The travel hotspots that do - and don't - live up to social media hype

Social media influencers beam the world’s biggest, most interesting and prettiest destinations into living rooms around the globe with their videos and photos. But sadly, reality doesn’t always live up to those Instagram, YouTube and TikTok posts - as a recent thread on Reddit highlights. Tourists have taken to the site to share the destinations that didn’t match the hashtag hype. And the ones that did. Reddit user ‘Amphotoxic’ kicked off the discussion by asking: ‘What travel destination is nothing like it’s portrayed on social media?’

Baffled by bamboo: Japan’s Arashiyama Bamboo Forest in Kyoto has attracted more than 110,000 tags on Instagram, but for many travellers it doesn’t live up to the photo billing. ‘Existencefaqs’ says: ‘Bamboo forest in Kyoto is much smaller and more crowded than it’s often portrayed.’ ‘SnoNight’ adds: ‘Went there before sunrise and was surprised it was just a path of bamboo near some people’s houses.’

Tormented by Times Square, New York: Redditor 'bedpeace' complained: 'It's tiny and much less impressive than it looks in film or in photos. Just a couple blocks filled with giant screens and advertisements.

Plymouth Rock - doesn't rock: The USA’s Plymouth Rock, in Massachusetts, might have huge historic significance as the site of the Mayflower landing, but it doesn’t rock - at least according to many of the commenters. ‘Possible_Implement86’ says: ‘It’s literally just a small rock! I was very disappointed.’ ‘Theretherekadooze’ says: ‘I was shocked that it was a literal rock and that day my belief that history was properly recorded was shattered.’ 'JBookie87’ jokes that the Rock has been ‘disappointing school kids for generations’.

Cancun - full of seaweed: Cancun in Mexico has more than nine million Instagram tags, many featuring the resort’s beaches. But one traveller, ‘witz93’, was left feeling disappointed, saying: ‘They never show the seaweed on social media.’ Another person adds: ‘The seaweed is not nearly the worst part of Cancun. The [Expletive] drunk tourists, for one, are just terrible.’

Baulking at Bali: From its treetop bedrooms to infinity pools, Bali is supposedly an influencer’s dream - one that been tagged over nine million times on Instagram. But tourist ‘tricorn’, says: ‘I just came back from Bali earlier this month. It was one of the worst places I’ve been to. The beaches are filthy.’ Another person agrees, saying Bali was the ‘most disappointing place I have been to’ after they expected to see a ‘tropical paradise’.

Peeved by Pisa: 'Most disappointing place I ever visited was Pisa,' said 'Live_Studio_Emu. 'Get off the train and walk down a street which is full of tourist stores and eventually you get to the tower, which is fine enough, but absolutely packed with people doing the "holding it up" photo. It felt way too Disneyland for me. I’ve loved everywhere in Italy I’ve been, except Pisa. What a waste of a day.'

Don’t unfollow all the influencers yet. Some destinations truly do live up to their social media hype. Here are the places that DO live up to social media hype...

Love for Lake Tahoe: Lake Tahoe is ‘even bigger and more beautiful in person’, according to Reddit user ‘Johnbgt’. Another person adds: ‘Lake Tahoe is one of the most stunning mountain lakes ever. And I’ve seen a lot. Jaw dropper bucket list.’

Purring over Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico also gets the nod of approval, with one tourist saying: ‘[It’s] stunning, especially the central mountains, and the people are incredibly warm and friendly.’ Another person agrees, adding: ‘It’s the most beautiful territory in the USA and so is the culture.’

Cooing over Croatia: The waterfalls at Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes have been tagged more than 415,000 times on Instagram, but all those pictures can’t capture its beauty according to ‘macshady’, who says: ‘No photos do it justice. Top 3 most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.’ Another user agrees, saying: ‘I’ve never seen water like Plitvice. Place looks like it’s straight out of Avatar.’

Gushing over Iguazu Falls: South America’s Iguazu Falls also ‘look way more spectacular in person’, according to one Redditor. Another person says: ‘One hundred per cent. Even professional photography doesn’t come anywhere near the look. And that’s not including the rest of the senses.’

Tantalised by Taiwan: Taiwan is also as good as the pictures, it turns out, with one user saying ‘it’s one of the most beautiful countries’, while another praises its ‘gorgeous waterfalls and mountains.’

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