This article was originally published on Travlerz
It's never been easier to find ratings for just about every aspect of a planned trip. Anyone with a smartphone now has the ability to rate their experiences, sometimes mercilessly. While there are plenty of legitimate reasons to complain about some things in nature, sometimes people can take things a little too far and write a petty review for just about any reason. These are just some of the prettiest reviews from around the internet, targeting everything from sand to the weather.
Lack Of 'Good Animals'
With all the nature documentaries on Youtube and streaming services, one might be forgiven for thinking nature is just this cycle of death and killing. There are actually plenty of peaceful moments and large predators aren't out there hunting prey 24/7. However, that's not to say this complaint isn't pretty ridiculous. Someone wrote on a review site that "I spent a whole week on safari and didn't see any good animals. There was only a load of antelope".
We're assuming they mean that they didn't see anything like lions or cheetahs. We like to think antelope are pretty cool in their own right; besides, you can't expect to go out on safari a couple of times and see every single type of animal Africa has to offer in one trip.
The Sun Is 'Brighter' Outside England
Someone blasted an entire country on a review site when they wrote that "They should warn you that the sun is brighter in Mexico than it is in England. I would have worn sun cream if I knew". We're not sure who "they" is, but it seems like it would be common sense that UV rays are stronger the closer you travel to the equator. They literally call these places tropical countries. We mean, England does have a reputation for being cloudy and rainy, but still.
There are days when even dreary old England experiences warm temperature and cloudless skies. It's not like the idea of wearing sunscreen when it's hot outside is a foreign concept to most.
'Pretty Sure It Was Just A Mountain'
This one is actually pretty funny if just for the sheer amount of confidence this person wrote their review with. After visiting a place that is located near a volcano, they took to a review site and wrote, "You said the town was next to a volcano, but we went and there was no lava. I'm pretty sure it was just a mountain". We're not sure if the volcano was dormant or if it just wasn't erupting when this person took their trip, but we are pretty sure this person probably has no knowledge of geological processes.
Volcanos aren't constantly erupting or else the world would be covered in ash and there probably wouldn't be a town to visit near this particular volcano.
Searching Rome For 'Authentic' Mexican Food
While Rome, and Italy in general, is known for its authentic Italian cuisine, this person apparently got tired of eating Italian food all the time and wanted to try something else. However, when they went to a Mexican restaurant expecting to find "authentic" Mexican food, they were a little bummed out. They wrote a review that read: "We went to a Mexican restaurant in Rome and the waiter was Italian. You assured us Italy was the best place for an authentic experience".
Now, besides the fact that someone was searching for Mexican waitstaff in Italy, it's perfectly possible to get "authentic" culinary experiences even if the waitstaff isn't from the same country as their cuisine. Some of the best French cuisine chefs out there are Mexican and we're sure vice versa.
Saltwater Was 'Too Salty'
Another perplexing complaint, these really do get you wondering as to how other people think. Someone took a vacation to the Gulf of Mexico and complained, on a review site, that "The water in the Gulf of Mexico was too salty. No one told me that there was going to be salt in the water. It was gross". The gulf is basically just that, a gulf that's connected to the ocean, so no surprises here.
However, we're wondering if maybe this person thought it was just a giant lake or something? We don't know, but writing a bad review because the Gulf of Mexico is too salty is another level of petty.
'No One Understood English' In Spain
When you travel to a different country you can pretty much expect that very few people there will speak your language. You're traveling to a different country with a different language and different customs, you can't expect the entire world to learn English. However, that's apparently what this person expected when they wrote a review that read: "Why doesn't everyone speak English. We went to Spain and no one understood English. We will never go back there again".
Poor Spain, we happen to think the Spanish language is lovely. And expecting everyone to speak the same language as you no matter where you go is pretty unreasonable.
Yellowstone Doesn't 'Cage The Animals'
The first national park in the U.S. and probably the world, Yellowstone National Park is massive and crosses into multiple states. The animals roam free there, as animals are meant to do in nature. However, someone didn't get the memo and wrote, on a review site, "We had to cut our trip short to Yellowstone because we were informed that they don't cage the animals at night for our protection. This is just dangerous and unacceptable".
Okay, Karen. We wish we could've seen the look on the park rangers' faces when someone asked them why they didn't cage the animals at night. It's pretty hilarious just thinking about a bunch of people going around the park trying to corral deer and bears.
