Unpopular places to go on holidays

tupenny

ShadyAcres wrote: »

A few years ago I went over to England to see my cousin's in (insert sh1tehole medium English Northern town here)...rang for a pizza delivery using my Irish phone and the foreign guy on the other end was curious to know why an international number was ringing for delivery. I explained that I was having a little holiday to see my cousin's and he couldn't get over the word 'holiday''

Why would anyone in their right mind go there for a holiday? We had a great laugh on the phone for about 5 mins with him absolutely wetting himself before him ending the call with "enjoy the rest of your 'holiday''. It was one of those had to be there moments...so funny��

Indeed it was

Ulysses Gaze

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Sarajevo or Minsk.

Sarajevo is a great place!

dxhound2005

The Spratly Islands.

Rathkeale

twowheelsonly

A few places that stood out for me on my football travels were Parnu in Estonia, Trondheim in Norway and Hasselt in Belgium.

Parnu is on the coast and is known as the 'Summer Capital' of Estonia as apparently half the counry migrate to there in the summer. Nice beaches with plenty of facilities, albeit the water is freezing, and a nice little town for a few 'quiet' pints. I could easily see myself spending a weeks holidays there.

Hasselt is in Eastern Belgium, quite close to the Dutch border and Maastricht and is a lovely little town for a short visit. Great laid back European vibe and a nice historical town as well. Two or three days would be enough there unless you were exploring the region in which case it makes a great base.

Trondheim is a nice Norwegian town. Home of Rosenberg it's a place that's well worth a visit. I loved it but it's a case of been there, done that and while I'd go back there for football I'm not sure that there's enough there to attract me back for a holiday.


My lifes ambition is to get to Montserrat - the only other place in the world that has Paddys Day as it's National Holiday, except that they make a week of it. Supposed to be maaaaad. Love to go there, and have every intention of doing so. I've been to the Carribean twice but never to Montserrat. You have to go via Antigua (from Amsterdam seems to be the way to go) and then get a small plane or ferry over there. Definitely the number one on my list !!

twowheelsonly

road_high wrote: »

Yes there’s lots of places in england ive been to for work and there’s literally zero tourism, none whatsoever. The town/area is purely business or industrial and that’s that

Genk in Belgium is like that. There is absolutely nothing there. A fine football stadium and training grounds and nothing else. Work /home/work/home. Even the town centre just looks purely functional.

kowloon

road_high wrote: »

Co Leitrim is a gem- I’ve no idea why it gets mentioned on these slagging places threads- there’s tons of things to see and do with some great hotels to stay in. Carrick on Shannon, Glencar waterfall, Lough Allen, great foodie scene. I absolutely love Leitrim. Can only conclude that people have never been there that slag it off
Puts a whole list of counties to shame with all it has to offer

It's all good natured slagging, we all know that the true arsehole of Ireland is REDACTED.

Badly Drunk Boy

road_high wrote: »

Lots of other counties don’t even have a coastline?

And there's one particular county that's double-landlocked, not bordering any counties that have a coastline...

italodisco

poisonated wrote: »

Moldova.

Nothing off the wall about moldova, I've been a couple of times, nothing out of the ordinary

italodisco

Abkhazia, highly recommended it.

whisky_galore

Detroit.

Gary, Indiana.

Plumbthedepths

I know I'll get slated for this but Berlin is the most depressing place I have ever visited.

Yamanoto

Las Vegas is undoubtedly a popular holiday spot, but I found it a sorry kind of place overall.

Sure, there's admittedly hell of an initial 'wow' factor - the surreal architecture, raucous atmosphere on the strip and the feeling of finding yourself in an adult Disneyland of sorts.

But there's also a palpable undercurrent of desperation, addiction, transience and the all pervasive corporate grubbiness, masquerading as some sort of desert utopia.

Beyond the strip, so much of the city is a shabby, dust-blown assemblage of ramshackle strip malls, liquor stores and dive motels. For me, the place lacked soul, it being sin city, perhaps I shouldn't have expected to find one.

Me no like.

road_high

road_high wrote: »

Cambodia is getting massively popular- when I was in Vietnam loads of people were combining that as part of their trip, one of the real up and coming places

Cambodia is the most amazing place. History, culture, music, cusine. Very distinctive. The only place I've thought "too much history". It's overwhelming.

It's also a country where you realise how cheap life is. The poverty is abject. Child prostitution in open view and white male adults walking around hand in hand with native girls, not women. Easily the most disturbing place i've ever been.

flazio

Brunei had Gay Pride parades to die for.

CelticRambler

Yamanoto wrote: »

Las Vegas is undoubtedly a popular holiday spot, but I found it a sorry kind of place overall....

But there's also a palpable undercurrent of desperation, addiction, transience and the all pervasive corporate grubbiness, masquerading as some sort of desert utopia.

Beyond the strip, so much of the city is a shabby, dust-blown assemblage of ramshackle strip malls, liquor stores and dive motels. For me, the place lacked soul, it being sin city, perhaps I shouldn't have expected to find one.

