In my travels around the world, I have seen a lot of conventional sites and a lot of off-the-grid sites too. Besides many other new things, these experiences have made me learn that many of the great destinations for tourists are not always “undiscovered”.
Many spots have a well-deserved name for being cool destinations, and some other locations you have never heard of keep that repute for a good reason. Despite that there are many places which have gained undeserved fame for being a location you “must” see before death – but whenever I have visited them, I have felt a bit disappointment.
I will tell you 9 of those today, but…
I never liked to go overly-negative, so besides telling you what is wrong with these over-rated destinations, I will also introduce one alternative for each place that is also worth seeing. And then if you have seen either the overrated one or the alternative one, you can inform me if you believe I am wrong, and also open to add your own overrated destination for everybody else to take into consideration.
Ready, now? Here we go.
Niagara Falls
Niagara is good to see once, but you should not prefer to stay there long. Whether it is the Canadian side or American side, it is overrun with kitsch. No doubt, it is a big falls. Really great! How much longer until we return home?
Alternative One: If you’ve desire to see the best falls of the world and you can reach anyplace for that, then travel to Zambia and see the great Victorian Falls there. I had been there in 2006 and can assure you that it is indeed a seriously big waterfall. Later on, move to the Victorian Falls Hotel on the Zimbabwean side; there you should have $1,000,000 to drink Diet Coke.
If you don’t find it easy to hop off to Southern Africa, then simply go any other place in Ontario or Quebec. There are many places to see in that region of Canada that is definitely worth-seeing.
The Grand Canyon
Similar to Niagara waterfalls, the same thing is for the Grand Canyon; it is good to see once, but there is not more to be there. I had been there with my entire family in 2008, and my 15-year old sister and I had much fun coming up with some good alternative names for the Grand Canyon. We made some ones:
The Nice Canyon
The Not-Bad Canyon
The “If you are 15-miles away, go and check it” Canyon
You get it. Technically speaking, the Grand Canyon is really impressive, but as there is so much hype about it in news so it may not satisfy your expectations when you reach there.
Alternative One: Sedona, Tucson, Santa Fe (capital of New Mexico), or any other place in that area. The American South-west can also be a fun spot. I liked spending my time in Sedona, where we rested before heading to the Not-Bad Canyon in our car. It becomes moderately hot place, but it is the desert, after all.
The Bahamas
Only a couple of miles away from the coast of Florida, the Bahamas are a sovereign country having a main industry of tourism. It is not a bad layover on a cruise (normally just before going back to America), but if I wished to see the so-called “real” Caribbean, I would look some other place.
Alternative One: There are lots of other nice islands in the Caribbean which have not yet been infested with tourists. St Kitts & Nevis is good, e.g., as is Dominica. Also, Barbados gets great number of tourists, but they do a better job with planning the overall development & civilization of the region.
Paris, London, and Rome
Paris, London, and Rome in the summer. All of these places are fantastic, but not in the summer. Majority of Parisians leave Paris in August, and they are on right.
Alternative One: For anybody tripping with U.S./Canadian dollars, these are not great cities to visit at any time of the year, but anybody visiting in winter is fine. And even if you make payments in dollars accommodations can normally be inexpensive in late fall or winter.
Las Vegas
I have no new thing to say about Vegas. It is pretty much everything anybody can expect, so if you want to see that sort of place, you will never be disappointed.
Alternative One: The rightest alternative is to save your bucks and move anywhere else. And if you cannot live without gambling, you should head to an American Indian casino where all the money loosen by participants at least go into tribal education funds.
Dublin, Ireland
Today, Dublin has reached No. 3 in the world’s most expensive city list. Fair amount of culture is found here. You can check out the library at Trinity College for that, but the best of Ireland can be seen elsewhere.
Alternative One: Dublin is not bad setting off place – therefore you should go there first and then to the other cities or smaller Irish villages and towns. It is more probable that you will discover that there is more fun for tourists who desire to experience the Ireland they have always thought.
The Pyramids
The Pyramids, And almost each place in Egypt. I had been there to see Egypt and the Pyramids, and I really basked the tour more than I thought. Even so, if you can only go to the Mideast for just one time in your life, Egypt is not at the top on my list of recommended places.
Alternative One. The best alternative is Egypt’s neighboring country, Jordan. It is a better place to see overall. You will not be provoked quite as much(people will be willing to offer you their rides for free or expected to extend hospitality without needing anything in return from you) and the old historical city of Petra is absolutely amazing. If you are really interested in going Israel or Lebanon, you can reach there easily from Amman, and overall you will possibly be much enjoying in Jordan anyhow.
Singapore
As far as my personal view is concerned, I regard Singapore simply fine, except for the glass doors at Starbucks. Look out for those! But on the –ve side, Singapore is pretty constructed city and quite uptight for many tourists. Intrinsically, it is now the Asian city most travel writers love to hate.
Alternative One: just at a distance of ½ an hour by bus, Malaysia is there to give better presentation of Asian diversity. The cities are more over strung (not necessarily a big thing, when compared with an excessively sterile conditions), and almost everything is inexpensive. You can also travel down to Bantam Island (Indonesia) by ferrying, though I felt that experience a bit strange when I had been there 3 years ago.
The Most Overrated Destinations on The Planet.
All of those places are pretty much overrated – which does not mean you should not visit them. You should do only what you desire, but just try to keep your expectations in check while going there. There is a destination over all the others; however, it is also the most over hyped place on the earth.
Dubai, U.A.E
It was good experience driving around the Emirates few years ago (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al-Qwain). I visited all of them, but my time in Dubai was dreamlike.
This is not actually that strange, as most tourists finish thinking that Dubai is odd after reaching there. The majority of the people you will have interaction with in Dubai are immigrant persons doing work there. You can find everything you wish in Dubai, but as sheikhs and Russian billionaires use Dubai as a playground, it will not be inexpensive. Great fun is there for you; there are shopping malls, shopping centers, shopping areas with fake ski-resorts, & hotels with shopping malls surrounding them.
Alternative One: Oman – a nearby Persian Gulf country. There is much more entertainment and a hundred times more real. Qatar is also fine. It looks to be on track to become second Dubai by building a ski lodge and fake islands with big hotels.
And Its Now Your Turn
I still need your help here. Which are other overrated destinations and what are their best alternatives? In Simple, what did I miss?
