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Top 3 Cities That Don't Live Up to the Hype

And the three better alternatives where you should visit instead.

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skyline of dubai at sunrise
Photo by David Rodrigo on Unsplash

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People love to travel. Many people that travel internationally tend to travel to the same places that they and millions of others are familiar with. Once they get there, their experience in the city may be underwhelming. Here are the top three cities that do not live up to the hype.

1. Ibiza, Spain

Hilltop view of the ocean and cove in Ibiza1. Ibiza, Spain

Known as the party oasis of the summer. This place is advertised to be a typical rich person's playground, flooded with celebrities and yacht parties. Ibiza's tourism is mainly coming from their beach clubs and infamous nightlife scene with legendary resident DJs like Carl Cox, Tiesto, and Martin Garrix.

However, Ibiza is overpriced, tacky, and downright overrated. At the height of the party season, Ibiza is overcrowded, attracting around seven million visitors every summer. And it's mainly occupied by loud, annoying, and unattractive British men flying in on budget airlines. If you have the money and want to make the most of your party experience in Ibiza, ball out in the VIP areas. But I wouldn't recommend simply coming here as an average middle-class tourist.

Where To Go Instead: Calo Des Moro, Mallorca Island, Spain

Located in Ibiza's neighboring island of Mallorca, this is hands-down the most beautiful beach ever. It is a private beach, so you won't be surrounded by tons of loud tourists. Swimming in its immaculate coves and caves makes you feel like you've entered Neverland. The cliffs are also fun to jump off of, too. There are many beaches like this one around the island, but this one takes the cake.

Pro Tip: I would split a taxi from the hotel with three people, go to Aldi, stock up on €1 champagne, lots of water, Desperados beer, and snacks, and spend an entire day trip there and catch the last bus back. Make sure to pay for the taxi and bus in cash.

2. Venice, Italy

Small boat on a canal in VenizeVenice Sunny Day [explore 9-4-13] | Beautiful day in Venice.… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Venice, "The City of Water," will always be a popular tourist destination. There are other places that call themselves "the Venice of the North" or "the Venice of the Jungle," but there will only be one Venice, Italy. Known for its gondolas that cruise around the city, it has its historic medieval architecture with landmarks, such as the beautiful St. Mark's Basilica.

However, there have been many problems plaguing the once-beloved city, including recent floodings, political corruption, and financial woes to name a few. From a traveler's standpoint, the city itself is underpopulated and over-visited. The waters smell like sewage and even look dull and mucky on cloudy days. Everything that can be bought on the Piazza San Marco is heavily overpriced, especially the drinks. Order one Bellini and one vodka tonic on the main Venetian plaza and you'll be stiffed with a bill of €60. Not to mention all of the gondolas that float around Venice are super expensive, close to €100 for a 20-minute ride.

Where To Go Instead: Trieste, Italy

Just outside of Venice on the border of Slovenia, you will find the Italian port of Trieste. Trieste is known for its rich history, beautiful architecture, and most notably, their coffee. Trieste is the coffee capital of the Mediterranean. You can tour the roasteries and drink some of the most aromatic, velvety, and tastiest coffees in the world. You should also venture out of the city center to the beautiful neighboring beaches of Barcola. It's got a strip of restaurants that serve anything from authentic Italian pizza to Mediterranean seafood.

3. Dubai, UAE

Hotel Atlantis in Dubai at nightHotel Atlantis at Sunset, The Palm - Dubai | The iconic Atla… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Dubai is located in one of the most oil-rich countries on the planet in the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is most known for its extravagant skyscrapers, wealthy royalty, and the largest mall in the world. Dubai even has an indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert, as well as underwater hotels. It's a rich man's paradise on a whole other level where even the police cars consist of only expensive luxury cars. You can have an absolute blast here if you're wealthy. But not just millionaire-wealthy, more like billionaire-wealthy. You also have to be a certain kind of wealthy in which you place a higher value on material things and glue your eyes to the prize and not the price tag.

Of course in a place like this, everything will be overpriced. The problem with Dubai is that the value of the city itself is totally artificial. Worse yet, there really isn't that much to do in Dubai other than shop. Dubai has topped the charts year after year as the most overhyped and overvalued city in the world. This is due to a variety of factors: it currently has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world. Dubai is also viewed as still being in its developmental phase as a city. It's basically an incomplete and overfunded version of Las Vegas, without the gambling.

Where To Go Instead: Musandam Fjords Peninsula, Oman

Visit the majestic rocky landscape of the Norwegian-like fjords of the Middle East. For those of you that don't know, fjords are defined by Google as "long, narrow, deep inlets of the sea between high cliffs." These fjords are located at the peninsula just outside of Dubai near Telegraph Island. Although there aren't a lot of trees in these Middle Eastern fjords, the waters are filled with ocean life, making the Musandam a perfect location to go kayaking, scuba diving, and swimming along with the dolphins.

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