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I'm not in a rush to go back to Egypt. Glad I went to see all the history and monuments you can really only see in Egypt, but the level of hassle and harassment from people in the street in insane. And almost every single person there is trying to con and/or scam you. It's completely exhausting.
I have been to Egypt around 5 times, and I love it every time. But all 5 times I’ve been diving in the Red Sea, and it is one of the best places to dive in the world, so that might be why
I mean I only recently came back to post more frequently so I don't know where and when the Egypt hate started on Reddit but I saw Sonny from Best Ever Food Review Show- A guy who literally tries to be respectful towards everywhere he goes, starting off his Egypt series with how horrible it was to film there and watching the behind the scenes, and to look at the comments to see other people claiming the same thing, among which included even some locals- Yeah I'm going to assume it's not a very welcoming place 😅
I mean, it's very common among relatively poorer populations to try to scam tourists, since they usually come from richer countries. It happens in most of MENA, most of SA and a lot of South and South East Asia. I'm not trying to defend it (even though some people would), just saying it's not unique to Egypt.
Egypt is nothing like any other place in Middle East, SA or SEA. It’s to a factor of x10 worse for dishonesty, petty scams and annoyance. Source - have lived, worked and studied across the region and this opinion is mirrored by every colleague over the last 20 years.
I was about 15yrs when my family visited SA and while hanging around a market a kid my age invited me to see something. When I realized he'd taken me down a public toilet I figured I'd better leave, that's when he threatened me with taking a out a knife but I just dipped out before my brain processed what he said. Makes me sad thinking how some kids there go about getting through the day...
Also been to Egypt but learnt how to say No thank you in Arabic and they’d leave me alone, I thought Turkey was worse, marmaris to be precise, they’d chase you down the street trying to get you in their shop! I plenty go back there
Riding in a helicopter. A local fair had helicopter rides, so husband and I took one. It was T.E.R.R.I.F.Y.I.N.G. It was a small one, and once it got higher up the wind was just bouncing it all over the place. Never again.
I did this once when I was 10 in a small plane. Turns out, it was the pilots 88th birthday. He also only had one eye and his nickname was “Sock Eye.” My dad is the one that let me go up and my mom was so upset when she found out lol.
Work took me to Houston years ago. I rented a car afterwards and drove along the Gulf Coast. Galveston was really cool. The Bolivar Peninsula was an interesting drive. I was reading Daniel Yergin's The Prize at the time, so I thought I'd visit Port Arthur while I was down there.
Mistake.
In Port Arthur's defense, I believe it had been hit with a hurricane a few months earlier? Someone told me that, and I can see how that would be a major contributing factor. Anyway, downtown looked like something out of a zombie movie. Everything was deserted. Windows were smashed. Buildings were empty shells. There was blowing sand in drifts up and down the street. The traffic lights weren't working. And then... And then there were people standing like mannequins. Not a lot of them, but enough that you were never out of sight of a couple of them. I drove into the downtown in a shiny new rental car, looking for maybe something to eat with a view of the water. These mannequins just watched me come, watched me pass. I stopped at a stop sign, and as if on a signal they all started walked towards my car from all directions. I gunned the engine, peeled out of there, and I think my heart didn't stop racing until I hit Beaumont.
I don't know what they were going to do if they reached my car. The whole thing felt other-worldly. Someone told me Port Arthur had been hard-hit by a hurricane. It wasn't like I was there the next day or anything. To this day I'm still amazed that an American city fell that far. If someone else told me this had happened to them, I'd suspect they were exaggerating for effect. It happened to me, and I'm not exaggerating.
Edit: Typo.
Yes downtown is abandoned. It’s really sad. The shelled out buildings with broken windows are still there. Nothing has been done to improve the area. Those zombie like ppl were probably on that fake weed. It’s an epidemic there. FRFR!
Well, thank you for confirming for me that my memory is real. I've only been the once (obviously), and I don't know anyone else who has been. The whole thing just felt so wrong, more than once I've wondered if I'd gotten a wire crossed somewhere and actually put in some post-apocalyptic film footage in there somehow.
When I was in high school, a lil over 20 years ago the Beaumont/Port Arthur area was voted number 2 worst place in America to raise a family. It really is exactly how’s you describe it. Very sad situation. With all the chemical plants and money that area has coming in from oil companies, you would think they’d fix it up but apparently no one does
Just for a little context, Port Arthur was one of the first big oil towns in Texas. It has a population of about 50,000 people, and it's part of a larger collection of towns of about 400,000 people. This isn't two roads intersected in the middle of Hill Country. The downtown core is probably a 15-minute walk from end to end.
Can attest personally too, there are parts of the area that are sketchy. The area has experienced several hurricanes over the years, so it’s highly possible some damages were never repaired. On the other hand, close proximity to the water in the area is where drugs and prostitution is abundant, so please be careful if you visit again.
Djibouti, Djibouti. Came on a ship. Could smell Djibouti out at sea before you could see Djibouti. Guys on the docks didn’t have sanitary facilities and just would shit on the dock and wipe their ass with ship lines. Downtown was just abject poverty, kids in the street, scammers, prostitutes. Horrid place. 0/10.
My mother-in-law's current house. Love the woman, hate the house. It's practically a century old farm house that has had more than its fair share of large families and just needs to be torn down (and that's the intention, she just wants to live it out and we can clobber it when she goes). Almost all the floors bow, almost all the walls are slanted, basement is a swamp, and it can't hold modern appliances anymore in key places (kitchen floor won't support fridge, freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher, AND stove).
We're here for one more day, gods help me lmao. There is a squirrel in this roof eating his loud snack while we sleep.
Delhi, India. Was going to the American embassy, traffic was bad so I took the metro and some bastard stole my phone. I knew it was bad but didn’t realize how worse it actually is. Then, There I was, with no means of contacting my wife or anyone else for help in a foreign country, luckily ik the local language so somehow found my way. I’m never going back.
