Traveling is an eye-opening experience. It provides folks with a new perspective on the different lifestyles andculturesthat the world has to offer. The only problem is somecountriesdon’t match the picture-perfect image that’s been sold of them.That’s why these travelers are spilling the beans on places like that around the world.Bored Pandaalso interviewedLexie Limitless, a person who shattered the world record for the youngest person to travel to every country, all at the age of 21. You can find her interview below.This post may includeaffiliate links.
Traveling is an eye-opening experience. It provides folks with a new perspective on the different lifestyles andculturesthat the world has to offer. The only problem is somecountriesdon’t match the picture-perfect image that’s been sold of them.
That’s why these travelers are spilling the beans on places like that around the world.Bored Pandaalso interviewedLexie Limitless, a person who shattered the world record for the youngest person to travel to every country, all at the age of 21. You can find her interview below.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
Somalia.I went to Somalia with my family because my parents wanted us to visit and to see the country and the culture they come from.I hated being in that country.People in Somalia would just stare at me all day because it was strange for them to see a Somali girl not wearing hijab.Relatives of my father would pity my parents, because I was an unmarried 20 year-old woman. They would, of course, then blame it on the fact that I was born in a western country. Then they would go on and laugh at my parents, because they paid for my education; my relatives thought it was an absolute waste since I was just a girl.People thought it was a disgrace that Female Genital Mutilation wasn’t performed on me, and they would wonder what kind of men would want an unclean girl like me.There was not a day in Somalia where I didn’t face sexism. All of it just made me hate the country and the Somali culture.I’m never going back to that country, even if it is where I came from.
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The UAE - especially Dubai. We travelled there for 3 nights having had an amazing 3 weeks in India (go there, I can’t recommend it more!). As soon as we left the airport, we met with aggressive locals who gave the impression that they had better things to do than be nice to tourists. They definitely gave the impression that there are so many tourists that it didn’t matter if a significant proportion are ignored and taken advantage of. Everywhere we went they tried to rip us off or charge stupid amounts of money, for example, at the Burj Khalifa, one of those souvenirs photos you get at theme parks are $70!!! Taxi drives have no problem ripping you off, one tried to charge us $40 for driving us a mile. The whole city also feels fake and soulless, and the fact that you cannot even walk anywhere (the whole city is just made up of highways) added insult to injury. Overall DO NOT GO - 3 nights there costs more than 2+ weeks in countries such as India and Indonesia, which are infinitely more beautiful, friendly and will give you much better memories!
A country of contrasts – Egypt. In Hurghada, you encounter Arabs who are literally pushy, pulling you to buy something from them. When we were near the pyramids, they demanded 1 dollar just to press the shutter button on a camera. But if you visit Sharm El-Sheikh, it’s also Egypt, but the Arabs there are more polite on the streets.
Even if there might be obstacles or difficulties with the trip, it seems like peoplelove to travel. Research has shown that around 31% of Americans take up to three vacations a year. An enthusiastic 6% take more than 10 trips every year, which might seem impossible at first until you hear about travelers who’ve taken it to the extreme.Lexie Alford is one such person who fits the bill. After breaking the world record, she continued her global adventures and shared her passion for travel with her highly engaged audience.Lexie is also a viral filmmaker with over 350 million views, a public speaker, a TedX alumnus, a talented photographer, and a writer currently finishing her autobiography. Her biggest goal is to inspire others to push their limits, no matter how big or small they may be.When we asked Lexie about troublesome tourist destinations, she told us that “surprisingly, some of the least visited countries in the world are often the most expensive and, at times, the mostdangerousto travel to.”
Even if there might be obstacles or difficulties with the trip, it seems like peoplelove to travel. Research has shown that around 31% of Americans take up to three vacations a year. An enthusiastic 6% take more than 10 trips every year, which might seem impossible at first until you hear about travelers who’ve taken it to the extreme.
Lexie Alford is one such person who fits the bill. After breaking the world record, she continued her global adventures and shared her passion for travel with her highly engaged audience.
Lexie is also a viral filmmaker with over 350 million views, a public speaker, a TedX alumnus, a talented photographer, and a writer currently finishing her autobiography. Her biggest goal is to inspire others to push their limits, no matter how big or small they may be.
When we asked Lexie about troublesome tourist destinations, she told us that “surprisingly, some of the least visited countries in the world are often the most expensive and, at times, the mostdangerousto travel to.”
I visited one of the most visually stunning, peaceful and popular destinations on a whim, I was in Rome and decided to visit The Vatican. It is definitely a beautiful place with some fantastic architecture, the wealth displayed there is phenomenal, what disturbed me was that this wealth could be used to help some of the very poor parishioners around the world who had donated this money. It left me feeling quite sick. A few years later I happened upon Lourdes, although not a country, it had the same vibe, it is just a place designed to prey upon the weakest, sick people visit there to find a cure or a miracle, they are encouraged to light a candle and pray. I don’t have a problem with that my problem is that they sell candles of varying sizes implying that the bigger the candle and the more you pay the more likely God will hear your prayers.
