30 Myths About Popular Tourist Destinations Being Dispelled By Their Residents

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Who doesn't love to travel, explore and learn about other countries, cultures, and their beauty? Well, there is no such person.

Traveling through the world is among the most beautiful adventures on earth that everyone should experience as much as their budget allows them. Yes, the budget is always there to limit us and our passion for trips, but luckily it is the only thing, so as long as you want something to achieve, you are motivated to make your dreams come true.

Whenever we choose another amazing destination for our vacation, we immediately research the place we are interested in, watch reviews and advice from other tourists, and create a plan for that adventure. Finding as many details as possible is significant to make that trip pass the best it could go, so we need to know what to expect and which tourist attractions we must visit.

Despite the fact that other people's experiences are very important for us to hear, they sometimes could be so inaccurate. There are a lot of stereotypes about the world's best holiday destinations that do not match reality. As Tony Robbins, life coach, states, "The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment."

But, who would better describe a tourist destination than the people who live there? So we have consulted with various travel experts and gathered insights from Elizabeth Gilbert, author, who emphasizes that "Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." We aim to share their experiences and honest thoughts with you. ```

Here is the original post.

Reddit

#1 Las Vegas

"I live in Las Vegas. Listen. What happens in Vegas stays on the internet and also in the stories of every local who saw you do it. Don't do stupid [things]."

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#2 Australia

"Australia is big, varied, and safe. There are dangers here, but your biggest risk is yourself.

Just read the signs (not a metaphor - there are signs about every danger everywhere) and use common sense. Honestly, I've seen Americans and Canadians, who have been near f*cking grizzlies, freak out over a lizard.

Just relax man, it's nice here."

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#3 Los Angeles, Hollywood

"Los Angeles, specifically Hollywood. Literally, everything about it is underwhelming.

The Walk of Fame is cool for 2 seconds, Grauman's Chinese Theatre is smaller than you'd think, the Hollywood sign is just a big a** sign, and no, you're not going to run into celebrities walking around. All the while it's incredibly crowded, smells terrible, and you have to dodge costumed street performers in droves."

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#4 Tokyo

"Tokyo here. I could name a few, but the one that always gets me is the misconception that people are going to accept (or even respond politely to) outrageous weebishness.

If you roll up in Shibuya with a Naruto headband and a Hello Kitty backpack, trying to communicate through a handful of anime catchphrases while creepily leering at schoolgirls, people are rightly going to give you a wide berth."

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#5 Hawaii

"I only lived there for a little while, but it’s a common misconception that Hawaii is a great place to live. Don’t get me wrong - it might be the most beautiful place on earth and there are many, many exceptional things about living there.

But it’s terribly expensive just to grocery shop, let alone try to buy a house. Many people just live with their parents and grandparents because no one can afford to move out.

So many houses and apartments/condos are bought as vacation properties, which drives up the price. Then, houses/apartments in residential neighborhoods have a revolving door of vacationers coming in and out, which is disruptive to normal life.

(People on vacation care very little about how much noise they’re making, etc.) It’s a catch-22 because so much of Hawaii’s money comes from tourism, but tourism is making it impossible for locals to buy homes."

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#6 Scotland

"Scotland is seen as wild and untamed land. In reality, our hills have been burned for grouse or grazed into oblivion by sheep and deer after all of our large native predators were hunted to extinction.

A lot of those iconic barren hills used to have actual scrub and plant life on them. Livestock farming and hunting have ruined our countryside.

A report came out the other day that also states that wildlife is declining faster in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK. The people want change - particularly doing away with the big estates causing a lot of the destruction - but money talks like anywhere else.

I still love my country with all my heart which is why it is incredibly difficult to watch it being destroyed."

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#7 Banff, Canada

"Banff, Canada. The bears aren't friendly, if you feed them, they will come back.

All deer are not Bambi, they will hurt you. Cougars are not kitty cats, you look like a nice steak dinner to them.

Don't go hiking or skiing in the backcountry if you aren't prepared. You make my job as a search & rescuer hard when you make stupid decisions like that.

Yes, snow may be fun for 2 or 3 days of your trip, but from September to July, it gets dull fast. Am I salty about tourists? You bet."

