio]

I hated LA but I loved San Francisco. Dunno.

San Francisco is shit. It like Banana Republic decided to shit on the entire city and bless the clubs and bars w/ a sea of striped shirts, bootcut jeans, and squared toed Kenneth Coles, not to mention that traffic is a pain and you can never find parking. The Mission on the other hand is way more interesting...

[herpsky]

I hated LA but I loved San Francisco. Dunno.

That's how i felt

[countach!]

I hated LA but I loved San Francisco. Dunno.

I would have to say LA is only fun if you:

1. live here

2. visit with a load of cash.

Even if you fulfill the first requirement, LA really isnt much fun if you don't have any money. People here keep more to their part of the county and our definition of travelling is if we visited someone in ventura country, or malibu, or the canyons etc. There are alot of things to do here, but it costs alot.

When I visited san fran it felt like they prided themselves on being the anti-L.A.

You go to LA and how much of a nobody you are is painfully obvious. Go to San Fran and EVERYBODY is a nobody so visiters seem to love it.

[englandmj7]

San Francisco is shit. It like Banana Republic decided to shit on the entire city and bless the clubs and bars w/ a sea of striped shirts, bootcut jeans, and squared toed Kenneth Coles, not to mention that traffic is a pain and you can never find parking. The Mission on the other hand is way more interesting...

I am not a huge fan of San Francisco. I felt like I experienced the entire city in a day or two and was bored of it afterwards. It's a small, personal pseudo-European city with a distinct culture, except it's full of radical hippies, it's dirty and expensive.

I would have to say LA is only fun if you:

1. live here

2. visit with a load of cash.

Even if you fulfill the first requirement, LA really isnt much fun if you don't have any money.

Yes. The lower/middle class in LA has probably one of the worst qualities of life of anywhere in the US (compared to the lower/middle class in other cities). You have to live in bumfuck Van Nuys, Pasadena, etc. if you want somewhere safe and spacious to raise a child/have a family, etc. I never understood why anyone without alot of money would ever want to live here.

[countach!]

Cause you'll earn just enough to afford a whatever 2 bedroom apartment in a decent area and because you live in LA you think as you advance you'll make enough for a house.... which is absolutely wrong.

I grew up in this city and have never lived in a house. I know people from all walks of life and its funny how each spectrum is almost completely oblivious to the others. I know a bunch of people that lived here their whole lives and have faced simular situations.

It's a commonly known fact here that if you can survive living in los angeles you'll be pretty much fine anywhere else you go to live. We've got the richest and poorest people in the world here as well as people of all different places in the world, a million different scenes they all partake in and each one as phony as the next.

[jeepster]

detroit was no fun. fuck the ford museum. just a dirty dirty city. i give detroit two thumbs down, along with the rest of michigan (sorry sufu'ers from that area, its no hate on you personally... but your state sucks. connecticut isn't great either, don't get me wrong.)

[countach!]

My aunt lives in detroit. I went there once to visit her when she first moved there and never went back.

Detroit sucks. Period. Atleast in LA one day you'll be broke as fuck on a corner trying to get $20 together between four people, next day you'll be in pacific palisades partying in some girls pool house full of blonds.

Detroits got the PISTONS. Who cares.

[Uinku]

I went to Newcastle(UK). And it sucked BIGTIME. We went to the best Chinese restaurant there and the food was über-shit too.