I wouldn’t visit Turkey again. We went to Istanbul and that was rather nice with the historical buildings in the city. For some reason I also wanted to go to a beach location, so after a few days in Istanbul, we flew to Alanya.Big mistake! As an introverted Finn, the hawking was really a nightmare!Well, I’m not that introverted as pictured, but I hated how you couldn’t walk in the street without someone yelling you and constantly trying to get you to buy some junk. As Alanya is very popular tourist attraction for Finns, they of course recognise as to be Finns. The sellers have learnt some basic Finnish words and would yell those on and on. If you tried to be polite and say no thanks, they just bashed you behind your back. Trying not to notice them didn’t help either.I don’t know if the aggressive selling is working or not, but for us it was too much. Nowadays the security situation in Turkey is also quite worrying so it wouldn’t be my first choice anyhow.
Most places that you take a trip to will be fun and exciting, with lots of great areas to explore, deliciouscuisinesto try, and activities to enjoy. Traveling is all about adventure and being willing to learn about what each place has to offer. The only problem is that even though certain countries might seem incredibly inviting, they might be unsafe to travel to.According to the World Economic Forum’stourism report, certain places like El Salvador or Yemen are ranked low on safety. This might be due to factors like a high rate of crime or political instability in the country. These kinds of situations can make it difficult for tourists to have a safe and relaxing trip to a new destination.
Most places that you take a trip to will be fun and exciting, with lots of great areas to explore, deliciouscuisinesto try, and activities to enjoy. Traveling is all about adventure and being willing to learn about what each place has to offer. The only problem is that even though certain countries might seem incredibly inviting, they might be unsafe to travel to.
According to the World Economic Forum’stourism report, certain places like El Salvador or Yemen are ranked low on safety. This might be due to factors like a high rate of crime or political instability in the country. These kinds of situations can make it difficult for tourists to have a safe and relaxing trip to a new destination.
Iraq.Everything about it is atrocious in every way. Even if nobody had ever tried to kl me there, it still would have been atrocious in every way.But hey, if you like the smell of open sewage and the occasional rotting corpse baking in 120+ degree heat, if you like barbarism and piles of garbage, if you like a medieval worldview and high illiteracy rates, feel free to visit.Seriously, fk that place. It’s the land that God forgot.
Every country has some interesting aspects and some cons that each traveler must decide if they’re okay with. These difficulties may range from things like lack of physical accessibility to even challenges with personal safety.We askedLexieto elaborate on challenging travel experiences she had. She said: “when I set out to visit every country in the world, I quickly realized that some of the hardest places to reach were in Central Africa. For example, countries like Chad, Mali, and mainland Yemen were challenging due to the lack of tourism infrastructure, political instability, and safety concerns.”“These destinations often require detailed preparation, special visas/permits, and significant resources to travel.Flightsare expensive, overland travel is arduous, and finding accommodation can be difficult in remote areas,” she explained.
Every country has some interesting aspects and some cons that each traveler must decide if they’re okay with. These difficulties may range from things like lack of physical accessibility to even challenges with personal safety.
We askedLexieto elaborate on challenging travel experiences she had. She said: “when I set out to visit every country in the world, I quickly realized that some of the hardest places to reach were in Central Africa. For example, countries like Chad, Mali, and mainland Yemen were challenging due to the lack of tourism infrastructure, political instability, and safety concerns.”
“These destinations often require detailed preparation, special visas/permits, and significant resources to travel.Flightsare expensive, overland travel is arduous, and finding accommodation can be difficult in remote areas,” she explained.
Mauritania— a very thin strip of green sandwiched between the Sahara desert and the Altantic ocean. Poor, dusty and with an unrestful population (the government’s main cash income is selling fishing rights to foreign trawlers, who hoover up the fish so there’s not many left for the local artisanal fishermen).
Cuba. I went there on as a raffle prize. The resort where I went was nice enough but there was a sewage overflow problem so the place stunk. The food was bland and watery. The “all the beer you want” was a waste of time because it was served in tiny paper cups the size you would find in your own bathroom, and besides that it was pretty bland/tasteless beer.The people were friendly enough but I got the impression they weren’t as happy to be there as they let on. Working in a tourist resort would have been a pretty lucrative job but I think the government confiscated most of the tips.IOW I would not go back there on my own dime.
Haiti. I’ve been there twice to the Royal Caribbean out island. The first time I got off the ship and did some shopping in the local market. Some of the retailers were literally begging you to shop with them. I could tell they were very desperate for money. The second time was shortly after the earthquake/hurricane. The dark energy of the island was so intense, it was overwhelming me.