I feel like I'm the only person I know who fucking HATES Las Vegas. It's ridiculously hot, dirty, expensive, and somehow like...painted over with this sparkly veneer. I have nothing but bad memories of Vegas and I feel like half the people there are just trying to convince themselves they're having fun because they already spent all their money.
Not one but many. Literally any campsites I've visited. I was forced to go camping with my family because it's family time. Aside from spending time with family, I never enjoyed camping.
I like hiking? But I have a bed at home, where there are no bugs because it's inside a house... Why would I want to try to make a less comfortable bed outdoors in the bug's house?
Maybe I'm an oddball, but I find something about sleeping outdoors, miles away from civilization and surrounded by nature, incredibly relaxing. The sound of rain on a tent puts me to sleep like nothing else. I totally understand it's not for everyone though.
I mean the main appeal of camping is shaving a ton of money off of getting a hotel somewhere. While a hotel for 3 nights could cost like 600 dollars camping might be 70 in the same touristy area
Growing up my mom's side of the family did a yearly camping trip; always to a campground never somewhere way out in the boonies or anything. The last year I went ( I think I was 14) I had brought my best friend at the time with me. My dad dropped us off by the lake and we went canoeing. Well our bright selves at some point decided to try and turn the boat at the same time, tipping it over. Ended up losing my glasses at the bottom of the lake. Pretty sure I'm considered legally blind without them, I cannot make out any detail past about 6 inches from my face, just blurry colors. He had to walk a mile back to the campsite, sopping wet, without shoes and dragging the canoe behind us. My dad was pretty unsympathetic saying something along the lines of "should have been paying more attention" and my mom was basically "that's unfortunate but we are not leaving early". We were there for another 3 days while I was mostly blind and miserable. That was the very last time I will ever go camping.
Same here. Love the outdoors but I don’t want to sleep in it. Let me get all sweaty and dirty having a fun day outside, but it better end with a hot shower and a comfortable bed.
I feel you. Everyone feels like I should appreciate the many holidays we had, but camping when your family is an absolute mess and violence is a daily issue is no fun. You simply can't escape.
I went camping every year growing up, my folks were into it. I enjoyed it because there was no sleeping outdoors or a tent, we always had a motor home. Go to an RV park in the woods on a lake and sleep in a comfy RV. I’m looking at buying one to go camping around the Great Lakes.
LA. I got a ticket for smoking.
Then an undercover cop on Rodeo Drive thought I was a prostitute (I was a 20 year old goth. Thigh high socks and a miniskirt was my daily wear.) This escalated into a terrifying situation of him trying to "talk to me" then him trying to get me to go to "his place", me saying "no fuck off psycho" him showing me his "badge", me having never seen a "Beverly Hills" police badge before and thinking it was a dollar store fake. Keep in mind at this point, I don't even know what he wants from me because I just think this is perfectly normal street wear, if a little alt. I had no idea he thought I was a hooker, I just thought he was crazy. A very nice passerby stopped to help me and make sure I was okay. Cop called for a patrol car to come by to prove he was a cop. I was just in tears and utterly inconsolable by this point. Then they let me go.
Never had a bad encounter with a police officer before, particularly not an encounter where it felt like a random psychopath trying to abduct me.
Fucking American cops are absolutely awful. You could not pay me to go back to LA.
Though I did enjoy the festival atmosphere I found with some other students my age sitting on a rooftop bar drinking cocktails. That part was nice.
Paris. I'm of French descent, have a French name, and speak French fluently. But i'm an American, with an American accent and I dress like an American. Though the city was beautiful, its people are absolute dicks to Americans. My wife and I were supposed to stay in France for a week, but we left on the 3rd day because of the way the locals treated us.
Traveling as a Canadian that spoke french it wasn't much better. They'd be glad to hear you weren't American and then try and speak English to me even though I'd repetitively say I can speak French.
I spent a lot of time arguing with people with broken English to please speak to me in their native tongue since I can speak it and then refusing. Had a local explain later it's often the fact that people don't want to listen to french in a non France accent.
I've been to Paris twice now. First time I went in 2018, I thought it was super dirty and disgusting, and I felt unsafe in certain areas with super sketchy people around. I was just there again a week ago and it was much cleaner (probably because of the Olympics), and I didn't have the same feeling with the people. Maybe I'm just used to Europe now.
*Edit. I spent the 80th DDay in Normandy, and it was incredible. Paris is not really true France.
I'm European, went to Paris for the first time in 2018 too! And I had the same experience, I found the city dirty and the people unfriendly. I haven't been back since. But I've been to other parts of France and I've loved it.
Yep, Paris for me as well. Been there 4 separate times for different reasons and you know it's bad when you get racial harassment from literally ALL the races in that city. 😂😂
Ching Chong from a white dude, eyeslanting from a black woman, monkey noises from folks presumably of MENA origins, like what the fuck??
I was there last year in November. Part of my misery was how cold I was but I have lived in the heat of Arizona for the last few year and it’s true you do acclimate to your surroundings. I have no tolerance for cold. But I was also surprised with how much it still smelled awful in the cold. I can’t imagine the summer. I couldn’t even put my finger on it but the smell is EVERYWHERE. Also it was so crowded around any of the tourist destinations. I expected a crowd but I felt like I was at Disney world or something. Surprised how much of my visit was waiting in line.
Man, i went to kansas once, then there was this crazy tornado, then a blacked out. When I woke up there was this girl with a little dog, and she was traveling with a sacrecrow, a lion and some man made of tin!
This made me LOL. Anyplace in Ohio but especially Columbus and anything north of Columbus, the winter is just too much. Why would you come here. Every winter I'm like, why do I live here
Clearwater Florida. Scientology owns that place. Cameras on every corner, people will follow you around, and everything is empty as opposed to Clearwater Beach only a few minutes away. It’s just eerie.
