The Most Disappointing Travel Destinations On The Planet

It's easy to be excited about a place you have never visited before. But it's also very easy to be misled about how cool or worthy of your time and money it is. A quick Google search usually suggests the most popular sites. Unfortunately, they can actually be the ones you want to avoid.

Can you really be in two, three or four places at the same time? No. So what's the point of going all the way out there, in the middle of a desert with nothing else to do, to play Twister and bend four ways so you can touch a tiny area of four states? Spend your time more wisely and take your family to an adventure in any of the four states.

Kissing Ireland's Blarney Stone is a centuries-old tradition. It is supposed to give a person the gift of articulateness and persuasiveness. However, kissing the stone is just asking to get sick; your lips are touching something thousands of others have kissed. Do you really want to spend hours of your life getting there, waiting and then going back to get everyone else's bacteria, lipstick and saliva?

If all you want to do is look at lights and lose your hard-earned money at the slots, then this is the place for you. But how long can you do this for? After an hour or two it becomes overwhelming. Believe it or not, there are many free things to do in Vegas, and visiting its (adventurous) surrounding areas is actually a much better idea.

Built nearly 2,500 years ago as a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon used to be worth a trip but, unfortunately, not lately. Many of its best sculptures are at the British Museum in London. Also, it has been under construction to restore it, so you can't even see it in its full glory.

People go to see glaring lights. But every big city in the world has similar sites. There is nothing unique about Times Square. The area is so crowded all day long that it takes minutes to walk one block. If you like being pushed around and spending a lot of money on something you can buy anywhere else, then visit. Snap a few photos and never go there again. No doubt you will find a better place in a city of five huge boroughs and 8.4 million people.

The crowds are unbearable, even for people who are really, really into samba music. Besides, how long can you actually stand having the same kind of music blasting in your ears? A couple of hours, tops?

The painting is small, first of all. It's really about as big as an A4 printing paper. You already know what it looks like. Newsflash: You're not going to see it from up close. Not just because there is a lot of people there, always, but because there is a guard preventing you from doing so. Choose the train-station-turned-museum Musée d'Orsay, especially if you are a Vincent van Gogh fan.

Look at the photo and ask yourself whether, honesty, they look even a little bit like actual humans? The photos of the figures you see online must have been photoshopped because, when seen in real life, they don't look like anything but shiny dolls. Besides, you don't always see the most famous celebrities. It also depends on whom you want to see. The museum in Hong Kong focuses mostly on Chinese stars, while the one in London on British celebrities.

There is no doubt that it will be very cool to be right on the Equator, even if just for a few seconds, but you won't get that experience where Ecuador says you can. A modern GPS unit shows that the actual Equator lies about 780 feet north of the indicated line. The land near it is crossed by a ravine and it is not suitable to hold a monument, so the builders chose a different location for the line, according to Amusing Planet.

The German parliament building is a strange attraction. It has a lot of history but the whole idea of visiting is to make it to the glass dome for a panoramic view of Berlin. If so, then you should go to Panoramapunkt, a 25-story tower in Potsdamer Platz. It's higher that the Reichstag, which means better views, and it has fewer people.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame, also known as a sidewalk with some stars in a rough part of town, is not as exciting as it may seem. It's dirty, with overpriced hotels and bars. Also, due to the fact that so many people go, you will certainly encounter a lot of beggars, some of whom can be quite aggressive.

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands. Tourists go to buy souvenirs or to go on a boat ride to "catch" the monster. Nessie's existence has never been proven. Scientists have yet to find anything. So you'll basically be spending a lot of money for nothing. Since you're already in the Highlands, why don't you explore the famous the mountain range, which is one of the most beautiful on Earth.

If you could just arrive and get up without having to wait for hours, then the Eiffel Tower may not be on this list. The truth is that the tower is pretty when looked at, from a far, not when you're looking from it. It's also expensive. The views are pretty much the same, minus the crowds, from the top of Montmartre.

This luxury department store is where you can spend millions in a few minutes. Why? You can go and just look, but, again, why would you do that? It's always crowded. Many people complain of the bad service at bars and eateries – extremely overpriced, even for such a high-end store, and not being served for a while even though they are not busy.

It's a gorgeous beach with gorgeous views – when it's empty and you have it all by yourself, which is nearly impossible. Otherwise, it's just like any other overcrowded coastline. With the huge numbers of people come a lot of trash and chaos as well.

The Mall of America is home to more stores than any other mall in the country – but let's be honest, it's still just a mall. For some visitors this is enticing, but for others it's overwhelming and difficult to navigate. At least they have a cool, huge indoor water park, which is perfect if you want to make a generally boring shopping experience a little more exciting.

Italy is a beautiful country but the Tower Pisa is overrated. If you don't have anything to do all day and you've been to more interesting attractions, then by all means stand in line for a long time and spend money to walk up the slanted tower and then take photos pretending you're fixing it.

This is basically a tourist trap for foreigners who don't know any better. If you expect to see a pub every few feet, this is where you go. But this area does not represent what Dublin, or the country, is about. You will not find any locals here; they avoid the place by all means.

The island is undoubtedly stunning, at least the one part of it that you always see on photos. You also almost always see it empty at around sunrise. The reality is quite different – the island is flooded with people year-round. And the stress are narrow, which only makes it look even more crowded. It's too busy and too loud – not the "island life" you'd imagine.

The lines are huge. You basically need to clear half of your day so that you can wait, and then wait some more, until you finally get to the top. The ticket is pricey, too – $37. Go to the Top of the Rock instead for the same views, including of the Empire State Building, and smaller lines. (Admission price is $28-$34)

Since it's illegal to fish out the coins from the fountain, why would you go? You'll get better views looking at it online. The crowds rarely subside, which prevent you from even taking a cool photo. The fountain does make for a romantic spot to propose if you go at night (when, hopefully, fewer people are there). 

Unless you are a 20-something party animal on a guys' getaway or at a bachelor party, stay away. As one of the most famous beaches in the world, at a place where the weather is always nice and warm, you can always expect tons of people. Florida has plenty of stunning, and definitely more secluded beaches, you can enjoy.

It's really small – much tinier than it seems – and it's just a stone. There really is no reason to spend more than a few seconds looking at it. Also, this is only a replica. The original one is kept inside to protect it from vandals.

With a history of the infamous Salem Witch Trial it's no wonder that the city is a site of many hauntings. But that's it. Unless you're into that kind of thing, Salem is just going to be a disappointment. The buildings are not particularly pretty or impressive. People, or even staff at museums, are rarely even dressed as witches. There are plenty of shops to buy things, though.

This landmark in Chicago is famous because it's on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The pier includes museums, restaurants, shopping and a theater. Highlights include the Ferris wheel, the Children's Museum, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Crystal Gardens — and being Chicago's largest overrated tourist trap, according to many online reviews. A lot of people say the entire interior is nothing but souvenir shops and food booths designed to entice your kids and take your money.