For most of us, vacation destination cities and countries seem like far off, touristy places. But I think a lot of us forget that people actually live in those kinds of places.
So the people of Reddit had a lot to say when they were asked the following question: ” People who live in ‘vacation destinations’ (Paris, the Bahamas, etc.) what is the most irritating misconception about where you live? “
“I only lived there for a little while, but it’s a common misconception that Hawaii is a great place to live.” – Reamund
“Don’t get me wrong – it might be the most beautiful place on earth and there are many, many exceptional things about living there. But it’s terribly expensive just to grocery shop, let alone try to buy a house.”
I imagine that a remote place like Hawaii would have a hard time getting imports…
“Many people just live with their parents and grandparents because no one can afford to move out.”
“So many houses and apartments/condos are bought as vacation properties, which drives up the price… It’s a catch-22 because so much of Hawaii’s money comes from tourism, but tourism is making it impossible for locals to buy homes.”
Yeah, wow. That really sucks.
“I lived in Amsterdam for five years.” – Andromeda321
“I realized pretty quick for the rest of my life saying you lived in Amsterdam means people assume you’re really into weed, illicit drugs, crazy parties, [sex workers], or a combination of all that.”
Yeah, I feel like Amsterdam has a lot more to offer than crazy partying and things that might be considered illegal in other countries.
“Los Angeles, specifically Hollywood.” – scottman586
“Literally everything about it is underwhelming. The Walk of Fame is cool for 2 seconds, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is smaller than you’d think…”
In other words, it’s just another city. Go figure.
“…the Hollywood sign is just a big ass sign, and no, you’re not going to run into a celebrities walking around.”
Obviously, celebrities live in Los Angeles. But I seriously doubt they’re all hanging out in tourist spots.
It still seems like a cool place to go visit, though.
“When I tell people I live in New York, they think I live in a penthouse overlooking Central Park.” – pretend_shower
“Let me be clear there’s much more this state has to offer.”
I guess this is a case of somebody living in a place that people assume is a tourist spot, but they really don’t. It doesn’t help that New York (the city) has the same name as New York (the state).
“I live in Munich. We just had Oktoberfest. The most aromatic of all events. Vomit. Urine. Mostly vomit.” – MsAndie1
Yeah, I imagine a festival that’s heavily associated with beer drinking may not be quite the magical experience you think it would be.
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Plus, it’s not like Munich only exists for Oktoberfest…
“That New Yorkers are rude.” – Chickenbrik
“We can be totally. But it’s because you mess up the flow of the rest of us who need to get somewhere.”
You mean, New Yorkers are nice ? Shocker.
“If you get lost a New Yorker will jump at the chance to help. Need a photo taken for your vacation someone will take the snapshot.”
“Tip: If you are sight seeing move to the side and not in the middle of a side walk and never stand more then [sic] two people wide (unless you got a small child).”
That’s some pretty solid advice. It’s nice to know that New Yorkers have tourists’ backs.
“Florida here.” – RedSnapperVeryTasty
“The best beaches are on the gulf coast, not South Florida and definitely not the Keys.”
A lot of the time, it feels like all of Florida (or at least most of it) is a pretty touristy place. That’s obviously not the case, though.
“Alligators are mostly big shy scaredy-cats . Attacks are very rare. They’re not out there eating everybody.”
You know, I’ve actually been to Florida before, and never ran into a gator. I guess they mostly try to leave people alone?
“Living in Bali.” – xbabykingx
“Yes there are some beautiful places but its [sic] really dirty here. There is literally garbage everywhere as the local government doesn’t have a trash collection program. People burn their trash everywhere.”
It honestly seems like a beautiful place to visit! But like a lot of tourist destinations, it’s not all pretty…
“Also tons of corruption by police that try to supplement their income.”
“Lots of poverty and poor people from whole of Indonesiz [sic] trying their luck here. There is a reason why the Indonesian government is trying to steer tourist to the ‘new Bali’s:’ it is overcrowded.”
Yeah… it’s pretty sad to think about.
“Cape Town, South Africa. Firstly, the moment people see AFRICA, they think we all own baby lion cubs and ride on elephants from A-B.” – Anthead3w
“…Sadly, They don’t think we have Internet or any other form of modern technology.”
It’s crazy how people think that there’s no civilization in Africa. Like, in any part of the continent. It’s also crazy how many people forget Africa is a whole continent, and that South Africa is just one country.
“Big surprise when they get here.”
“I think the biggest surprise is the way our poverty will hit them when they land in Cape Town. We have a ‘settlement’ filled with clusters of shacks right next to the airport. So the scenic drive from the airport to the main city is filled with shacks. It can be very… Underwhelming.”
Yeah, that would be quite the shock…
“Australia is big, varied, and safe.” – JackofScarlets
“There are dangers here, but your biggest risk is yourself. Just read the signs (not a metaphor – there’s signs about every danger everywhere) and use common sense.”
It’s funny how we’ve been fooled into believing that Australia is this big, dangerous place. Like, people live there.
“Honestly, I’ve seen Americans and Canadians, who have been near [expletive] grizzlies, freak out over a lizard. Just relax man, it’s nice here.”
When you think about it, there are actually a lot of really dangerous animals right here in North America. Like black widows, bears, scorpions, wolves… Probably no more dangerous here than in Australia.
“Quebec City here (Like Paris, but way smaller).” – [deleted]
“People need to realize that we are nowhere near as nice as tourist guides make us out to be. Yes, we will be nice toward tourists, but in reality, out of the Canadian cities… we are among the the most racist and close-minded people.”
There’s a misconception that Canadians are nice… but not all Canadians are nice (and not just the ones in Quebec).
“Napa Valley Wine country is really just that …country. Lots of cows and their …smells. Cheers!” – champagneandcheerios
I guess if you’ve seen one farm, you’ve seen them all.
“I lived outside of San Francisco.” – lorimiller1965
“Everyone was always surprised how cold it is there. The ocean isn’t friendly like in SoCal.”
I’m sure when they say cold, they don’t mean snow for days. But if a Californian says that parts of California get cold, I’ll believe it.
