What didn't you like?
Apr 15th, 2002, 01:57 PM
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
What didn't you like?
Posts about travel are usually full of praise about great experiences. Sorry, but nothing is ever that perfect. I don't know whether people delude themselves (I've seen posts where people happily rationalize all sorts of catastropes - "the ceiling caved in but the maid was real nice about it") or whether people who have bad experiences simply don't want to talk about them. Anyway, I've learned through painful experience that the negative comments are likely more accurate and useful than the positive ones. <BR><BR>So. I'd like to hear about negative experiences that or disappointments.<BR><BR>
Apr 15th, 2002, 02:07 PM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
I've had a few experiences I disliked, but overall they were for the most part good experiences. Of the negative, I have gone into a bank to exchange travelers checks and had the man behind the counter get up and go for a smoke break. I've bought tickets on a train and they had a strike--a later train did come by and pick up passengers. I've gotten looks as if they didn't understand what I was saying when I knew I had been perfectly clear. Nothing I couldn't overlook and just go on about my vacation. Marilyn
Apr 15th, 2002, 02:16 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
On our honeymoon 2 years ago, we got stuck in Nice, France due to an air traffic controller's strike. We could not use our tickets because they could only get us to Germany. Then we would be stuck again! So we ended up having to buy all new tickets.<BR><BR>We got up at 4 am, flew from Nice to Paris (Orly), took a bus to Charles DeGaulle airport, had to leave the airport due to a bomb scare. Lost our place in line and had to recue. Finally got on the plane after 2 hours. Got to New York, missed our plane to DC. Had to wait for another plane. Finally got home - but they lost all of our luggage. Finally got our luggage back 14 days later.<BR><BR>Hate to rationalize but...<BR>This was a pain but a WONDERFUL travel agent in Nice helped us immensely by getting our tickets at a special price. I think we would still be there without her AND because we bought travel insurance all of our expenses were reimbursed. A silver lining to really bad end to our honeymoon!
Apr 15th, 2002, 03:21 PM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
I don't think the answer to your question is quite as easy as it seems. We often do fantasize about our great trips, and some of us forget about the bad and focus on the good. I'm not sure there's anything wrong in that. Also, when I travel in a foreign country, I guess I "put up" with more. The lack of a shower curtain would drive me crazy at a Hampton Inn if I were driving through Georgia, but at a hotel in Europe I accept it as "the custom". When we are doing what we love to do -- traveling in a foreign place, it's just likely that we convince ourselves that things are even better than they are.<BR><BR>My local wine man complains that people are always coming back from Europe with an idea of "the greatest wine I ever had -- I wish you could get some for us". So sometimes he checks it out and actually finds that wine and brings it in for them. Invariably the customer returns with, "but it wasn't nearly as good as the bottle we had in Europe." No bottle of wine will ever taste as good as it did drinking it while sitting in that little piazza in Italy watching the fountains and listening to the music.<BR><BR>Now, I know the above explanation isn't what you asked for, so here's one negative memory.<BR>After booking a hotel in Amboise 11 months ahead and being guaranteed the specially recommended large room with the terrace facing the river, we arrived to find that they had no reservation. I happily pulled out my faxed copy and showed it to them. The girl looked at a long time then finally her eyes lit up and she said, "oh here's the problem. You made that reservation 11 months ago. We don't keep our records that long."
Apr 15th, 2002, 05:29 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
I don't think Q1's question was asking for specific negative experiences. Every trip has some of those. I think he/she is questioning the raves so many make about places in Europe and the lack of absolute honesty about some negatives. I, for one, loved Italy...BUT some aspect were/still are extremely disappointing to me and I do think many Italy lovers tend to gloss over these realiities:<BR><BR>1. CROWDS/HOARDS/THRONGS of fellow tourists in Rome, Venice, Florence. In places one would hope to retain more ambiance like in the movies, there are wall to wall people such that you cannot even look across the Piazza Navona in Rome or the Piazza del Duomo in Florence and 'see' the full view. To cross the Rialto Bridge in Florence, you have to take little baby steps and tuck your arms in as you are squished by people on all sides.<BR><BR>2. Street vendors, vendors everywhere, selling junkie souveniers and pushing it in your face. Again, nearly spoils the whole environment of the Piazzas. The one exception is the Campidoglio in Rome where they are, evidently, not allowed. This, I wish the Italian authorities would control.<BR><BR>If ONLY Rome and Venice REALLY looked uncrowded and authentically Italian, like they did in the movie "Only You" staring Marisa Tomei? Well, they certainly don't in the summer months or Easter Week...Marisa and Robert Downey, Jr. strolled the streets of Rome on a summer night with few other people. Sigh.....
Apr 15th, 2002, 05:35 PM
#9
Guest
Posts: n/a
The longer I'm away form the trip, the better the memories of it gets. I've been extremely fortunate in that I've never been the victim of crime abroad or had a horrible health crisis. I've been stuck in airports, stayed in scary hotels, had people laugh at my pronunciation of their language and on and on. <BR>I've also experienced incredible kindness when I was stuck at Malpensa airport alone at midnight. I'll never forget the older man who brought flowers to my table while eating in Vernazza saying he liked how much fun I was having, or how about seeing the Grand Canal for the first time in the bow of a Vapretto? I'd just rather remember the best parts and I've been lucky that they have far outweighed any of the negative things that have happened to me.