Nobody wants to be stranded in a foreign place and have to struggle to figure out what to do next. Rather than getting into a fix like that, it’s incredibly important to research the country that you’re planning to visit and figure out all there is to know about it. Taking your time to learn about the place can help save you a lot of trouble later on.
“From there, I’d recommend looking into the costs. Check flights, accommodations, and general expenses like food and activities to get a sense of what fits your budget. Some countries offer amazing experiences without breaking the bank, especially if your currency goes a long way there,” she shared.
Mexico. The streets are full of insistent and annoying street vendors everywhere as well as garbage. There is a lot of poverty. In addition, there is a lot of insecurity and the level of crime is very high. It is common to find images like these…. To complete the beautiful panorama, many beaches are contaminated with sewage and close to the public without prior notice. They cannot be accessed.
Oman. I have had occasion to visit Israel, Egypt, Canada, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Diego Garcia, and Oman. In the last of these, the only part I was permitted to see was an island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast. It was the very epitome of a desolate desert island. There were no buildings other than a squat airfield control tower. I’m almost completely flat geography, with no trees or appealing natural features of any kind. Oman was the most unappealing, unattractive, and generally unpleasant places I’ve ever visited. The only redeeming quality it had was the airstrip on an island off the coast, and the C5A Galaxy transport aircraft that I boarded for the long flight from Oman to Diego Garcia to the Philippines. Mexico was next to the bottom of the list, only a little better than Oman.
Visiting a new country can be a beautiful and life-changing experience as long as you take the time to learn about the place before you visit it. Rather than being impulsive and rushing into the unknown, let these travelers’ words of advice soak in before you book your next trip.A very useful tip that Lexie gave is, “don’t forget to tap into the travel community! There are so many blogs, YouTube videos, and social media posts out there from people who’ve been where you want to go, and they can give you honest, practical advice.”“The more you dig into the details, the more confident you’ll feel about your choice, and you might even discover a place you hadn’t considered before!” Plus, you can travel with no fear to places that fit all the safety, fun, and budget-based requirements you have.What are some countries you’ve been to that you’d want everyone to visit? We’d love to hear of your travel stories, and any words of caution about difficult tourist destinations you’ve been to as well.
Visiting a new country can be a beautiful and life-changing experience as long as you take the time to learn about the place before you visit it. Rather than being impulsive and rushing into the unknown, let these travelers’ words of advice soak in before you book your next trip.
A very useful tip that Lexie gave is, “don’t forget to tap into the travel community! There are so many blogs, YouTube videos, and social media posts out there from people who’ve been where you want to go, and they can give you honest, practical advice.”
“The more you dig into the details, the more confident you’ll feel about your choice, and you might even discover a place you hadn’t considered before!” Plus, you can travel with no fear to places that fit all the safety, fun, and budget-based requirements you have.
What are some countries you’ve been to that you’d want everyone to visit? We’d love to hear of your travel stories, and any words of caution about difficult tourist destinations you’ve been to as well.
South Korea: surprise!I lived and worked in Seoul for 6 months. Well, if you want to call it “living”. But definitely working, and working and working.It might be because I am essentially a hedonist at heart. I love a life of good food, relaxing strolls, cozy cafés, beautiful surroundings, nature, art, architecture, melodic and complex music… did I mention good food? But I don’t think there is a Korean word for hedonist. Pleasure seems to be very low indeed on the typical South Korean’s list of priorities. Mainly for lack of time, it would seem.My Korean colleagues would arrive at 8 AM in the office, work until 9–10 PM (like the Japanese), then spend a couple hours in traffic, make dinner, check their children’s homework, get some more internet time in before bed. That’s the work week.On weekends, one of the days would be dedicated to spending time with the grandparents. The remaining day would be more homework with the kids (success at school is an absolute obsession), house work and shopping. Then back to work the next day.As a result, I found that Seoul and other Korean cities were not designed with “enjoyment” or “leisure” in mind, but rather for efficiency, given that Koreans had so little time to spare.It’s probably a shock to some that I implied that Korean food is not good. It can be quite tasty, or so they tell me. But unfortunately I’m vegetarian, and that is another word that doesn’t seem to exist in Korean.Still, a few things about the food I will never understand:the Korean love affair with Spamkimchithe appeal of squid on a stick (which children on the sidewalks of Seoul eat the way European children would eat ice cream)Koreans, please don’t be offended - I have great admiration for you. I just can’t figure out how or why you do it all!