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#8 Florida

"Florida here. It's called the 'Sunshine State' but it rains every single day in the spring and summer.

Tourists always seem surprised by that. No there is no dome over Disney to control the weather or the bugs - though Disney does have a great mosquito control program.

Also, Miami is nowhere near as sexy as they make it seem on TV. That's like 2 streets by the beach and that's it, not that you want to be in that area because everything is more expensive and also sinking into the ocean so things keep collapsing.

The wealth disparity is disgustingly clear. The REST of Miami is full of poverty, construction that gets abandoned, and tons of homelessness because of the batsh*t housing prices.

Florida is only fun for the rich-rich. Don't come here if you're not, you WILL struggle."

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#9 San Diego

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#10 Alaska

"Alaska. Where to begin??

It’s not always dark. In fact, in the summer it’s quite light. Hence some difficulty viewing northern lights in the summer months. Ditto cold — we do have summer.

In Fairbanks, we regularly hit 80° in the summer, sometimes hotter. But also our state is HUGE.

So what’s true of Fairbanks isn’t necessarily true of Anchorage. Or Juneau.

In fact, southeast (Juneau, Ketchikan, etc - the cruise ship circuit) is almost like a separate state. They’re more like Seattle than the rest of AK.

People don’t ride around all day on dog sleds. We don’t live in igloos.

We are Americans. Our Indigenous cultures are diverse and are not all Eskimo.

Oh, and most of us can’t see Russia from our backyards."

Reddit

#11 Bahamas

"(Bahamas) What's funny is when people come to the main island and are surprised to find out that the entire place isn't a clean, beautiful, sandy tropical island no matter where you go. It's also funny when they find out the murder rate (which is high in comparison to the size and population).

Other popular misconceptions by people who know nothing about us are that we are (and I have seriously heard every last one of these) loin cloth-wearing savages that fish all day, drink out of coconuts, live straw houses, and sleep in hammocks. That does however perfectly describe the native people who were killed off by the Spanish hundreds of years ago soon after the western world was discovered. Someone once seriously asked me, "Do you guys ride dolphins, or are they just friends."

My response, "They are our main form of transportation as decreed by King Aquaman"."

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#12 Caribbean

"I live in the Caribbean and a lot of people (foreigners) seem to think in my island we live by the sea sipping coconuts all day. In reality, my country is struggling.

We had a hurricane-like 3 yrs ago and people still live in sh*t (the government has helped a lot of people with housing to be fair). The man in power may or may not have stolen like 1.5 billion dollars, this led to a major protest the other day and the election is coming soon so yay more drama.

In other words, the Caribbean is not a heavenly getaway where nothing bad happens. "Speaking of bad things, as a random side note" if you take a trip to any Caribbean island rape, robbery, especially of white tourists (not really a race thing but a lot of people falsely think they are rich cus white skin) and human trafficking, are a very real problem stay safe guys."

Reddit

#13 London

"London. People think it's really quaint and idyllic and we all fart around drinking tea and twirling canes.

A huge majority of it is a sh*thole. The buses look very nice on a postcard but they generally stink of piss.

The Thames could probably kill you if you dip a toe in. The London Eye is boring as sh*t.

Pubs are good though."

Reddit

#14 Amsterdam

"I lived in Amsterdam for five years. I realized pretty quick for the rest of my life saying you lived in Amsterdam means people assume you’re really into weed, illicit drugs, crazy parties, hookers, or a combination of all that.

In actuality, most of my going out were for drinks with colleagues, I don’t like pot, and only ever went to the red light district when someone visiting me was curious enough to see it."

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#15 Munich

"I live in Munich. We just had Oktoberfest.

The most aromatic of all events. Vomit - Urine - Mostly vomit."

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#16 California

"I live in California. Non-Californians be like "ohhh wow I love all the palm trees and the beaches, you are so lucky!".

I live in the middle of a desert. Nothing but dirt, Joshua trees, 70 mph winds, and sagebrush."

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#17 New York

"Not all of New York City is as crowded as the touristy areas. The vast majority of us aren't navigating through Times Square as part of our daily commutes (but mad sympathy to those who actually have to)."

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#18 Las Vegas

"I live in Las Vegas. People are occasionally shocked when they hear I work at a school.

