This was published 6 years ago
The worst travel experiences in 2017: The year's dirty dozen
Bedbugs can ruin a holiday.Credit: Stocksy
Sometimes travel isn't all umbrella drinks and tropical beaches. Our writers name their 12 worst travel experiences of the year.
SCARY IMMIGRATION
Credit: Alamy
Obtaining a visa for Russia is a time-consuming and expensive exercise. Flying there from Australia is much the same. However, being subjected to an inordinately long wait at St Petersburg's Immigration while an angry-looking official scrutinises your passport with a large magnifying glass is just plain terrifying. Our ship's Russian cruise director later advised that foreign tourists must maintain a poker face with all officials at all times.
CRUISE FITNESS CLASS
Credit: Alamy
Yoga, Pilates and stretch classes on cruises cost about $12 for 30 minutes and are often crowded. Usually the instructors are fun and upbeat but one was clearly not enjoying her job. As passengers filed in to the gym five minutes early to grab their floor space, this instructor sat on her mat, intently picking her toes with her fingernails and ignoring everyone. It was not an inspiring start to the day.
BEDBUGS IN THE US
This hotel reviewer can usually forgive the occasional hair in the sink, or lipstick mark on a cup, but could not ignore the presence of bites down the back of the legs, arms and back after a fitful night of sleep in a big-name brand's downtown quarters in a US city this year. A quick check of Google images revealed the sinister culprit – bedbugs! Never again will I take a mattress for granted, who knows what lurks underneath? The clothes were all washed in extra-hot water upon return, and the suitcase discarded.
MINNERIYA NATIONAL PARK, SRI LANKA
Credit: Alamy
Though it is home to several hundred wild elephants, Sri Lanka's Minneriya National Park is a circus, where you will see traffic jams of 20 or 30 jeeps jostling for spots to view these beautiful but harassed creatures. Little mind seems to be paid to animal welfare here – it is all about moving your car as close as possible, and everyone's getting involved.
DINING IN BUDAPEST
Credit: Alamy
There is plenty of buzz about the revival of fine dining and Jewish cuisine in Budapest, but Hungarians apparently hide it all from the tourists. The city centre is crammed with overpriced, unexciting restaurants serving Italian and international food. When you do find Hungarian nosh, it is mostly overcooked, stuffed vegetables, dumplings, goulash and endless steaming dishes reddened with paprika and slathered in gloopy sour cream – not exactly light, agreeable summer fare.
BANGKOK AIRPORT
Credit: Alamy
When Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2006 it was a major improvement on the old airport. Now it is looking tired and is often very hot. Treks to departure gates are interminable. Immigration queues are sluggish, and the famous Thai smile nowhere to be seen. Food choices inside international departure areas are dismal and pricey, unlike those at many other Asian airports. On the plus side, the convenient airport train is efficient and very cheap.
SMOG IN DELHI
Credit: Bloomberg
The horrors of Delhi smog have been widely reported and contribute to falling tourist numbers to India – though there are plenty of other great destinations. It is a pungent cocktail of exhaust fumes, agricultural smoke, dust and factory emissions that smells awful and makes your eyes sting. Visibility is sometimes so reduced you can scarcely see the monuments in front of you. Airborne particles can be 75 times higher than WHO-recommended levels.
ALCATRAZ ISLAND
Credit: Alamy
Spontaneous decisions can lead to a trip's most memorable moments, but spontaneity plays no part in visiting San Francisco's Alcatraz Island these days. Demand to see the infamous former federal prison runs so high that it is essential to book a tour at least several days in advance. Otherwise, you end up as one of those sad-faced tourists at Pier 33 taking a squiz at the scale model. See alcatrazcruises.com.
BRITISH AIRWAYS I360, UK
Credit: Alamy
When the architects behind the London Eye decided to build the world's tallest moving observation tower, it created understandably high expectations. Unfortunately, the British Airways i360, located in the English seaside city of Brighton, is underwhelming. Brighton does not have London's instantly recognisable landmarks and half the view is of the featureless English Channel. Worst of all, it looks like a giant industrial chimney. No wonder locals have dubbed it iSore. See britishairwaysi360.com
ELVIS-INSPIRED FOOD
Credit: Wikipedia
There is a lot to love about Memphis's old-school Arcade Restaurant, where you can slide into a booth once favoured by Elvis and order up big. However, that is where the Presley imitation should end. Think of your waistline, tastebuds and arteries, and skip the diner's Elvis-inspired fried peanut butter 'n' banana sandwich.
SEA OF GALILEE
Credit: Alamy
Swimming in northern Israel's Sea of Galilee. This may be where Jesus supposedly walked on water, but the beaches scattered along the shore are unattractive and dirty. Best stick to the holy sites here, including the Mount of Beatitudes and ancient Capernaum village.
HOUSTON, US
Credit: Alamy
America's fourth largest city may be a convenient US entry point (Air New Zealand flies there via Auckland and United will start flying there from Sydney in January), but sadly it is not somewhere you will want to hang around. Downtown is a soulless void (particularly at weekends) and the only notable tourist attraction is NASA's Space Center, which is located 40 kilometres outside the city. Save your money and time for elsewhere. See visithoustontexas.com
CONTRIBUTORS: Keith Austin, Andrea Black, Elspeth Callender, Ben Groundwater, Brian Johnston, Nina Karnikowski, Katrina Lobley, Sally Macmillan, Rob McFarland, Sheriden Rhodes, Louise Southerden, Alison Stewart, Kerry van der Jagt, Guy Wilkinson
See also: 'Begpacking' and 11 other travel trends that need to die in 2018
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