What are some travel destinations that you think are often overlooked or underrated? Domestic or international.
Brought to you after my second trip to colonial towns in central Mexico. This year, my parents went with us and they loved the trip too. There are so many beautiful colonial towns in Mexico with great architecture, lovely plazas, lots to do, great food, etc. All a short flight away, with no jet lag, and really cheap prices. Yet, I almost never hear of anyone going.
I think Budapest is slightly underrated. People always talk about Paris, Rome, London, Etc. but I think Budapest is the best European city I have visited. And I know that a few other people feel the same way!
Also, every year we go to our inlaws condo in Delray Beach, FL. It's a cheap, fantastic holiday. I joke a lot about Florida but its always a good time when we go. (Then again, we go in the middle of Canadian winter where just about ANYWHERE would be better. LOL).
I think South Korea is also overlooked as a tourist destination. I know plenty of people visit either if they're already living in Asia, or those with a military connection but I don't know many people traveling there as strictly tourists from the US when compared with the amount of visitors that trek to China or Japan.
I think South Korea is also overlooked as a tourist destination. I know plenty of people visit either if they're already living in Asia, or those with a military connection but I don't know many people traveling there as strictly tourists from the US when compared with the amount of visitors that trek to China or Japan.
Scout8-where all did you go this time?
We went to Queretaro this time. Loved it! I am jealous that you lived there. We also went back to Guanajuato as we liked it so much. We did a couple of day trips to Bernal & Tequispuian which were both really cute too.
I agree on Nicaragua. We visited both Nicaragua & Costa Rica on the same trip and I liked Nicaragua more. I would like to spend more time in Central America.
I agree about South Korea, which is a shame since there's a variety of places to explore (the mountains, jeju island, major cities, temples, natural beauty, etc.).
I am putting South Korea on my (very long already) must see list.
Non-safari destinations in Africa. Turkey outside of Istanbul and the coast. India in general (I know people go there, but most people I know would never consider it even though they are relatively well traveled and adventurous).
Do you have any specific recommendations for non safari Africa? We are planning a 3 week trip to somewhere in Africa for next year. We will probably do 5-7 days of safari, so that will leave us another couple of weeks. We are in the really early stages of planning as we haven't even figured out what country/countries yet, so I would love some ideas.
Thanks @sfgal530. I had actually read your blog already on your trip to Africa. It sounded amazing! I am going to start looking into all of the places you listed.
I don't think the Cook Islands are on the radar of most North Americans, although they're popular with Kiwis. The islands themselves are gorgeous, and the development is pretty minimal. It's also nice that the hotels are almost all small, family-owned operations.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. Mark Twain
Svalbard - It's so easy to get to, considering how extreme it's location is geographically. And it's a pretty unique place.
Western Australia. Outside of Perth. Margaret River was delightful, and I would love to visit Ningaloo Reef and Broome. We spent 10 days and barely scratched the surface of everything we wanted to see and do.
The Lofoten Islands are beautiful, and a lot of people consider them even more stunning than the Norwegian fjords, but almost no one goes there (maybe more will now that it's been featured on this season of The Amazing Race).
Udaipur - Whoever came up with the Golden Triangle is silly, IMO, because I loved Udaipur so much more than Jaipur. When you visit that part of India I think it's well worth a few nights. Especially if you make a day trip to Ranakpur. Breath.taking.
I think Kerala gets overlooked in favor of northern India, Bombay, and Goa.
There are lots of places in China: Yangshuo, definitely. I also love the water towns outside of Shanghai and Inner Mongolia (though I suspect Mongolia itself would be even better). And the Harbin snow and ice festival is well worth braving the cold!
I'll also add votes to Madagascar (incredible wildlife both on land and in the water)and interior Turkey (especially Cappadocia).
I can't recommend Mozambique, because while the beaches were nice, I didn't think they were worth the security and logistical hassle of getting there. There are plenty of equal or better options that are much easier to get to.
I actually really love this question. It's the kind of subject that I love. I love traveling in a kind of off-beat or underrated way. I think there are many different ways in which a place can be underrated. I am always eager to hear about and explore these kinds of places. I've actually had an interest in seeing Mexico in an off-beat way but have not done it yet.
I also agree about the Baltics, I haven't been there yet but they are on my list.
I think there are a lot of underrated parts of America. I have spent a lot of great time in places that might be considered to be "fly over country". I think the US over all is very beautiful and outside of the major touristy destinations, there are so many cool places to go and to explore. I can find something to enjoy in pretty much any US state.
As for some places I've been to that I think are underrated highlights?
