9 popular travel spots that aren’t nearly as glamorous as people think

I've been fortunate enough to visit dozens of countries over the years. From street markets in Bangkok to vineyard estates in Tuscany, I've chased experiences the way some people chase paychecks.

But here's what nobody tells you about travel: the places everyone raves about? Half of them are kind of disappointing.

I'm not trying to be cynical. I love exploring new cultures and tasting regional cuisines.

But social media has created this weird echo chamber where certain destinations get hyped to impossible standards. Then you arrive, and reality hits like a mediocre hotel breakfast buffet.

The truth is, some of the world's most Instagram-famous spots are overcrowded, overpriced, or just plain underwhelming in person. And I think it's time someone said it out loud.

So let's talk about nine popular travel destinations that aren't nearly as glamorous as people think. Maybe this will save you some money, or at least help you set more realistic expectations.

1) Times Square, New York City

I lived in New York for a few years during my culinary training, and I can count on one hand the number of times I voluntarily went to Times Square.

Yet tourists flock there like it's the crown jewel of Manhattan.

Here's the reality: it's a neon-lit intersection packed with chain restaurants, overpriced souvenir shops, and people in knock-off character costumes trying to charge you for photos.

The food is universally terrible unless you walk several blocks away. The crowds are suffocating. And there's literally nothing there you can't experience better somewhere else in the city.

Want theater? Go to the actual Broadway theaters, not the TKTS line surrounded by Olive Garden signs. Want energy and excitement? Head to the West Village or Brooklyn. Want good food? Anywhere but there.

Times Square exists for one reason: to separate tourists from their money as efficiently as possible.

If you're visiting New York, spend maybe ten minutes there taking your obligatory photo, then get the hell out and explore neighborhoods where actual New Yorkers live.

2) The Mona Lisa at the Louvre

The Louvre itself is incredible. The building, the architecture, the sheer volume of masterpieces - it's genuinely worth visiting.

But the Mona Lisa experience? That's a different story.

You'll wait in a massive crowd, all elbowing for position, to see a surprisingly small painting behind bulletproof glass from about fifteen feet away. You get maybe thirty seconds before security moves you along.

The painting itself is remarkable for its historical significance and technique. But you can't appreciate any of that while being jostled by a hundred other people all holding their phones up to capture the same blurry photo.

Meanwhile, there are stunning Caravaggios and Rembrandts in nearby galleries with almost nobody looking at them.

I'm not saying skip the Mona Lisa entirely. Just understand that the experience of viewing it has almost nothing to do with actually appreciating art. It's more like checking a box on a cultural scavenger hunt.

Spend your time in the Louvre exploring the less-crowded wings. That's where the magic actually happens.

3) Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles

Hollywood Boulevard promises glamour, celebrities, and the essence of the entertainment industry.

What you actually get is a dingy stretch of cracked sidewalk with celebrity names you don't recognize, aggressive panhandlers, and tourist traps selling commemorative t-shirts.

I've had clients from the entertainment world, and none of them would be caught dead on Hollywood Boulevard unless they were being paid to appear there.

The Walk of Fame stars are dirty and unimpressive. The Chinese Theatre is interesting for about five minutes. And the chances of seeing an actual celebrity are roughly the same as anywhere else in LA, which is to say, very low.

If you want to experience Los Angeles properly, explore the food scene in Koreatown, hike Runyon Canyon, or visit the Getty Museum. Those experiences actually deliver on their promises.

Hollywood Boulevard is what happens when a city commodifies its own mythology until there's nothing authentic left.

4) The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Full disclosure: I haven't been to Pisa myself. But I've talked to enough people who have, and they all say the same thing.

It's a tower. It leans. That's it.

The surrounding area is packed with vendors selling cheap souvenirs. Everyone takes the same forced-perspective photo pretending to hold up the tower.

Then you realize you just traveled to a small Italian city to see...one tilted building.

Italy is filled with incredible destinations. Florence is an hour away and overflowing with Renaissance art. The Tuscan countryside offers world-class wine and cuisine.

Even smaller Italian towns have more charm and authenticity than Pisa's main tourist zone.

The Leaning Tower isn't bad, exactly. It's just aggressively mediocre compared to everything else Italy offers.

If you're already in the area, sure, stop by for an hour. But don't make it a destination unto itself. You'll regret the time you could have spent literally anywhere else in Tuscany.

5) Bourbon Street, New Orleans

New Orleans is one of America's most unique cities. The food, the music, the architecture, the culture, it's all genuinely special.

Bourbon Street is none of those things.

It's basically an open-air frat party that smells like vomit and spilled beer. Drunk tourists stumble between overpriced bars serving watered-down hurricanes while dubstep pounds from competing sound systems.

The real New Orleans exists everywhere except Bourbon Street. Frenchmen Street has better live music. Magazine Street has better shopping.

And almost any restaurant off the main drag serves better food than the tourist traps lining Bourbon.

I get the appeal of a famous party street. But Bourbon Street has become a parody of itself, a theme-park version of debauchery that has nothing to do with the actual soul of New Orleans.