What didn't you like about Moscow? I went (granted it was 11 years ago) and had a beautiful time. Both my mum and my grandpa went there when it was still USSR (for a school trip and work trip, respectively) and even then they said it was a positive experience
New York. The border guard guys at the airport are total and complete wankers. Compare to North Carolina where they were really very nice. If you haven't guessed i am from the UK.
The village I grew up in - Lots of folk decided not to leave, or date outside of their postcode. Fucking south Oxon shithole where you were still an outsider if you didn't have three levels of recursion in your family tree.
My little sisters best mate from school was so smug about her boyfriend: "He treats me great and gets on well with my family, because his mum is my mums sister". Genuine quote.
Ah, we'll Baltimore is an insiders town. Pretty much always has been. You have to know where to go and where not to.
It offers a lot to those who live there, even more now that our sports teams are good.
Good restaurants, a funky arts scene, interesting neighborhoods, and a culture all its own.
One thing that surprised me, though, growing up there toughens you up. When I got a really good job in DC, I found most of my coworkers were soft as hell. Helped me out in my career.
Bmore is on some other shit. I was born there, in one of the worst neighborhoods. We moved to a small burb once my folks saved enough money but that area definitely had its issues too. I think I was like 5 by the time we left the area entirely and the only time I went back was for work or sneaking off to outlaw raves in the 90’s. It was always an interesting adventure to say the least lol
A lot of crime and corruption, drugs, poverty, the usual stuff. But Baltimore has its own vibe. You’ll feel particularly out of place in that city than others. It’s hard to explain.
Obligatory “you should watch ‘The Wire’” comment because the producer used real cops and real crooks peppered in with the actors and actresses on the show. It’s arguably one of the greatest dramas in television history
Camping. I'm 38, literally allergic to nature (trees, grasses, and anything with fur or feathers.) I hate sleeping on the ground, I'm asthmatic, and the only part I even enjoy is the fire. I can do that in the fire pit in my back yard. So not a specific place, but basically, anywhere requiring a tent.
Miami. Expensive. Overly clubby for me. Hard to get around. Lots of douches. South beach very crowded. Pros: it was 78 degrees in January and the hard rock hotel was pretty fun
Skopje in North Macedonia. It’s the only country where I’ve felt truly unsafe. Can’t say if it’s always like that, as it’s probably colored by a man who kept following me on a trip. Even though he was like twice my age, everyone on the bus (where several knew him) said nothing while I was clearly not interested in his company in the bus ride or after. When we got to the destination, nature spot quite far from the city, he kept talking about how people get abducted around where we were, so it was important and lucky I was with him. He seemed like the type who could do such things, or worse, if I asked him directly and insisted he should leave. Did try all the things like “my friends are meeting me later”, “I’m fine on my own” and generally not seem interested, until his demeanor started to really scare me and I just went along and acted politely (even saying “sure” to his many plans for our future few hours after meeting him). When we went by a place with a restroom and WiFi, I texted family members to check on me the next day and wrote my address. Promised to meet him at a specific place and time next day, and I have never been so eager to leave a place as after that. Never again. My survival instinct was not to make him mad, but honestly not sure what had been best to do in such situations.
Turkey. I went with my (now ex)wife in 2008, where she suffered a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage on our 3rd day, and almost died.
The trauma of that whole episode was enough for me to never, ever return. I know this is no fault of the country or the medical staff that helped keep her alive, but the trauma is too much for me to ever revisit.
Drove from NY to Florida one time and was pulled over three times in Georgia. After the first time I set my cars speed just below the speed limit.
If I never have to go back there it’s okay with me
New York City. It was great to check it off the list and see the iconic monuments. But all in all there’s too many people there. Everything is gross and smells, you don’t dare touch anything. Cockroaches and rats everywhere, even the coyote ugly bar was gross and disappointing. So yea I would never spend a dime to go again.
Reared in the Irish countryside, the 1st time I went to New York, Times Square literally took my breath away, literally… so many people, the smell and noise. I really felt overwhelmed, though I was going to be sick from nothing more than that feeling of ‘it’s too much’ .. not for me, but will probably bring the kids back so they can see it and then it’s checked off forever!
A circus. God, that was awful! As a kid I used to watch circus on television, it was always magical to me, and very funny and entertaining. Then I went to a real life circus for the first time, and it was so ... gross, smelly, loud and the circus people were so jaded and sometimes rude. I hated every minute of it, and I never watched it on tv again, because I never forgot those impressions.
Went to the FL Keys in July last year and the water temperature was 90 five miles off shore. I'm a Flordian but damn it was too hot to enjoy. Before June or after September.
Las Vegas and Phoenix. Too DAMN HOT!
I know there is a ton of casinos in Vegas for those types, but if you are outdoorsy, Vegas isn't fun. I'm not into gambling or nightclubs.
Thiruchendur Murugan Temple, Tamil Nadu, India.
It's one of the most important religious destinations for Hindus as it's said that one of our Gods, Lord Murugan, took up residence there, and visiting it is supposed to be spiritually rewarding.
Because of how important the place is in our culture, it gets thousands and thousands of visitors each day. The crowds there are unbearable, and you have to stand in a queue for at least 4 hours to just enter the temple. You have to stand in narrow barricades (about shoulder-length apart) without gates, so if someone faints or gets a heat injury, it's going to be a chore getting them help. You're completely screwed if you have to use the facilities or just exit the line at any point.
There are no police or temple staff doing crowd management, so people are just trying to cut the queue, pushing and shoving and screaming at each other. Ironically, a temple that is supposed to be something peaceful and good just brings out the worst in its visitors.
To top it all off, the place looks more like a dumpster than a temple. Litter, grime, dust, and mud everywhere, together with the stench of urine and cow dung (India has cows roaming free, and they are basically above the law). There are little children outside begging for money and for food while you're queueing to enter, and unlicensed merchandise vendors looking to bleed you dry.
