International air travel now lets us go to so many places almost whenever we want, but this raises a very “first world problem” question, namely, where should one actually visit? So people tend to go online for inspiration and are often, unwittingly, bombarded with marketing material masquerading as genuine travel content.
Someone asked “Which city looks magical on Instagram but felt boring, overpriced, or exhausting in real life?” and travelers share their thoughts with the internet. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to add your own thoughts and experiences to the comments down below.
#1
Lmao Dubai.
OP:
It has no natural beauty, everything is a man made attraction
OP:
It has no natural beauty, everything is a man made attraction
25points
#2
Vegas.
ratvespa:
It always cracked me up that ads and billboards makes it look like everyone is having fun while gambling. Then you get in the casino and it looks anything but fun.
ratvespa:
It always cracked me up that ads and billboards makes it look like everyone is having fun while gambling. Then you get in the casino and it looks anything but fun.
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15points
#3
Lol, Egypt by a pyramid.
Drak_is_Right:
Cairo traffic is exhausting, both literally and figuratively when you consider the car exhaust pollution.
Drak_is_Right:
Cairo traffic is exhausting, both literally and figuratively when you consider the car exhaust pollution.
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13points
#4
Dubai. Wasn't that expensive actuallt, the things I tried (compared to Copenhagen) but it felt super shallow, exhausting and boring.
12points
#5
Idk if it looks magical on Instagram, but Monte Carlo was so boring and overpriced. I’ve always wanted to go, and besides the Cousteau museum, everything was not for me, in every sense of the word$$$.
slashthepowder:
100% agree. Outside of the F1 track i had no interest in anything else. It just felt like a harbour compared to the other spots around the French Riviera.
slashthepowder:
100% agree. Outside of the F1 track i had no interest in anything else. It just felt like a harbour compared to the other spots around the French Riviera.
10points
#6
I live in Munich and really like it, but I'll point out that Oktoberfest is almost certainly not as good as you think it is. Basically, imagine way overpriced beer, way too many drunken tourists, bad music, and carnival rides.
Basically any other beer festival in Bavaria, or even just random biergartens, will be much more pleasant and a much better bang for your buck.
Basically any other beer festival in Bavaria, or even just random biergartens, will be much more pleasant and a much better bang for your buck.
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10points
#7
LA. You grow up watching Hollywood movies and then when you finally go... everything is far away, traffic is a nightmare and you realize your poor, so that LA lifestyle is just on TV. Lol dont get me wrong, I actually like LA and all the fun little food stops you can find, but d**n you need a car and paid parking everywhere.
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9points
#8
Doha, Qatar.
Rollthembones1989:
I had a long layover in Doha and wanted to get out and see the city. There is literally nothing to do there.
Rollthembones1989:
I had a long layover in Doha and wanted to get out and see the city. There is literally nothing to do there.
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9points
#9
Pisa.
After looking at the tower for 5 minutes all that’s left to do is drink overpriced coffee.
After looking at the tower for 5 minutes all that’s left to do is drink overpriced coffee.
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9points
#11
Miami is the best answer for the US.
bucknut86:
I had three days in Miami after a conference in Miami Beach. I rented a car and was meeting my wife in key west but since it was just me it was cheaper to just hang out at a hotel in Miami. There was some neat stuff and great food but honestly outside of downtown the city felt like one big rundown strip mall.
bucknut86:
I had three days in Miami after a conference in Miami Beach. I rented a car and was meeting my wife in key west but since it was just me it was cheaper to just hang out at a hotel in Miami. There was some neat stuff and great food but honestly outside of downtown the city felt like one big rundown strip mall.
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8points
#12
Key West. Lot more run down and ugly than the highlighted pictures would have you believe. Also the coral bleaching is very bad.
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7points
#13
The Maldives. Cost is outrageous as everything needs to be flown in (think $20 OJ at breakfast). And at some resorts those overwater bungalows are pretty close together and not that private.
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7points
#14
Nashville. Cowboy Vegas, basically.
PlanetStarbux:
I disagree with OP on this one. Nashville is pretty awesome. Literally walk into any joint on the main street and you'll see to much musical talent.
Food is awesome
Whiskey drinking everywhere
Plenty of historical stuff
Mountains not that far away
If you can't find something to enjoy in Nashville, you're the problem.
PlanetStarbux:
I disagree with OP on this one. Nashville is pretty awesome. Literally walk into any joint on the main street and you'll see to much musical talent.
Food is awesome
Whiskey drinking everywhere
Plenty of historical stuff
Mountains not that far away
If you can't find something to enjoy in Nashville, you're the problem.
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7points
#15
Honestly? Paris. Besides going to the Louv...naw I'm just kidding Paris is amazing.
Lemurian_Lemur34:
To be fair, Paris has a psychological condition named after it for how disappointing it is to some people, especially Japanese tourists.
Lemurian_Lemur34:
To be fair, Paris has a psychological condition named after it for how disappointing it is to some people, especially Japanese tourists.
6points
#16
Dubrovnik in the height of the summer with cruise ships coming in, might as well be hell on earth.
I hear it's much nicer at quieter times and I can believe it.
I hear it's much nicer at quieter times and I can believe it.
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6points
#17
Bangkok. It feels like one giant cruise port in the worst way, and I say this as someone who likes cruising. Also the traffic is insanely, almost comically, bad. Like to the point you don't even want to bother going anywhere around the city that isn't within walking distance.
Also all those pretty temple pictures? They leave out the fact that the rest of the city is a concrete, semi-brutalist hellscape of air pollution and minimal green space.
Oh and the waterways all smell like sewage. But hey at least the food is amazing.
Also all those pretty temple pictures? They leave out the fact that the rest of the city is a concrete, semi-brutalist hellscape of air pollution and minimal green space.
Oh and the waterways all smell like sewage. But hey at least the food is amazing.
6points
#18
MIAMI.
Everyone thinks it's all Miami Beach, and it's not. It's super overpriced everywhere, and the beach moreso. Burgers and fries for two at a restaurant on beach will easily cost you $100, no alcohol, no parking.
Everyone thinks it's all Miami Beach, and it's not. It's super overpriced everywhere, and the beach moreso. Burgers and fries for two at a restaurant on beach will easily cost you $100, no alcohol, no parking.
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6points
#19
Istanbul. I did LOVE and appreciate the history (Hagia Sophia, Grand Bazaar, Galata Bridge/Tower..) but it was just a tough city for me to connect with. Most of the “authentic” places didn’t necessarily feel safe to me as a solo female traveler, and I often felt like I had to have my defenses up more than usual to avoid being scammed or robbed, which is very unusual for someone that has lived in NYC for 10+ years and seen a lot of s**t here. The economic situation there is pretty dire and I don’t fault people for trying to simply make a living, but my expectations didn’t match reality.
Although I have no plans to return to Istanbul, I’d explore other places in Turkey with someone who is familiar with it more than I am, and I think that’s part of why I didn’t enjoy it - I just stayed in Istanbul (it was a few days stop-over after 2+ weeks in Central Asia)
On the bright side, I learned some new street scams I was completely unaware of!!
Although I have no plans to return to Istanbul, I’d explore other places in Turkey with someone who is familiar with it more than I am, and I think that’s part of why I didn’t enjoy it - I just stayed in Istanbul (it was a few days stop-over after 2+ weeks in Central Asia)
On the bright side, I learned some new street scams I was completely unaware of!!
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6points
#20
Honolulu, Waikiki in particular. Not easy to get around without a car, and nothing I couldn't find on an East Coast beach - all outposts of chain bars and resorts. Plus the people working at the resorts seemed exhausted from tourists.
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5points