10 Destinations You Should Never Visit

Travel can be a great joy to many and is an opportunity to see the beauties of our world, however, we are often influenced into visiting locations that leave us regretting our decisions and even ruining our vacations. Some places are simply devoid of true cultural experiences and are fabricated to lure tourists in, others are dangerous due to turbulent political situations, and some have mismanaged their natural resources and endangered their environments, the list goes on.

These next few locations may look good on an Instagram post but will likely not offer you the experience you dreamt about. Here are 10 highlighted destinations we think you should think twice about visiting.

Mount Everest Base Camp

Let’s get one thing straight: It’s a nice place: Mount Everest. But the base camp? Crowded, and littered with trash. The environmental impact of a thousand trekkers a year is horrendous. Plus it’s risky to get there unless you’re an experienced climber and many don’t understand just how brutal the altitude can be. You’ll be fighting more than just the elements.

Great Wall of China at Its Peak Season

There is no doubt about the scale of the Great Wall. However, if you go during peak season, you won’t be enjoying a quiet walk along ancient stone paths; you’ll be shoulder to shoulder-with thousands of other tourists. It’s like trying to have a peaceful day at a theme park during the summer holidays. Good luck finding any breathing room. If you do go, go during the off-season when the hordes of tourists aren’t around.

Venice

Venice is a fairytale with its canals and gondolas, but it’s also sinking under the weight of over-tourism. The streets are narrow, the canals polluted, and the once romantic city has become an overpriced trap. Locals are being driven out by the steady stream of tourists and overpriced services, and the charm you hope to experience has been drowned in a sea of selfie sticks. People say Venice is better visited in your dreams.

The Dead Sea

Floating in the Dead Sea sounds cool, but don’t believe the Instagram pics. The Dead Sea has become over-commercialized, and the sea itself is rapidly shrinking due to environmental mismanagement in the area. Throw a bunch of overpriced tourist resorts into the mix and you’ve got the perfect money-making scheme that would leave your pockets empty and your thirst for a unique experience unsatiated.

The Peak of the Tourist Season in Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is breathtaking, but here’s the catch: If you visit during peak season, you’ll be stuck in a line of tourists, snapping photos of the ruins through a crowd. The worst part is that over-tourism is wrecking this ancient landmark, so the more people go, the more damage it does to its fragile structure. If you have to go, go in the off-season when the crowds thin out.

Dubai

Dubai is a city of the future, but underneath the glitzy skyscrapers and luxury malls there is a city with serious environmental and social problems. The city has developed at a phenomenal pace and has imposed a massive cost on the environment. Its treatment of the migrant workers who helped build its glittering façade is also quite disturbing. In this fabricated paradise, it’s hard to find real cultural experiences.

Times Square, New York City

Times Square is often at the top of people’s NYC bucket lists, but here’s the truth: it’s packed, expensive, and full of tourist traps, not real New York experiences. It’s like walking through a never-ending carnival of billboards and street performers, and after about five minutes you’ll wonder why you ever thought it was a good idea to go. This gaudy spectacle is only a small part of New York.

Antarctica

Visiting Antarctica may sound adventurous and exciting, but it’s also controversial. The number of tourists visiting this remote region is growing, and putting pressure on the environment and wildlife. Visiting can be the very act of degrading one of the most pristine places left on Earth. It is also cold… really, really cold, and seeing penguins isn’t worth getting frostbite. Yes, frostbite is a legitimate worry.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

If you’re hoping to feel a rush of glamor walking down Hollywood Boulevard, think again. There are more tacky gift shops and impersonators than actual movie magic. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a dirty sidewalk with stars on it. Plus, it is not very well maintained. There is no glitz and glamor here, just lots of tourists taking selfies.

Stonehenge

One of the world’s most famous ancient monuments, Stonehenge, can be underwhelming to visit. You can’t get near the stones anymore, so you’re stuck staring at them from a distance, like hundreds of other tourists. It’s fascinating how mysterious Stonehenge is but the experience of visiting the stones is more of a letdown than an awe-inspiring moment in history.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.

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Even if you’ve been on a safari in the past, an African photo safari is something you want to experience or at the very list add to the top of your bucket list.

But first, what is a photo safari? The phrase “photo safari” is not a common sentence structure but its meaning can be deduced easily. An African photo safari in general context means going on an adventure with the sole purpose of taking high-quality pictures.

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