Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India

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India is a beautifully diverse country with each corner of every state starkly different from the other. However, if you've travelled extensively around India, you are bound to have come across places that took your breath away, but for all the wrong reasons. I asked Tripoto writers, a bunch of the biggest travel enthusiasts I've met about the worst places they've travelled to. Here's what they had to say.

Exasperating Kolkata:

Photo of Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India 1/6 by Saumiabee

"I love travelling and I'm usually a very accommodating person in the sense that I can adjust with various different types of people, in different places and still manage to have a good time without cribbing. A trip to Kolkata last year changed that. I can safely say that it was one of the worst travel experiences I've had. From filthy hotel rooms to filthier streets, unhygienic food and extremely lazy people – nothing in the city worked for me. On top of that, I got a severe case of food poisoning after trying puchkas at a renowned street-food shop. And anyone who says puchkas are better than golgappas in Delhi is wrong. Just saying." ~ Adete

Disgusting Agra:

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Image credit: Varun Shiv Kapur

"I recently decided to visit Agra, knowing that the city is home to the majestic Taj Mahal. I started my trip with much enthusiasm, however, just as I entered the city, I was taken aback by the absolute chaos. No exaggeration, but the whole city felt like a garbage bin. I felt like the city, in the current scenario, has even taken the sheen off Taj Mahal. Perhaps, one place I wouldn't ever mind skipping!" ~ Anshul

Narrow-Mindedness of Patna:

Photo of Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India 3/6 by Saumiabee
Image credit: Meena Kadri

"After reading all the hate posts against Bihar, I decided to visit the place hoping to be proven wrong. Little did I know that I would return with a bag of hatred of my own for this place called Patna. Sexism is rampant in this city where even well-educated and reputed people talk trash about women. No wonder the local television sexualises women to the core. Over a period of one week, I was witness to frequent episodes of women being abused in the middle of the street and no-one seemed to bat an eye. A beautiful state seems to have fallen prey to a degraded education system and this needs to change ASAP!" ~ Samarth

Mismanaged Varanasi:

Photo of Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India 4/6 by Saumiabee
Image credit: Rayn

"Even though the holy city of Varanasi is a cultural extravaganza, I am not sure if I will ever want to go back. I feel that the city is majorly overpopulated, is a victim of excess tourism and has a big garbage and sewage problem. Being someone who is very particular about cleanliness, Varanasi put me off in a big way." ~ Siddharth

Grimy Rohru:

Photo of Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India 5/6 by Saumiabee
Image credit: Kanj

"This otherwise aesthetic place with snow clad mountains was disappointing because of lack of sanitation. There is no waste disposal system in place and huge piles of plastic and inorganic waste is dumped on the bank of Pabbar river. This waste eventually flows into Yamuna. It is sad to see even an untouched destination in such a pathetic condition." ~ Kanj

Overrated Jammu:

"Two years back, I travelled to Jammu and it was nothing like I had imagined it to be; it was excruciatingly hot, the air quality felt as bad as Delhi's and there wasn't much to see. I really don't get what the big deal is about." ~ Ishvani

Unplanned Chaukori:

Photo of Think Before You Trip: Tripoto Writers Share the Worst Places They've Travelled to in India 6/6 by Saumiabee
Image credit: Saumiabee

"I had heard that this quaint town in Uttarakhand was the ultimate off-beat destination, so I planned a week-long sojourn in February last year. First of all, it took me more than 6 hours to reach Chaukori from the closest railway head, Kathgodam. The journey was beautiful but when I reached the town, I realised that so much effort had been an absolute waste. The town is developing, but terribly; there is no planning and three-storied buildings are strewn haphazardly throughout the place. In addition, there is no proper waste disposal method that is followed and hence, garbage is simply tumbled down the mountains. If this weren't enough, the gorgeous 360 view of the Himalayas has been ruined by an eye sore which presents itself as a MASSIVE red coloured hotel, made in the shape of a ship!" ~ Saumia

Worst place? What?

While everyone chimes in with the worst places they've visited, Rohit says, "I don't think any place can ever be bad. I have travelled all across India and I have realised that only experiences can be bad, never a place."

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