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Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience a

by rgmerk 3y ago

Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience anything unfamiliar when they travel.

robocat 3y ago
That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country. I like Bali. Not a fan of Bangkok. On-topic: Backpacker accommodation and number of hotels signal tourist areas. To avoid tourists, don't stay in convenient accommodation!
- rgmerk 3y ago
  Yeah, I’m a snob. I get that… But, by God, have you seen them? Fisherman’s Wharf. Niagara Falls. Pretty much anywhere near a Hard Rock Cafe. Overpriced, awful food. T-shirts that say “I visited <location> and all I got was this lousy T-shirt”. A Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. On the streets, evangelicals from Ohio who, when they discover you’re Australian, will ask you about some random preacher you’ve never heard of. Parents with miserable kids looking wistfully in the direction of whatever tourist attraction they’ve spent thousands to get to and are not experiencing because the the kids want to go to Ripley’s Believe it Or Not and eat chicken nuggets off the kids menu at the Hard Rock Cafe. Never, ever again.
  - al_borland 3y ago
    First, I will agree that Ripley’s is awful. I’m not sure how they stay in business. I went once to see what was there, and because I remember watching the show with Dean Cain as a kid. Never again. That being said, all the kitch aside, popular places are popular for a reason. When I started to travel more, I started out as a travel snob, not even going to those areas of town. Then I got over myself, as I figured I was missing out on seeing some of the things that put the cities on the map in the first place. Going to some of the more touristy spots doesn’t mean you can’t still venture off the beaten path, or have good stories/memories. I go to see the thing that made it a good spot for the tourist trap, not to buy novelty t-shirts and foam fingers. It’s not the whole trip, it’s an hour of one day. I also don’t know how touristy it will be until I get there. I was told to check out the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, but was warned about it being a tourist trap. Clearly I screwed up getting there, was I ended up wandering around the docks where guys were working, and ending up getting lunch at this tiny place with about 8 stools, where I had the best seafood I’ll probably eat in my life. I went in expecting a tourist trap and found the exact opposite.
- getwiththeprog 3y ago
  "I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country" I love the naivety of New Zealanders, bless 'em all :)
  - robocat 3y ago
    You know nothing about me or what I do when away: making shallow assumptions about what I/others should or shouldn't enjoy is rude.
Ekaros 3y ago
I was on cruise... I think that is beyond tourist trap. In February I got trip to Canary Islands, because that was rather cheap. Pure tourism, but it is a vacation. I have been to cities like Florence and London and more. Both tourist traps in essence. Now that I think I don't think I have really gone to non-tourist trap place. As you know there is no flights or transport to such location which make it hard to visit...
- al_borland 3y ago
  A few years ago I had an Uber driver from Mongolia. He was trying to talk me into visiting and was telling me about the hospitality. He told me there weren’t many hotels, but to just knock on someone’s door and they’d take me in, feed me, and give me a place to stay. If it were to work out, that sounds like it could be amazing, but coming from my US perspective, it seems like it has a high chance of not working out. Although, I’ve watched a bunch of Yes Theory on YouTube and it seems like the places that don’t get a lot of tourists are really excited for people to show up, so who knows.

by rgmerk 3y ago

Ever visited a proper tourist trap? They’re awful places no sane adult would ever spend time in. They exist for people who don’t want to actually experience anything unfamiliar when they travel.

robocat 3y ago

That is a very condescending take. Lots of people choose to go to tourist traps for their own reasons. You don't have to like what they like. Like many, I even go back to some "terribly" touristy places because it is what I wish to do. I also do off-the-beaten-path travel as well. But I usually can't blend in as though I were a local. I also have the freedoms and restrictions usual to tourists. Examples: I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country. I like Bali. Not a fan of Bangkok. On-topic: Backpacker accommodation and number of hotels signal tourist areas. To avoid tourists, don't stay in convenient accommodation!

rgmerk 3y ago
Yeah, I’m a snob. I get that… But, by God, have you seen them? Fisherman’s Wharf. Niagara Falls. Pretty much anywhere near a Hard Rock Cafe. Overpriced, awful food. T-shirts that say “I visited <location> and all I got was this lousy T-shirt”. A Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. On the streets, evangelicals from Ohio who, when they discover you’re Australian, will ask you about some random preacher you’ve never heard of. Parents with miserable kids looking wistfully in the direction of whatever tourist attraction they’ve spent thousands to get to and are not experiencing because the the kids want to go to Ripley’s Believe it Or Not and eat chicken nuggets off the kids menu at the Hard Rock Cafe. Never, ever again.
- al_borland 3y ago
  First, I will agree that Ripley’s is awful. I’m not sure how they stay in business. I went once to see what was there, and because I remember watching the show with Dean Cain as a kid. Never again. That being said, all the kitch aside, popular places are popular for a reason. When I started to travel more, I started out as a travel snob, not even going to those areas of town. Then I got over myself, as I figured I was missing out on seeing some of the things that put the cities on the map in the first place. Going to some of the more touristy spots doesn’t mean you can’t still venture off the beaten path, or have good stories/memories. I go to see the thing that made it a good spot for the tourist trap, not to buy novelty t-shirts and foam fingers. It’s not the whole trip, it’s an hour of one day. I also don’t know how touristy it will be until I get there. I was told to check out the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, but was warned about it being a tourist trap. Clearly I screwed up getting there, was I ended up wandering around the docks where guys were working, and ending up getting lunch at this tiny place with about 8 stools, where I had the best seafood I’ll probably eat in my life. I went in expecting a tourist trap and found the exact opposite.
getwiththeprog 3y ago
"I enjoy touristy Queenstown in my own country" I love the naivety of New Zealanders, bless 'em all :)
- robocat 3y ago
  You know nothing about me or what I do when away: making shallow assumptions about what I/others should or shouldn't enjoy is rude.

Ekaros 3y ago

I was on cruise... I think that is beyond tourist trap. In February I got trip to Canary Islands, because that was rather cheap. Pure tourism, but it is a vacation. I have been to cities like Florence and London and more. Both tourist traps in essence. Now that I think I don't think I have really gone to non-tourist trap place. As you know there is no flights or transport to such location which make it hard to visit...

al_borland 3y ago
A few years ago I had an Uber driver from Mongolia. He was trying to talk me into visiting and was telling me about the hospitality. He told me there weren’t many hotels, but to just knock on someone’s door and they’d take me in, feed me, and give me a place to stay. If it were to work out, that sounds like it could be amazing, but coming from my US perspective, it seems like it has a high chance of not working out. Although, I’ve watched a bunch of Yes Theory on YouTube and it seems like the places that don’t get a lot of tourists are really excited for people to show up, so who knows.