Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Countries They Never Want To Visit

People Break Down The Countries They Never Want To Visit
JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

When we eventually get out of the pandemic and more countries open their borders to tourists, people will start booking flights to fulfill their wanderlust desires.

Those who enjoy travel usually talk about the countries they've visited and places that are on the bucket list to explore in the future.

But seldom do people talk about the places they would rather not visit.


Redditor crunchy_croissant asked:

"What is one country that you will never visit?"

In all deference to the locals living there, these destinations are notorious for undesirable conditions.

"north ikea"

– Sorryformyfart

"i always knew the north part of ikea was sketchy."

– Joel-O42069

Living In Perpetual Fear

"Myanmar."

"Spent my pre-adolescence there during the previous rule of the junta, when Suu Kyi was in house arrest. I cannot begin to explain the fear that was present in everyday life there then. My father had to be at Yangon for some pretty run-of-the-mill corporate work and was nonetheless always on alert."

"As a 10/11/12-year-old, I was not allowed to answer telephones, lest I reveal something that might seem problematic to the administration. Even in an atmosphere that you were on the brink of rubbing law enforcement the wrong way, my most memorable moments were brushes with the younger adult neighbours in our apartment who were running an illegal computer training centre."

"I cannot imagine their lives now, suspended in constant agitation."

– Glooberty

Unstable Republic

"Sudan. Either of them."

– bobsyouruncle1950

"I spent two weeks in South Sudan in the summer of 2005. This was when the civil war was still happening so before Sudan was two separate countries. There was something like 30 km of paved road in all of South Sudan at the time. It was beautiful but there was literally no infrastructure. Lots of AK47s though."

– nomadicfeet

Being Assigned

"My dad's colleague was trapped with no connection to outside world in this recent coup in Sudan. Everyone in office was worrying about that group she went with. Thankfully they were extradited to India by the company."

"Even my dad was being asked repeatedly to go and he asked me. As I had fairly good grasp of current affairs, I told him no every time as this sh*t was going to go down in future. Now I don't think anyone will be sent for projects there😌"

– Wise_Ad9414

Not A Top Choice For Tourists

"Somalia."

– Atsunome

"10/10 would prefer over South Sudan."

– PureRandomness529

Words From An Egyptian Woman

"Reading the comments on this and a previous thread as an Egyptian woman, I feel so ashamed of my country and sad for all the women who had to deal with terrible kinds of sexual harassments in Egypt and many more unfortunate events that happend there."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this and I'm apologising on behalf of everyone who dared to make you feel uncomfortable in any way because I absolutely know what you went throughm It's what almost every Egyptian woman goes through everyday and we're still not heard."

– htarekk

Places ravaged by war tend to not be on a visitor's list of places to vacation.

Destination: Terrorism

"Sad Afghanistan. It’s a beautiful country, and I know the regular people are friendly. But I probably won’t survive a week there."

– gozba

Foreigners, Beware

"Probably Afghanistan. It's not safe for foreigners."

– bpanio

These Low Effort Jobs Have Surprisingly High Salaries | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Have you ever worked one of those jobs that paid you to kinda sit there? If you have, you know the joy that comes with watching the entirety of Breaking Bad ...

A Violent Country

"Syria is such a bed of history city's that are ancient that I'd love to see for myself but sadly just wouldn't be safe I think for a long time!"

– lookonthedarkside66

Even people with ties to their country didn't give high marks.

A Local's Perspective

"I live in Venezuela and if I manage to leave Venezuela, I won't come to visit."

– AnthonnyAG

​Plagued By Upheaval

"Haiti. As much as I'd love to visit my mother's home country, there's a reason even my mother hasnt gone back since the early 00s. Haiti continually gets f'ked by political unrest, economic upheaval, and ecological turmoil."

"Combined with the fact that our last living relative that was still there died back in 05, we have no connection to that place anymore."

"I sincerely, emphatically hope things get better, because one day I would love to connect with that part of my heritage, but not now, and probably not within the next ten years, either."

– WanderingGenesis

The One Who Never Went Back

"My good friend is Venezuelan. He left in 2014. Get a few drinks in him and he starts ranting about how much he hated it."

– AnchoviePopcorn

Switzerland can be too much of a good thing.

Lap Of Luxury

"I’ll never go back to Switzerland. It’s pretty, I just can’t afford to breathe there."

– ExpertAncient

"Even talking about Switzerland feels expensive."

– PocketRocketTrumpet

"I dont think we can afford this conversation."

– Boobagge

The Consolation Prize

"We flew to Switzerland and drove to France for our vacation because it was cheaper. We went back to Geneva for our flight out and couldn't get seats (flying standby). This lasted for a couple of days and like every day there between the hotel and the food was like a vacation budget of its own."

– lemonylol

People want a getaway to de-stress from their everyday lives.

Based on the examples and reasons listed above, it makes sense some people would want to avoid packing their bags for a dream vacation at the mentioned destinations.

Unless the travelers are thrill-seekers, I suppose.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Donald Trump
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Trump Just Tried To Claim He Spoke To A 'Former President' About Iran—But There's One Big Problem

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump isn't helping his handlers refute observations of his signs of dementia or overall cognitive decline.

According to the United Kingdom's The Independent, the POTUS told the press at least three times on Monday that one of his predecessors told him they wished they had launched an unprovoked attack on Iran just like Trump did.

Keep ReadingShow less
Candace Owens; Meghan McCain
Jason Davis/Getty Images; Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Candace Owens Posts Screenshot Of Charlie Kirk's NSFW Dig At Meghan McCain—And Get Out The Popcorn

Conservative mouthpieces Candace Owens and Meghan McCain are feuding over the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk, and things got really messy after Owens shared one of Kirk's alleged text messages to her.

Kirk was assassinated in September while speaking at an event in Utah. In the months since, Owens has distanced herself from many figures on the far right, accusing them of exploiting his legacy—at times even sharing private communications she had with him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump; Joe Kent
@atrupar/X; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Trump Just Responded To Top Counterterrorism Official's Damning Resignation Letter In Peak Trump Fashion

President Donald Trump was criticized for his response to the resignation of National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent over the war in Iran, saying the country "posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."

Kent, a former Green Beret and political candidate with ties to right-wing extremists, was confirmed last July in a 52–44 vote to lead the National Counterterrorism Center, where he oversaw efforts to analyze and detect terrorist threats.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jennifer Siebel Newsom; Donald Trump
@jennifersiebelnewsom/Instagram; Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom's Wife Claps Back Hard In Viral Video After Trump Mocks Newsom's Learning Disability

Jennifer Siebel Newsom—the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom—criticized President Donald Trump after he claimed her husband's dyslexia should disqualify him from being president, calling Trump's comments "extremely ignorant and offensive."

Newsom has frequently spoken about living with dyslexia, a common learning disability that can make reading more difficult and affect spelling and speech. He has said he prefers not to rely on teleprompters because of the condition, and wrote in a recent memoir that, when he was younger, he overcompensated by memorizing “pretentious words.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Sarah Michelle Gellar announced the news of Hulu's cancellation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival.
XNY/Star Max/GC Images

Gellar reveals reason for Buffy reboot ax

Sarah Michelle Gellar is finally pulling back the curtain on why Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s planned return was abruptly shut down—and the explanation is raising eyebrows.

In a new interview with People, Gellar pointed to a single Hulu executive who, she claims, simply didn’t like the original series, effectively halting the planned continuation show Buffy: New Sunnydale in its tracks—an ending that feels less like a heroic finale and more like a stake through a vampire’s heart.

Keep ReadingShow less