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Phuket, Thailand. The town - It could have been nice but due to its very cheap accomodations and cheap delicious food it’s just too damn crowded and filthy. Plus you have women offering you massages every 2 minutes on the streets, and I though being asian, i would not get asked but was even harrassed, pulled and groped to try their services. The islands- nice very nice. But still crowded. And i did go off season.
Well, i have to be honest and i will post the right thing. I have being visiting and traveling around the world for many times and the worst places that i consider are thouse who make me feel unconfortable for some stupid reasons. First it was Singapore/Malaesia because for some reason i had to keep the garbage, rest of some snacks in my bags, due to the limited times untill my deal meeting. The second it was Österreich due to the problems on the public area with WC. ….there are missing. I can keep name it more places as thise but i will stop because …..are too many.
Bolivia, La Paz I gave it a shot twice, and both times I ended up sick. When you first land, the altitude sickness will hit your body immediately. The elevation is roughly at 3,650 m (11,975 ft) above sea level and in the states, the highest city is Leadville, Colorado, the highest-elevation city (10,158 feet) which I have never been. I got a massive headache, my leg muscles were extremely weak, and I ended up puking a handful of times. On top of the altitude sickness, I also got travel diarrhea or food poisoning. This was the type of diarrhea that made me s**t every 30–45 minutes for 3 days. I ended up needing an IV drip because I was dehydrated for 3 days. The food is different, and I don’t th…
The worst city I have ever visited was Frankfurt Germany. I loved other parts of Germany but Frankfurt was horrible. My friend and I were denied 3–4 times a night daily on our 4 day stay in Frankfurt. The Bar/ club bouncers would say we don’t allow Americans. Everyone was extremely rude when they found out our native country. The constant negativity ruined our stay.
I visited 10 countries till now. The one i am definitely not going to visit again is Chile.I spent 2 weeks in Chile at the expense of a visit to Brazil. I chose it for three reasons - Atacama Desert, Patagonia Region and ITS PEOPLE. Many blogs i read and travelers i spoke to, stated great things about how friendly and accommodating the people were.The Atacama Desert is an amazing spot. I dropped my idea to Patagonia visit since i dint expect it to be freezing in August. No regrets for this. But it is the people of Santiago who have disappointed me the most.Were they racist, violent? Not at all.What pissed me off the most is their non-receptive and cold nature towards strangers.I do not think it is their mistake. I believe they are just introverts as a society on a whole. Walk through a crowded market in Santiago or a monument - people just murmur, take a metro - its pin drop silence. You will not hear a loud laugh or a chatter. Ask someone something and you wont get any useful responses. As a solo traveler i felt this silence and introverted politeness unbearable.Though i have some knowledge of travel-spanish, it did not help that their accent is different to Mexican spanish.There might be some who might have like the place. But after a trip to exuberant countries like Mexico and Cuba, Chile trip proved a disaster. 2 weeks in the country, my only comfort was friends at hostel and a 3 day visit to Atacama Desert.Just like a very nice but emotionally unreceptive person makes a bad life-partner, Chile bored me to death in spite of its beautiful landscapes and polite people.
It’s complicated. I had mixed feelings about visiting Vietnam and Cuba.This doesn’t mean that these are the worst countries. And these are very poor countries. And these countries have locals who speak Russian quite well. Cubans generously told me about their very poor life. About the fact that they don’t have chocolate, for Cuban women this is a problem. My cap was stolen at the hotel. It’s good that it wasn’t money. There is a lot of unsanitary conditions in Vietnam. I was a little surprised that there were no trash cans in the center of Nha Trang. But I was in Vietnam a long time ago, almost 10 years ago. It is a very poor country. And I didn’t know before my trip that most Vietnamese are Catholics. Both countries are interesting, but clearly not worth the money I spent.
I have been to 45 countries so far and I’ve only ever been to relatively safe countries: I’ve avoided countries where there is an active war, or where the authorities are significantly corrupt. With that premise, the worst country I’ve ever visited is Quebec Canada. The issues I had with it were: The landscape is extremely flat and dull The food is totally uninspiring It’s unbelievably expensive for everything There is a lack of culture and cultural activities The weather is c****y. I was so bored that I actually went to the airport 4 hours early for my flight to go back home, as a I had nothing better to do. The only positive, was that you can legally buy and smoke w**d.
The worst city within a country was Paris. The French are so unfriendly I hate them. And all the African immigrants harassing and flocking their goods around the Eiffel tower are just as bad. I hated it each time I went.
Germany in 2023: The land of efficiency, cold weather, and colder hearts. Thanks to the recent wave of immigration, it seems like Germans now see every brown person—whether just passing through or not—as a potential thief. Airport bus drivers? Rudeness champions. They’ll close the door on you while your hand is still out, barking in German like they’re auditioning for a historical drama. But here’s the kicker: The moment they realize you’re American, not “their kind” of brown, the attitude shift is faster than their trains!
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