Seriously, what's the deal with the non-stop 'China Travel Warning' posts?
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Oh, recently I have been inundated with various "Avoid Pitfalls" posts on my social media, it's making my head spin!
- I am not saying that all "Avoid Pitfalls" posts are bad.
- If you come across food safety issues, dishonest merchants who secretly under-deliver, travel security risks, or any other sort of non-compliance—these disclosures I absolutely support and should be taken seriously!
- But what kind of "Avoid Pitfalls" posts are out there now anyway?
- Regarding food: Some people say certain dishes taste terrible, so everyone should "run for it". Come on, everyone has their own taste preferences! What tastes bad to you might be yummy to others! Going on a tour is supposed to be about the new experience, right? Don't like it, just avoid ordering it next time—who will force you to eat it? I really don't understand why this deserves an "Avoid" warning.
- About long queues: Tourists complain about overcrowded queues in scenic spots in tourist cities, which make taking pictures difficult.
- Regarding city cleanliness: People also complain about city dirt and litter on the ground.
- I'd like to say that, considering how many people gather in popular tourist cities, some situations like these can be unavoidable. Just take the food market next to my home, which has become a "must-visit spot" for tourists. During holidays, the streets are swarming with tourists, and the trash on the ground has indeed increased. But normally when tourists are fewer, the place isn't that dirty. So, who threw the trash? (You can think for yourself!)
- Regarding traffic manners: Some people say drivers don't give way to pedestrians; others talk about people running red lights.
- It's indeed wrong to run a red light, but isn't it a matter of personal quality? Is such behavior only prevalent in tourist cities? Don't you see this happening everywhere, including where you live? As for drivers who don't yield to pedestrians, we can always check the license plate to determine their origins, too.
- Regarding excessive osmanthus scent: It's autumn, yet some people are still complaining about the overabundance of osmanthus flowers in the cities and that they can't stand the pervasive scent everywhere, which makes them feel nauseous after a few days. Seriously…(The osmanthus is very popular in China and well-known for its fragrant aroma, being a city signature during autumn.)
- Regarding hotel price surges during holidays:
- Come on, hotel pricing tends to shoot up in popular tourist cities during holidays. This phenomenon is rather normal as it happens worldwide! Plus, prices are clearly marked. If you find it too outrageous, you don't have to stay there, right?
- You know what most of these people want? They wish to stay at a posh hotel in a prime location, and demand cheap rates while expecting outstanding environments—a pipe dream!
Travel Tip (very important!):
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Hotels in hot destinations tend to hike their prices especially during the golden week or public holidays.
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**How to handle this:**It is recommended to book hotels in advance; or consider staying in areas slightly farther from downtown yet convenient by transport. In peak season, you cannot expect staying at top-tier hotels in central locations with normal prices.
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What drives me nuts is that some people dismiss an entire city just because they encountered a slight unpleasantness during their trip and apply the "Avoid Pitfalls" label to it.
- This is way too subjective! Although you might indeed experience unfavorable events, but does spending just one or two days make you qualified to decide whether a city is worth visiting or not? (Heavily sarcastic)
#Travel #TripExperience #CityImpression #TravelMentalities #FoodExperience
- I am not saying that all "Avoid Pitfalls" posts are bad.
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Are your cities all so flawless? Have you never run into anything unpleasant? I'm at work and don't have time to reply to everyone individually. If you think I'm the one with the problem, fine, you're right.
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Those in the comments who think I'm the problem, I've looked around, and they're mostly the type who are quick to flag things to 'avoid.' And they even passive-aggressively say I can't accept different opinions.
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On Xiaohongshu, you'll find posts warning you to 'avoid' the Forbidden City for being too old, the National Museum for being too big, the Summer Palace for being too hot, Prince Gong's Mansion for being too small, the Great Wall for being too far... I suggest these kinds of people just stay cooped up in their little pigeonholes at home; then they'll never have anything to 'avoid' (literally 'get struck by lightning').
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It's not that I'm genuinely against posts warning about things to avoid. If they're truly about issues like food safety, travel hazards, or illegal activities, I'd wholeheartedly support them and show no leniency. But these days, the 'avoid this' posts online are becoming increasingly ridiculous.
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I'm so over 'avoid this' posts. Most of the time, I've never encountered the issues they warn about, like taxi drivers rigging their meters. But I think every city probably has some dishonest drivers. I also don't understand people who call other cities 'run-down.' Every city has its less glamorous areas; older cities naturally won't look as new and shiny. As long as it's not excessively dirty or chaotic, it's fine—and often, tourists contribute more to the mess, making sanitation workers' jobs harder. Most locals, unless they're truly inconsiderate, cherish the city they grew up in. As for food, it's ridiculous to tell people to 'avoid' something just because it doesn't suit your personal taste, unless it's a rip-off joint, a place with severe price gouging, or unhygienic. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean others won't!
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It's not that we haven't encountered these things; it's that when we do, we don't make a big deal out of them. Is it really worth fussing over such trivial matters?
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The one that really made me laugh out loud was someone warning others to 'avoid' a snow mountain in Yunnan because the wind was too strong, and then complaining that the local government wasn't doing anything to control the wind.
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It's even more absurd here. People were 'warning against' a bridge because of too much traffic and demanded it be closed to vehicles, suggesting it should only be for tourists to walk across the Yangtze River Bridge. They even claimed locals started this trend of jaywalking across the bridge deck! We locals would sooner jump off the bridge than jaywalk across it.
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90% of these 'things to avoid' posts basically mean: 'I'm broke and didn't get a special deal.'
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Most of them are just about trivial, insignificant things.
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That's one thing, but have you ever seen posts 'warning against' taking a high-speed train?
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And then there are those 'warning against' airports, complaining that flights are grounded during a typhoon, calling it a waste of their time, and then causing a ruckus at the airport.
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I've scrolled through so many 'avoid this' posts that when I actually come across a positive one, I almost feel weirded out.
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Haha, I even thought I must have misread it.
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My city/region (IP location) has been so thoroughly criticized by tourists, I'm almost convinced they're right.
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Haha, some people have just lost all reason.
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'Avoid Xi'an! No vegetables, no fruit, no supermarkets, no pharmacies!' Seriously, now when I see these 'avoid this' posts, I just long-press 'not interested.' I'm so fed up with them. Isn't the whole point of traveling to experience different local cultures and ways of life?
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It was incredibly cheap! I've been back for a while but still can't stop thinking about the 8 super happy days I spent there.