Bad Destinations and Why
We don't plan them, but they do happen frequently, sometimes
beyond our control. Some vacations aren't as good as they are
made out to be, maybe it's a case of misleading advertising or
maybe as a tourist you are taken advantage of by the locals. If
you're planning a road trip, the worst part could be the traffic
jams, sometimes left stuck in traffic for hours with no
explanation of why traffic was backed up. On top of a traffic
jam, maybe you will find that your accommodation reservation has
expired and was given to the next person in line. Or maybe your
luggage arrived from the airport a day or two after you did? In
any case, it's hard to pinpoint the worst vacation destinations
without taking into consideration all the things that can
happen. Most disappointing vacations can usually be prevented
using some simple precautions.
In order to prevent one bad vacation turning into two, let me
give you a list of the top five BAD vacation destinations and
why they were rated just that.
1. Many of America's popular vacation destinations are being
choked by unhealthy smog levels. Continued exposure to ozone
smog is a powerful lung irritant that has a cumulative impact on
the body. It's especially dangerous to children, elderly people
or those suffering from asthma and other lung diseases.
Although there is no escaping air pollution in most of the
United States, you can at least avoid the vacation destinations
that have the highest ozone smog in the U.S.: Cape Cod National
Sea Shore, Boston, Maine's Acadia National Park, Philadelphia,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Maryland's Eastern Shore,
Washington D.C., Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indianapolis,
and Lake Michigan, Pennsylvania (including the Amish farmland
and the city of Lancaster).
Take this into consideration before traveling to any of these
destinations, especially if you are traveling with children, the
elderly or those with asthma.
2. Intercontinental Hotel and Conference Center in Cleveland,
Ohio. Beware: The bed bugs really do bite!
3. New Orleans, Louisiana. Even before the terrible tragedy of
Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans has been one of the hottest spots
in the country, despite the fact that they have one of the
country's highest crime and murder rates.
4. When looking at the brochures for the Nickelodeon Family
Suites in Orlando, Florida, you may think they look beautiful
and fun to stay in. But once you actually get there, expect it
to take a few hours away from your vacation time when you are
trying to check in. The check-in lines are usually extremely
long and by the time you get up to the desk to speak with a desk
clerk, your room may not even be ready. Then by the time you get
to the room, some appliances are defective and the cleaning
service doesn't even dust and may miss cleaning several things.
The pool is over crowded with hardly any room to sit and there
is no changing room. The pool side bathroom becomes crowded with
people trying to change into their bathing suits, for lack of
another place to change. I've seen better accommodations at a
Motel 6.
5. Iraq. Self-explanatory.
You can travel to the most wonderful vacation destination in the
world and have things go wrong. It could be poor customer
service, mediocre cleaning services, surcharges and creepy
crawlies in your bed. Your worst vacation, can be another
persons' best and while everything may not run as smoothly as
planned, here are a few tips to help you avoid being a victim:
Stay away from travel offers that sound too good to be true,
especially if you have been solicited by phone or mail. Never
give out your credit card or bank account information over the
phone unless you initiate the transaction and are confident
about the company you are doing business with. Get complete
details in writing about your vacation arrangements prior to
making a payment. These details should include the total cost,
including taxes, service fees, surcharges, port charges;
including the terms and conditions, restrictions and
cancellation penalties. Walk away from high pressure sales
people that won't allow you time to evaluate an offer. Be
cautious of companies that require you to wait 60 days to take
your trip or require you to select various dates of departure.