It doesn’t often happen that one travel writer advises his or her readers to study the works of another travel writer.
But exceptions should occasionally be made, and that’s the case with a recent and quite thorough analysis of the hideously overcrowded places that smart tourists should avoid visiting—at least in high season.
Prepared by the travel department of CNN and entitled “12 Destinations Travelers Might Want to Avoid in 2018,” it is a definitive treatment of an important subject, dealing with the phenomenon of “over-tourism”—the unfortunate deluge of too many tourists at popular places.
After first warning you not to go, CNN tells you how best to enjoy a visit if you nevertheless insist on going. It then suggests alternate destinations for each that would be better chosen, and talks about the appeal of that alternate place.
As you’d expect, CNN names Venice, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, the Cinque Terre, and the Taj Mahal as the worst crowded places at present, to be avoided.
Also named: Isle of Skye, Scotland; Santorini, Greece; the Nepal side of Mt. Everest; Bhutan; Machu Picchu, Peru; Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; Antarctica.
While some of these choices may seen fanciful (Antarctica!), others are so crowded in high season that their mayors are considering issuing a limited supply of tickets allowing entrance to their city, for which tourists must pay a hefty fee.
To gain valuable information about these popular places, which will be as busy in 2019 as they were in 2018, consult our destination coverage for each one and read CNN's feature at this link.
