Comments on: There is No Such Thing as “Must See”

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:52:52 +0000

Thanks for this article.You make a good point about the “must sees” I have had similar experiences causing me to wonder what the raving was about. I think one needs to follow one’s own gut feeling, Especially when it doesn’t seem to fit the mood of the trip.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:31 +0000

Well, Auschwitz is a Holocaust museum at a concentration camp. What about that, hmm?

But I really like your post. No one should feel pressured to do something he or she isn’t interested in just because someone else says it’s great. Everybody has different interests and that’s okay. There’s more than enough in the world to make everyone happy.

By: NomadicMatt

NomadicMatt — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:12:14 +0000

But now you are telling me something is a must see. I grew up learning about the Holocaust (I’m Jewish and have a WW2 obsessed father). Nazi death camps don’t appeal to me. I have ZERO desire to see them.

By: Victor

Victor — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:41:43 +0000

Ha. Berlin. In my case the same with Paris. I like France very much, but no Paris.

By: Raya

Raya — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:30:48 +0000

I completely agree! Now that I’m starting to think about where I want to start my travels (it will be in Europe, as I’ve never been before) I started to think about places I’ve always wanted to go, things that interested me in school/college, etc… And one of those things is the Holocaust. I have a weird (maybe morbid?) interest in it, and I do want to visit Auschwitz as well as possibly Anne Frank’s home. And I’m not big into museums, but when I read about the Holocaust museum in London (at least I’m pretty sure that’s where it was-I’ve done so much research lately everything is starting to blur together) I knew I absolutely had to check that out as well. Meanwhile, my father would think that the most ridiculous thing in the world, so yes, to each their own!

By: Eurotrip Tips

Eurotrip Tips — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:20:05 +0000

What exactly do you think Auschwitz is if not a museum? It’s not like it’s a playground or a freaking movie set! I learned more about the Third Reich and the nazis in general in Auschwitz than I ever learned anywhere else. If you’d been to a concentration camp at all, you’d understand that it is not only an exceptional museum, but a LIVE one.

You’re definitely allowed to not want to do certain things. But to say that concentration camps are just a place where a bunch of people got killed… jeez, it’s hard for me to say something nice about that!

Also, I think that being closed to some places just demonstrates how close-minded a traveler can be. It’s not because you travel to places you know you will like that you have an open-mind… it’s by taking chances and experiencing NEW things.

While I agree that the idea of “must-sees” are fairly subjective, I think everyone has a list of their own somewhere in their heads. We all have things we want to see, no matter how you name it – a bucket list, must-sees or whatever. Terminology is tricky, but it all ends up being the same thing.

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:54:56 +0000

I absolutely agree. I can understand why people get excited about a place they love and say you “must” go there, but it is rather annoying as everyone’s travel experience and interests are different. We didn’t go to the Taj Mahal despite spending 3 months in India, and it’s still our favourite country in the world. We just knew seeing a touristy building wasn’t going to compete with our experiences in homestays and villages throughout the country.

I think there is only such a thing as a “must see” when it’s a must see for you – something you personally really want to see. And for everyone that will be different.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:44:44 +0000

You just have to try places you think will fit, like shopping for clothes. Sometimes a friend will say “try it on, I love it”, but when you do it just doesn’t appeal. Other times you unwillingly try it on just to be friendly and it is “Wow, it does look good and feel right”! Fancy that, I’ll have two thanks.

I agree Matt that finding the area that makes your heart sing can really change your opinion of a place.
Jan.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:31:20 +0000

Theresa, I have to agree with you on your last paragraph. I’m interested in WW2 history and the impacts that it’s had on our current culture, and have read quite a bit about the holocaust. But it wasn’t until I stood inside the gates of Birkenau 2 that I felt the reality of what happened, the immense scope of it all. Or walking the beaches of Juno beach where thousands of people died. Or walking up to the Eiffel Tower for the first time and being amazed at the sheer size of it.

Sometimes you can read everything there is about a subject, but once you’re in that place it all comes together in an emotional way. It’s less factual, less historical and more tangible.. real.

Of course this is for things that your interested in.. if you have no interest in the Pyramids then why bother going? Just to say “I’ve been there?” That seems a bit self-serving.

By: Mark H

Mark H — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:41:32 +0000

I kind of agree with you and your overall thinking. While there certainly is no such thing as a “must see” as travel is a very personal journey of your own tastes and interests, I do think that to travel a long distance and not experience some of the major sites/sights of a city can be a BIG mistake, and especially those related to significant elements of the world’s history. Certainly learning more and immersing yourself more in the culture is key to a good experience like you say. You almost need to visit some of the key sights once to make a judgement on whether you’d ever visit again. Visiting a location a second time often gives more chance to really select places of interest or getting out for short sidetrips. Saying all that, I think the world includes some things that must rate pretty close to “must sees” even if they end up as disappointments in some visitor’s eyes – go to Cairo but give the Pyramids a miss? Go to Beijing but give the Great Wall a miss? Go to Rome and give the Colosseum or St Peters Basilica a miss?