That's a pretty good description of the US in general!

Anyway, back to the OP's request: how about here - middle-of-nowhere, France. When asked last month what their regional development priorities were, the natives ranked "be more welcoming to visitors" at 6.5% :eek:

silverharp

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

I know I'll get slated for this but Berlin is the most depressing place I have ever visited.

i found it a great city to visit, loads of museums, clean, not as crowded as hoofing it around London, good eating.

Atoms for Peace

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

I know I'll get slated for this but Berlin is the most depressing place I have ever visited.

I love Berlin, yes it can be a bit gritty but to me that just adds to the place. It's crawling in history and landmarks without the tourist hoardes.

jester77

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Holiday in Cambodia ?

It is actually a very nice country, with a recent brutal history, and an amazing older history. Phnom Penh has a nasty dark side that is very obvious when out and about, but once you get away from there it is very charming with friendly locals. The cuisine is super due to the French influence and Siam Reap has some of the world's most astonishing temples. A definite must visit.

road_high

JupiterKid wrote: »

Leitrim is a county of two halves - split in the middle by Lough Allen. Populated by arty/crafty bohemian types.

The Northern half is very scenic and beautiful with gems like Glencar Lough and waterfall and the Dartry and Cuilcagh mountains.

The Southern half is much more boring landscape wise (low lying and drumlins) but has the lovely river Shannon to offer.

My idea of holiday hell would be somewhere like Benidorm or Blackpool.

I really like the southern half of Leitrim- you’ve got buzzing Carrick, the majestic river Shannon, Lough Rynne and lots of sleepy villages and nice drives

gozunda

Norilsk - considered the most depressing city in Russia

That said you can't go there anyway as it is a designated 'closed city' and does not allow tourists without invitation. It was closed for "strategic reasons".

Capt'n Midnight

ShadyAcres wrote: »

A few years ago I went over to England to see my cousin's in (insert sh1tehole medium English Northern town here).
...

Why would anyone in their right mind go there for a holiday? We had a
great laugh on the phone for about 5 mins with him absolutely wetting himself before him ending the call with "enjoy the rest of your 'holiday''. It was one of those had to be there moments...so funny��

Reminds me of those "Survivor" type reality competition programs where people from the first world win prizes by surviving for a few weeks in a place where the locals have been doing it for thousands of years.

Imaging the reverse,
taking tropical islanders and dumping them in a house in Darndale with nothing but dole money and their ability to create effective hunting weapons out of natural materials to survive on.

Aglomerado

Strumms wrote: »

Luxembourg, the pure bordom I experienced there is second to none

It's full of Statisticians. (Eurostat HQ)

Neames

The mother in law's place

branie2

Prison

Cienciano

There was a thread on reddit about the worst place on Google Street View. Lunik IX near Kosice in Slovakia wouldn't be high on my list of places to go.

Hrebendova
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JPo2ofJTxn4nn99m7

RobbingBandit

branie2 wrote: »

Iraq

Fraggle Iraq is nice this time of year

orourkeda1977

Middlesbrough.

Never go to middlesbrough.EVER.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

Ten of Swords wrote: »

Because of it's pathetic coastline! Smallest of all counties

It has more coastline than many less interesting counties that get slagged less.

Cambodia gets nearly as many tourists as Ireland, and was busy when I was first there eight or nine years ago.


You could go to Yalta in Crimea. My family were there and thought it was lovely. Return in June looks like 450euro.

Jesus Christ, Google.



I never watch travel videos. And when I click that video, guess where he's talking about.. Moldova. That's definitely because of this thread.

chicorytip

Stoke on Trent.

ToddyDoody

Pakistan.

ancapailldorcha

orourkeda1977 wrote: »

Middlesbrough.

Never go to middlesbrough.EVER.

Never been. Even when I lived up t'north. It's got a horrid reputation.

Capt'n Midnight

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Fraggle Iraq is nice this time of year

Despite the massive amounts of reconstruction Fraggley Rock is a fun place

Charles Babbage

jester77 wrote: »

It is actually a very nice country, with a recent brutal history, and an amazing older history. Phnom Penh has a nasty dark side that is very obvious when out and about, but once you get away from there it is very charming with friendly locals. The cuisine is super due to the French influence and Siam Reap has some of the world's most astonishing temples. A definite must visit.

Hear hear. Angkor is a prime site and the food is lovely.

Laos worth a visit too.

Cienciano

Cienciano wrote: »

There was a thread on reddit about the worst place on Google Street View. Lunik IX near Kosice in Slovakia wouldn't be high on my list of places to go.

Hrebendova
https://maps.app.goo.gl/JPo2ofJTxn4nn99m7

that could have been Ballymun not so long ago.

still parts of Dolphin's Barn that wouldn't be dissimilar.

