Posted: 04/14/20 | April 14th, 2020
If you’re like me, you probably have preconceived notions of certain destinations. Whether from books, movies, magazines, or blogs, whenever we think of these places, certain scenes, sounds, smells, and images appear in our heads — even if you’ve never been to them.
It’s a natural human trait.
We use existing information to form an opinion and fill in our blind spots.
If you asked me what Beijing is like, I’d say it was polluted, crowded, and chaotic. I imagine not being able to see the building in front of me, streets packed with people, chaotic markets (give me all that food, though!), insane traffic, and lots of people riding bicycles.
But I’ve never been to Beijing, so I really have no idea. That’s just the image I have in my head from reading and hearing about the city over the years.
Last month, I asked on Twitter what popular places people wouldn’t visit and why. Vegas came up a lot. So did Disney parks, Paris, Mexico, and India.
In the same way I have a preconceived image of Beijing, people had preconceived images of these places.
But what surprised me the most was not the destinations but how their reasons were based on sensational headlines and cultural stereotypes.
Those stereotypes defined these destinations so much that people didn’t even want to see if they were right or wrong (they are mostly wrong).
People didn’t want to go to Vegas because they thought it was all casinos and the Strip, Mexico or India because of safety concerns, or Paris because of the crowds and “rude French people.”
Let’s take Vegas for example. Why don’t people want to visit? Here’s some responses:
It’s true that the Vegas Strip is a shitshow of people gambling, getting drunk, and being obnoxious and/or just generally weird. Everything is fake, expensive, and designed to get you to spend money at the casino and in overpriced restaurants.
But gambling is not the only thing to do there, even on the Strip. There’s more to this city of over two million people. For example, here is a sample of what you can do that doesn’t involve casinos, drinking, or spending a lot of money:
- The Mob Museum – This is an awesome showcase of Sin City’s turbulent past and its connection to the mafia.
- The Neon Museum – This eclectic outdoor graveyard for hundreds of the city’s famous neon signs from the old casinos is really an awesome experience. Ideally, go around sunset.
- Fremont Street – This is Old Las Vegas. Yes, it does have historic casinos, but also buskers, street artists, open-air concerts, and tons of interesting people-watching! A four-block canopy covers much of the street, on which there are regular light shows as well. You can also take a zip line over the street itself.
- Red Rock Canyon – Take a break from the city for some scenic hiking and biking trails just 30 minutes from town.
- Hoover Dam and Lake Mead – Under an hour east of Vegas is Hoover Dam, this a massive feat of engineering spanning over 1,200 feet and standing 700 feet tall. Lake Mead, a by-product of the dam, is great for swimming, kayaking, and other water activities. You can also take a guided tour of the dam itself (for $30 USD).
- The National Atomic Testing Museum – An affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum, this exhibition north of town documents the history of nuclear testing in Nevada (over 900 nuclear bombs were detonated in the state). There’s also a separate exhibit for Area 51 too (the truth is out there!).
- The Arts District – This area is full of galleries, thrift and vintage stores, theatres, and music venues and is the cultural heart of the city.
- The Haunted Museum – This paranormal museum is full of allegedly cursed objects, such as haunted dolls and paraphernalia owned by serial killers. There are 30 rooms full of all kinds of oddities, and the house itself is said to be haunted too.
You can go an entire trip without ever stepping foot on The Strip or in a casino.
Yet, for so many, it is as if “Vegas = gambling = The Strip” and nothing else exists. The image of Las Vegas portrayed in the media is one of Bacchanalian debauchery. That’s all we see.
I used to think the same way.
Before I first visited Las Vegas, I just thought it was all party, party, party. But the more I left the Strip, the more I saw a vibrant city with a lot to more offer than just gambling and drinks. I realized that the stereotypes of Vegas were wrong.
Similarly, while there are serious issues in Mexico, you’re unlikely to get kidnapped or robbed on your trip to Cancún — most of the danger in Mexico revolves around drugs. And, as I’ve said before, Paris isn’t a touristy destination with rude people. The French aren’t more or less rude than anyone else in the world. But if you only deal with the ones in the tourist industry handling large numbers of tourists, your image is going to be of “rude French people.” Because they are probably sick of people asking the same questions over and over again. But you can encounter that throughout the world in touristy areas. It’s not limited to Paris.
Everyone has their own list of destinations they aren’t interested in going to. I don’t have a strong desire to see Saudi Arabia, and I’ve developed some asthma issues that have pushed China and India down my “to see” list due to their pollution (but they are still on my list).
But, before you write off a destination, consider the reason why.
If your inclination is to write it off because you think it is a certain based our cultural stereotype of a place, reconsider.
Research a destination before you pigeonhole it based on what the media says about it (or part of it).
Destinations are always more than their cultural images of them. That’s the point of travel. To peel back the layers and really discover what makes a place tick. Look beyond mainstream perception.
Because it’s sometimes the places we expect the least from that end up often become the most memorable.
