The Honolulu fantasy
Honolulu, the lively capital city of Hawaii, is a remarkable blend of urban sophistication and natural beauty. This island offers a variety of indulges including meals, fascinating art museums, and awe-inspiring beaches. You can also delve into the island’s rich history by visiting its monuments or embark on leisurely bike rides along its scenic paths.
Honolulu in reality
Unfortunately, Honolulu isn’t the idyllic island paradise that tourists imagine, as it has a high crime rate and drug issues. The city also has a sizable homeless population. Visitors should also note that there have been reports that some locals have mistreated tourists.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa fantasy
As its name suggests, The Leaning Tower of Pisa is famous for its “lean”. The bell tower was built on soft ground with improper foundations, causing it to tilt nearly 3.99 degrees to the right. With the city of Pisa in the distance, you might want to take a cliche but funny picture of yourself “supporting” the tower up with your hand.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa in reality
You’ll be sharing the privilege of “supporting” the tower with a lawn full of tourists. Even worse, the tower’s lean is continuing to deepen despite massive investment, which may cause it to collapse. When you consider that the tower has almost 300 uneven stairs to reach the top, the trip may be more tiring than you expected.
The Santorini Island fantasy
When people think of Greece, Santorini is the island that comes to mind. Its iconic white buildings, stunning black sand beaches, and crystalline waters create a picture-perfect paradise. And that’s not all – Santorini offers luxurious accommodation and dining. If you’re looking for adventure, be sure hike the Fira trail and reach the volcano, where you’ll see a truly awe-inspiring sunset.
The Santorini Island in reality
Your stay on the island may be the vacation of your dreams, but the high price for services and accommodation is a wallet-leaching nightmare. Driving on the island is a great way to explore but try not to go too wild. The island’s roads are extremely narrow, and driving on them during tourist season or at night can be very dangerous.
The Great Wall of China fantasy
The Great Wall of China is listed among the “seven wonders of the world.” Measuring around 13,000 miles long, it stretches across the original borders of China from east to west. It’s renowned for its impressive length and formidable fortifications. While the wall isn’t visible from space, you can’t deny that it’s an architectural marvel.
The Great Wall of China in reality
You’ll have to share the narrow walkways with countless other tourists, some of which will drop litter or even deface the wall, if you decide to visit. This is a particularly big problem in the most popular section in Badaling, where the wall isn’t as clean or impressive as you might expect.
The Eiffel Tower fantasy
A Parisian vacation wouldn’t be complete without a tasteful selfie of you and your family having a picnic, with a croissant or baguette of course, in view of the Eiffel Tower. It’s the ultimate symbol of the French capital, and the perfect place to enjoy the city of love, in all its refined splendor. You can’t beat the view from the 324-meter-high tower.
The Eiffel Tower in reality
The tower is a tourist mecca with around 7 million visitors each year, so there are very few picnic spots on the lawn, particularly in summer. If you decide to climb the tower, you must go through security, wait in long lines that can take hours to pass through, and when you get inside, you’ll be standing in a crowd of people.