Holidaying in Israel would make you unpopular with some people, given the strong support for the BDS movement here. I'd love to go to Israel someday but there's always the niggling doubt in my mind about the ethics of it.....then again, people go for holidays to Dubai, China, Russia and countless other places with unethical governments and gross human rights abuses, so I guess you wouldn't end up holidaying anywhere if you were too consistently "ethical"! Jordan and Lebanon are both on my to-do list, just need to make sure I visit the latter before (if) I ever do decide to go Israel!

I've heard Iran is a great country for tourists, that a lot of the people there are more pro-Western than their government would suggest. That's just from reading blog posts and such online.

Stephen15

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Holidaying in Israel would make you unpopular with some people, given the strong support for the BDS movement here. I'd love to go to Israel someday but there's always the niggling doubt in my mind about the ethics of it.....then again, people go for holidays to Dubai, China, Russia and countless other places with unethical governments and gross human rights abuses, so I guess you wouldn't end up holidaying anywhere if you were too consistently "ethical"! Jordan and Lebanon are both on my to-do list, just need to make sure I visit the latter before (if) I ever do decide to go Israel!

I've heard Iran is a great country for tourists, that a lot of the people there are more pro-Western than their government would suggest. That's just from reading blog posts and such online.

The only civilised country in the middle east if you ask me.

ancapailldorcha

Deleted User wrote: »

Holidaying in Israel would make you unpopular with some people, given the strong support for the BDS movement here. I'd love to go to Israel someday but there's always the niggling doubt in my mind about the ethics of it.....then again, people go for holidays to Dubai, China, Russia and countless other places with unethical governments and gross human rights abuses, so I guess you wouldn't end up holidaying anywhere if you were too consistently "ethical"! Jordan and Lebanon are both on my to-do list, just need to make sure I visit the latter before (if) I ever do decide to go Israel!

I've heard Iran is a great country for tourists, that a lot of the people there are more pro-Western than their government would suggest. That's just from reading blog posts and such online.

I'm planning to visit Jordan later this year. Might do Lebanon at some point. I'd love to visit Israel as well.

Iran is doable but be aware that you would lose your right to an ESTA should you desire to go to the US. You'd have to apply for a travel visa which might be difficult.

rossie1977

road_high wrote: »

Co Leitrim is a gem- I’ve no idea why it gets mentioned on these slagging places threads- there’s tons of things to see and do with some great hotels to stay in. Carrick on Shannon, Glencar waterfall, Lough Allen, great foodie scene. I absolutely love Leitrim. Can only conclude that people have never been there that slag it off
Puts a whole list of counties to shame with all it has to offer

Yes Leitrim is pretty great for a small place Ballinamore summer festival is a crazy 2 week long celebration that puts many much bigger festivals to shame.

Strumms wrote: »

Luxembourg, the pure bordom I experienced there is second to none

I don't think anyone visits Luxembourg in search of madcap in your face excitement. Luxembourg is a small sleepy place with gorgeous countryside and picture postcard views and a small capital that is definitely worth a short stay.

I remember we found a Mexican restaurant complete with a guy playing guitar from table to table.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I'm planning to visit Jordan later this year. Might do Lebanon at some point. I'd love to visit Israel as well.

Iran is doable but be aware that you would lose your right to an ESTA should you desire to go to the US. You'd have to apply for a travel visa which might be difficult.

Interesting. Didn't know that re: Iran esta.

Zaph

Surprised nobody has said North Korea yet.

There's a good book by Dom Joly called The Dark Tourist where he goes on holiday to places that most people would never dream of like North Korea and Iran. For some reason he wasn't brave enough to venture to Leitrim.

sitkaspruce

Mogadishu

Jimbob1977

Chad - despite the name, I couldn't find any American fraternity boys wearing Ralph Lauren polo shirts or deck shoes.

Stephen15

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Chad - despite the name, I couldn't find any American fraternity boys wearing Ralph Lauren polo shirts or deck shoes.

It sounds a bit like Italy I was expecting to find loads of chippers there but not a chip in sight only bleedin pasta

UpintheAir1

Tipperary

quodec

Bouvet island. A bit out of the way but nice and peaceful!

LirW

My dad had to travel to the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq for work very recently and he said he was blown away by how beautiful it was and how welcoming and friendly people were.

Fighting Tao

Transnistria

bolgbui41

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Holidaying in Israel would make you unpopular with some people, given the strong support for the BDS movement here. I'd love to go to Israel someday but there's always the niggling doubt in my mind about the ethics of it.....then again, people go for holidays to Dubai, China, Russia and countless other places with unethical governments and gross human rights abuses, so I guess you wouldn't end up holidaying anywhere if you were too consistently "ethical"! Jordan and Lebanon are both on my to-do list, just need to make sure I visit the latter before (if) I ever do decide to go Israel!

I've heard Iran is a great country for tourists, that a lot of the people there are more pro-Western than their government would suggest. That's just from reading blog posts and such online.

I'm only just back from Lebanon - I wasn't mad on Beirut, but the more rural areas are lovely. Food was great everywhere, and the people were lovely. Jordon, too, is fascinating. I'm heading to Iran in September to visit a friend, so hoping it'll live up to my (high!) expectations