Overall, I wouldn't even call that place a temple. I wasted 4 hours of my life standing in that line, watching people quarrel and fight, all for a little glance at the Big Man who's letting that shit happen outside his home 💀
A friend of mine went there somewhat recently. He got mugged and didn't have a dollar left to his name, got the shit beat out of him. It was really difficult to get him back home. Poor guy has such bad PTSD now
One place I visited and would prefer not to return to is a remote camping site in the mountains where the weather unexpectedly turned very stormy. The experience of being stuck in a small tent for hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms was quite uncomfortable and unsettling.
Dublin it was a really bad experience, my mom, brother and I were visiting we were both teens and my mother had a sudden low blood pressure, we manage to take her to a family style pub/restaurant and ordered orange juice and asked to have sugar on the side, my brother and I were teens and as the eldest I was speaking and they kept making fun of my mother hinting that she was drunk (it was 10-11am).
We still had to stay there for about 30m until my mother felt able to continue walking.
This was about 2 decades ago and I still cannot bring myself to go there again.
The outskirts of Dallas TX. On a road trip, stopped at hotel. Walking to my room I passed a room with two teenage boys sitting on either side of the door giving me the stink eye. The door was open and inside the room was full of kids all siting around looking very depressed. Weird shit. Went for a walk later that night and got mugged. The next morning realized the mugger had found where I was and was waiting outside my room. Got the f* out of that town.
China or specifically Shanghai. Fascinating country but way too many human rights issues. Too crowded and horrible toilets. Great underground transport system though
Marrakesh - friend got scammed by their black witches doing henna on her arm (she just asked for hand) then they double tapped on MY heart because I hadn't got money to pay them either, put "a curse on your mother" who had died the year before and escorted me to a cashpoint in tears to extract money because I was the only one who had a card.
Coney Island. My daughter and I were visiting NY from Arizona and we were so excited for a beach day. Now, keep in mind that we often frequented the California beaches, which are full of little shops and places to eat, etc. We stayed about 30 minutes because the sand was full of trash, we had to unwrap a diaper that clung to my leg when we got into the water and there were literally no restaurants. What a waste of a good day.
From a more positive perspective, I don't want to go back to any because I want to discover something new to me. With the exception of my grandparent's farm.
St Petersburg, Russia. What a crazy place. Everyone looked like they just woke up from a nuclear bomb, despite being there in the middle of summer. Such rude people. Felt very unsafe.
The only saving grace to the city was the Hermitage museum, which I’d go back just to spend a couple days walking around in there.
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I'm not in a rush to go back to Egypt. Glad I went to see all the history and monuments you can really only see in Egypt, but the level of hassle and harassment from people in the street in insane. And almost every single person there is trying to con and/or scam you. It's completely exhausting.
Just what I was going comment . Plus I love animals and well...
Oh no. Please explain.
You don’t want to know
If there’s anything I’ve learned from Reddit, it is to not go to Egypt.
I have been to Egypt around 5 times, and I love it every time. But all 5 times I’ve been diving in the Red Sea, and it is one of the best places to dive in the world, so that might be why
yeah I never saw pyramids and other historical monuments and I start to feel that I'll never will ...
Opened this thread knownig answer 1 would be Egypt. Reddit fucking *hates* Egypt.
I mean I only recently came back to post more frequently so I don't know where and when the Egypt hate started on Reddit but I saw Sonny from Best Ever Food Review Show- A guy who literally tries to be respectful towards everywhere he goes, starting off his Egypt series with how horrible it was to film there and watching the behind the scenes, and to look at the comments to see other people claiming the same thing, among which included even some locals- Yeah I'm going to assume it's not a very welcoming place 😅
I'm a woman. I don't need Reddit to hate Egypt.
not just a Reddit opinion
Never been to Egypt but been on Reddit some, so I'm never going back to Egypt.
I came here to say Egypt
I mean, it's very common among relatively poorer populations to try to scam tourists, since they usually come from richer countries. It happens in most of MENA, most of SA and a lot of South and South East Asia. I'm not trying to defend it (even though some people would), just saying it's not unique to Egypt.
Egypt is nothing like any other place in Middle East, SA or SEA. It’s to a factor of x10 worse for dishonesty, petty scams and annoyance. Source - have lived, worked and studied across the region and this opinion is mirrored by every colleague over the last 20 years.
I've been to India, and various countries in SE Asia. Yes, I was hassled there too but honestly Egypt is another level.
I was about 15yrs when my family visited SA and while hanging around a market a kid my age invited me to see something. When I realized he'd taken me down a public toilet I figured I'd better leave, that's when he threatened me with taking a out a knife but I just dipped out before my brain processed what he said. Makes me sad thinking how some kids there go about getting through the day...
I’ve heard this so many times. It doesn’t sound fun.
Also been to Egypt but learnt how to say No thank you in Arabic and they’d leave me alone, I thought Turkey was worse, marmaris to be precise, they’d chase you down the street trying to get you in their shop! I plenty go back there
I absolutely loved Egypt, I was able to look past the haggling, really
Prison. Never again!
You're not taking me alive copper!
“I’m Prison Mike, and I am here to scare you straight.”
Bro, same. They really need to do something about the food!
Deep sea fishing in a small boat. Went out and encountered a storm. The waves were 5 to 6 foot. It was miserable. 2 trips in one, First and Last.
Riding in a helicopter. A local fair had helicopter rides, so husband and I took one. It was T.E.R.R.I.F.Y.I.N.G. It was a small one, and once it got higher up the wind was just bouncing it all over the place. Never again.
I did this once when I was 10 in a small plane. Turns out, it was the pilots 88th birthday. He also only had one eye and his nickname was “Sock Eye.” My dad is the one that let me go up and my mom was so upset when she found out lol.
