What is 1 unpopular opinion on Travel you have?

[AustinMommyofThree]

As an citizen of the USA, I am frequently embarrassed by my fellow Americans when traveling abroad and try hard to not be identified with them. The adage of the “ugly American” is, sadly, all too true.

 

[orangecuse]

1. Paris is fine, but there are much nicer places to visit in France
2. NYC has nothing I can’t get somewhere nicer (and in terms of massive cities Chicago is better).

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I want to travel internationally as much as possible. Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, all of it!

 

[karmic]

Examples? Have been to Europe several times and not found this too be true. Stereo type much?

 

[luvsJack]

Unpopular opinions? Yeah, I have a few:

- Camping is great, but only if camping IS your destination; that is, if you're going camping for the purpose of hiking, fishing and sitting around the campfire. Camping to make a road trip cheaper is false economy.
- It's better to stay in basic rooms and travel more frequently.
- Taking babies to Disney is nuts.
- New Orleans is filthy and the worst place I've ever been.
- Shopping for souvenirs on vacation is insane; spend your time on experiences instead.

Awww. I hate that you didn’t enjoy New Orleans! We love going for a weekend or just a day. Not in the summer—too hot!

I have to say the rest I agree with, well except I don’t camp. But I remember so many people that would go rent a camper to “save” money. Well by the time they rented the camper and paid the extra gas to pull it, they could have stayed in a 5 star hotel!!

Souvenirs are the biggest money grabbers! And half the time you get home with it and can’t figure out what to do with it! I am very picky about what I buy and always check to see if I can get it cheaper down the road.

 

[karmic]

As an citizen of the USA, I am frequently embarrassed by my fellow Americans when traveling abroad and try hard to not be identified with them.
stereotype much? Have been to Europe several times and have not seen this to be true- however foreigners her in the US yes

 

[sturner324]

When it comes to travel I like to say, “go big or go to the Smokey Mountains.”

Everyone from north Alabama goes to the Smokey’s and Gatlinburg out of convenience. But many also really love it. Gatlinburg and Gulf Shores were about the only vacations I took as a child, so they’re usually the last places I want to go now as an adult.

 

[PlainJane]

I hate Road Trips.

Cars often make me motion sick when others are driving and I hate driving, so I do not desire ever going on a road trip.

Unpopular opinions? Yeah, I have a few:

- Camping is great, but only if camping IS your destination; that is, if you're going camping for the purpose of hiking, fishing and sitting around the campfire. Camping to make a road trip cheaper is false economy.
- It's better to stay in basic rooms and travel more frequently.
- Taking babies to Disney is nuts.
- New Orleans is filthy and the worst place I've ever been.
- Shopping for souvenirs on vacation is insane; spend your time on experiences instead.

-I haven’t camped much, but it doesn’t seem like it would save much of anything (I don’t own a tent or even a sleeping bag, so quite the investment when I could just go to a Hampton Inn with everything I need).

-Depends on the vacation for me. Sometimes I’ve wanted the “pampered” vacation.

-I don’t know if taking all babies to Disney is nuts, but it would have been crazy to take my son as a baby.

-I enjoyed New Orleans, but I wouldn’t want to go back. It smelled bad and it was as hot as the surface of the sun in May. I saw the sights, ate my beignet, and I’m good. The hotel was really nice.

-I like useful souverniers. I’ve gotten things like measuring spoons, things I have an actual use for at home.

 

[Sabeking]

* I LOVE to do laundry on vacation and have rarely brought home dirty clothes.
* Sometimes I skip ports while cruising because the poverty is depressing; especially on vacation
* The people in Milan were not friendly...I felt like they needed sandwiches.

 

[Ensusieasm]

* I LOVE to do laundry on vacation and have rarely bring home dirty clothes.
* Sometimes I skip ports while cruising because the poverty is depressing; especially on vacation
* The people in Milan were not friendly...I felt like they needed sandwiches.

Oh, were they hangry?

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Not only do I love to fly I LOVE airports. The sound of suitcase wheels rolling on the floor gets me going!!!!

I love visiting airports, even if I'm not flying out of them that day. I like to hang out for an hour or so and watch passengers, airline employees, etc. The best airports are those that have shops/restaurants BEFORE security.

 

[Sabeking]

Oh, were they hangry?

For sure!!

 

[Julie's Haircut]

I enjoy many Tourist Traps, the tackier the better. Navy Pier, Fisherman's Wharf, Hollywood Blvd, Times Square, Picadilly Circus, South of the Border, Gatlinburg, TN, etc. They're great to visit for a few hours, at least once, if only to experience how truly awful (i.e. great) they are.

And the souvenir shops full of schlocky crap are even betterer.

 

[AlohaNow]

Just cracking up reading this thread, as we prep to head up to the mountains for two nights of tent camping later this week!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Cars often make me motion sick when others are driving and I hate driving, so I do not desire ever going on a road trip.



-I haven’t camped much, but it doesn’t seem like it would save much of anything (I don’t own a tent or even a sleeping bag, so quite the investment when I could just go to a Hampton Inn with everything I need).

-Depends on the vacation for me. Sometimes I’ve wanted the “pampered” vacation.

-I don’t know if taking all babies to Disney is nuts, but it would have been crazy to take my son as a baby.

-I enjoyed New Orleans, but I wouldn’t want to go back. It smelled bad and it was as hot as the surface of the sun in May. I saw the sights, ate my beignet, and I’m good. The hotel was really nice.

-I like useful souverniers. I’ve gotten things like measuring spoons, things I have an actual use for at home.

I think you “can” save money by tent camping, especially out West where there are a lot of free places to camp.

We had a very small popup when I was a kid that had almost zero impact on the MPG of our giant car with a big-block V8. Campsites were typically $7 per night at most. Was a cheap way to travel then.

With current gas prices and a typical family car incapable of towing even a small popup, there’s nothing to be gained unles you drop all the way down to a tent.

The way most people camp, it’s an activity in & of itself, not a way to economize travel. Purchasing a large camper & a truck to pull it makes as much financial sense as buying a boat to avoid using bridges. Sadly, a lot of people aren’t good at math.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Avoid Mexico.

 

[Floridaman999]

I think you “can” save money by tent camping, especially out West where there are a lot of free places to camp.

We had a very small popup when I was a kid that had almost zero impact on the MPG of our giant car with a big-block V8. Campsites were typically $7 per night at most. Was a cheap way to travel then.

With current gas prices and a typical family car incapable of towing even a small popup, there’s nothing to be gained unles you drop all the way down to a tent.

The way most people camp, it’s an activity in & of itself, not a way to economize travel. Purchasing a large camper & a truck to pull it makes as much financial sense as buying a boat to avoid using bridges. Sadly, a lot of people aren’t good at math.

I like to disperse camp in the national forests and have found them to be wonderful and free. I like to camp and enjoy the outdoor activities associated with camping so it's a win, win for me.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I like museums. All museums.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The youngest a child should go to Disney is "whatever age it is where they are out of diapers and can hold their pee for more than 2 hours."

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Camping is great, but only if camping IS your destination; that is, if you're going camping for the purpose of hiking, fishing and sitting around the campfire. Camping to make a road trip cheaper is false economy.

Totally agree. Camping gets old really quickly on a 21 day road trip. Especially when you get to your next destination in the middle of the night and have to set up your camp along the Mississippi with a swarm of mosquito flying around.

Camp for the sake of camping. Period.