Places you've been, glad you went....

[BBQ-Nut]

Curious to know some of the reasons folks said only that they visited a spot but would never go back.


Was it enjoyable at all? Or nothing special? Or something horrid?


Been to Japan twice (Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Shimane Prefecture, Kanazawa) - absolutely loved it, very enjoyable, but you only live once (hahaha), so off to other places.

 

[LRDave]

Great responses everybody! Entertaining and insightful (and some humor to boot!).....

 

[LRDave]

Curious to know some of the reasons folks said only that they visited a spot but would never go back.


Was it enjoyable at all? Or nothing special? Or something horrid?


Been to Japan twice (Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Shimane Prefecture, Kanazawa) - absolutely loved it, very enjoyable, but you only live once (hahaha), so off to other places.

As the OP, I was thinking of those spots that you enjoyed and learned from, but you think you've personally absorbed the "critical mass" of what it has to offer you (if that makes sense). So the next time would only be, say, 50% as rich an experience as the first one. lol I know this is vague and subjective.

 

[Nemo2]

So the next time would only be, say, 50% as rich an experience as the first one.

Diminishing marginal utility.

Since, from my experience(s), places usually get worse rather than better, returns are often/generally somewhat disappointing - we'll be in Dubrovnik in November, and it's been around 28 years since I was previously there; but it's on the itinerary and I'd like DW to see it......although I'm preparing myself for the feeling of "Geez, it wasn't like this before".

(One place I would go back to, and I've been there three times in the past 55 years, is Sri Lanka.......again, I'd like DW to see it, but I'd also like to take another look myself.)

 

[Lakewood90712]

One more : Disneyland. Two times is one too many.

 

[imoldernu]

umm... add this one:

Nikko... in winter.

 

[travelover]

One more : Disneyland. Two times is one too many.

I think once was too many for me.

 

[jjquantz]

I think once was too many for me.

One more : Disneyland. Two times is one too many.

I have never been and I still don't want to go back.

We took our younger daughter to Orlando when she was in high school and took her photo in front of the entrances to several theme parks. She put them all up on a bulletin board for her high school graduation party labeled, "Places I haven't been."

 

[Brat]

Egypt... went twice and will never go back...

With the turmoil today there, I would not even go if someone paid for the whole trip...


I have not been, but know of people who have.... India... one guy who has been to over 100 countries said he could not get out of there fast enough... not sure if I will ever go...

We went to India on a Road Scholar tour two years ago and would happily do that again. It made me appreciate the living conditions in the US and wonder at the resilience of the poor.

Machu Picchu was another Road Scholar trip. I recommend doing that as young as finances and time permits as both the elevation and the 'walking' conditions will tax many.

 

[Midpack]

Tough, interesting premise. Most places I've been and enjoyed (would be a long list), I would go back. Only ones I can think of that I thought were worth it but I wouldn't go back:

• Niagara Falls, worth it once.
• Las Vegas
• Memphis
• Houston
• Most of Florida
• Grand Canyon, definitely once though.
• Okinawa
• Vietnam

...still thinking

 

[Car-Guy]

The absolute top of my list to never go back to see again is Los Angeles, without a doubt. Even an all expenses paid first class round trip couldn't get me back there. New York City would be next on my list to never go see again, but I would go for an all expense paid trip. (Maybe)

 

[NW-Bound]

Talk about revisiting a place, it's one thing to say you have been to a tourist spot, or a city like Las Vegas and have seen enough, but how can you say the same about a state, or a country like Canada, or France, and many others?

I have been to the Western states (CA, OR, WA) so many times I lost count, but in the last few years, traveling by an RV allows me to take the back road and go to places that I did not get a chance to visit when doing fly-and-drive vacation trips when still working. And I still like to read full-time RV'er blogs, some of them go to places that I do not think of.

 

[stepford]

Diminishing marginal utility.

Since, from my experience(s), places usually get worse rather than better, returns are often/generally somewhat disappointing - we'll be in Dubrovnik in November, and it's been around 28 years since I was previously there; but it's on the itinerary and I'd like DW to see it......although I'm preparing myself for the feeling of "Geez, it wasn't like this before".

28 years ago was before the Serbian War, during which Dubrovnik was heavily shelled for several months. Much of the old walled city is now a tourist trap Dubrovnyland, but it is worth a trip to the war museum at the top of the cable car. Fascinating, sobering and altogether too recent to easily shake off.

 

[rodi]

Disneyworld/Orlando was the first thing that came to mind.
Probably add to that the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D.

Both are worth seeing once.... but I have no desire to see them again.

As far as outside the US:
Prague (just spent 3 days there)... I enjoyed it but don't need to return.

Okinawa - spent a summer there in College (sister was a contractor there and it was my first foreign travel outside of North America.) It was a great summer and as a non-military person I probably had a different perspective... Learned to scuba and explored the local beaches... but 1 summer was enough, no need to go back.

There are a few cities on my current trip that I probably won't return to, but circumstances may put them on my list again.

Now if the question were what places do you WANT to go... my list is pretty long.