'No Egg Slicer' Included
When staying at an Airbnb, luxury isn't usually the first thing you have in mind. You usually stay at these places because they are cheaper than traditional hotels and of course, there are going to be some tradeoffs. We're not sure what this person was expecting, but they wrote a review that read: "Although the brochure said that there was a fully equipped kitchen, there was no egg slicer in the drawers".
We had to Google what an egg slicer was, but if you have to do that then odds are it's not going to come with your Airbnb's kitchen. Additionally, you could slice a boiled egg with a knife if you really want.
Sky Is 'To Cloudy'
Sometimes mother nature has other plans for us when we take a vacation. That tropical paradise can suffer from hurricanes or strong storms. That European city can suffer from flooding. A pandemic can halt travel plans altogether. This is not one of those catastrophes. Someone wrote a complaint, saying that "My plane journey was a disappointment as the sky was too cloudy, obstructing my children's view of the sea and ruining our game of eye-spy".
While we certainly appreciate how difficult it can be to travel with children, we're pretty sure there is nothing the airline can do about cloudy skies. They could possibly fly beneath the clouds, but that'd probably be a safety risk.
What To Do When 'The Water Tastes Funny'
Is this one really a negative? We aren't so sure. Someone wrote a review, complaining that "The water tasted funny so I had to drink cocktails all week. Now I can't remember half my holiday". This could all be a joke of course because you would think most people would enjoy their time while sipping away on cocktails all week long. Then again, it could totally be serious knowing the way people are.
Either way, this doesn't sound like a bad time at all and if they wanted water that didn't taste funny they could've just bought filtered water from the convenience store.
'Our Tour Guide Was Too Ugly'
Tour guides have it pretty hard most of the time. They have to walk around all day in the hot sun, cater to a tourist's every need, and put up with often weird complaints. On top of that, they depend heavily on word of mouth and reviews written by customers. So, when someone writes a review like "We could not enjoy our tour as our tour guide was too ugly", it could severely hurt your business.
Also, why so personal? We hope the people reading this review saw this and immediately understood how petty this comment was, but it's still hurtful to leave this up on a site.
Russians 'Crushed My Self-Esteem'
Russia is known for many things, but this comment on the appearance of Russian women is definitely an odd one. Someone wrote a review on a site that said, "The ladies living in Russia were so beautiful that they crushed my self-esteem". This isn't exactly a slight against Russia, but it's an odd thing to complain about nonetheless. Not only that, but this person's comment isn't likely to help their self-esteem issues.
We hope they managed to get over their self-esteem issues and at least enjoy some of the sites they saw while in Russia because the country really does have a lot more to offer.
When The Beach Is 'Too Sandy'
This is probably one of the more ludicrous complaints on this list. While someone was on a beach vacation, they wrote a review complaining that 'the beach was too sandy. We had to clean everything when we returned to our room". Maybe they've never actually been to a beach before but yeah, they usually do contain a lot of sand. That's kind of the whole point of a beach.
However, these types of places usually offer showers or something so that you can rinse off before you go up to your room. Not that a lack of a shower would excuse someone for complaining that a beach has too much sand.
Managing Your 'Fear Of Heights'
This one is similar to the last quote in that it absolutely does not make any sense. Apparently, after booking a trip in a hot air balloon, someone suddenly realized that hot air balloons are meant to go up really high in the sky. They wrote a review complaining that "There was no sign telling you that you shouldn't get in a hot air balloon if you're afraid of heights".
Of course, the operator could be forgiven for assuming that something like this might be considered common sense. The person who wrote the review obviously didn't consider it as such.
Those 'Lazy' Locals
Another complaint directed at Spain and its culture, somebody doesn't seem to be a fan of siestas. The tourist complained, on a review site that "It's lazy of the local shopkeepers to close in the afternoons. I often need to buy things during 'siesta' time - this should be banned". We personally think siestas are a great idea, who wouldn't want to take a break or nap in the middle of the day?
Apparently this guy. Luckily, Spain receives more tourists than it knows what to do with and we don't see them getting rid of their siestas anytime soon.
Why Are There 'Fish In The Water'?