Do yourself a favor: walk down Bourbon Street once, realize it's exactly as tacky as everyone says, then spend the rest of your trip exploring the neighborhoods where locals actually eat and drink.

6) Santorini during peak season

The photos of Santorini are stunning. Those white buildings cascading down cliffs, the blue-domed churches, the sunset views over the Aegean Sea, it looks like paradise.

Then you visit during summer and discover that paradise is completely overrun.

Cruise ships disgorge thousands of day-trippers into tiny villages designed for a few hundred people. The famous sunset spot in Oia becomes so packed you can barely move. Restaurant prices are astronomical because they know you have limited options.

And here's the thing: Santorini probably is beautiful and romantic if you go during shoulder season or stay away from the main tourist areas.

But most people visit during peak summer months and end up in what feels like a very expensive, very crowded, very hot theme park.

Greece has countless islands that offer similar beauty without the crowds. Naxos, Paros, Milos; all gorgeous, all more affordable, all far more pleasant to actually experience.

Santorini suffers from its own success. It's become so popular that the experience of visiting has been degraded by the sheer volume of other people with the same idea.

7) Dubai's manufactured luxury

Dubai represents the ultimate expression of wealth and excess. The world's tallest building, artificial islands, indoor ski slopes, gold-plated everything.

But beneath the surface, something feels hollow.

I've worked with extremely wealthy clients who love Dubai. I've also met people who found it soulless and artificial.

The difference usually comes down to whether you value spectacle over substance.

Everything in Dubai is new, manufactured, designed to impress. There's minimal history or culture beyond the commercial.

The food scene consists largely of international chains and hotel restaurants. The heat is oppressive. And despite all the luxury, there's something sterile about the whole experience.

The architectural achievements are genuinely impressive from an engineering standpoint. But walking around Dubai feels more like touring a very expensive shopping mall than experiencing a real place where real people live.

If mega-malls and record-breaking buildings excite you, Dubai delivers exactly what it promises.

But if you travel to connect with culture, history, and authentic local experiences, you'll probably leave feeling empty.

It's luxury without soul, spectacle without substance.

8) Stonehenge

Ancient mysterious rocks arranged in a circle by prehistoric peoples for unknown purposes, sounds intriguing, right?

Then you arrive and discover you can't actually get close to the stones. You view them from behind a rope barrier, usually in cold drizzle, surrounded by other disappointed tourists.

The stones themselves are impressive in scale and historical significance. But the actual experience of visiting Stonehenge is remarkably underwhelming.

You're essentially paying admission to look at rocks from a distance while being herded along a prescribed path.

There's no sense of mystery or connection to the ancient world, just crowd control and gift shop efficiency.

England has incredible historical sites that allow actual engagement with the past.

Bath, York, the Cotswolds villages, all offer richer, more immersive experiences than staring at Stonehenge from behind a barrier.

I understand why Stonehenge is protected and why access is restricted.

But that doesn't change the fact that visiting it feels more like checking off a bucket list item than having a meaningful travel experience.

9) The Four Corners Monument

This one's almost comically disappointing, but people still go.

Four Corners marks the only place in the United States where four states meet. You can stand in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico simultaneously.

Sounds quirky and fun, right?

It's a concrete slab in the middle of the desert with state lines marked on it. That's it.

You pay a few dollars, take your photo standing on the marker, then realize you drove hours out of your way for something that took thirty seconds.

The surrounding landscape is beautiful if you're into desert scenery.

But the monument itself is aggressively underwhelming. A geographic curiosity that doesn't translate into an interesting destination.

The American Southwest has incredible natural wonders. Monument Valley, Arches National Park, Sedona; all within a few hours of Four Corners and infinitely more worth your time.

Four Corners exists purely as a photo opportunity. If that's enough for you, great. But don't expect anything more profound than a concrete slab in the desert.

Finally, travel is about managing expectations

I'm not trying to ruin anyone's travel dreams. Some people visit these places and love them, and that's completely valid.

But I think we do ourselves a disservice by hyping destinations beyond what they can reasonably deliver.

The best travel experiences I've had weren't at famous landmarks.

They were at small family restaurants in Bangkok where I was the only foreigner. They were conversations with locals in Austin coffee shops.

They were unexpected detours that led to discoveries no guidebook mentioned.

Recently, I've been reading Rudá Iandê's book "Laughing in the Face of Chaos."

One insight that really stuck with me is this idea that most of our beliefs, including our beliefs about which travel destinations are "worth it", are inherited programming from culture and society.

We're told certain places are must-see destinations, so we assume they must be amazing. But when we actually show up and experience them for ourselves, we realize the hype rarely matches reality.

The book encouraged me to question these inherited assumptions more actively. To trust my own direct experience over what Instagram or travel influencers tell me I should value.

Travel is incredible when you approach it with curiosity rather than expectations. When you're open to being surprised instead of ticking boxes on a predetermined list of "must-see" attractions.

So go ahead and visit Times Square or the Leaning Tower if you want. Just don't be shocked when the experience feels more like obligation than revelation.

The real magic of travel happens in the spaces between the famous landmarks, in the places where curiosity leads you off the beaten path.

Those are the experiences worth chasing.