3 hours ago
3
With societal media feeds afloat of bucket-list destinations and "must-do" question experiences, it's each excessively casual to get swept up successful the unit to bash it each — adjacent erstwhile it mightiness not beryllium worthy it. To research the downside of question FOMO, u/ihave22nicetoes decided to ask, "What's 1 tourer enactment you did retired of FOMO that you regretted?" In response, travelers painted a revealing representation of overhyped attractions, ethical dilemmas and misadventures that near them wishing they'd conscionable stayed poolside.
Here's what they had to say:
1. "Mine was erstwhile I visited the Monkey Temple successful Bali — 1 of the astir highly recommended tourer activities there. I someway ended up agreeing to see it successful my itinerary, adjacent though I'm deathly acrophobic of monkeys and however assertive they tin get. I was anxious the full time, disquieted they mightiness leap connected oregon onslaught me. So yeah, that was the archetypal and past clip I'll bash thing similar that."
2. "About 20 years ago, I visited the Tiger Temple successful Kanchanaburi, Thailand. I'd seen thing astir it connected TV, and it claimed to beryllium a sanctuary dedicated to animal conservation and that benignant of thing. I regretted going astir immediately. When I got there, the tigers were precise evidently drugged. I cognize the temple denied immoderate accusations of drugging the animals, but the mode those tigers slept done being manhandled and posed for pictures was not natural."
3. "I decided to bargain a portion — a section changeable of licorice and brackish liqueur — successful Copenhagen. I tin inactive sensation it 5 years later."
4. "90 euros for a 25-minute gondola thrust successful Venice. Yeah, possibly I should person listened to each the radical who said to instrumentality it either aboriginal oregon during sunset, and not connected the 'highways' but the tiny canals. I did it retired of FOMO and truly regret it. Too overmuch traffic, not relaxing astatine all, and thing special."
5. "My woman and I decided to locomotion the Hollywood Walk of Fame from Argyle Avenue to the Chinese Theater (about a 20-minute walk) due to the fact that we thought it would beryllium bully to spot each the stars. Nope. The biggest mistake of our lives. People experiencing homelessness, cause addicts, and unstable radical everywhere. We were acceptable to run, and our heads were connected a changeless swivel."
6. "20 years ago, I rode an elephant successful bluish Thailand and couldn't hold to get off. It didn't look similar they treated them well, and the elephants had to beryllium coaxed to walk. I regretted it a batch and ne'er did carnal tourism again."
7. "Whale watching successful Kaikoura, New Zealand. I tin judge immoderate whale watching tours are good, but successful this case, it was sperm whales — which seemingly dive for a fewer hours astatine a clip and past concisely surface. They person spotters who way the whales, and erstwhile 1 is seen diving, your vessel heads to that country — and past you conscionable beryllium determination waiting for it to surface. After staring astatine a blank water for an hour, the whale yet surfaces, but it conscionable looks similar a bumpy log floating determination for astir 10 minutes earlier diving again. Huge letdown."
8. "Going to Patong successful Thailand for the partying and bar-hopping experience. It wasn't fun. It was disgusting. I person thing against the ladyboys, but I was revolted by the enactment tourists."
9. "The alleged Diamond Beach successful Iceland. It's portrayed online arsenic a large formation with immense pieces of crystal washing ashore. In reality, it's small, with lone precise tiny pieces of crystal scattered astir — thing awesome oregon peculiarly worthy seeing. Then again, possibly it's not ever similar that and I conscionable got unlucky that day."
10. "I didn't request to spell to the Red Light District successful Amsterdam."
11. "Going connected a cruise. My ex ever wanted to go, but I was reluctant. The vessel was nice, and the nutrient and drinks were great, but it inactive felt similar I was trapped successful a promenade for a week."
12. "Four Corners Monument successful the US. We had conscionable started our RV travel astir the US and Canada, and everyone told america it was a must-see. It was not."
13. "A capybara café successful Japan. It was the saddest thing. The mediocre capybara was wholly disinterested successful the horde of humans and cats surrounding it (I deliberation they cheaped retired connected getting a capybara buddy and subbed successful a litter of cats instead). It is ne'er taken retired of the tiny café and ne'er volition beryllium for its full life. I truly wanted to judge that it could beryllium ethical, but the acquisition confirmed that immoderate wildlife attraction that allows you to interaction the animals does not person the animals' payment successful mind."
14. "Swimming with the pigs successful the Bahamas. The epitome of a tourer trap. Don't fto anyone archer you otherwise."
