That Destination Isn’t Too Touristy, You’re Just a Bad Traveler

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard a fellow traveler say the phrase, “That destination is just too touristy.”

Well, I’ll let you in on a secret: there’s nothing wrong with the destination. You’ve just met a bad traveler!

I’ve traveled to many countries that have been personally victimized by the “too touristy” label: Spain, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, Croatia…and let me assure you, there are more under-the-radar spots in all of these countries than most travelers could squeeze into an entire trip.

So, what inspired this tongue-in-cheek post?

I was browsing a travel forum online, when I stumbled across a post talking about how touristy Mexico is.

My initial reaction: Um…what? Are they talking about the same Mexico that I know and love?! The same Mexico that I’ve visited four times, and have barely scratched the surface of?!

Turns out, this traveler was talking about Cancun and Tulum. Cancun and Tulum!!! The concept that someone out there has labeled the entire country of Mexico as “too touristy” based on their experiences in Cancun and Tulum just blows my mind.

That would be like basing your opinions about the United States solely on Manhattan and Hollywood!

The way I see it, there’s only one explanation here: this person put zero effort into their trip.

Maybe a friend of theirs visited Cancun and Tulum, and had an amazing time. And so this person decides to book a trip there too, without even taking the time to research what they’re getting themselves into.

Maybe they expected Cancun and Tulum to have secluded, romantic beaches that other tourists haven’t discovered yet. Maybe they expected authentic cultural experiences. Who knows?

Either way, thirty minutes of surface-level research will tell you everything you need to know about these two destinations. So there’s no excuse for having unrealistic expectations.

If you go into this trip with realistic expectations, you’ll have a great time. You can sip cocktails by the pool at your resort, work on your tan, and maybe venture out to some of the nearby ruins or cenotes if you’re up for it. If not, that’s okay too! You know what you’ve signed up for by traveling to one of the world’s most popular resort destinations.

But if you go into this trip expecting some amazing, exciting cultural experience to fall into your lap, without you needing to work for it at all, and with zero other tourists around…? Well, that’s on you bud! You should have traveled somewhere else if that’s what you wanted.

And if you ever do find yourself in this scenario, please don’t—DON’T!!—declare that all of Mexico is too touristy. For the love of travel, just don’t.

Adventure isn’t something that just happens to you; you need to put in some effort.

Oh, but this is your vacation and you don’t want to put in effort?

You want to hit up the easy spots that are listed in the Top 10 Must-Sees on TripAdvisor? You don’t feel like spending hours scouring travel forums and page 4 of the Google search results to find a less-touristy place to visit? You’d rather not venture into the outskirts of a foreign city you’re not familiar with?

That’s absolutely fine! But at least have the self awareness to recognize that you made those decisions, and that there might actually be more to your destination than your own limited experiences.

If you arrive in any popular tourist destination—Bangkok, San Francisco, Shanghai, Barcelona, Paris—and expect adventure to just fall into your lap, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Tourist sights and attractions are usually popular for a reason…the reason being that they’re awesome and worthwhile. I almost never skip the popular tourist attractions because I do feel that they offer a lot of cultural or historic value.

But if an attraction has thousands upon thousands of reviews on TripAdvisor or Yelp, don’t expect to have it all to yourself when you get there. If you want to have a more unique experience, you need to commit to doing things differently.

Don’t copy some other traveler’s itinerary step-by-step and expect it to be perfectly suited to your tastes, and free from crowds. Because chances are, thousands of other travelers are copying the same itinerary as you!

Instead, pull bits and pieces from multiple itineraries and build something custom-made that you know you’ll enjoy. Stumble across something cool that doesn’t have a lot of reviews? Don’t let that scare you off; it just might be that hidden gem you’re looking for.

But aren’t some destinations really just too touristy…?

Maybe…but I think it depends on how you define the scope of the destination. Sure, Barcelona is pretty touristy. But are you applying that label to all of Barcelona, or just the Gothic Quarter? Specific neighborhoods are one thing, but I think it’s rare that you can truly label an entire city as “too touristy.”

And entire countries? No way Jose! I don’t believe that is ever accurate or appropriate.

Also, “good” travelers should still be able to find ways to have unique experiences and enjoy themselves even in the most touristy destinations. All it takes is breaking free from the herd (and your own comfort zone). Some examples:

In 2015, I spent five days on Koh Phi Phi—one of Thailand’s most infamously touristy destinations. Before visiting, I had heard incredibly mixed reviews; some talked about the incredible beaches and scenery, while others described the smelly town center and drunk backpackers slurping buckets of vodka. Yikes!

