“What is your favorite travel destination?” People ask me this innocent yet so complex question on a daily basis. And my standard reply always is; “The next one“. This reply often triggers a follow-up question; “What is your worst travel destination then?” And my standard response always is: “Hmmm, not sure there is one“. And quite frankly there isn’t, or rather wasn’t … until now. For today, I can finally answer this question.
It took, however, hundreds, maybe even thousands visited destinations, in 100+ countries to find the one. The one that is (imho) not only the worst travel destination in the world but also the most boring one.
Puzzling vlogs
To get an idea of what to expect at my travel destination once I get there as well as in which part of town I should be looking for accommodation I like to watch, in this day and age, youtube vlogs.
Typically I find more information than I can digest. Not this time though. With the exception of a couple of short video footage in which the vloggers enthusiastically and respectfully tour the two landmarks, the destination has to offer there was practically no information at all.
Even though such a shortage of information is unusual, even though such a shortage of landmarks is exceptional I didn’t give it much thought. Even though the vlogs weren’t”over the top” they weren’t critical either. Perhaps the large crowds haven’t discovered the destination yet? All good then? Surely there must be something interesting to stumble on, there always is. After all, this is not an abandoned “hole in the wall” in the middle of nowhere but a capital city in Europe. So, off I went.
The most boring city in the world
How I wish I didn’t. How I wish I could at least shorten my stay to the bare minimum. But I couldn’t. I had to stay and wait at my prearranged destination for the arrival of my new credit card. So I waited and waited and waited. For 7 days. I had seven long days to thoroughly embrace all “sounds and sights” surrounding me. Not once, not twice but multiple times.
And what a sight it was. No matter where I went, no matter which corner I turned, no matter how positive and open-minded I tried to be I found no beauty, no charm, nothing of interest that would wake my curiosity or stimulate my discovery streak. Nada.
All I saw was gloomy, badly lit, patchily paved, full of holes, rolling-luggage unfriendly streets and a forest of Soviet-style, black gray and run-down buildings that haven’t seen a fresh coat of paint or any other maintenance for that matter since the day they were built. They just stood there waiting to collapse. And collapse they will as there was no visible promise for any improvement in sight. No cranes, no construction, no hope. Sad and depressing.
The landmark(s)
The two landmarks on offer, a bridge, and a cathedral, were not as hype as the courteous vlogger wanted me to believe. Not even close. (The pictures here do not tell the true story.)
The bridge was just a regular bridge. Nothing unique, nothing special, nothing extra, not even lit at night. How is it a ‘landmark’ in the first place is beyond me.
Truth be told, the cathedral was also a great disappointment. It has potential though. If only the town painted the exteriors and cleaned up the surroundings it might have even been quite impressive. It was almost painful to see it stripped down from its former glory standing on a huge empty field filled with paddles and rubbish. Sad and depressing
The people
There are hardly any tourists in town. The few that come, come for a few hours only en route to the seaside resort Kotor which btw was also my original plan that I foolishly abandoned thinking the post office in a capital town would be more efficient than in a small one that is more less shut down for the season. Oh well.
The inhabitants, just like the buildings, appear to be gloomy, tired and worn out. There is hardly any interaction between the people. No smiles, No cheers. The favorite color is gray and black. The favorite food is buns with different fillings which I personally don’t care much for – they all taste the same to me. Everybody (like anywhere else in the Balkans) is chain-smoking. Sad and depressing.
The buzz
What buzz? With the exception of one restaurant street, where few younger locals gather to eat, drink and chain smoke I found the city lacking city vibe, deprived of vibrant buzzing life with nothing to see or do. Sad, depressing and boring.
The most boring travel destination in the world – the big reveal
So which lucky destination is the one?
The one that took me decades to find? The one I so generously granted the privilege of being not only my worst but also the most boring destination in the world?
The prize goes to … none other than the capital town of Montenegro – Podgorica.
What is your worst travel destination?
p.s.1 how I wish the vloggers would stop sugar-coating the reality and tell it as it really is.
p.s.2 Apparently I am not the only one who found Podgorica the most boring town in the world.
Love this, Eva! I have also learned over many years (but I don’t want to admit it, or I often seem to forget what I’ve learned): when I can’t find much (tourist) information on a location, never mind how hard I look, it means it’s just not exciting enough to produce content about it. Personally, for me, it’s small Irish villages – many are just not pretty and feels run-down, just very functional.