Disappointing destinations

[Sniffer]

It was a fantastic 18-month trip. Backpacking in your mid to late 20s you feel you can do anything, go anywhere.

I could have got killed a few times but for staying just the right side of the line of total stupidity:
Nearly fell off a cliff walking back from a non-existent Full Moon Party in Goa (Friends: let's stay on the beach and watch the sun come up and see dolphins. Me: I need my bed).
Nearly marched in to Burma to join the Rebel Army.
Nearly got myself and my 2 female companions murdered by verbally abusing 4 cut-throats who were extorting money from us on a deserted road in the jungle in northern Thailand. The discretion/valour balance reasserted itself thankfully.
Ran TOWARDS shooting to find out what was going on during the May Events of '92 in Bangkok.

A fantastic trip. I'd do it all again and wouldn't change a thing. Although Singapore was DISAPPOINTING DESTINATION.
And we're back on track.

Despite been old gits Mrs SW and myself had a backpacking trip pencilled in from Bangkok through Malaysia to Singapore for last year until Covid took charge and cancelled.
Had all the routes (buses/trains) planned but was looking at decent hotels for the most part rather than hostels, got to have our small luxuries at our age.

Envy your experience as never got chance to do the backpacking when younger as went straight into an apprenticeship then work and other commitments took over, nearest I got was following England around Europe in the late 70s early 80's but that was only a few days at a time staying at campsites.

Definitely do it. I think I would plan in advance if I did it again. Last time I just winged it with the help of a Lonely Planet guide book. I had a year's work visa for Australia and I had to be there by the end of May. How I got there and which route I took was decided on a whim. The only ticket I had when I left home was for the Trans-Mongolian Express and visas for USSR and China. Such an incredible feeling of freedom and mild terror.

[kk white]

It was a fantastic 18-month trip. Backpacking in your mid to late 20s you feel you can do anything, go anywhere... A fantastic trip. I'd do it all again and wouldn't change a thing...

Despite been old gits Mrs SW and myself had a backpacking trip pencilled in from Bangkok through Malaysia to Singapore for last year until Covid took charge and cancelled...

Definitely do it. I think I would plan in advance if I did it again. Last time I just winged it with the help of a Lonely Planet guide book...

Agree 100%.

We did it in 2001 for 6 months (departed a week after 9/11 - families were mortified ), and like Sniffer, we left blind with only the Lonely Planet.
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and LA.

Selbs, I'll always remember sharing the first 4 hours of an 8 hour trek through the Cameron highlands with a Dutch couple in their 60's. She began to tire, but they were more than able for it. If your healthy enough, you're young enough.

Promised ourselves we'd do similar again when we hit that age (10-15 years time).

[ChilwellWhite]

Am loving this thread, envious of some of the trips some have had.

[Selby White]

Am loving this thread, envious of some of the trips some have had.

Think we should have a thread "Top Holidays" or something like that.

Appreciate we all enjoy something different but reading each and everyone's different adventures is very enjoyable, whether its all inclusive in Morocco to treking across the Alps to city break in Sarajevo, etc.

[NottinghamWhite]

I think as a group we’ve certainly done some travelling I’ve especially enjoyed reading kk & Sniffers posts as I haven’t done a lot of where they are posting about. I always had an hankering to go on the Orient Express was top of my bucket list for years until I saw a documentary on it. Shared toilets/bathrooms and bars where they got so packed there was no where to sit. That documentary saved us a lot of cash and even more the disappointment we would have felt.

[Costy]

Don't know if Marrakech has been mentioned on here but me and the wife found that a bit disappointing. The big square just was not as magical as we'd hoped - it kind of felt like a big car park with a market at one end. The trip out to the Atlas Mountains was good once we'd got past all the sales pitches, and we saw a series of beautiful waterfalls, but I was a bit saddened when we went to buy hand crafted ornaments in a small gift shop which was cut into the rock and you could actually pay by card.

Unlike others on here I was captivated by Rome, but I think my favourite place I've been would have to be Lisbon. A truly beautiful city with loads of lovely little areas to explore by day and very vibrant at night. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Despite myself, I also had a brilliant time in Dubai. We went to visit the brother in law who was living out there and I set out in the mindset that it was a terrible place full of disgusting opulence and dubious morality, but I actually loved it. The desert safari in particular was a great experience.

[Selby White]

Unlike others on here I was captivated by Rome, but I think my favourite place I've been would have to be Lisbon.

Have just had a 5 night break in Rome (first time) and really enjoyed it. Our friends love it there and persuaded us we should go.
Planning to go back but actually with them at some stage so they can show us the bits we missed (they've been many times).

Have also been to Lisbon which again would go back although fancy Porto on my next visit to Portugal, anyone been ?

My top European Cities so far visited are Budapest & Berlin but many other good ones and still plenty on the list.

[NottinghamWhite]

Have also been to Lisbon which again would go back although fancy Porto on my next visit to Portugal, anyone been ?

Yes we’ve done Porto loved the Douro River embankment where there loads of restaurants all very busy. We also did the obligatory tour visiting a port producer on a port tasting trip, parts were boring but the tasting was good. We only stopped on a quick visit but what we saw was in my opinion better than Lisbon.

[CheeznOnionPasty]

My top European Cities so far visited are Budapest & Berlin but many other good ones and still plenty on the list.

I loved Berlin, although in the interests of full transparency I was there just after the wall came down, like literally a month or two after. Did all the usual standing at checkpoint charlie with a foot in the east and a foot in the west kind of stuff. Somewhere in a box I also have a couple of pieces of the wall I chipped off myself and kept as a souvenir, a couple of pieces covered in graffiti from the West German side. I was only about 18-19 years old and was with the military, so sightseeing and (very) heavy drinking were the only things we did there!

[CheeznOnionPasty]

I'll add Corfu to the list of disappointing destinations. We were expecting idyllic Greek island and got Blackpool in the Ionian sea. The touristy bits seemed to be very touristy and there wasn't enough of the charming island stuff to see. Was also a long time ago, maybe 10-11 years since I was there but it's one of the few holidays around the med I haven't really enjoyed.

I think we relied too much on the hotel and organized package trips around the island rather than hiring a car ourselves, so perhaps there's more beautiful scenery to see if you explore on your own terms a bit more. Strongly recommend not staying in Kavos unless you are 18-21 and want to drink shots of bright blue gasoline all night.

Probably a case of mis-aligned expectations, insufficient research and not being independent enough but it's been on my "do not go back" list ever since, perhaps unfairly.