-Maine/NH and the Maritimes. I would really like to explore Maritime Canada. -Copenhagen. I loved it and I actually thought that it is a more stylish city than Paris. -Belgium - Very underrated to me. It's the butt of jokes but I love the beer, frites, gaufres and chocolate. I've found most of the people to be really nice and the cities to have a strange charm. -The bus ride from Glasgow to Oban, Scotland and then the ferries to the Hebrides. -Most of Eastern Europe/Balkans Europe. Aside from some of the dodgy socialist architecture and behavioral holdovers, it is wonderful. So many hidden gems. I really enjoy the people as well. It's hard to single out a specific country, there are so many cool and underrated aspects to the region. I will add that mall food courts in Eastern Europe are generally way, way better than in the West. -Slovenia, Croatia outside of Dubrovnik (especially Opatija, but most of it is enjoyable; Trogir is underrated for sure), Slovakia, Bulgaria. Montenegro is getting some attention now and it is cool but there is more to the region. I would really like to go to Lake Ohrid as well.
I think there are underrated aspects to many places, including popular tourist destinations. I think it's all about traveling with an open mind and being willing to explore. Being willing to change your perspective.
I actually really love this question. It's the kind of subject that I love. I love traveling in a kind of off-beat or underrated way. I think there are many different ways in which a place can be underrated. I am always eager to hear about and explore these kinds of places. I've actually had an interest in seeing Mexico in an off-beat way but have not done it yet.
I also agree about the Baltics, I haven't been there yet but they are on my list.
I think there are a lot of underrated parts of America. I have spent a lot of great time in places that might be considered to be "fly over country". I think the US over all is very beautiful and outside of the major touristy destinations, there are so many cool places to go and to explore. I can find something to enjoy in pretty much any US state.
As for some places I've been to that I think are underrated highlights?
-Maine/NH and the Maritimes. I would really like to explore Maritime Canada. -Copenhagen. I loved it and I actually thought that it is a more stylish city than Paris. -Belgium - Very underrated to me. It's the butt of jokes but I love the beer, frites, gaufres and chocolate. I've found most of the people to be really nice and the cities to have a strange charm. -The bus ride from Glasgow to Oban, Scotland and then the ferries to the Hebrides. -Most of Eastern Europe/Balkans Europe. Aside from some of the dodgy socialist architecture and behavioral holdovers, it is wonderful. So many hidden gems. I really enjoy the people as well. It's hard to single out a specific country, there are so many cool and underrated aspects to the region.
I think there are underrated aspects to many places, including popular tourist destinations. I think it's all about traveling with an open mind and being willing to explore. Being willing to change your perspective.
I definitely agree about Belgium. I don't know many people who travel to Belgium for just Belgium...I think the "dissing" of it is perfectly summed up by Rick Steves basically equating Brussels to a stop over city, one that people should visit on their way to and from Paris or Amsterdam. I've only been to the capital and Brugge but would love to see Ghent as I've heard it's much less crowded and touristy than Brugge.
As a history nerd, I'd also love to return sometime in the next four years for events coinciding with the Great War centennial.
I actually really love this question. It's the kind of subject that I love. I love traveling in a kind of off-beat or underrated way. I think there are many different ways in which a place can be underrated. I am always eager to hear about and explore these kinds of places. I've actually had an interest in seeing Mexico in an off-beat way but have not done it yet.
I also agree about the Baltics, I haven't been there yet but they are on my list.
I think there are a lot of underrated parts of America. I have spent a lot of great time in places that might be considered to be "fly over country". I think the US over all is very beautiful and outside of the major touristy destinations, there are so many cool places to go and to explore. I can find something to enjoy in pretty much any US state.
As for some places I've been to that I think are underrated highlights?
-Maine/NH and the Maritimes. I would really like to explore Maritime Canada. -Copenhagen. I loved it and I actually thought that it is a more stylish city than Paris. -Belgium - Very underrated to me. It's the butt of jokes but I love the beer, frites, gaufres and chocolate. I've found most of the people to be really nice and the cities to have a strange charm. -The bus ride from Glasgow to Oban, Scotland and then the ferries to the Hebrides. -Most of Eastern Europe/Balkans Europe. Aside from some of the dodgy socialist architecture and behavioral holdovers, it is wonderful. So many hidden gems. I really enjoy the people as well. It's hard to single out a specific country, there are so many cool and underrated aspects to the region.
I think there are underrated aspects to many places, including popular tourist destinations. I think it's all about traveling with an open mind and being willing to explore. Being willing to change your perspective.
I definitely agree about Belgium. I don't know many people who travel to Belgium for just Belgium...I think the "dissing" of it is perfectly summed up by Rick Steves basically equating Brussels to a stop over city, one that people should visit on their way to and from Paris or Amsterdam. I've only been to the capital and Brugge but would love to see Ghent as I've heard it's much less crowded and touristy than Brugge.