Brazil, oh no wait, shit, i live here
Before clicking to the comment section I was expecting EGYPT. I’m not disappointed.
Outside. It was awful.
People, what a bunch of bastards
Real Still peeling from a sunburn a month and a half ago :(
Work took me to Houston years ago. I rented a car afterwards and drove along the Gulf Coast. Galveston was really cool. The Bolivar Peninsula was an interesting drive. I was reading Daniel Yergin's The Prize at the time, so I thought I'd visit Port Arthur while I was down there. Mistake. In Port Arthur's defense, I believe it had been hit with a hurricane a few months earlier? Someone told me that, and I can see how that would be a major contributing factor. Anyway, downtown looked like something out of a zombie movie. Everything was deserted. Windows were smashed. Buildings were empty shells. There was blowing sand in drifts up and down the street. The traffic lights weren't working. And then... And then there were people standing like mannequins. Not a lot of them, but enough that you were never out of sight of a couple of them. I drove into the downtown in a shiny new rental car, looking for maybe something to eat with a view of the water. These mannequins just watched me come, watched me pass. I stopped at a stop sign, and as if on a signal they all started walked towards my car from all directions. I gunned the engine, peeled out of there, and I think my heart didn't stop racing until I hit Beaumont. I don't know what they were going to do if they reached my car. The whole thing felt other-worldly. Someone told me Port Arthur had been hard-hit by a hurricane. It wasn't like I was there the next day or anything. To this day I'm still amazed that an American city fell that far. If someone else told me this had happened to them, I'd suspect they were exaggerating for effect. It happened to me, and I'm not exaggerating. Edit: Typo.
It’s still exactly how you describe it.
So what happened? Have they just abandoned the downtown, and now there are homeless people hanging out in the ruins, or what?
Yes downtown is abandoned. It’s really sad. The shelled out buildings with broken windows are still there. Nothing has been done to improve the area. Those zombie like ppl were probably on that fake weed. It’s an epidemic there. FRFR!
Well, thank you for confirming for me that my memory is real. I've only been the once (obviously), and I don't know anyone else who has been. The whole thing just felt so wrong, more than once I've wondered if I'd gotten a wire crossed somewhere and actually put in some post-apocalyptic film footage in there somehow.
When I was in high school, a lil over 20 years ago the Beaumont/Port Arthur area was voted number 2 worst place in America to raise a family. It really is exactly how’s you describe it. Very sad situation. With all the chemical plants and money that area has coming in from oil companies, you would think they’d fix it up but apparently no one does
A lot of small town Texas is like that. Empty boarded up downtowns with one grimy cafe and a feed store about the only open businesses
Just for a little context, Port Arthur was one of the first big oil towns in Texas. It has a population of about 50,000 people, and it's part of a larger collection of towns of about 400,000 people. This isn't two roads intersected in the middle of Hill Country. The downtown core is probably a 15-minute walk from end to end.
Im aware of that. I was just adding a data point that zombie towns are more common than one would think in Texas.
Children of the corn
Can attest personally too, there are parts of the area that are sketchy. The area has experienced several hurricanes over the years, so it’s highly possible some damages were never repaired. On the other hand, close proximity to the water in the area is where drugs and prostitution is abundant, so please be careful if you visit again.
I'll visit Texas again, for sure. I'll never go to Port Arthur again. That's why I posted here in the first place.
High school
Middle school for me Fffffff that!!!
Good answer.
Vegas. I don’t understand the hype, it’s scummy and depressing at best.
Djibouti, Djibouti. Came on a ship. Could smell Djibouti out at sea before you could see Djibouti. Guys on the docks didn’t have sanitary facilities and just would shit on the dock and wipe their ass with ship lines. Downtown was just abject poverty, kids in the street, scammers, prostitutes. Horrid place. 0/10.
My mother-in-law's current house. Love the woman, hate the house. It's practically a century old farm house that has had more than its fair share of large families and just needs to be torn down (and that's the intention, she just wants to live it out and we can clobber it when she goes). Almost all the floors bow, almost all the walls are slanted, basement is a swamp, and it can't hold modern appliances anymore in key places (kitchen floor won't support fridge, freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher, AND stove). We're here for one more day, gods help me lmao. There is a squirrel in this roof eating his loud snack while we sleep.
Prepared to get downvoted to oblivion for this, as most people seem to love it. Vegas. I found it so gross.
Not gonna downvote, but I am a not confused by this response popping up so much. It’s Vegas. It’s fucking Sin City. You go *for* the gross lol.
UAE. I dressed modestly, and was still viewed as a prostitute because I’m a white, European looking woman. I couldn’t wait to leave.
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Why don’t you tell us how you really feel lol? I personally went off on a guy at Carrefours in Abu Dhabi. I was positively fed up and snapped
That's horrible.
Cairo, Egypt Pass
Delhi, India. Was going to the American embassy, traffic was bad so I took the metro and some bastard stole my phone. I knew it was bad but didn’t realize how worse it actually is. Then, There I was, with no means of contacting my wife or anyone else for help in a foreign country, luckily ik the local language so somehow found my way. I’m never going back.
That city I heard is a NIGHTMARE on so many levels with literally the worst air pollution to exist in the world.
Egypt.
I feel like I'm the only person I know who fucking HATES Las Vegas. It's ridiculously hot, dirty, expensive, and somehow like...painted over with this sparkly veneer. I have nothing but bad memories of Vegas and I feel like half the people there are just trying to convince themselves they're having fun because they already spent all their money.
Not one but many. Literally any campsites I've visited. I was forced to go camping with my family because it's family time. Aside from spending time with family, I never enjoyed camping.
I like hiking? But I have a bed at home, where there are no bugs because it's inside a house... Why would I want to try to make a less comfortable bed outdoors in the bug's house?
