As an avid traveler, I quickly realized that it’s no less addictive than any other illegal substance. Don’t get me wrong, but just the thought of planning my next trip sends adrenaline rushing through my veins, but not all things on my to-do list turn out to be rosy.
Some activities are just tourist traps disguised as daydreams, and I am sure I am not the only one who did them for the hype. When Reddit user ihave22nicetoes asked, “What’s one tourist activity you did out of FOMO that you regretted?” The number of people who responded is quite staggering!
More info: Reddit
#1
20 years ago I rode an elephant in northern Thailand and couldn’t wait to get off. It did not seem like they treated them well, and the elephants had to be coaxed to walk. I regretted it a lot and never did animal tourism again.
#2
Pretty much everything in Dubai.
#3
A capybara cafe in Japan. It was the saddest thing. The poor capybara was completely disinterested in the hoard of humans and cats surrounding it (I think they cheaped out on getting a capybara buddy and subbed in a litter of cats instead). It is never taken out of the small cafe and never will be for its entire life.
I really wanted to believe that it could be ethical but the experience confirmed that any wildlife experience that allows you to touch the animals does not have the welfare of the animal in mind. & yet, as upsetting as it is, this still isn’t as cruel as how we treat cows, pigs, and chickens in the animal agriculture industry.
After being trapped in our houses for ages during COVID-19, travel and tourism spiked like crazy once the threat was gone. Research suggests that an estimated 1.4 billion tourists traveled internationally in 2024, indicating a virtual recovery (99%) of pre-pandemic levels. With this boost also came the rise in “tourist traps,” all thanks to social media.
As you scroll through the list, you might be nodding along to some of these tourist activities that were so hyped up that travelers did them just for that sake and then later regretted them. While some of these tales became amusing memories, some, unfortunately, also extracted a lot of bucks from people, which was a bummer as nobody wants to waste money in this economy.
#4
Going on a cruise. My ex always wanted to go but I was reluctant. The boat was nice, food and drinks were great, still felt like I was trapped in a mall for a week.
#5
About 20 years ago, I visited the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. I’d seen something about it on TV and it claimed to be a sanctuary dedicated to animal conservation and that sort of thing.
I regretted going almost immediately. Got there and the tigers were very obviously [intoxicated]. I know the temple denied any accusations of [intoxicating] the animals, but the way those tigers slept through being manhandled and posed for pictures was not natural.
Years later, it came to light that the temple was involved in the illegal animal trade, amongst other things. It was shut down in 2016. If there’s one touristy thing I’ve done I wish I could take back it’s giving my money to that place.
#6
Feeding a baby elephant in Bangkok city centre 🥺 was young and stupid and possibly drunk. Feel bad about it to this day. Anything with animals now I’ll just avoid.
To understand more about such unnecessarily hyped-up tourist activities,Weinterviewed Saee and Nikhil, avid travelers who document their travel stories on their Instagram accounts,apparently trippy.While they have traveled to over 22 countries, the number of destinations is too many to count, as every country has multiple wonderful spots.
They told us that this FOMO is a very real threat, and of course, it doesn’t really hit you until after you do the activity and realize that you have fallen victim to it. They also stressed the importance of being “smart travelers” in this age, where there are so many enticing things that are nothing but tourist traps.
#7
Has anyone mentioned Plymouth Rock yet? I love the look on tourist faces when they see it 😆😆😆😆😆.
#8
Went to Vegas. It was not our cup of tea. Noisy, crowded, artificial, and we don’t care much for gambling. The best part was Hoover Dam and Death Valley.
#9
My wife and I decided to walk the Hollywood Walk of Fame from Argyle Ave to the Chinese Theater ( ~ 20 min walk) because we thought it would be nice to see all the stars. NOPE. The biggest mistake of our life. Homeless people, d**g addicts, and crazy people everywhere. We were ready to run and our heads were on a constant swivel.
When we asked the couple whether they had ever experienced such a tourist activity, both of them exclaimed yes! “Back when we first started traveling extensively, we decided to visit Venice and heard and read tons of awesome things about the gondola rides. We thought we would go there and see for ourselves whether we want to do it,” Nikhil explained.
Saee added that after actually going there and seeing all the hubbub about it, they stood in a long line to get a ticket, and the cheapest one was €80! “While it might be our mistake that we didn’t book it online before (which was still €35 for the cheapest one), it was not really an ‘unforgettable’ experience as we thought it would be. After the 30 minutes were up, we were left wondering whether it was really worth €80,” she said.
#10
I decided to buy a drink which was a local shot of licorice and salt liqueur in Copenhagen….
I can still taste it 5 years later.