If you go to a place with water, you can usually count on there being fish around. It's where they live basically. And while we're not sure where this person visited, we are pretty sure this comment was unnecessary. They wrote a review that said, "No one told us that there would be fish in the water. The children were scared". It's certainly fun to imagine someone going to an aquarium and then complaining about there being fish, but again we're not sure what kind of attraction they visited.
We're also not sure why children would be scared of fish as kids are usually the biggest fans of fish out there. However, it might be a good idea to get children used to the idea of there being fish in the world.
Those Insufferable 'Americans'
Americans often get a lot of flak for thinking they are better than people of other nationalities, and some of it's deserved, however, we think this one might just come down to geography. This person from England wrote a review, saying, "It took us nine hours to fly home from Jamaica to England. It took the Americans only three hours to get home. This seems unfair". Unfair indeed.
Of course, it could also have something to do with the U.S. just being closer to Jamaica than England is, but what do we know? Nine hours is about what you can expect when traveling from one side of the Atlantic to the other.
When The Brochure 'Didn't Mention Mosquitos'
Mosquitos are one of those insects that are pretty much universally hated by every person in the world, regardless of nationality. That's because they can pretty much be found anywhere in the world, besides Antarctica. This person must've not gotten the memo, because they complained that "I was bitten by a mosquito. The brochure did not mention mosquitos". Notice how they used the singular version of the word mosquito, meaning only one bite.
That's not that bad, because we know of a couple of places that will have you covered in them after only a minute or two. Would you fault the brochure though? Probably not.
'Life Is Too Short' To Write A Complaint Online
Not everyone is into looking at the local architecture when they go on a trip and that's totally fine, but it is good to at least try and appreciate the historical significance of a place. This person was having none of it when they complained about a building they visited though. "Do you like brown concrete? If you like brown concrete with dim lighting, you're in for a treat. Life is too short — do something else", they wrote on a website.
Apart from being kind of funny, the comment certainly sounds a bit personal. Like, why insult what was probably a pretty significant historical building. You don't go there expecting to be transported to Hogwarts, you just go to look and learn.
Key Word 'Children'
We could totally see someone leaving a complaint like this in order to get a free meal. A diner wrote a review that read: "The restaurant said children eat free but my 19-year-old daughter still got charged for her meal". Of course, there is a difference implied when a restaurant uses the word children and not sons or daughters. They mean that young children eat free and not fully grown adults who happen to be your children.
This is one of those things that we thought were pretty universally understood, but apparently not. We hope this was just someone trying to complain and get a free meal or something.
It's 'Just A Statue'
If you're from New York City then turn your head now and stop reading. The Statue of Liberty apparently didn't live up to someone's expectations. They wrote a review, saying "It's just a statue in the middle of the water, not as big as we thought. 1/5 stars, The Statue of Liberty". While it's pretty funny that they felt the need to add their own rating system to the end of their comment, we think it's kind of unfair.
The statue is pretty old and it was built during a time when it would've been much bigger than almost anything else around. Besides that, it's the Statue of Liberty; we mean, come on now.
When There Are 'So Many Foreigners'
What is it with people leaving weird comments about Spain? We still love you Spain, don't worry. Someone seemed to think that Spain was filled with too many Spanish people, so they wrote a review, saying that "There were too many Spanish people there. The receptionist spoke Spanish, the food was Spanish. No one told us there would be so many foreigners". This is actually similar to a previous post, except this person actually had the audacity to call Spanish people foreigners in their country.
Half the fun of visiting a new place is meeting the people there. What's the point of traveling to a far-off location if all you want to do is have the same experiences you can have back home?
'They Will Bite You On Your Face'
Hiking and camping in the great outdoors can be extremely fun. Everyone needs a moment or two away from the city or from their smartphones and what better way to do it than to explore nature? Of course, nature comes with its own discomforts, but those are really small in comparison. Right? Well, this person didn't think so when they wrote, on a review site, that "There are bugs and stuff, and they will bite you on your face. 1/5 stars".
You really have to love it when someone includes their own rating at the end. This whole thing sounds like it was written by a little kid, and it just might have been.
'Trip Ruined' Without Hamburgers
Apart from meeting new people, another great aspect of traveling is tasting local dishes you might never get to try at home. At least, that's the idea. Some people are content with eating the same old thing every day. Like this person, who wrote a review on a website, that read: "On our trip to India our son was terribly disappointed and our trip ruined when he couldn't get just a hamburger anywhere that we went. Someone should have informed us of what to expect before we went as we never would have gone in the first place".
