Travel writer Dana Kaplan, 52, has ruffled feathers with a viral Instagram post listing iconic places she regrets visiting, calling them 'over-hyped' and 'famous for being famous'. Her list includes Rome, Mykonos, Cannes, the Grand Canyon, Miami, Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and the Louvre in Paris.
Why she regrets them
'When I suggest skipping Rome, I don’t mean never see Rome if it’s some place you want to go,' she told Metro. 'It’s like walking through a living museum, but the same is true for so many other places in Italy, and they’re not as crowded.' She applies the same logic to the Grand Canyon: 'There are so many amazing parts of the American southwest where there’s not a line just to get through the gate, or 100 people at the same lookout point.' Kaplan’s core message: 'We need to stop checking off the list just to post that we went there.'
Instead, she recommends alternatives such as Milos or Naxos for Mykonos, and Bologna or other towns in Emilia-Romagna for Rome. Her post drew criticism — one comment read, 'if I followed this account, I would unfollow just for the Grand Canyon comment…clueless' — but Kaplan says she is using the attention to talk about responsible tourism.
The reality of overtourism
Europe's cities are struggling with crowds. In 2025, the continent hosted more than half of the world's 1.5 billion international arrivals. Global travel is projected to hit 1.8 billion arrivals by 2030. Rome now charges a fee to see the Trevi Fountain. Denmark is experimenting with incentives that let visitors 'pay' for experiences through sustainable actions, like kayaking while collecting canal litter. Mallorca, which has seen major anti-tourism protests, plans to launch an AI-powered platform later this year to guide travelers to quieter times and off-the-beaten-track alternatives.
The power of 'white space'
Kaplan says the secret to being a responsible traveler is 'white space' in itineraries. 'People send me their itinerary and ask me what I think. It’s colour coded, and there’s no white space. You know, they’re going to the Louvre from nine to 12, lunch is 12 to one, then the Eiffel Tower one to four and the Sun Cruise starts at four….the only white space they’ve given themselves is eight hours for sleep,' she explains. 'So you’ve ‘done’ Paris, but have you really seen it?' She advocates for wandering down alleyways and finding local restaurants, Anthony Bourdain-style.
Yulia Safutdinova, travel writer and founder of Miss Tourist blog, agrees but says swapping destinations isn't always the answer. 'Most ‘go here instead’ picks are smaller places with less hotel stock, thinner transport and fewer staff than the place you’re avoiding,' she told Metro. She offers practical tips: stay the night (ideally three) to contribute to the local economy; move your dates to shoulder season; sleep and eat outside historic centers; and visit popular spots at opening time. 'The Trevi Fountain at 7am is a completely different place from the Trevi Fountain at 2pm,' she says.