#11
Swimming with the pigs in the Bahamas. The epitome of a tourist trap. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
#12
NYE at Times Square. Had to get there at like noon to get a good spot and just stood there all day. After a few hours you can barely move, let alone go to the bathroom or get food.
“Another such disappointing thing was the Cube House in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Luckily, the ticket was cheap (just €3!), but we waited in a really long line for it, and we will definitely not recommend it as one of the top things to do in the city,” Nikhil noted.
Saee emphasized that while the architecture looks quite intriguing from the outside, it’s quite anti-climactic from the inside. According to her, it’s this exact exterior that lures people to come and explore from within, but with a lot of people rushing past you in the tiny, cramped space, it becomes difficult to even step anywhere. “We really regretted wasting so much time standing in line for that one!” she exclaimed.
#13
I paid extra $ for the freak show at a real life circus (probably earlier than 2008) or maybe a fair? and got to meet the littlest person alive – her name was joyti amge and she was just sitting there on a little pedestal smiling at everyone and she seemed so sweet. I felt horrible as a lookey loo because I legitimately thought the freak show would be like a Ripleys with taxidermy and not actual real people.
#14
90€ for a 25 min ride with Gondola in Venice. Yeah, maybe I should have listen to all the people that said take it either too early or during the sunset, and not on “highways” but small canals. I did it out of FOMO and really regret it. Too much “traffic”, not relaxing at all, and nothing special.
Next day, I took the vaporetto at night, and it was way more cool experience for a fraction of cost of a gondola ride.
#15
Four corners monument in the USA. We had just started our RV trip around the US/Canada and everyone told us it was a must see. It was not. It’s not even across the four actual corner state lines which it claimed to be (Arizona/Colorado/New Mexico/Utah).
Well, like they said, it’s important to be a smart traveler today when social media is out to send you a shower of FOMO when you travel anywhere or plan your next trip. Now, dear readers, we want to hear your thoughts about the list and if you have ever experienced something similar. Feel free to type away in the comments. Also, don’t forget to upvote the ones you can relate to the most from our list!
#16
Ate FUGU sashimi in Osaka. Fugu is poisonous and a chef needs to have 7 years of experience before they are licensed to serve it. The regret was it tasted like overcooked squid and sooo not worth the money and the mental effort.
#17
Waited to see the Mona Lisa.
#18
Long neck tribe in northern Thailand. Oy, talk about feeling exploitative.
#19
In Iceland in early April at thingviller we had booked the snorkel swim between the tectonic plates – so we were at that park for a different thing a few days before our booking and saw some very cold and miserable looking snorkel swimmers returning from their tour shivering in their wetsuits and I’m realizing that in my own ten layers of extremely warm specialized clothing I’m still so freezing that my eyeballs felt like freezer burned ice cubes and I’ve never cancelled a booking so fast.
#20
Bourbon Street. It was annoying and gross to even walk on for like 3 minutes.
#21
Bali.
In general.
Been to three dozen countries, wish I would have gone anywhere else in Indonesia. What a touristy, littered, stew pot. Maybe my least favorite place I’ve ever traveled.
#22
Visited South Beach one day during an otherwise great trip to the Keys and Everglades etc. It was like the nasty stepchild of LA and Vegas and I hated every moment of it. .
#23
Did a food tour and ate fermented shark in Iceland. The rest of the tour was great but the bit of shark that tasted like it was left on a dirty restroom floor for a week was not the highlight of said tour.
#24
Mount Rushmore is legitimately so disappointing. I don’t understand how they keep tricking people to go see it.
#25
Not that I regret it but I didn’t need to go to the Red Light District in Amsterdam.
#26
Takeshita Street in Harajuku. Just sandwiched in with people on a narrow street.
#27
Seeing the mermaid in Copenhagen.
#28
Normally any excessively busy place I go to, I regret it. Unless it’s really something special.
For example i still really enjoyed Machu Pichu, because that place is amazing, and at least they limit daily visitors.
Recently I went to Kyoto and I went to the signature places – awful.
#29
Driving the loop around Maui. We were staying in Wailea and having a good time there – there was plenty to do and I was mostly there for the beach. We somehow were convinced that we had to do the road trip around the island. We hired a car for it and most of it was pretty boring. It took a very long time and there were some extremely treacherous and scary sections. It took almost a whole day. I would have preferred to have skipped the loop really. .
#30
The basement of the Alamo. Really underwhelming!
#31
We went to Universal Studios in Osaka, for Nintendo Land. It was maybe the worst day of our holiday. None of the food or drink places opened until three hours after the park did, and there were no where near enough places for people to sit, so the walk ways around the park were just full of people just sitting on the ground.
And in Nintendoland itself, there were maybe three times as many people as there was space. And we couldn’t really do any of the attractions.
The whole park had the vibes of somewhere that had just opened and had no idea how to deal with so many people.