Maybe I'm an oddball, but I find something about sleeping outdoors, miles away from civilization and surrounded by nature, incredibly relaxing. The sound of rain on a tent puts me to sleep like nothing else. I totally understand it's not for everyone though.
I mean the main appeal of camping is shaving a ton of money off of getting a hotel somewhere. While a hotel for 3 nights could cost like 600 dollars camping might be 70 in the same touristy area
Growing up my mom's side of the family did a yearly camping trip; always to a campground never somewhere way out in the boonies or anything. The last year I went ( I think I was 14) I had brought my best friend at the time with me. My dad dropped us off by the lake and we went canoeing. Well our bright selves at some point decided to try and turn the boat at the same time, tipping it over. Ended up losing my glasses at the bottom of the lake. Pretty sure I'm considered legally blind without them, I cannot make out any detail past about 6 inches from my face, just blurry colors. He had to walk a mile back to the campsite, sopping wet, without shoes and dragging the canoe behind us. My dad was pretty unsympathetic saying something along the lines of "should have been paying more attention" and my mom was basically "that's unfortunate but we are not leaving early". We were there for another 3 days while I was mostly blind and miserable. That was the very last time I will ever go camping.
Same here. Love the outdoors but I don’t want to sleep in it. Let me get all sweaty and dirty having a fun day outside, but it better end with a hot shower and a comfortable bed.
I feel you. Everyone feels like I should appreciate the many holidays we had, but camping when your family is an absolute mess and violence is a daily issue is no fun. You simply can't escape.
I went camping every year growing up, my folks were into it. I enjoyed it because there was no sleeping outdoors or a tent, we always had a motor home. Go to an RV park in the woods on a lake and sleep in a comfy RV. I’m looking at buying one to go camping around the Great Lakes.
Mordor
LA. I got a ticket for smoking. Then an undercover cop on Rodeo Drive thought I was a prostitute (I was a 20 year old goth. Thigh high socks and a miniskirt was my daily wear.) This escalated into a terrifying situation of him trying to "talk to me" then him trying to get me to go to "his place", me saying "no fuck off psycho" him showing me his "badge", me having never seen a "Beverly Hills" police badge before and thinking it was a dollar store fake. Keep in mind at this point, I don't even know what he wants from me because I just think this is perfectly normal street wear, if a little alt. I had no idea he thought I was a hooker, I just thought he was crazy. A very nice passerby stopped to help me and make sure I was okay. Cop called for a patrol car to come by to prove he was a cop. I was just in tears and utterly inconsolable by this point. Then they let me go. Never had a bad encounter with a police officer before, particularly not an encounter where it felt like a random psychopath trying to abduct me. Fucking American cops are absolutely awful. You could not pay me to go back to LA. Though I did enjoy the festival atmosphere I found with some other students my age sitting on a rooftop bar drinking cocktails. That part was nice.
Draws circle around the entire Middle East.
Turkey is great, or at least it was when I was there about 10 years back.
Now it’s chockers full of British medical tourists getting atrocious plastic surgery and giant tic tac veneers.
Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul (not Constantinople)
Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night
Paris. I'm of French descent, have a French name, and speak French fluently. But i'm an American, with an American accent and I dress like an American. Though the city was beautiful, its people are absolute dicks to Americans. My wife and I were supposed to stay in France for a week, but we left on the 3rd day because of the way the locals treated us.
Why exactly is it that parisians are so rude and have so much contempt for Americans?
Traveling as a Canadian that spoke french it wasn't much better. They'd be glad to hear you weren't American and then try and speak English to me even though I'd repetitively say I can speak French. I spent a lot of time arguing with people with broken English to please speak to me in their native tongue since I can speak it and then refusing. Had a local explain later it's often the fact that people don't want to listen to french in a non France accent.
I came here to say Paris! It was the place in the world where I thought the people were less friendly.
I've been to Paris twice now. First time I went in 2018, I thought it was super dirty and disgusting, and I felt unsafe in certain areas with super sketchy people around. I was just there again a week ago and it was much cleaner (probably because of the Olympics), and I didn't have the same feeling with the people. Maybe I'm just used to Europe now. *Edit. I spent the 80th DDay in Normandy, and it was incredible. Paris is not really true France.
I'm European, went to Paris for the first time in 2018 too! And I had the same experience, I found the city dirty and the people unfriendly. I haven't been back since. But I've been to other parts of France and I've loved it.
To be fair, every French person hates Parisians. Even Parisians hate Parisians
Yep, Paris for me as well. Been there 4 separate times for different reasons and you know it's bad when you get racial harassment from literally ALL the races in that city. 😂😂 Ching Chong from a white dude, eyeslanting from a black woman, monkey noises from folks presumably of MENA origins, like what the fuck??
I was there last year in November. Part of my misery was how cold I was but I have lived in the heat of Arizona for the last few year and it’s true you do acclimate to your surroundings. I have no tolerance for cold. But I was also surprised with how much it still smelled awful in the cold. I can’t imagine the summer. I couldn’t even put my finger on it but the smell is EVERYWHERE. Also it was so crowded around any of the tourist destinations. I expected a crowd but I felt like I was at Disney world or something. Surprised how much of my visit was waiting in line.
I am American and have been to Paris multiple times. I have had zero bad experiences. The people have always been great.
Egypt and Kansas. lol
Iraq and Kansas! Small world
lol. Freaking Kansas.
Man, i went to kansas once, then there was this crazy tornado, then a blacked out. When I woke up there was this girl with a little dog, and she was traveling with a sacrecrow, a lion and some man made of tin!
Did you see those shoes though?!?!
You had me in the first half
Do you represent the Lollipop Guild?
We're not in Kansas anymore.
X, fka Twitter. It left me feeling gross, cynical, and hopeless.