But you know what I discovered when I got there? That 95% of the island’s hotels and restaurants were packed into a tiny strip of land right by the pier. We stayed further outside the tourist zone, on a much nicer and quieter stretch of beach.

We also spent a lot of time hiking around the island, where we encountered tiny homes tucked away in the jungle, epic viewpoints overlooking the Andaman Sea, and completely empty pristine beaches.

By putting in just the slightest bit of effort to get out of the popular tourist hotspot, we found some of the most stunning beaches I’ve seen anywhere in the world. And we even had one of them completely to ourselves. It was freaking magical!

And so yeah, when I hear people say things like, “Koh Phi Phi is just a gross backpacker party spot,” I can’t help but assume that they didn’t even try to explore elsewhere on the island. It would be like sitting in Times Square for two days straight, and then declaring all of New York City “too touristy.”

In 2017, I spent two weeks in Croatia. Croatia is a bit of a weird destination, in that many people think it’s a relatively “off the beaten path” country in Europe, while others think it’s already “too touristy.” My personal opinion? It’s somewhere in the middle, and it depends heavily on where you go.

Many travelers who visit Croatia hit up Split and Dubrovnik—perhaps the two most popular cities in the whole country—and then base their entire opinion about Croatia on those two destinations alone.

Sure, if you visit any city where multiple cruise ships dock per day, it’s going to get busy! But I’d like to ask those travelers who have dubbed Croatia “too touristy” or “ruined by Game of Thrones,” where else did you go? What lesser-known cities and regions did you research and visit?

Because overall, my experiences in Croatia looked a lot less like the image above, and more like this…

…and I could go on and on and on about all sorts of other destinations, from California and Hawaii to Germany, Tahiti and yes, Mexico. You can find overcrowded, touristy spots in almost any destination in the world, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s all there is!

I don’t mean to be harsh, but honestly—if you don’t put in any effort to find those “hidden gems,” how can you expect to be rewarded with them?

So how do you find those less-touristy destinations?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a straightforward answer. The only truthful response is that it completely depends on the destination.

I’ll usually start with a simple Google search; something along the lines of “most beautiful islands in French Polynesia” or “off the beaten path in Croatia” or “small towns in Spain.”

This search will lead me to travel forums, tourism websites, blogs and other resources. Quite often, the popular “must see” places will make up the bulk of the information provided, but a few lesser-known spots might be listed as well. Bingo!

Once I have the name of a destination in mind, I’ll search for pictures on Google or Instagram to see if it’s somewhere that really interests me.

Keep in mind, this place might not have as many reviews as you’re used to seeing—in fact, it almost certainly won’t. The most recent mention on TripAdvisor might be from a year ago, or the forum might only have a few responses. That’s sort of the point!

I also plan for a lot of “aimless wandering” time in my itineraries. I usually spend my first day in any destination walking, biking or driving around to get familiar with the area and see what stands out to me. You can find a lot of cool, uncrowded areas simply by venturing a few miles outside the tourist zone.

One of my most important travel rules is that there is no such thing as a “must see.”

Just because it’s all over Instagram or TripAdvisor, doesn’t mean I have to go there…especially if there’s something else that interests me more.

This mindset has helped me tailor my travels to my interests, and has led to decisions such as skipping Cartagena in favor of Palomino in Colombia, or visiting Huahine instead of Bora Bora. These might be the wrong choices for someone else, but they were spot-on for me.

When it comes to escaping the touristy areas and finding alternative neighborhoods or cities to visit, I’ll also leave you with this helpful hint:

Getting off-the-beaten-path doesn’t have to mean going someplace brand new, that no one has ever experienced.

In fact, that would be an unrealistic expectation. For me, it simply means creating your own adventures and doing things in your own way—rather than the same exact way as everyone else—no matter where in the world you go.

Trust me, there’s no need to find a place so remote and unheard of that you’re the first person ever to visit; being surrounded by 100 fellow tourists instead of 10,000 is dramatically different enough.

Whether it’s a small town an hour outside of Dubrovnik, a neighborhood in one of the outer arrondissements of Paris, or a beach on the remote side of the island you’re visiting, off-the-beaten-path is usually closer than you think.

---

Let’s discuss! Do you agree that with the right amount of research and effort, no destination is “too touristy?” Or do you disagree? I’d love to hear from my fellow travelers on this topic. Be honest and don’t worry if you have a different opinion, let’s have an open discussion!