Have you ever traveled to an insanely popular destination but found it extremely underwhelming, Pandas? For me, the Eiffel Tower seemedpretty overhyped. Perhaps I should’ve visited it at night? Still, nothing beats the disappointment one feels after a long flight and many months of expectations. Luckily, this time, we’re talking about the opposite – the travel destinations and tourist attractions that are actually worth the hype.
Recently, one netizen went on toask others: “What tourist attractions are NOT overrated?” Fellow travelers came through with answers from almost every continent. I personally have to agree with one commenter: pictures don’t really do Yellowstone justice. It’s considered the No. 1 National Park in the U.S. for a reason!
As summer is almost already here, dear Pandas, scroll down to see where you can plan your next vacation and not be disappointed.
Kristin Addis:Be My Travel Muse|Parenthood Adventures
Matthew Kepnes:Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site|Ten Years a Nomad|Twitter|Instagram
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Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France. It looks like the home of a particularly prosperous wizard.
Professional traveler Kristin Addis shares someunique destinationsthat are, according to her, definitely worth the hype. Her first pick might surprise some people. “For me, Utah is not at all overrated,” she says. “It’s so beautiful, and those canyons are unique in the world. The American southwest, in general, has a natural beauty that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen after visiting 65 countries.“Then she goes for a more internationaltourist attraction. “The rice terraces in China’s YuanYang are just as extensive and impressive as they look in photos. No Photoshop there!” After Googling it, I can confidently say: wow! Definitely agree! However, Kristin has one more pick: “Norway was just as pristine and beautiful as it appeared in the photos,” she tells us.Matthew Kepnes, aka Nomadic Matt, says that there are too many destinations that are worth the hype in his opinion. But if he had to name just three, they would be Albania, Tbilisi, and The American South. “Albania (and the Balkans in general) [are] super affordable, few tourists. Tbilisi, Georgia [is a] lively city with a youthful and progressive vibe. And The American South – perfect for road trips and has amazing food.”
Professional traveler Kristin Addis shares someunique destinationsthat are, according to her, definitely worth the hype. Her first pick might surprise some people. “For me, Utah is not at all overrated,” she says. “It’s so beautiful, and those canyons are unique in the world. The American southwest, in general, has a natural beauty that’s unlike anything else I’ve ever seen after visiting 65 countries.”
Then she goes for a more internationaltourist attraction. “The rice terraces in China’s YuanYang are just as extensive and impressive as they look in photos. No Photoshop there!” After Googling it, I can confidently say: wow! Definitely agree! However, Kristin has one more pick: “Norway was just as pristine and beautiful as it appeared in the photos,” she tells us.
Matthew Kepnes, aka Nomadic Matt, says that there are too many destinations that are worth the hype in his opinion. But if he had to name just three, they would be Albania, Tbilisi, and The American South. “Albania (and the Balkans in general) [are] super affordable, few tourists. Tbilisi, Georgia [is a] lively city with a youthful and progressive vibe. And The American South – perfect for road trips and has amazing food.”
The Duomo in Florence is freaking amazing. We went right before sunset when the crowd was basically gone, and it was incredible.
Pompeii.
Unfortunately, not all places can be as fascinating. Not all destinations and tourist attractions can look like they do in pictures. That’s why lowering your expectations sometimes might do you some good. “I think it’s easy to get disappointed when your expectations are high,” Kristin agrees with that sentiment.“I try not to have expectations when visiting a place, but it can be tough when we see such perfect pictures on social media. Some of the’Instagram vs. Reality’trend has helped to uncover that, but when it comes down to it, if you want things all to yourself, you’ve got to wake up super early, go in the off-season, or make peace with sharing it.”
Unfortunately, not all places can be as fascinating. Not all destinations and tourist attractions can look like they do in pictures. That’s why lowering your expectations sometimes might do you some good. “I think it’s easy to get disappointed when your expectations are high,” Kristin agrees with that sentiment.
“I try not to have expectations when visiting a place, but it can be tough when we see such perfect pictures on social media. Some of the’Instagram vs. Reality’trend has helped to uncover that, but when it comes down to it, if you want things all to yourself, you’ve got to wake up super early, go in the off-season, or make peace with sharing it.”
Angkor Wat.
Machu Picchu. It’s truly breathtaking. Most of Peru is absolutely stunning.
La sagrada familia–especially the interior.
Matthew agrees that the disappointment might come from the reality vs. social media phenomenon. “I think people all too often compare reality with what they see on social media or in the media at large. They are comparing imperfect reality with curated, edited photos and videos, and naturally come away disappointed.““I think the best attitude to have when traveling is an open mind. Accept things as they are. People and places aren’t there to appease you, so take them as they come and embrace them on their own terms. Do that, and you’ll have a much more rewarding experience,” Matthew tells us.
Matthew agrees that the disappointment might come from the reality vs. social media phenomenon. “I think people all too often compare reality with what they see on social media or in the media at large. They are comparing imperfect reality with curated, edited photos and videos, and naturally come away disappointed.”
