Why don't we ever get the truth about travelling?
 

After spending three weeks trying too hard to have a good time in Spain, France, and Italy, it finally occurred to me that the entire travel print and video propaganda is just smoke and mirrors. How many of you travellers--not the soon to be travellers with stars in their eyes and dreams in their souls- but the ones who have fought hand to hand in the trenches--can honestly say they would do it all over again, fight the crowds, suck in the air pollution, wipe off poopy shoes, avoid the crowds, pay too much for what you got, avoid the crowds, look at boring, dirty, depressing sights as you zip the the main attraction to once again--avoid the crowds...to be able to go home and brag...I was there!! Too embarrassed to admit they were suckered!!
We never get any honesty from anyone in the media, and I can understand since it's a HUGE industry...but people....wake up!! And to those who have been where I just came from, why not tell the truth instead of continuing the fantasy?
To those who don't want to believe the truth, then the addage take twice or three times the money and half the clothes is all I will send you away with. It will help, as will a good map and an itinerary that skips all the big cities.
All the best.
R.

It sounds like you should have done more independent research before your trip.

Why are you blaming the media for your own problems?

You don't seem to be this annoyed on the Europe branch where you are posting about your ongoing travel.

Why did you chose to put this on USA branch?

Guess I've just been luckier than you - or just planned my trips better. I haven't experienced at all w/ what you describe.

Maybe the "boring", "depressing", "zip", and "brag" bits explain a lot.

It sounds like you spent too much time sight-seeing and going everywhere than staying in one spot and soaking in the culture. We spent 3 weeks in Europe, 3 days Rome, two weeks in Tuscany and 4 nights in Paris. Cities are great, but you relax much more and learn about the pace of life by spending time in a small village in an apartment, preferably in a villa with a pool. In that situation you can shop and eat at home some nights, and find tiny amazing restaurants over every hillside, plus relax at the pool in between sightseeing days. If you don't appreciate the difference between food and architecture/history in Europe vs. here, you're probably right...for you, it may not be worth going.

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever felt so sorry for anyone on this forum as you, ramalama. I suggest you stay home if those are the things you see and if you have to refer to travel as "trying too hard to have a good time". I feel sorry for you, I really do. Please don't lump the rest of us in with you.

No one is required to like Europe, but you can only be the victim of "propoganda" if you allow yourself to be. So you had a lousy time. That's no ones fault but your own. No one took you to Europe by gunpoint.

There's plenty of the world to see if you can stand Europe. But my sense is you wouldn't be happy anywhere.

Wow..
I bet you are the life of the party.

I'm not sure I get your rant, but I stopped subscribing to travel magazines and I read the travel pages in newspapers with a grain of salt.

Why?

When they write about a place, they have to make it sound good. They may publish an article titled "Yakima: Your Place for Adventure," but not the more honest "Yakima Sucks."

This is why guidebooks, such as those with Fodor's, Frommer, or Rick Steves in the title are useful--they try to help travelers differentiate among what is worthwhile and what isn't.

And, IMHO, a person who can't have a good time in France or Italy should get expanded TV service rather than travel.

Weird post. I don't think you're going to get many people agreeing with you here, on a travel forum for people who love to travel! In the past three years I have started traveling a lot, and have visited: Paris (2 times), London, Hawaii (4 times), Seattle, Las Vegas, Anguilla, Aruba, Turks and Caicos, Bermuda, etc...Each and every trip was a place to cherish and remember for different things. You should probably just stay home and relax from now on!

I think one could have predicted this from the tone of earlier questions.

I hope your mom at least had a good time.

Next time take or pick up a boy toy.

Ditto everything everyone said, especially NeoPatrick. If you're not happy traveling, fine, stay home. What's that got to do with the rest of us? (FWIW, I love big cities, don't mind the crowds, and if I have to breathe in a little polluted air and scrape off a little dog poop in order to see/be in Paris, or Madrid, or Prague, so be it!!

I think you're looking for different things out of your travels than the rest of us are. I don't go to Italy for "real" American breakfasts and spaghetti and meatballs.

Different strokes, I guess.

When will I learn to click on a poster's name and read some other posts before commenting on the tone of a single one? I just did that and now everything is crystal clear. I certainly didn't realize this was the one who HAD to have meatballs and spaghetti in Florence.

Yes. I'd really say this is one person who would definitely be better off staying at home. I don't usually use that approach just because someone doesn't like something on their trip, but this is clearly a person who has no business traveling if he wants to be happy.

Which reminds me of my then-80 year old step-FIL making his first trip to Europe. According to him, if they just used American Dollars, everything would have been fine LOL!

Acccording to the "breakfast" post, they still have several more weeks to go, including time in Paris.

Do I correctly recall reading of a place in Paris that serves "real American" breakfast? Anyone know? Maybe that would cheer her up.

This seems more and more like a troll.

I smell a troll. It must be a troll, right?!

I am a traveler and I do not expect foreign cities to be like my home, nor would I want them to be! Many of us love the assault on our senses that big cities deliver.

Do us all a favor and stay home!

Ag, you must have been typing when I was! You notice the OP hasn't responded?