15. "In Iceland successful aboriginal April, astatine Thingvellir, we had booked the snorkel aquatics betwixt the tectonic plates. A fewer days earlier our booking, we were astatine the parkland for thing other and saw immoderate precise cold, miserable-looking snorkelers returning from their tour, shivering successful their wetsuits. I realized that adjacent successful my ain 10 layers of specialized lukewarm clothing, I was inactive truthful acold my eyeballs felt similar freezer-burned crystal cubes. I've ne'er canceled a booking truthful fast."
16. "I paid other wealth for the freak amusement astatine a real-life circus (probably earlier 2008) — oregon possibly it was a just — and got to conscionable the littlest idiosyncratic alive. Her sanction was Jyoti Amge, and she was conscionable sitting determination connected a small pedestal smiling astatine everyone. She seemed truthful sweet. I felt horrible arsenic a looky-loo due to the fact that I legitimately thought the freak amusement would beryllium similar a Ripley's, with taxidermy and oddities, not existent existent people."
17. "Takeshita Street successful Harajuku. Just sandwiched successful with radical connected a constrictive street."
18. "Driving the loop astir Maui. We were staying successful Wailea and having a bully clip — determination was plentifulness to do, and I was mostly determination for the beach. Somehow, we were convinced that we had to bash the roadworthy travel astir the island. We hired a car, but astir of it was beauteous boring. It took astir a full day, and immoderate sections were highly treacherous and scary."
19. "I precocious saw O successful Las Vegas. I was determination midweek, truthful determination weren't a batch of options. I saw La Rêve years agone and loved it, but figured I should spell spot an existent Cirque du Soleil show. Oh man, it was not my cupful of tea. If I had immoderate mode to escape, I would have."
20. "Bourbon Street successful New Orleans. It was annoying and gross to adjacent locomotion connected for 3 minutes."
21. "We went to Universal Studios successful Osaka for Nintendo Land. It was possibly the worst time of our holiday. None of the nutrient oregon portion places opened until 3 hours aft the parkland did, and determination were obscurity adjacent capable places for radical to sit, truthful the walkways astir the parkland were conscionable afloat of radical sitting connected the ground."
22. "The 9/11 Museum successful New York City. I emotion museums. I emotion history. But I reached a constituent wherever a clump of young Gen Z'ers were taking mocking selfies, and I mislaid it. I started crying and had to permission the depository early."
23. "Giza Zoo successful Cairo. We went with locals who said we would beryllium capable to clasp lion cubs. The thought seemed cute — until I realized these were heavy sedated teenage lions. There was besides a caged big lion whose receptor we were told to propulsion to marque him roar. They said it was harmless due to the fact that they had taken retired each his teeth. I declined. There were akin gimmicks with different animals — a hippo, monkeys, etc."
24. "The Dead Sea. Not definite if it's needfully considered a must-visit from Jerusalem, Palestine, oregon Jordan, but I went arsenic portion of a bigger circuit that besides included Masada Fortress and Ein Gedi, earlier concluding with swimming successful the sea. I personally thought the country we were successful was rather boring and disfigured — words I seldom usage to picture quality — and the novelty of the achromatic mud and floating connected the aboveground wears disconnected rapidly erstwhile the brackish gets successful your eyes and mouth."
25. "The Salem Witch Museum. For immoderate reason, I thought it was overmuch bigger than it was. After doing the 2 'shows,' I asked the unit successful the acquisition store wherever the remainder of the depository was. I was told, 'Honey, you've seen everything. If you aren't buying anything, you request to go.'"
26. "The Whitney Plantation adjacent New Orleans. It's an amazing, yet somber place. Unfortunately, we had a usher who spoke successful a quiescent dependable and talked excessively overmuch astir herself. I deliberation truthful overmuch much could beryllium done here. I wanted to consciousness more. I wanted the radical connected the circuit to instrumentality it much seriously, astir arsenic if we were successful Auschwitz. I'm hoping it was conscionable the atrocious guide."
"Please spell if you're successful NOLA — possibly it volition beryllium amended for you."
27. "Ate fugu sashimi successful Osaka. Fugu is poisonous, and a cook needs to person 7 years of acquisition earlier they are licensed to service it. The regret? It tasted similar overcooked squid — truthful not worthy the wealth oregon the intelligence effort."
28. "Bali, successful general. I've been to 3 twelve countries and privation I had gone anyplace other successful Indonesia. What a touristy, littered stew pot. Maybe my slightest favourite spot I've ever traveled."
Have you ever fallen for a tourer trap oregon regretted a FOMO-fueled detour? Share your ain question missteps successful the comments below!
Note: Responses person been edited for length/clarity.
English (US) ·