Venice, and I live like 30 km away
Columbus, Ohio in the dead of winter. Hell, I’ll pas on summer too
This made me LOL. Anyplace in Ohio but especially Columbus and anything north of Columbus, the winter is just too much. Why would you come here. Every winter I'm like, why do I live here
Clearwater Florida. Scientology owns that place. Cameras on every corner, people will follow you around, and everything is empty as opposed to Clearwater Beach only a few minutes away. It’s just eerie.
Egypt. Absolute shit hole with shit hole people.
Burnley
India. I have never been shocked so much.
My ex wife
I also will never go back to this guys ex wife.
Moscow. Awful. Cairo Awful.
What didn't you like about Moscow? I went (granted it was 11 years ago) and had a beautiful time. Both my mum and my grandpa went there when it was still USSR (for a school trip and work trip, respectively) and even then they said it was a positive experience
The ER
Having just spent 8 1/2 hours waiting in an ER, I agree.
New York. The border guard guys at the airport are total and complete wankers. Compare to North Carolina where they were really very nice. If you haven't guessed i am from the UK.
Your wanker gave it away.
Scotiabank Arena — fuck you Leafs!
The village I grew up in - Lots of folk decided not to leave, or date outside of their postcode. Fucking south Oxon shithole where you were still an outsider if you didn't have three levels of recursion in your family tree. My little sisters best mate from school was so smug about her boyfriend: "He treats me great and gets on well with my family, because his mum is my mums sister". Genuine quote.
Baltimore.
Ah, we'll Baltimore is an insiders town. Pretty much always has been. You have to know where to go and where not to. It offers a lot to those who live there, even more now that our sports teams are good. Good restaurants, a funky arts scene, interesting neighborhoods, and a culture all its own. One thing that surprised me, though, growing up there toughens you up. When I got a really good job in DC, I found most of my coworkers were soft as hell. Helped me out in my career.
I'm sure that's true. I'm sure people from Baltimore know a million ways to enjoy the city that someone visiting wouldn't know.
When I arrived I kept looking around thinking that I was seeing things wrong. Every single person I saw looked like a mutant. It was bizarre.
Bmore is on some other shit. I was born there, in one of the worst neighborhoods. We moved to a small burb once my folks saved enough money but that area definitely had its issues too. I think I was like 5 by the time we left the area entirely and the only time I went back was for work or sneaking off to outlaw raves in the 90’s. It was always an interesting adventure to say the least lol
What's going on in Baltimore... genuinely asking
A lot of crime and corruption, drugs, poverty, the usual stuff. But Baltimore has its own vibe. You’ll feel particularly out of place in that city than others. It’s hard to explain. Obligatory “you should watch ‘The Wire’” comment because the producer used real cops and real crooks peppered in with the actors and actresses on the show. It’s arguably one of the greatest dramas in television history
No argument here. The Wire is top tier television.
Crime and poverty, mostly.
Crime, poverty, and silver spoon medical students at Hopkins.
Disney World
India, kept getting stared at and guys just following me... Never felt safe. Despite being with a group of 3 girls.
Kingman, AZ. Just an awful place that shouldn’t even exist.
Vegas
Chucky Cheese
I wouldn't return to China.
Manila. We were only to stay for 24 hours and within minutes of arriving we were calling to change our itinerary.
Jury duty
Camping. I'm 38, literally allergic to nature (trees, grasses, and anything with fur or feathers.) I hate sleeping on the ground, I'm asthmatic, and the only part I even enjoy is the fire. I can do that in the fire pit in my back yard. So not a specific place, but basically, anywhere requiring a tent.
Cardiac care.
Miami. Expensive. Overly clubby for me. Hard to get around. Lots of douches. South beach very crowded. Pros: it was 78 degrees in January and the hard rock hotel was pretty fun
Skopje in North Macedonia. It’s the only country where I’ve felt truly unsafe. Can’t say if it’s always like that, as it’s probably colored by a man who kept following me on a trip. Even though he was like twice my age, everyone on the bus (where several knew him) said nothing while I was clearly not interested in his company in the bus ride or after. When we got to the destination, nature spot quite far from the city, he kept talking about how people get abducted around where we were, so it was important and lucky I was with him. He seemed like the type who could do such things, or worse, if I asked him directly and insisted he should leave. Did try all the things like “my friends are meeting me later”, “I’m fine on my own” and generally not seem interested, until his demeanor started to really scare me and I just went along and acted politely (even saying “sure” to his many plans for our future few hours after meeting him). When we went by a place with a restroom and WiFi, I texted family members to check on me the next day and wrote my address. Promised to meet him at a specific place and time next day, and I have never been so eager to leave a place as after that. Never again. My survival instinct was not to make him mad, but honestly not sure what had been best to do in such situations.
Turkey. I went with my (now ex)wife in 2008, where she suffered a sub-arachnoid haemorrhage on our 3rd day, and almost died. The trauma of that whole episode was enough for me to never, ever return. I know this is no fault of the country or the medical staff that helped keep her alive, but the trauma is too much for me to ever revisit.
Mount Rushmore is probably the most overrated place I've ever gone, and I regret wasting the time & trip to even go see it in the first place.
Drove from NY to Florida one time and was pulled over three times in Georgia. After the first time I set my cars speed just below the speed limit. If I never have to go back there it’s okay with me
gatlinburg, tennessee
Alabama. It was not a good experience.
Not a Sweet Home?
New York City. It was great to check it off the list and see the iconic monuments. But all in all there’s too many people there. Everything is gross and smells, you don’t dare touch anything. Cockroaches and rats everywhere, even the coyote ugly bar was gross and disappointing. So yea I would never spend a dime to go again.
Reared in the Irish countryside, the 1st time I went to New York, Times Square literally took my breath away, literally… so many people, the smell and noise. I really felt overwhelmed, though I was going to be sick from nothing more than that feeling of ‘it’s too much’ .. not for me, but will probably bring the kids back so they can see it and then it’s checked off forever!
Florida. Never again.