As a history nerd, I'd also love to return sometime in the next four years for events coinciding with the Great War centennial.
Yes, I agree. I happen to be a bit nerdy about history, geography and culture as well. To me though, there's something so quintessentially charming about Belgium. It's like Brussels is my mental benchmark for European cities, a bit ironic and fitting with so many EU institutions there and all. But yes, I also love how green it is. There are so many cute rare breeds of dogs. It's a place that doesn't take itself too seriously. I have also been out into rural Belgium, which was good fun as well. But yeah, I got a bit addicted to their mayonnaise.
I'm also quite fond of places that are simultaneously "ugly yet beautiful". I guess the contradiction excites me. So yeah, I don't mind a bit of gray, moody weather or gritty buildings with intricate historic architecture (Glasgow, for example), or yeah, quirky places . I don't need everything to run perfectly so long as there's an ultimate kind of charm to a place. I guess I like to feel like it "has a soul". This also goes for certain neighborhoods in very popular cities.
Non-safari destinations in Africa. Turkey outside of Istanbul and the coast. India in general (I know people go there, but most people I know would never consider it even though they are relatively well traveled and adventurous).
Do you have any specific recommendations for non safari Africa? We are planning a 3 week trip to somewhere in Africa for next year. We will probably do 5-7 days of safari, so that will leave us another couple of weeks. We are in the really early stages of planning as we haven't even figured out what country/countries yet, so I would love some ideas.
Morocco. Hands down the best vacation we've taken. The food was amazing, people so friendly and just an awesome overall experience.
Do you have any specific recommendations for non safari Africa? We are planning a 3 week trip to somewhere in Africa for next year. We will probably do 5-7 days of safari, so that will leave us another couple of weeks. We are in the really early stages of planning as we haven't even figured out what country/countries yet, so I would love some ideas.
Morocco. Hands down the best vacation we've taken. The food was amazing, people so friendly and just an awesome overall experience.
We're headed there in two weeks!
I think mainland Greece often gets overlooked because people spend a few days in Athens before going to the islands but I loved Corinth, Olympia, Delphi, Epidaurus, etc.
Venice and Rome. Everyone always loves Florence which for me is just OK.
Hungary other than Budapest - awesome little towns.
Bratislava - overlooked in lieu of Vienna and Budapest but looks like Prague only more beautiful and with fewer tourists
We also love Central America -have been to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Guatemala. Really want to get to Nicaragua.
Colonia and Carmelo (wine country), Uruguay - everyone always goes to Punta or Jose Ignacio or completely bypasses Uruguay in favor of Argentina but Uruguay is incredible.
I'm not sure what parts of the US would be considered underrated since I think a lot of the country, including "fly-over" states are awesome. MH has seen very little of the US and we plan to do some national park road trips when we're older and not as active.
Morocco. Hands down the best vacation we've taken. The food was amazing, people so friendly and just an awesome overall experience.
We're headed there in two weeks!
I think mainland Greece often gets overlooked because people spend a few days in Athens before going to the islands but I loved Corinth, Olympia, Delphi, Epidaurus, etc.
Venice and Rome. Everyone always loves Florence which for me is just OK.
Hungary other than Budapest - awesome little towns.
Bratislava - overlooked in lieu of Vienna and Budapest but looks like Prague only more beautiful and with fewer tourists
We also love Central America -have been to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Guatemala. Really want to get to Nicaragua.
Colonia and Carmelo (wine country), Uruguay - everyone always goes to Punta or Jose Ignacio or completely bypasses Uruguay in favor of Argentina but Uruguay is incredible.
I'm not sure what parts of the US would be considered underrated since I think a lot of the country, including "fly-over" states are awesome. MH has seen very little of the US and we plan to do some national park road trips when we're older and not as active.
Which part are you going to? We split our time between Essaouria and the Atlas Mountain region.
I think mainland Greece often gets overlooked because people spend a few days in Athens before going to the islands but I loved Corinth, Olympia, Delphi, Epidaurus, etc.
Venice and Rome. Everyone always loves Florence which for me is just OK.
Hungary other than Budapest - awesome little towns.
Bratislava - overlooked in lieu of Vienna and Budapest but looks like Prague only more beautiful and with fewer tourists
We also love Central America -have been to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Guatemala. Really want to get to Nicaragua.
Colonia and Carmelo (wine country), Uruguay - everyone always goes to Punta or Jose Ignacio or completely bypasses Uruguay in favor of Argentina but Uruguay is incredible.