 

[Nemo2]

28 years ago was before the Serbian War, during which Dubrovnik was heavily shelled for several months. Much of the old walled city is now a tourist trap Dubrovnyland, but it is worth a trip to the war museum at the top of the cable car. Fascinating, sobering and altogether too recent to easily shake off.

Yes, my late wife & I were there before the collapse of Yugoslavia........no cable car either.....have pics of the view of the city from the outlook, but, (we had a rental car picked up in Belgrade and dropped off in Zagreb), I'm damned if I can remember if we walked up or drove up.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I've seen Disney in Orlando too many times to bother going back.

Saw 3 USSR cities and Poland when I was 18. Trip of a lifetime, no desire to go back.

Maine, and parts of Canada on a fall colors cruise. Not very interesting.

There are too many places I haven't been to go back to places over and over again. Except the western US national parks and Hawaii. And British Columbia.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[HFWR]

When I visited Portland, OR a few years ago, I hardly set foot in the actual city. Drive the old Columbia River highway and Mt. Hood loop, drove to the coast, then spent the last day hiking in The arboretum and Forest Park area. Visiting a "city" seems uninteresting to me...

 

[Brat]

Actually the arboretum and Forest Park are in the city. We love our parks.

Come back again to the Pacific Northwest after this drought has run its course.

 

[Bir48die]

Just did Italy and Greece in May. A trip of a lifetime. Stayed away from all the major tourist traps and it was awesome.

I'm a huge fan of the Carribbean. Have done Grand Cayman, a couple Bahamas, Nevis, headed to St Marteen and Anguilla in January. Will do St Thomas and St Johns in 2017

Also love Baja. Cabo is great, Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo.

 

[HFWR]

Actually the arboretum and Forest Park are in the city. We love our parks.

Come back again to the Pacific Northwest after this drought has run its course.

True that, but never ventured into the "downtown" area. Probably missed some nice foodie/coffee places, and maybe some ambience, but was quite content to enjoy the scenery. Was there in 2012. No rain that weekend!

 

[Midpack]

Talk about revisiting a place, it's one thing to say you have been to a tourist spot, or a city like Las Vegas and have seen enough, but how can you say the same about a state, or a country like Canada, or France, and many others?

Easy, that's why I did. Daw and I lived in FL for 3 years and got to see most of it. Enjoyed some of it once, but we'd be perfectly happy to never go back. I realize some/many people love FL, so YMMV...

 

[athena53]

The Taj Mahal. I went there with 3 colleagues who lived in Delhi but had never been there, either. Heck, even the drive up was an experience. Smoke from refuse fires misting over the fields, one town where a guy offered to let me pose for a picture with his pet monkey (not sure how many rupees he'd have wanted), areas that probably hadn't changed much over a few centuries. I still have the pictures on my iPod, and that was 2006. Once is enough, though.


One experience I repeated and I'm VERY glad I did: snorkeling in Alaska. The first time my wet suit may have been a little too loose, so my body was unable to warm up the layer of water between my skin and the suit. I also hadn't asked about rues and was practically afraid to touch anything. I think it may also have been cloudy. We took the same cruise 2 years later. Suit fit better so I stayed a little warmer, it was sunny so I saw more in the water, and I'd found out it was OK to gently part the weeds and poke around. I'm glad I gave it a second try!

 

[NW-Bound]

Easy, that's why I did. Daw and I lived in FL for 3 years and got to see most of it. Enjoyed some of it once, but we'd be perfectly happy to never go back. I realize some/many people love FL, so YMMV...

If you live in a state for 3 years, yeah, you most likely do not miss much.

I was talking about people who go to a country like Canada once or twice, and think they have seen enough. France is more than just Paris and the Eiffel tower, oui? Same with most other countries.

I think if a tourist just goes to a well-worn touristy spot that's representative of a place and thinks that's all there is to it, then surely he sees no need to come back. On the other hand, if you are a true traveler and spend the time to get more into local cultures, explore the countryside and nature, you will see that a week stay or even two only lets you scratch the surface.

Here's an example of better travelers. I read the blog of "Kevin and Ruth". This Canadian couple spends a lot of time exploring a place, takes the time to hike a trail, goes to some corners and small towns, talks to the locals. They are not the typical tourists who sign up for a whirlwind tour of 4 European countries in a week.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I think I could safely say that I'd not return to Mongolia. It is breathtaking, exotic, and friendly, but having been twice, that is probably enough.

Likewise, though I get a lot of mileage out of complaining about Kazakhstan, I'd probably not return. Though Kyrgyzstan is a little bit more tempting. The Lake Issykul area and stunning mountains certainly got only barely passing notice on our one and only trip.

Places I long to see again: Peru, British Columbia, Colorado Rockies, Belize, New Zealand.

 

[pullmyfinger]

Once was enough:
Gran Canaria - if I had thought it through ahead of time I would have realized it was not my kind of vacation spot, but I was living in Europe at the time and wanted to go somewhere warm in November....
Las Vegas - glad it was a work trip so I didn't have to pay for it

If I like a place I don't mind going many, many times. In fact, my dream is to rent apartments in my favorite European cities for 3 to 6 months at a stretch. First on my list, Munich, I have been there several times and I love it just as much if not more each time I go.