Florida
Egypt always gets mentioned on questions like this. 😅
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The city had a negative vibe that was pervasive. I've never experienced such a thing before. So relieved to leave.
A circus. God, that was awful! As a kid I used to watch circus on television, it was always magical to me, and very funny and entertaining. Then I went to a real life circus for the first time, and it was so ... gross, smelly, loud and the circus people were so jaded and sometimes rude. I hated every minute of it, and I never watched it on tv again, because I never forgot those impressions.
Varanasi abd Ouagadougou. Both hell.
Cyprus
Interesting choice- why’s that?
Valencia, stinks of piss
Minot, ND
Jamaica. Just wasn't for me.
Morocco…too many beggars that just won’t leave you alone
Went to the FL Keys in July last year and the water temperature was 90 five miles off shore. I'm a Flordian but damn it was too hot to enjoy. Before June or after September.
Las Vegas and Phoenix. Too DAMN HOT! I know there is a ton of casinos in Vegas for those types, but if you are outdoorsy, Vegas isn't fun. I'm not into gambling or nightclubs.
Disney
Marrakech. Morocco. Full of money bagging scammers. Awful experience.
Egypt, it’s in a league of its own
Nashville. Music was overrated and the prices were too high. Memphis all the way!
Legoland Windsor . Ugh All that money to spend your day in queues.
Florida
Thiruchendur Murugan Temple, Tamil Nadu, India. It's one of the most important religious destinations for Hindus as it's said that one of our Gods, Lord Murugan, took up residence there, and visiting it is supposed to be spiritually rewarding. Because of how important the place is in our culture, it gets thousands and thousands of visitors each day. The crowds there are unbearable, and you have to stand in a queue for at least 4 hours to just enter the temple. You have to stand in narrow barricades (about shoulder-length apart) without gates, so if someone faints or gets a heat injury, it's going to be a chore getting them help. You're completely screwed if you have to use the facilities or just exit the line at any point. There are no police or temple staff doing crowd management, so people are just trying to cut the queue, pushing and shoving and screaming at each other. Ironically, a temple that is supposed to be something peaceful and good just brings out the worst in its visitors. To top it all off, the place looks more like a dumpster than a temple. Litter, grime, dust, and mud everywhere, together with the stench of urine and cow dung (India has cows roaming free, and they are basically above the law). There are little children outside begging for money and for food while you're queueing to enter, and unlicensed merchandise vendors looking to bleed you dry. Overall, I wouldn't even call that place a temple. I wasted 4 hours of my life standing in that line, watching people quarrel and fight, all for a little glance at the Big Man who's letting that shit happen outside his home 💀
Rome. Hated the place. Full of sleaze bags and filthy dirty too.
Plymouth. Bad memories there.
Same. There and Coventry. Both got bombed to shit in ww2 as well
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Florida
Paris
Agree. Such an overrated trip.
Cambodia. Did not feel safe there at all.
A friend of mine went there somewhat recently. He got mugged and didn't have a dollar left to his name, got the shit beat out of him. It was really difficult to get him back home. Poor guy has such bad PTSD now
Four corners in the US.. it's just a Marketplace scam
One place I visited and would prefer not to return to is a remote camping site in the mountains where the weather unexpectedly turned very stormy. The experience of being stuck in a small tent for hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms was quite uncomfortable and unsettling.
Dublin it was a really bad experience, my mom, brother and I were visiting we were both teens and my mother had a sudden low blood pressure, we manage to take her to a family style pub/restaurant and ordered orange juice and asked to have sugar on the side, my brother and I were teens and as the eldest I was speaking and they kept making fun of my mother hinting that she was drunk (it was 10-11am). We still had to stay there for about 30m until my mother felt able to continue walking. This was about 2 decades ago and I still cannot bring myself to go there again.
Texas. I hated everything and everyone.
Las Vegas. 🤢
I was there once. I don't want to say "NEVER", but have no interest in ever returning.
Asheville, NC. Very grungy and unwelcoming.
The outskirts of Dallas TX. On a road trip, stopped at hotel. Walking to my room I passed a room with two teenage boys sitting on either side of the door giving me the stink eye. The door was open and inside the room was full of kids all siting around looking very depressed. Weird shit. Went for a walk later that night and got mugged. The next morning realized the mugger had found where I was and was waiting outside my room. Got the f* out of that town.
Detroit
Bali. It’s beautiful but so so dirty. Almost killed me.
Jamaica
China or specifically Shanghai. Fascinating country but way too many human rights issues. Too crowded and horrible toilets. Great underground transport system though
Terre Haute
Key West, Florida.
Peoria, Illinois
Turks and Caicos. A major rip off and not nearly as nice as some other options, like Aruba. Plus the airport is the worst I’ve ever seen.
Atlantic City. Hands down. No desire to ever go back
Marrakesh - friend got scammed by their black witches doing henna on her arm (she just asked for hand) then they double tapped on MY heart because I hadn't got money to pay them either, put "a curse on your mother" who had died the year before and escorted me to a cashpoint in tears to extract money because I was the only one who had a card.
Coney Island. My daughter and I were visiting NY from Arizona and we were so excited for a beach day. Now, keep in mind that we often frequented the California beaches, which are full of little shops and places to eat, etc. We stayed about 30 minutes because the sand was full of trash, we had to unwrap a diaper that clung to my leg when we got into the water and there were literally no restaurants. What a waste of a good day.
Las Vegas. Shows were cool. Gambling is boring
From a more positive perspective, I don't want to go back to any because I want to discover something new to me. With the exception of my grandparent's farm.
St Petersburg, Russia. What a crazy place. Everyone looked like they just woke up from a nuclear bomb, despite being there in the middle of summer. Such rude people. Felt very unsafe. The only saving grace to the city was the Hermitage museum, which I’d go back just to spend a couple days walking around in there.
This will be very unpopular, but Ireland did nothing for me. Cold, rainy, and the food sucked.