I'm not sure what parts of the US would be considered underrated since I think a lot of the country, including "fly-over" states are awesome. MH has seen very little of the US and we plan to do some national park road trips when we're older and not as active.
Which part are you going to? We split our time between Essaouria and the Atlas Mountain region.
Flying into Casablanca but after seeing the mosque then quickly heading to Rabat for the first night to see sights there, then to Fes for a few days (with day trip to Meknes/Volubilis), then en route to Marrakech we're doing a four day trip through the desert, complete with sleeping in a tent in the desert one night (will be cold, but I'm really looking forward to that), camel trekking, spending time in the Gnawa villages, passing through the Ziz Gorges, Todra Gorges, Erg Chebbi dunes, Ait Ben Haddou, etc., then finishing up in Marrakech (where we'll do a day trip to the Atlas mountains).
I'm debating where in the Atlas mountains to go for the day trip. We'd like to spend some time hiking (weather permitting) not just be in a car the entire time. Any thoughts as between these: Ourika Valley, Imlil, Ouzoud, Ouirgane?
I've already been crowd-sourcing from my friends who've been there but I'd love your thoughts on restaurants/off the beaten track sights/anything else you wish you knew in advance.
I think we were skipping Essaouria given time of year, time lost driving there and back, and the fact that the other parts of Morocco interested us more.
I also love donkeys (I have "adopted" one at a sanctuary in England and have visited donkey sanctuaries in Aruba and Bonaire) and there are a few sanctuaries in Morocco where we're going to visit and donate. One is the American Fondouk in Fes, the other is located just outside Marrakech.
I forgot to add Georgia (the country). One of my favorite places and very rarely do you run into a tourist. The wine, the food, the mountains, the Black Sea, the Soviet kitsch. It's all awesome.
We have been toying with Georgia because it is a long weekend from here. What would you see in say three full days?
I didn't see a lot of Americans in Salvador Bahia and that place kicked ass.
We honeymooned there. Looooved it and it has a special place in my heart.
I'm casting another vote for Nicaragua. I really liked it, but I agree that the tourist infrastructure isn't quite there. I don't know if I would have been able to figure out how to get between cities if I didn't speak Spanish and if I wasn't generally adventurous while traveling. You have to have a lot of confidence to wait for a bus that may or may not arrive on time and may or may not go to the destination you had in mind. But, I found the experience to be great over all and I think it is especially worth the trip to see the volcanoes and the colonial city of Granada.
I don't know a whole lot of people who've been to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Based on the hotels there & etc., I wouldn't say it's overlooked, but it doesn't seem to come up much on this board or IRL. I love visiting Puerto Rico in general, but really like Vieques.
Eastern Canada (in general). DH & I just got back from Toronto. I hadn't been in 10 years & forgot how awesome it was. Clean, great public transit, very diverse culturally, amazing food. We did some of the wine trail in Niagara-on-the-lake & that was lovely too. Learned 90% of the world's ice wines are from that region.
We went to Montreal last year & Nova Scotia. Hope to go to Quebec City in March. We're lucky we live in New England so it's a pretty easy drive to any of those places.
A lot of places in Southeast Asia are overlooked in favor of the beaches. Angkor Wat is becoming more popular, but it's still an incredible visit. Pnom Penh is also worth the stay. In China, the western province is rarely traveled to. When DH and I were there, we saw only a handful of westerners. If you like history, Turpan and the Thousand Buddha caves are incredible.
The Baltic - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Estonia is more touristy but the other two are amazing
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I know you were aiming this at frlcb, but I'll butt in. I haven't been to Lithuania, but I loved the other two. Tallinn is kind of like a mini-Prague and Riga's like a mini-Budapest. Estonia IS really touristy, but still worth it IMO. Tallinn's gorgeous as long as you can avoid the cruise ship crowds and Parnu is a really chilled out beach town.
Riga's my favorite though. Gorgeous and metropolitan but small at the same time.
I know you were aiming this at frlcb, but I'll butt in. I haven't been to Lithuania, but I loved the other two. Tallinn is kind of like a mini-Prague and Riga's like a mini-Budapest. Estonia IS really touristy, but still worth it IMO. Tallinn's gorgeous as long as you can avoid the cruise ship crowds and Parnu is a really chilled out beach town.
Riga's my favorite though. Gorgeous and metropolitan but small at the same time.
I agree with this. We loved Tallinn, but it is definitely more touristy than the other two countries. We were underwhelmed with Parnu but we really just drove through. We loved wandering around Tallinn.
Riga and Vilnius are just amazing, mainly because they are fantastic cities with little tourism, relative to the rest of Europe. In Lithuania the Hill of Crosses is one of the most amazing places I have ever been.