I’ve been to around 45 countries in all corners of the world. These are cities I would not go back to unless it was necessary to pass through on the way to somewhere else:
- Managua, Nicaragua - a weird, sprawling mishmash. Not much of a discernible city centre, nothing of interest. Gave me strange vibes.
- Fez, Morocco - worst harassment I have ever experienced as a solo female traveller. Got followed and harassed every time I stepped outside, which just made the place impossible to enjoy.
- Dubai, UAE - unwelcoming, cold (not the temperature lol, just the feeling), ridiculous displays of wealth, unbearably hot. Just not my cup of tea.
- Phuket, Thailand - constant hassling from taxi drivers and touts, way too touristy, sleazy. There are way nicer places in Thailand.
- Jakarta, Indonesia - so polluted and overcrowded.
- Papeete, French Polynesia - extremely expensive and oppressively hot. Locals were not very friendly.
Nothing against any of these countries - most of them had other places I loved, these particular cities just weren’t for me.
I hate being negative about places, so here are some cities that I absolutely would go back to that I didn’t have particularly high expectations (didn’t necessary think they’d be bad, they just ended up exceeding my expectations) for but really ended up enjoying:
- Mexico City, Mexico - so much more beautiful in the historic areas than I ever imagined. Delicious food, lots to see and do, interesting streets just to wander.
- Yazd, Iran - very beautiful and unique city architecturally, friendliest people I’ve ever met, incredible sights just outside the city, not touristy.
- Ljubljana, Slovenia - I love this little city. It’s very charming and pretty and just had good vibes.
- Tirana, Albania - met so many lovely people here, and just good vibes. Quite different to what I expected Albania to be like.
- New York, USA - had high hopes for New York, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. Can’t wait to go back.
- Lyon, France - spend six months living there and absolutely loved it. Very underrated!
- Quetzaltenango, Guatemala - also spent a few months living there and loved it. So much to explore in the area, beautiful scenery, and lovely people.
- Naples, Italy - unexpectedly cool. I like cities that are a little rough around the edges but interesting, and Naples definitely ticked those boxes. With the exception of the rubbish problem, I also thought it was really pretty.
- Cape Town, South Africa - thought it was gonna be a lot scarier than it was. V&A waterfront is awesome, and there are some beautiful drives on the outskirts of the city. Definitely a seedy vibe in some areas, bit overall it was really enjoyable.
EDIT: for some reason I keep having people ask me if I’ve been to India and why it isn’t on the list. As I’m getting sick of writing this over and over, I’m adding it to the original answer - yes, I have been to India. No, I have not added any Indian cities to the list, nor will I. India was very much as expected, I wouldn’t not return, nor was it unexpectedly amazing. I have been to literally hundreds of cities, so obviously they are not all going to be listed here.
The other question I keep getting asked is how I travelled so much - again, to save repeating myself, the answer is that I spent eight years at university and a lot of my travel was during this time thanks to long summer breaks. During the year I would work three jobs and to save and then give up my apartment over the summer so I didn’t have to pay rent. My travel has all been self-funded. I also made the most of university and high school exchanges, which allowed me to live in Canada and France essentially free (or at no extra cost than living in NZ) and travel n=to new places from those bases. I’m also the queen of travelling on a budget haha! Hope this helps answer many of the questions I was getting!
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