Most overrated international destination?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would agree with Rome, but there are other parts of Italy I loved, so I wouldn’t say the entire country is overrated. Smaller towns in central Tuscany were wonderful.

Tuscany, Lake Como, Amalfi Coast and Dolomites are all spectacular. Italy is the best destination on the globe. Rome, Venice, Naples and I’ll add Milan, are not a single site destination since they do have an ick factor after seeing the sites but I would say a bucket list must. The other areas are amazing. In other words no way is Italy overrated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Share your most overrated international destinations, something you were excited about but didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Obviously the Amalfi coast!!!! The beaches are a joke unless you like walking on a few feet of "stretch" with rocks under your feet. Almost every American beach blows theirs away. Sorry, its true!

Yea, Virginia Beach is a better experience than Capri. You do you but yikes.

[Anonymous]

Oahu
Bahamas

[Anonymous]

Tokyo
Seychelles
Mexico City
Phuket
Nepal
Prague
Martha’s Vineyard
Jackson Hole
Dubrovnik
Marrakech
Antarctica
Easter Island

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Madrid. I lived in several parts of Spain, & Madrid is like a synthesis of the worst aspects of all the other parts of spain: crime, sprawl, crappy new architecture, rudeness, American fast food, etc. Lots of great places to visit in Spain. I found that the capital city isn’t one of them.

Madrid left me cold, as well. It felt soulless, like Midtown Manhattan.

Interesting. I loved Madrid. I liked it better than Barcelona.

+1

I liked Madrid, and Toledo, better than Barcelona…

[Anonymous]

I can’t take anyone seriously who puts any location in Japan in the same sentence as the word “overrated.” Even their 7-11s are mind-blowing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tokyo
Seychelles
Mexico City
Phuket
Nepal
Prague
Martha’s Vineyard
Jackson Hole
Dubrovnik
Marrakech
Antarctica
Easter Island

Your house must be amazing..

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The only mainland US beaches that pass muster for me are in Miami because they’re basically like the Caribbean. Don’t try to sell me your cold brown water waters like it’s Bali. There’s nothing more disappointing than going to a sad a** East Coast beach after swimming in the crystal clear warm waters of the Caribbean or Mediterranean.[/quote]

You clearly have never experienced the beautiful beaches on the Gulf coast of Florida, from the panhandle all the way down the SW coast. They have beautiful warm emerald colored water and white sugar sand beaches. They’re so pretty.[/quote]

[b]And completely overbuilt[/b][/quote]

Yep you haven’t been yet, and that’s okay. They’re not all over built, by a long shot. Still plenty of gorgeous natural Gulf seashore and coastline. There are tons of Europeans who visit SW FL just for the beaches, every year.[/quote]

Agreed, except for the red tides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also- summer might be the *worst* time to visit a national park- many are extremely hot (Utah/AZ parks) or extremely crowded and require advance planning that rivals planning a trip to Paris (reserve in-park lodging or campsite a year in advance, set calendar reminders to book trail/scenic road reservations). These trips are also full of stress- set alarm to wake up early to secure parking spot in tiny lots, etc.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also- summer might be the *worst* time to visit a national park- many are extremely hot (Utah/AZ parks) or extremely crowded and require advance planning that rivals planning a trip to Paris (reserve in-park lodging or campsite a year in advance, set calendar reminders to book trail/scenic road reservations). These trips are also full of stress- set alarm to wake up early to secure parking spot in tiny lots, etc.

This.

Except some, like Glacier, Banff, Jasper...you kind of have to go in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also- summer might be the *worst* time to visit a national park- many are extremely hot (Utah/AZ parks) or extremely crowded and require advance planning that rivals planning a trip to Paris (reserve in-park lodging or campsite a year in advance, set calendar reminders to book trail/scenic road reservations). These trips are also full of stress- set alarm to wake up early to secure parking spot in tiny lots, etc.

We've done national parks over spring break and had a great time. Not too hot and the crowds are not quite at summer levels. Some parks, however, call for a summer trip, as they are not doable in other months (as PP mentioned). I did Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell over spring break and did not need to plan a year ahead of time. I planned in Feb for March/April departure so it really is not quite as stressful as PP states. We've also done plenty of trips to Europe, Asia and just got back from S Africa. I think overseas also has value but - personally - I'd rather eat glass than head to Europe in the summer.

to each his/her own. Nothing wrong with personal preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would agree with Rome, but there are other parts of Italy I loved, so I wouldn’t say the entire country is overrated. Smaller towns in central Tuscany were wonderful.

Tuscany, Lake Como, Amalfi Coast and Dolomites are all spectacular. Italy is the best destination on the globe. Rome, Venice, Naples and I’ll add Milan, are not a single site destination since they do have an ick factor after seeing the sites but I would say a bucket list must. The other areas are amazing. In other words no way is Italy overrated.

Let me guess: your favorite movie is The Godfather?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quite honestly, you can get incredible food and views in the US without all the hassle. I'd put Big Sur, CA, much of the state of Washington, Sedona, AZ, and the 30a beaches against most international destinations.

Incredible food in the US is very hard to come by, [unless you have deep pockets to pay for the best restaurants] and I say this as a New Yorker with access to the best restaurants in the world. Our food industry sucks, and our ingredients are just not as good/fresh. Even our fruit is not as good as in other parts of the world, it is never quite as sweet and flavorful. Therefore, I suspect that those claiming that the food in Paris, Spain, Italy is not good have what I call that soda/burger palette…

Not entirely true. NYC restaurants have struggled immensely in the past several years and there's been many articles regarding the difficulty NYC restaurants have had getting fresh produce, access to farms, etc. So your NY perspective isn't reflective of the US.
Some of the best food in this country is in Houston, out west, New England, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread is a joke. The idea that people living in DC of all places are qualified to pass judgment on their superiors around the globe is hilarious.

Eh, much of Europe is plagued with rampant pickpockets. That simply isn’t the case here.

Much of the world seemingly tolerates littering. And public urination. Eww.

Much of the world has a shortlist of tourist spots, whereas the US is vast and you rarely feel a crush of tourists as you do at the Trevi Fountain or pretty much any tourist spot in Italy during the summer months.

We are very lucky in the US to have so much space and so many places to visit—including off the beaten path destinations.

Plus, American tourists know how to form a line and wait patiently. Apparently the rest of the world never got the memo.

haha! Like they did during the pandemic right?? Beating each other and fighting for junk in stores and groceries. Yeah...sure! They cannot even wait in a line at freaking Disneyworld. So much drama at Disney this summer with the lines and Genie passes/non-Genie people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dubai. Just all the essential slaves everywhere and the staring.

Las Vegas.

Maybe I just hate fake desert cities!

Palm Springs too.

Love Muscat and Tucson, though.

Loved Dubai - awesome sightseeing and awesome food.
Loved Vegas too.

So you’re a tacky person I take it?

I also love Dubai and Las Vegas. If that makes me a “tacky person” so be it!

+1. Dubai & Vegas have great restaurants and can be a really fun time. Not everyone takes themselves super seriously PP and some of us have an element of perspective!!!