Ouch, kids can be picky eaters but that's still no reason to expect that a foreign country will serve hamburgers wherever you go. Also, Indian food is great and it's certainly tastier than eating at Mcdonald's.
'Bumpy' Roads
We're not sure exactly what this person trying to complain about, but we'll give you the quote and let you be the judge. They wrote a review on a website that said, "The roads were uneven and bumpy, so we could not read the local guide book during the bus ride to the resort. Because of this, we were unaware of the many things that would have made our holiday more fun". See what we mean?
It's unclear if they're complaining about bumpy roads or just not being aware of the different activities available to them. You would think that they'd be able to read the guidebook once they made it to the resort if they couldn't read it on the bus.
'Very Disappointed' In You Sydney
When you think of Australia, you often think of man-eating monsters masquerading as animals. Then, you think of kangaroos. However, this person apparently thought that they just wander around the city like stray cats. They wrote a review on a website that said, "Why are there no kangaroos hopping around Sydney city? I'm very disappointed". To be honest, it would be kind of cool to see a bunch of kangaroos hopping around Sydney, but we wouldn't go there expecting to see that.
Instead, it's pretty much assumed that kangaroos are like other wild animals in that they generally stay away from cities and can only be found in very rural areas away from humans.
'Just Another Room' Above Our Room
Rooftop pools are usually a pretty big selling point for hotels. However, this person was expecting something much more when they booked a room at their hotel. They wrote to a review site, saying "You told us there was a rooftop pool, but above us was just another room". Now, yes the hotel said there was a "rooftop pool", and not a "ceiling pool", but this comment is still kind of funny.
Who would honestly expect their ceiling to be a pool? Who would even want something like that? You'd have a bunch of strange people constantly being able to stare down into your room.
Where Are All The 'Proper Biscuits'?
Depending on what side of the Atlantic you're on, the word biscuit probably refers to two very different kinds of foods. One is a sweet that's sometimes filled with creme and the other is a breakfast item sometimes filled with fried chicken. But, no matter what side you're on, we think everyone can agree this person was out of line when they wrote a review on a site, saying "I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local convenience store does not sell proper biscuits like custard cream or ginger nuts".
For those who may not be familiar with British terminology, a ginger nut is just a ginger snap. Also, you can't expect that a foreign country will have the same kind of snacks you find in your own country, it's just too big an ask.
'No Air Conditioning' Outside
In many places around the world, air conditioning is considered a luxury, if not entirely a waste of money. So, for someone to write a review that says "We had to line up outside to catch the boat and there was no air conditioning", they must've gotten a few weird looks when they complained to staff. Also, why would there be air conditioning outside? Maybe they thought there would be a terminal?
Still, you don't complain that there wasn't any air conditioning when waiting for a boat. If you're lucky you have a nice ocean breeze and if you're not you just deal with it.
'No Milk In' Tea
Some people can be really particular about their tea, which is okay we guess, but there's no reason to complain when the staff doesn't pour your milk for you. This person wrote a restaurant review that read: "There was no milk IN my tea. They brought me separate jug of it. Who does that"? Now, to be fair, if the restaurant brought out a literal jug of milk and just slammed it down on the table this might warrant the complaint.
However, judging by the passive-aggressive use of all caps for "IN", we have to assume that they just brought it out in a different container. If so, then there's no reason to complain over having to pour your own milk.
Avoiding Water During 'Rafting Trip'
Like the hot air balloon post we looked at earlier, travelers have to expect that some things are unavoidable when booking certain activities. For example, this person wrote that the "Tour company did not warn me that I would get wet during the river rafting trip. It ruined my $300 leather handbag". When going on a rafting trip, you know you're going to be surrounded by water and have to assume you might get a bit wet or even fall over.
This is also peculiar because leather is supposed to be a pretty durable material. A little water shouldn't ruin a handbag and if it does, you might want to check and see if it's actually made out of leather.
