If you're planning a vacation, then it's always helpful to know where to not to go as much as where to go. One traveler, who visited 170 countries, revealed the five worst places she's ever been to. And one is close to home for us Americans. We're talking about our northern neighbor, Canada! Sorry, any Canadians ready this, but traveler Lauren Heavner wasn't a fan.
Heavner revealed the five worst countries she went to. They include Monaco, Canada, Malaysia, France, and Ghana. For Monaco, she said that traveling was difficult in the country. She also said that it made her realize she wasn't one of the ultra-elite and wealthy.
"It just doesn't have much of a culture. It's impossible to walk around the streets and see anything," she said.
"The thing about Monaco, the bitter pill you can't quite swallow, is that it's unapologetically built for the ultra-rich," she told the Daily Mail."Every time I'm there, I'm confronted by my place in the food chain. Just someone passing through, acutely aware of what I don't have. It's not even subtle, either. Monaco whispers it to you through every overpriced glass of wine, every gleaming yacht, every diamond-studded wristwatch you pass on the street."
Meanwhile, for Malaysia, she said the hot and humid weather put a damper on her trip. She also said that rules on what women could and couldn't wear also weighed on the traveler.
Traveler Reveals 5 Worst Places
"I was there with a group of friends. It was one of those punishingly hot, humid days where even breathing felt like work," she said. "We were all in shorts, naturally. But then came the rules: women had to be covered - no knees, no shoulders. Men? 'Yeah, come as you are, it doesn't matter'. Typical. A small army of women at the entrance of the steps leading up to the 'cave' were forcing us to buy $15 long skirts to cover our bodies. All nine of us bought one, begrudgingly draped ourselves and trudged up the steps."
Meanwhile, Ghana made her feel uneasy and unsafe. She felt like an outsider there. But what about Canada? It just felt boring and too similar to America for the traveler's tastes. "It's familiar to the point of feeling predictable. The same big-box stores, the same general vibe - just with better manners and a lot more Tim Hortons," she said.
Finally, she added France as a place to avoid, calling it overrated.
She said, "Let's just say France isn't exactly known for rolling out the red carpet for outsiders. There's a certain coolness, a guardedness that can feel like a wall if you're not prepared for it."
