Visiting Disney World is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the most overrated things to do as a tourist in the US, though it’s certainly not the only one. Every country in the world is more or less littered with over-hyped attractions and tourist traps of some kind that you sometimes wished you never did or paid for. Here it’s a list of some of the disappointing stuff I’ve ever done as a tourist:
Visit the Stonehenge in England
Stonehenge is apparently one of the most visited tourist attractions in England but it’s hard to see the “wow” factor in Stonehenge. As one tourist put it “it looks like just a pile of rocks” and to be honest it’s hard not to agree with that statement because that’s the impression I got of Stonehenge before and after I left the site.
Even after you’re told by your guide that Stonehenge is a prehistoric site and that scientists can’t quite work out who built it, a visit to Stonehenge is still a bitter/sweet pill (even more so because you can only view the site from the distance!).
Book a gondola ride in Venice
Venice is beautiful but the gondola ride along the Grand Canal is one of the most overrated things to do as a tourist - period! Don’t get me wrong, Venice is one of those places that are really worth visiting because there’s simply no other place in the world quite like it.
However, the gondola ride in Venice is meant to be the “the coolest way to experience Venice” but it really isn’t unless you’re idea of a cool boat ride is to argue with the gondolier because he's cutting your ride short! Honestly, the gondola ride doesn’t quite live up to the hype and the price tag of 90 Euros (a staggering $118) seems more like a simple case of daylight robbery (or nighttime robbery if you’re doing the gondola ride in the evening).
Drive through downtown Nassau to visit Atlantis
Whoever came up with the expression “tourist trap” they must’ve being thinking of downtown Nassau on Paradise Island. Surely, the Caribbean is a hot spot for tourism and I guess, you could argue why would the Bahamas be different, right?
Well, you won’t be so upbeat about Nassau after you’ve traveled into the downtown area to get to Atlantis. The whole downtown area feels as if a “tourist hell” just broke loose ( you’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve been there).
Seriously, downtown Nassau really and truly embodies the definition of “tourist hell” while the Atlantis resort does a very good job at trapping you as a tourist! Atlantis is grand and it’s an absolute paradise for fun because of the top-notch casino, lagoons and water slides. However, to pay a $60 admission fee just to see Atlantis is just ludicrous!
Attend the full moon party in Thailand
The full-moon party on Koh Phangan is supposed to be the most awesome beach party in the world but if you ask me, the full moon party is one of the most overrated things to do as a tourist in Thailand.
Guidebooks paint a “nice” picture of the full moon party with everyone having a great time but they guidebooks miss to mention the hordes of drunken people, the drugs, and the fact that Thai police do raid the beach party!
Luckily, most of Thailand doesn't disappoint (besides the spots overrun with tourists, of course) and it’ll forever be on my list of top 10 places to visit in Southeast Asia because of the amazing people and gorgeous beaches.
Take a trip to the Keys to eat key lime pie
Florida Keys is another tourist place that turned out to be a bit of a “miss” during my travels. Florida Keys is billed as one of the top places to go on the east coast but I can tell you right now that there are better tourist beach areas in Florida than the Keys.
The drive from Miami to the Keys is nice but the thing about the Keys is that it's full of bridges and has no real beach. It's a beautiful place but you can only do snorkeling and scuba diving and that’s it pretty much it! The only thing that really saves a trip to the Keys from being a complete wash-out is being to sample the yummiest “key lime pie” in Key West.
Go to Amsterdam to smoke weed
Being able to smoke weed freely, partying, etc is what droves hordes of tourists to this tiny part of Holland -Amsterdam. This city is definitely a tolerant city – I give you that – but to go to Amsterdam to smoke weed only? Trust me, it really isn't worth it.
And not only that, you won’t find flights to Amsterdam from the States for less than $1100, which is some serious cash to spend on a smoking trip to Europe when you could easily use that money on putting together a nicer trip somewhere down in South America. Either way, it looks like the bubble for tourists is about to burst in Amsterdam…they’re trying to pass a new cannabis law which will mean only Dutch citizens will be able to smoke weed legally!
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