Underwhelmed

Very little is as disappointing as getting somewhere only to find it doesn’t live up to expectations. It can be very easy to over-estimate a destination, particularly when you’ve heard lots about it, read rave reviews or were filled with anticipation. Unfortunately, it happens, whether we set our sights too high, or others were too easily impressed.

Do you let it get you down when this happens? I am the optimistic type and want to make the best of any situation. I try to see what other people found interesting about the place. In the end, I may not share their enthusiasm but perhaps I can share their point of view. If nothing else, I have an opportunity to see and learn about something I wouldn’t have otherwise. Sometimes, the best we can do is chalk it up to experience and remember that, despite all of our research and planning, we really don’t know a place until our feet are on the ground.

Although far from travel, I always think of my parents in these situations. My mother absolutely loved blueberries. They were her favorite snack and she raved about them to anyone who would listen. Astoundingly, my father had never had blueberries but, given mom’s exuberant passion, he gave them a try…and hated them. One person’s blueberry, it seems, is another’s “gag-berry,” and it’s the same when travelling. The trick is not to be disappointed when someone’s excited recommendation seems to you like the most boring thing since Death Valley. Which, I think, isn’t really so boring.

Have you ever been underwhelmed by a destination, or painted a picture for someone else that they entirely failed to see? Let us know with a Comment below!