I've been told several times, "I didn't even think Vegas had schools"."

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#19 Ireland

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#20 Paris

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#21 Australia

"Australian here. Sydney and stuff are expensive.

But the one thing that people underestimate about our country is the sheer size of it, people go to the hotspots like Uluru, GBR, Sydney, and Melbourne but they forget that it is a country nearly the size of the USA. It's not small and you will meet people who have never left their state before."

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#22 Bangkok, Thailand

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#23 New York

"That New Yorkers are rude. We can be total.

But it’s because you mess up the flow of the rest of us who need to get somewhere. If you get lost a New Yorker will jump at the chance to help.

Need a photo taken for your vacation someone will take the snapshot."

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#24 Jamaica

"I don’t live there, but a lot of my family does and I’ve been there (Jamaica). It’s a paradise.

No, it isn’t. A lot of people can’t afford food, water, and electricity at the same time (apparently electricity used to be cheaper but since the government is a total assh*le they sold it to some company and now it’s expensive).

Probably not a misconception because it’s sadly one of the things we are known for (especially if you live in the UK) crime. Our crimes are pretty bad. Not as bad as Latin America, but it’s still bad, and our job market isn’t exactly helping its case (it’s pretty bad, and the mums also are not helping) (do keep in mind that some places are safer than others, like port Antonio).

The people here are nice. Well yes, but actually no.

We tend to be vain and general assh*les to other Jamaicans. We will treat tourists nicely if you are a tourist because you basically one of the few things that fuel our economy.

And don’t come if your gay, they won’t mind killing you and your spouse for being bad to the Bible or some sh*t. The country is nice, but we could really use a do-over."

Reddit

#25 New Zealand

"New Zealand here. It's sold as a clean green eco country where there are views out every window and you can romp along the empty tracks and beaches to your heart's delight... The reality is a lot different.

The country is going through an eco-crisis, water quality in most rivers has dropped to the point where they are not swimmable, old school sewerage overflows are contaminating the beaches and every track of international note is shuffling room only. While there is still stunning scenery, the rest of the country is struggling to keep up with an influx of people alongside a housing crisis that's made homeownership a pipe dream for many.

Tourists often think that being such a small country, they can drive from A-B in X hours as that's what it would take back home for that distance. The reality is that the majority of our roads/highways are single lanes on winding roads with one-way bridges and few chances to overtake.

The drivers suck and you will cop a gesture or two if you dare look at another driver. For the most part, people are nice and friendly but it's like every other developed country.

Leave something of value in your car and it'll get nicked. Walk down a dark street at night and some P head will try one over on you.

Flash a bit of coin and someone will figure out a way to part you with it. New Zealand's a great country but it is a heavily developed country that comes with all the associated problems.

It's a long time since it's been 100% Pure."

Reddit

#26 Tokyo

"Tokyo. It's not the perfect paradise people imagine it to be. It's a major city, just like London, New York, Toronto, etc, and has major city problems.

The trains run at 130% capacity; garbage & graffiti almost everywhere; rats, cockroaches, feral cats, & attack crows (no robots just yet) roam the city; the homeless population just gets shunted around or thrown in jail (little support for them)..."

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#27 Wales

"I live in a touristy part of Wales and would like this cleared up. We don’t all suddenly switch to speaking Welsh when an English tourist arrives.

There are genuine people that believe as soon as an English person enters a pub, say, that all the Welsh people who were previously speaking English suddenly switch."

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#28 Hawaii

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#29 Bali

"Living in Bali. Yes, there are some beautiful places but it's really dirty here.

There is literally garbage everywhere as the local government doesn't have a trash collection program. People burn their trash everywhere. Also tons of corruption by police that try to supplement their income.

Lots of poverty and poor people from the whole of Indonesia trying their luck here. There is a reason why the Indonesian government is trying to steer tourists to the "new Bali's": it is overcrowded."

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#30 Spain

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How do you find this new info? Did you already know some of these facts?

They may change your perspective of these popular tourist destinations a little bit, but it certainly won't change your desire to visit them. Anyway, it's always a pleasure to hear and see something new.

If you have your own observation of any tourist place, please share it with us.