This was published 6 years ago
The world's most underrated and overrated travel experiences
By Traveller
Camel riding in Egypt: A most uncomfortable means of transport.
UNDERRATED TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
SLOW TRAVEL
It's tempting, of course, to do the whirlwind tour, to attempt to see as much of the world as possible in the small amount of time allotted to you, to blast through 15 countries in a fortnight and call it a holiday. Slow down, however, and spend longer in fewer places, getting to know them better, spending less time travelling and more time enjoying, and you'll reap the rewards. BG
RIVER CRUISING
River cruise vessels may lack the scale their ocean-going counterparts, but they do offer one crucial advantage: intimacy. Ships designed for river cruising are necessarily compact and carry a handful of guests. This means more personalised service, zero queues and a cabin with a view. Rivers by their very nature are always full of excitement – whether that's negotiating a lock or passing under a low bridge. And, of course, you can always swim to dry land. See
COACH TOURING
Coach touring is no longer the low-budget, cookie-cutter way for unimaginative, trepid people to holiday. Tour companies now have varied, upmarket itineraries that cater to all kinds of travellers and their interests; some have themes such as food, music or wine. The emphasis is more on participation than just observation, with many coach tours active, immersive and providing flexible exploration choices. You can also avoid the hassle of driving, and scenery gaze. See insightvacations.com BJ
AGENTS
Travel agents seem completely unnecessary until everything goes wrong when you're overseas and you really need someone at home to sort things out. Then, they're worth their weight in gold. Though most of us these days can easily organise and book a holiday on our own, there's something to be said for the safety net of a travel agent at the other end of the phone. BG
ROAD TRIPS
In this age of dirt-cheap airfares and beautiful, luxury cruise liners, you shouldn't forget the classic way to see the world: the road trip. There's something romantic and beautiful about a holiday on the open road, about packing up with family and friends and hitting the highway – no timetables, no plans, no worries. That's the way travel should be.
OVERRATED TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
GONDOLA RIDES, VENICE
Is there a more hackneyed tourism cliché than the Venice gondola ride? Admittedly, on paper it does sound like a great idea. And the photos make it look spectacular. There are you punting down a Venetian canal in your very own traditional boat, listening as your stripy-shirted gondolier alternates between singing and hitting on his female passengers, watching the famous sites of the island city go gracefully gliding by.
And then you arrive in Venice, and the reality hits home. This is one seriously touristy activity. It would be perfect if it was just you going out for a ride, but you're sharing this experience with hundreds of your closest friends, who are all being punted around a similar route like they're on a Disneyland ride by a gondolier who, it turns out, is actually from Verona. No Venetian local has ridden a gondola in about 50 years. This is purely for tourists. And it's also a very pricey exercise, with 40-minute rides setting you back more than $100. The funny thing is, however, that having read all of this you'll get to Venice and you'll still decide to do it – because it's just one of those things that has to be done. BG
BUCKET-LIST DESTINATIONS
There's one thing wrong with bucket-list destinations: bucket-list travellers. And that's no small thing: for who wants to be herded into long queues and forced to wait for hours on their holiday? Should you wish to see the Mona Lisa at her home in the Louvre, it's estimated you'll join 12 million others each year by 2025. Like to visit the Vatican's Sistine Chapel? Get in line; 25,000 visitors want to do exactly the same thing each day. Machu Picchu now receives 5000 visitors a day, and Michelangelo's David is seen by 8 million visitors a year, most of whom will come in July and August. More than 12,000 people a day visit the Taj Mahal, while 30 million people this year would also like to visit Venice (add 20 million and you have the predicament of modern Rome). And all these folk come with cameras – many too with selfie sticks – desperate to record their conquest for Facebook and Instagram. When planning your next bucket-list destination holiday, it's worth considering: every other destination on Earth is less crowded. See machu-picchu.info CT
FESTIVALS
The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona? Oktoberfest in Munich? Mardi Gras in New Orleans? Forget it, you're too late. The quirks that made these events so iconic were lost around about the time local operators figured that charging far too much for hotels, restaurants and bars didn't stop the tourists, whose sheer numbers turned the event into Disneyland long ago anyway. CT
CAMEL RIDES
On paper, a camel ride sounds alluringly exotic. "Climb aboard your 'ship of the desert' and glide through the paprika-coloured dunes at sunset." In reality, it's one of the noisiest and most uncomfortable methods of transport on the planet. Ever heard someone wax lyrical about the call of a camel? No, because it sounds like a flatulent fog horn. How Bedouins crossed deserts on them and still sired children is a miracle. RM
ANYWHERE HEMINGWAY DRANK
"My mojito at La Bodeguita, my daiquiri at La Floridita," the writer Ernest Hemingway supposedly once said, referring to his two favourite haunts in Havana, Cuba. Those bars are still open – however, they've lost much of the charm Hemingway loved, thanks in no small part to their connection with the writer himself. In fact any establishment famous for its Hemingway ties – Casa Botin in Madrid, Harry's Bar in Venice, Brasserie Lipp in Paris – is these days less about the drinks, and more about the tourist crush.
THE BRANDENBURG GATE
Do you want to meet 60 Spanish tourists? Go to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate any day of the week and you'll find thousands of foreigners milling aimlessly around the world's most disappointing monument. Built between 1788 and 1791 as a triumphal arch for Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia, the gate is pathetically small. Even Berliners mock this neoclassical folly, saying the Goddess of Victory should be facing the other way – not into the heart of the city but to the distant frontiers of Europe. See visitberlin.de/en MC
TRAVELWEAR
It's really not necessary to buy specialty travel clothing – the quick-dry tops, the zip-off pants, the hiking shoes, the foldable hats – just to visit another city very similar to your own. Unless you're doing some serious off-road adventuring, you're far better off just wearing your normal outfits and blending in with the crowd. BG
See also: New bucket list: The seven greatest wonders of travel named
See also: Ten countries you (probably) haven't visited - but should
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