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Katie
Still not a fan of Vegas, and I have unfortunately been there about six or seven times now because of my husband’s work. I have stayed at various hotels on the Strip, on Fremont street and in North Vegas, have seen lots of different parts of the city, and I’m still not a fan – it’s just not my jam. But there are a few things I have enjoyed there – some great restaurants, going to Rise Lantern Festival in the Desert, and seeing Cirque du Soliel Love.
NomadicMatt
Not at every place will be your cup of tea but I’m glad you gave it a few chances! 🙂
Shailesh
It’s only the big metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata that are polluted and I guess this is the case with all big cities in other countries as well. India is a vast country and Indians in general are friendly so one can enjoy and have a good time traveling in India.
Jeremiah Cooper
Vegas is a 36-hour city.
Any time longer than that is too much.
Kittie Yang
I’ve been to Beijing, and I can’t say you’re wrong about it. It’s still worth seeing considering its illustrious history, but you have to wade through the crowds, chaos, smoke, and piles of city garbage.
Marla
I live in Vegas. As of today there is no ,’open date’ because of the quarantine from covid 19. There are many rumors around so please check your info before making any plans. Enjoy all the interesting things both man made and mother nature made.
Alda Lima
I like what you said here about Vegas. Before the Coronavirus craze, that was where I was planning to go next. I actually wanted to go to Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and some other states to visit places like the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, and so on. But while I was translating a motorcycle tours website to my native language, I came across one of their blog posts on some of those Vegas places you mentioned (Mob and Neon museums, Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam…), so, even though I’ve been to Vegas once, I had decided it would be my “headquarters” on that next trip.
Definitely adding the National Atomic Testing Museum and the Arts District to my itinerary now (which, thanks to this post, I am taking out of my “plans destroyed (ok, I am exaggerating here) by coronavirus” drawer lol.
Charlie
I have been to Beijing twice , few days stopovers .I was lucky very clean air-NO rubbish , NO spitting an underground system I understood within a few minutes , more logical (specially for a first time user) than ANY European big city subway system .I saw young people offering their seats to older ones or pregnant woman. -In Europe normally they just act sleeping..
Surprisingly many people spoke a little English or tried to find someone , who did .
I visited 2 large temple complexes (small fee) saw a lot of people praying there.Walked through the business district .Very clean and some nice recreational areas as small landscaped parks.
Saw Chinese in parks in groups exercising or singing-early mornings.
People friendly and helpful…no aggressive begging-no “guides” maybe because of cameras everywhere . Asked a couple for a certain foodcourt they were also going there and even insisted on paying my lunch…
Immigration was fast and efficient no questioning as in the US , customs had an x ray machine standing , but I did not see them stop anybody.
Security slow , but friendlier than TSA.
LAS I have not been to the US for many years now…During my very little money years I went to Vegas once a year.3 to 5 weeks per trip…
Used all those funbooks … 3am 2.99 $ steak dinners at the horse shoe.1,99 $ or free breakfasts .Using these funbooks meant gambling partly with casino money .They knew me , but were never unfriendly .Once I won 800$ at the Riviera , cashed it in and left.The cashier said congratulation , lucky for us that not everybody is as smart as you , we would have to close the casino , hahaha See You again soon .Collected a lot of free mugs , t-shirts et.c. -a bag full of souveniers…Learned to understand craps…At this time You were on the winning side , if You played WITH the house …LOTS of free or 50% buffets,same as free or heavily discounted shows , several relationships with some cute change girls…
At first I stayed in cheap
motels , later a friend there rented a spare room to me , when I came
Took these Laughlin bus trips visited landsales tours. Told my sales man .Please don´t waste time on me ; I just came for the free lunch and the free money…OK , thanks for letting me know .
On one of these bus trips I asked the cute bus host , if she´d know a cheap place to stay…Here is my number , I will ask my boyfriend , he is very seldom at his place…REALLY Your boyfriend ???…Yes he loves me and does what I want.Her name was Debbie Freeman…
I called her…OK You can stay there…Stayed for 4 weeks…The bf was Tim Le Touneau …Use my place as Your home ; do not bring other people and don´t touch my Playboy collection…
Debbie turned to drugs later …Tim left Vegas to work with wild horses.
WONDERFUL people I will never forget.
Basicly these Vegas trips were free or nearly free apart from the air ticket .
LAS , I still love these memories .
LAS VEGAS deep down in my heart I will always love You and more than 99% of the people I met there !
madeleine
Love Vegas- the beautiful hotels and a city that never sleeps. But especially I love it because it is one hour from the Valley of Fire, two hours and one half from Zion National Park and not far from Hoover Dam.
Jhon Alex
Vegas is my favorite city and the beautiful hotels and a city that never sleeps. thanks for sharing keep up the good work
Samara
I totally agree with you. Every place in the world has its pros and cons but we shouldn’t form an opinion just from what others say. If we have the chance to visit those countries we should totally do it so we can finally have a personal opinion of them.
In addition, I’m from México and I can tell for sure that there are so many beautiful places to visit, and so much fun things to do in this country.
Mary E LaFrance
The National Atomic Testing Museum is not “north of town.” It’s just a few blocks east of Caesar’s Palace, on E. Flamingo Rd., at the edge of the UNLV campus. And it’s excellent.