I might get hate for this…

I’m going to say some things that might make people angry.

But you know me…with travel season coming up and everyone probably planning trips soon, I’d rather be honest with you than just tell you what sounds good 😛

So here it is. A list of places I’ve personally been to that I think are genuinely overrated AND what I’d visit instead….👇🏽

🚨 QUICK NOTE BEFORE WE START

This is based purely on MY own experience. I’ve been to every single place on this list and left feeling like it didn’t quite match what I was promised. Your experience might be completely different and that’s okay. But if you’re asking ME where to go? This is my honest answer 😌

🇮🇳 INDIA FIRST

❌ GOKARNA → ✅ GO TO MULKI or VARKALA INSTEAD

Everyone sold this to me as a dreamy beach town. I drove all the way from Goa, super excited.

And honestly? Big disappointment.

Crowded. Dirty. Overpriced cafes. Stays that weren’t great. And I just didn’t feel that safe driving a scooty through poorly lit streets at night.

Mulki and Varkala though? THAT is the beach town vibe I was looking for. Hilly cafes, good surfing, beautiful views. Way more my speed 🌊

❌ MANALI → ✅ GO TO NAGGAR or JIBHI INSTEAD

I know. I know 😂

Manali is fine as a digital nomad spot to meet people and make friends. But as a nature destination? I’d rather skip it.

Too crowded. And the nature you actually want is elsewhere anyway.

Naggar and Jibhi are stunning. Lots of beautiful treks…quieter, more peaceful, still have cute cafes but you actually feel like you’re IN the mountains. That’s what I go to the mountains FOR 🏔️ If you’re going to Tirthan, I’d recommend staying at The Bluesheep Hostel!!

❌ KASOL → ✅ GO TO KALGA or PULGA INSTEAD

One of my least favourite places honestly 😬

Dirty trails. Loud cafes. Crowds everywhere. Not the vibe at all when you’re going to the mountains for peace.

Kalga and Pulga are everything Kasol WISHES it was. You literally have to hike up to get there…no cars allowed. Little bakeries, cute hostels, waterfalls, sunsets. THAT is the mountain town experience 🌄

🌍 INTERNATIONALLY

❌ BALI → ✅ GO TO LOMBOK or SULAWESI INSTEAD

Bali was one of my first trips after quitting my job. I was SO excited.

And I left feeling… underwhelmed.

It’s basically a big city on an island now. Traffic everywhere. Lost a lot of its local culture. Feels a bit fake honestly.

Lombok is everything Bali used to be…peaceful, less crowded, still beautiful. Sulawesi is also high on my list for the nature alone 🌿

❌ ICELAND’S RING ROAD → ✅ GO TO THE NATIONAL PARK HIKES INSTEAD

Iceland is stunning. But the famous ring road trip everyone does?

It felt like a zoo for natural wonders to me 😅

Drive. Stop. Take pictures. Move on. Repeat. With hundreds of other tourists doing the exact same thing.

What I actually LOVED was hiking through Landmannalaugar and Thakgil. Driving through roads that barely exist. THAT felt like an adventure.

❌ PARIS → ✅ GO TO LUCERNE or LONDON INSTEAD

Don’t come for me 😂

Paris isn’t bad…the Eiffel Tower really is beautiful. But between the movies, the shows, the Bollywood songs, we’ve been sold a version of Paris that doesn’t quite exist anymore.

It’s expensive. Not the cleanest. Not SUPER SAFE. And you spend the whole trip feeling like it should feel more magical than it does.

Lucerne though? A river flowing through the city, mountains all around, way less crowded, and genuinely stunning. No hype tax to pay 😌

Travel is personal. What bores me might be exactly what you need. But at least now you’re going in with eyes open 👀

Okay I LOVE this question because I’ve genuinely struggled with this myself 😭

When I went to Paris, Bali, Switzerland… I remember thinking “what am I even going to film that hasn’t already been done a million times?”

And honestly? That feeling is the wrong starting point. Here’s what actually works 👇🎽

1. Start with your perspective (and what you’d want to know)

This is the biggest mindset shift.

The Eiffel Tower has been filmed from every angle imaginable. But “here’s what nobody tells you about visiting the Eiffel Tower as an Indian traveller” is a completely different video.

Start asking:

• what confused you, shocked you, or cost you more than expected

• what you would do differently next time

• what you wish someone told you before you went

Your experience is the content. The destination is just the backdrop 😌

2. The niche-down trick that always works

Instead of “things to do in Bangkok”, try:

• “3 things to do in Bangkok if you have less than 48 hours”

• “Bangkok for people who hate tourist traps”

• “Bangkok solo travel…what I’d skip and what I’d do again”

Narrowing the lens makes your content more specific, not less interesting. The more specific you are, the more the right person feels like you’re speaking directly to them 😌

Bottom line? The destination doesn’t need to be unique. YOU need to be present in it. Bring yourself, your lens, your honest opinion and there will ALWAYS be an angle nobody else has filmed 😌

This week I woke up at 4:30am for a SUNRISE KAYAKING tour 🛶🌅 and we even spotted dolphins 🐬 They didn’t come close to us, but the view was INCREDIBLE. Watching the sunrise from the water felt truly MAGICAL ✨.

If you’re in CAPE TOWN, this is a MUST DO ✅

That’s it for this week’s Unpacked…see you next Wednesday with something new to unpack 👋🏽