Apr 15th, 2002, 10:22 PM
#10
Guest
Posts: n/a
Normally I'd agree with the let's-stay-positive philosophy, but this is one maybe a few folks could learn from. I sure did.<BR><BR>A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were in London for the first time. We were trying very hard to behave as "travelers, not tourists," as I've seen written here. We were also trying very hard to attend an Evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral — I have a passion for choral music and wanted to hear what it sounded like under that great dome. But the church was closed to sightseers two days in a row for prayers in honor of the Queen Mother, who'd just died. So on our third trip back, we finally saw the cathedral, climbed the dome, came back down and complied with the staff's polite invitation to attend Evensong — but to leave first so that it could be set up, and to make sure the service wasn't interrupted by sightseers.<BR><BR>We left, as did dozens of other tourists. We returned at the appointed time, took a seat with the others — mostly local worshippers — and proceeded to be appalled at the string of tourists who wandered in and out of the service — despite signs at the door and polite admonitions from the staff — talking, sitting, getting up, coming, going, even snapping flash photos (all photography is prohibited there).<BR><BR>These were tourists from around the world. I heard Portugese, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and various Asian languages. They certainly weren't whispering. I wouldn't expect all of them to understand what was going on, but I would expect them to respect what was obviously a religious ceremony going on around them. The putz with the flash-photo fetish was American — surely he understood the Lord's Prayer, which he interrupted.<BR><BR>I was not there to worship. But many people were. Can it be possible that being a "tourist" shuts your brain down so far that it's impossible to imagine how you'd react if someone showed up in your church, synagogue, temple, etc., next week and did such things during a service? Aargh!!! Have some respect!<BR><BR>Rant off...<BR>Lisa
Apr 16th, 2002, 03:00 AM
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
If people want have this pollyanna, be positive attitude, fine. But then they keep it to themselves. When people ask for opinions about some hotel, city, etc., they want reality, not wishful thinking. I don't want to be steered into hell by people who are delusional. This has happened to me too many times reading peoples' comments - I ended up unprepared for great difficulties. <BR><BR>Patrick is probably partly right about menories fading. I don't find that exactly. I remember the bad stuff, but it doesn't seem as important. However, if someone asked my opinion, I wouldn't sweep it under the rug and mislead them, either. <BR><BR>To the person with the sappy lemonaid quote. The intelligent strategy is to avoid the lemons in the first place, isn't it? <BR>
Apr 16th, 2002, 03:02 AM
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
Q1, I know EXACTLY what you mean.<BR><BR>Mine is Egypt. After hearing everyone who's gone wax poetic about the pyramids and the sphinx, I laugh. They don't talk about the vendors who are in your FACE, following you, pulling on your arm, grabbing you to put on their camel, making people hysterical to get their kids down off the camel (with OR without spending extra, and then more, and then more), the vendors who want AMERICAN money and who spit if you give them Egyptian, the tourist police who ENCOURAGE you to touch the pyramids (for a price) but do nothing to stave off the vendors, etc. <BR><BR>Nope, all we hear about is how "wonderful it all was to be in the shadows of such history" (pause here to place clasped hands over heart and gaze off) "and mingle with the 'real people' of Egypt -- and how l-o-v-e-l-y they truly are..."<BR><BR>I laugh, because I know -- I know that these people are hiding what really happened. They don't want to admit that they spent thousands of dollars to be harrassed by a some kid selling little stuffed camels. <BR><BR>I'll tell you that it was cool to be next to the pyramids and the sphinx -- but I'll also tell you it wasn't cool to be hounded by vendors.
Apr 16th, 2002, 06:05 AM
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
I agree with Chris above . . . I had my trip to Egypt spoiled by the agressive vendors and the Egyptian men (in general) who treated me like a whore because I wasn't traveling with my husband (or a man), even though I am past middle age and I dressed very conservatively in long skirts and long-sleeve blouses. Egypt had incredible signts but because of how I was treated, I will NEVER return.<BR><BR>I thought the vendors were agressive in Egypt and then I went to India, Egyptian vendors are not even close to Indians. Indians are the masters. This makes two places I'll never return.<BR><BR>I've traveled to more than 35 countries and enjoyed 33 of them.
Apr 16th, 2002, 12:50 PM
#18
Guest
Posts: n/a
I totally agree with Sandy and Chris - I've travelled quite a bit and Egypt is one country I'll never ever go back to. The constant hassling and pushiness and asking for tips were incredible. We did not have a single moment of peace. Thank goodness we had a combined trip Egypt-Israel - this enabled us to leave Egypt one week earlier than planned, and spend an (excellent) last week in Israel.<BR>We have been back to Israel since, but Egypt - never again.
