Wendy Perrin’s World Worsts
Name Wendy Perrin
Who? Condé Nast Traveler’s consumer news editor. She writes a practical advice column called “The Perrin Report,” as well as features on a wide variety of travel topics, and is the author of Wendy Perrin’s Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know. She’s an award-winning authority on consumer travel issues (2005 Travel Journalist of the Year and Lowell Thomas winner). She is frequently on television and radio offering travel advice and discussing trends and issues. (Appearances include The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Today Show, Good Morning America). She resides in the New York City area with her husband and two sons. Follow her popular blog on http://perrinpost.com
Countries Visited 73
Titanic Nominations
Worst Bus Ride Laos. The bumpiest 11 hours of my life, on roads so excruciatingly potholed we averaged 12 miles per hour, were on a bus from Luang Prabang up to Luang Nam Tha in the northern hill-tribe country. It took my lumbar spine six months to recover.
Worst Flight Risking our lives to fly from Luang Nam Tha back to Luang Prabang–in a mechanically challenged Chinese-built Yak-12 prop plane– because we couldn’t bear the prospect of the return bus ride.
Worst City for Driving Venice. (Kidding.) Florence! You get caught on narrow one-way streets that dead-end — streets you share with garbage trucks, delivery vans, and bicycles — and the signage is somewhere between abysmal and nonexistent.
Worst Toilet The most repulsive toilet I’ve ever encountered was at Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan Province in western China. Trust me, you don’t want to hear the details.
Worst Camel Ride Through the desert near the Pyramids, only because I was leaning forward–precariously and painfully–clutching my four-year-old in front of me, trying to keep him from falling off the wildly swaying animal. To give you an idea of how bumpy that ride was, the moment my six-year-old descended from his camel, his tooth fell out!
agree or disagree? take the 2010 worst travel survey
Loading...
is this your worst travelling experience? you are kidding me. maybe you should pack you gear and go back to your comfort zine and shut up
Flydubai is the Worst Airline in the world in my personal opinion. They canceled our flight from Dubai to Beirut on 18 July at 10.30 am due to technical problems. And they canceled again the flight they re-booked us in at 12.30 am (on 19 July). IMAGINE 2 flights canceled in the same day, what a tragedy. This is the WORST AIRLINE YOU CAN EVER FLY WITH. Bad attitude from Fly Dubai ground handliing personnel, aggressive, impolite and unhelpful. We stayed from 8 pm till 10 am in the Airport without sleep!!!! They did not even bother to offer us a glass of WATER!!!! This is the most frustrating flight of my entire life!!!
When you are with 3 small kids and haven’t slept for 24 hours and spent all the time in a small and very crowded Terminal, then you understand what I’m talking about!!!
Yep if there’s one place you shouldn’t ride a camel it’s at the Pyramids. It’s very cheap to get on the camel, but once your up there they’ll hold you for ransom.
As a citizen of Florence are outraged by your comment on traffic in Florence.
Is certainly true that the city is bustling with traffic and sometimes unbearable but a journalist’s task is to explain also the context.
Talking about traffic in Florence without explaining the medieval town and its narrow streets is nonsense.
The beauty of Florence as well as in its monuments and its art is here too.
Certainly we can demolish entire streets to make them large and comfortable and get better reviews but I do not think we would do good service to the world.
I think Florence is worth visiting some penalty endure the hardships of a chaotic traffic.
I think anyone advise against visiting Giza because too hot.
With respect
Giuliano Colivicchi
Come on Giuliano, I live in Florence too and it is easy to understand that this is not a consideration about the beauty of the city, but only about its traffic! You can’t ignore that the city is completely messed up with the traffic jam, the inadequate road signs, etc… And it’s not only a question of the streets in the center! I still find it hard to move myself into the city, try to imagine how a tourist can feel about it!
I was looking for information about it on Aol and stumbled on your document. I found it nice very clear. Many thanks
I have been checking out many of your stories and i can state pretty clever stuff. I will definitely bookmark your site.