“I think the best attitude to have when traveling is an open mind. Accept things as they are. People and places aren’t there to appease you, so take them as they come and embrace them on their own terms. Do that, and you’ll have a much more rewarding experience,” Matthew tells us.
Kyoto. All of it.
I fight with who ever says The Colosseum is overrated.
Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is a serene haven of cascading lakes and waterfalls that look spectacular no matter the season.
If we’re talking about what’s underrated, maybe let’s cover a fewoverrated places? I already confessed mine, so it’s natural I was curious to know what Kristin Addis, a professional traveler, had to say.“For me, it was the Romblon sand bar in the Philippines,” she confesses. “I’d seen so many pictures of it with just a single person walking out on the sand bar and thought it looked beyond dreamy, but when I arrived, it was positively crawling with people. I should have expected that since I was going midday, but it sort of ruined the magic for me,” Kristin admits.
If we’re talking about what’s underrated, maybe let’s cover a fewoverrated places? I already confessed mine, so it’s natural I was curious to know what Kristin Addis, a professional traveler, had to say.
“For me, it was the Romblon sand bar in the Philippines,” she confesses. “I’d seen so many pictures of it with just a single person walking out on the sand bar and thought it looked beyond dreamy, but when I arrived, it was positively crawling with people. I should have expected that since I was going midday, but it sort of ruined the magic for me,” Kristin admits.
The Grand Teton, Yellowstone and The Redwoods.
Matthew, in turn, says that some destinations are going to appeal to some but not to others. “For me, I wasn’t much of a fan of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand,” he tells Bored Panda. “It felt way too overdeveloped and overpriced. I’ve been three times now and I doubt I’ll go back. But that’s just me! Tons of people visit and love it. So, to each their own!”
The British Museum in London is worth every bit of hype for history buffs, with artifacts that span the breadth of human civilization.
The terracotta soldiers in xian. Very unimpressive low key entrance and then you come around a corner and it’s just jaw dropping. Dunno if they’ve changed the entry but it’s very much “under promise, over deliver”. Quite awesome.
Arches National Park in Utah. Seems like a different planet.
The Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s basilica are all definitely worth it. The art is incredible, plus the scale of St. Peter’s is unreal .
Schloss Neuschwanstein and the castles around it too, like the one from his family. Its a little bit expensive but damn that dude built coloured lights into the backgrounds that he built in his castle of his favorite operas and theaters. COLOURED LIGHTS. That was 1869. If you’re into gold and glamour, expensive s**t, history and a little bit architecture then its truly amazing.Bavaria for the win.
Yosemite.
Petra, Jordan. It’s insane. I’ve been all over Europe, but this was the only country I’ve been in the Middle East and it was nuts.As a side note, safari in Tanzania was a scooch overrated. Still awesome, 100% would do again, but a little overrated.
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain … especially at night.
Milford Sound and the drive to it from Queenstown New Zealand.
Mt Fuji.
See Also on Bored Panda
Catacombs in Paris.
Santorini was somehow more impressive to me in person than the social media/Instagram pictures made it seem. Something about being able to see the remnants of an absolutely huge natural disaster was really appreciable.The part I shouldn’t say is that other islands in the area that are less popular are equally, if not more beautiful and cheaper to stay on.Everyone keep going to Santorini though. I’ma take my next vacation on another island for less money while I pull up pictures of the caldera.
I don’t care what anyone says, the sheer power of niagara falls is worth visiting. It is incredible even if the town sucks.
Alcatraz, was just there.
Grand canyon.
Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Went for the first time last year and barely had time to see everything in a day. It’s like the Smithsonian crossed with Disney World, with creative exhibitions of actual spacecraft. We even got to speak with actual astronauts.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. Even if you’re not at all interested in museums, or you find it’s always crowded.
The Path of the Gods hike in the Amalfi coast. It’s absolutely incredible, the views you get from there are some of the best in the world, also, the Road to Hana on Maui. Highly recommend the Shaka guide app to play on your trip it tells you when to pull off and go look at waterfalls.
The Architecture Boat Tour in Chicago. Such a great time and something a little different from typical tourist activities.
I think that the underground tour in Seattle is worth the money, and I am a native of WA State. At least the last time that I went it was worth the price of the ticket. It is so unique and the guides do a good job. Also, Pike Place Market is a place that I as a local genuinely enjoy and visit for my own purposes. I go there to eat at the Sound View Cafe and buy incense at Tenzing Momo. There are some things that are overpriced but there are some things that locals love.
The French Quarter in New Orleans. Too many people associate the French Quarter with Bourbon St, and it’s unfortunate. The French quarter has amazing architecture, history, restaurants, and people. It’s not just one street with titty bars and drunks, and it’s also not a representation of New Orleans as a whole. There are so many amazing parts to the city that even a week won’t allow you to explore them all. However as a main tourist grab, I’ve gotta say my answer is The French Quarter.A lesser known tourist attraction in that area is Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. It’s absolutely beautiful. American wetlands are a rapidly decreasing ecosystem, and Bayou Sauvage is one of a few protected areas in Louisiana. With its proximity to the French Quarter, any trip to New Orleans should absolutely include a walk through the bayou’s boardwalks.
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