'Pilot Didn't Tell Even Tell Us' About Time Zones
Math can be hard, especially when you don't factor in different time zones and account for them when booking connecting flights. This traveler apparently forgot about them and wrote a review that said, "Our flight left Heathrow at 07:55, and they told us the flight was 2 hours. But when we landed it was 10:55, making us miss our connection. The pilot didn't even tell us we were delayed".
That's probably because there wasn't actually a delay and instead, this traveler didn't take into account they'd be an hour ahead when they landed. You can fault airlines for a lot, but this issue isn't on them.
Where's All The 'Yellow Sand'?
You can pretty much look at any destination in the world that involves a beach and see a recurring theme. They all tout how white their sand is. While we're not sure what they're comparing their sand to, this person apparently wanted different color sand. They wrote a review that said, "We found the sand was not like the sand in the brochure. Your brochure shows the sand as yellow, but this sand was white".
We had to Google it and apparently there is such a thing as yellow sand. Either they were referring to this or the photo they were looking at was edited pretty heavily. However, is yellow sand really any better than white sand?
No 'Onboard' Bathrooms
It's hard to meet people's every expectation when you're running a tour service. Especially when people assume things like this person did when they wrote, on a review site, that "We went on a canoe trip but were very disappointed that no one told us there would not be a bathroom on board. It was very inconvenient". It's probably safe to say they weren't aware of what a canoe actually is before they booked their trip.
The only thing canoes have in common with ships is they both float. You would certainly never expect there to be enough space on a canoe in order to put a bathroom on one.
Why Didn't It Just 'Work'?
Sometimes there's really nothing you can do and that negative review is going to be written whether you bend over backward or not. This next one is a good example of this. Someone staying at a hotel wrote a review, complaining that "I couldn't call reception from my cell phone. They told me I could just press 9 and it didn't work". Now, they obviously tried calling reception from their cell phone after this by pressing 9, but that's not really how phones work.
The receptionist meant that they had to press 9 on the phone that came with their room. Assuming anything other than that is just being petty after a certain point.
The '€5' Ray-Bans
This is probably the most common scam in the world. Someone bought a pair of Ray-Bans from a street vendor and then acted surprised after finding out that they were fake. The person wrote a complaint on a review website, saying "We bought Ray-Ban sunglasses for €5 from a street trader, only to find out they were fake". The first red flag should have been that a street trader was selling them. The second red flag should've been the price.
You can't really fault a tour operator for not watching over you every second of the trip. Sometimes you just have to make your own decisions and use your better judgment.
'I Don't Like Swans'
A lot of hotels will go the extra mile and try to turn your towels into a work of art after they clean your room. While you don't have to like it, there's no reason to complain, especially as this person did. This hotel guest wrote and complained that "The maid who cleaned our room made our towel into a swan shape. I don't like swans". This sounds like it goes deeper than a simple towel figure.
This person clearly has a deep-seated hatred towards swans, or else they wouldn't feel the need to take time out of their day to write a complaint about it.
When You Really 'Don't Like Spicy Food'
People really seem to like to rag on Spain and India for some reason. This person wrote a complaint on a review site that said, "On my holiday to Goa in India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don't like spicy food". Firstly, spicy food is great. Secondly, India is famous for its curry. You can pretty much assume before you book your trip to India that you'll be served some curry everywhere you go.
And again, one of the best parts about visiting a new country is trying their food. You don't have to like it, but you also don't have to write a negative review about it.
It Was 'Too Small'
This one is actually kind of funny, because yes the Mona Lisa is really small in person. But, also because of how simple this person's negative review was. They simply wrote a negative review that read: "The Mona Lisa was too small". No epic about how they don't like spicy food or despise swans, just their honest opinion about one of the most famous paintings in the world. You have to at least respect them for that.
The Mona Lisa is blown up and shown as much bigger than it really is in just about every documentary that mentions it, so a lot of people are surprised about how small it is when they first see it.
'I Had To Ensure My Kids' Safety'
Okay, so the title doesn't exactly say the same thing as the quote, but it might as well. A traveler wrote, on a review site, that "I had to pay for an extra plane seat for each of my kids". We're not sure if they expected that their kids would be able to ride in their laps or if they could just ride in each other's laps, but that's generally not how it goes.
You have to treat traveling in a plane just as you would traveling in a car. Things like turbulence can easily throw around a small child, which is why you have to wear a seatbelt in rough skies. It's also why they make you purchase a separate seat for each child.