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Italy turned itself as a whole country into a humongous tourist trap.
Certainly, if you go to tourist trap destinations. Florence and Venice are awful in that regard and Rome can be. Some of it is seasonal. The smaller cities and towns are not too bad — I’m thinking Umbria and Piemonte regions. Find a spot and stay long enough to get to know the place. I may never go back to Milan.
For museums I think military museums are the most interesting. They are usually cheap and have lots of cool stuff to look at that I otherwise wouldn't see. Eastern Europe is a great area for this since they always have a ****-ton of older Soviet stuff that they couldn't afford to keep in play so have in military museums. Bulgaria, Romania, etc. great for it all kinds of giant missiles and tanks sitting in the yard to clamber about on.
I'm planning a trip to Russia and plan to visit The Kubinka Tank Museum near Moscow. It has many unique and one-of-a-kind military vehicles, such as the Nazi German Panzer VIII Maus super-heavy tank(largest tank ever built), ISU-152 self-propelled gun, Troyanov's Object 279 Kotin heavy tank and a Karl-Gerät heavy self-propelled gun (fired 24", 4,780 lb shell!), and many other single or limited-production prototypes from the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
They are like being on house arrest in an urban Marriott with small rooms and expensive drinks.
I've taken a few small-ship cruises (the Uncruise line, under 100 passengers, focused on nature) and LOVED them but I absolutely agree with your assessment of the mega-ship cruises.
I fly only Business Class on long hauls. That means Australia is off my bucket list- the airfares are extortion. I just got back from Edinburgh and Paris and airfare was over half the cost of the trip but it was worth it.
Finally- I VASTLY prefer traveling on my own to guided tours. I chose a small-group tour for India and Nepal because I'd been to India a lot on business and knew it wasn't a good place for a single woman to be bopping around alone. It was a wonderful trip but I didn't like that much structure. When I tell people I went to places like Scotland or Iceland on my own they react as if I'd gone on a solo kayak trip down the Amazon.
You are spot on with Florida, but out if your mind regarding Oahu and Austin. San Antonio is underrated, but still not a must see location.
Another one of my own.
RVs are stupid.
I am with you 100% on RV's and Florida. The reason that I like Oahu is because of the mix of cultural and historical attractions in conjunction with natural beauty. Oahu is certainly not the most beautiful of the islands, but if you look well beyond Waikiki there is an awful lot to see and do there (and it's very pretty overall).
I meant that Austin is overrated as a travel destination, not as a city generally. If I were moving to TX I'd certainly move to Austin, and I like it overall. I just don't think it has a heck of a lot to do there in terms of major tourist attractions, while San Antonio has the terrific River Walk, Alamo and the Spanish mission trail, and San Antonio has a strong Mexican/Spanish vibe so it's a more culturally interesting destination to me.
200 posts and no one has yet to mention DISNEY! I absolutely hate it. I cant figure out why adults will return there year after year. (I dislike ESPN too, but that's another topic)
Likewise, Las Vegas. Buildings and fake experiences that the visitors lost money has built. Total lunacy.
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