Top 10 Worst Cities to Backpack in During 2014

There’s no doubt that travel bloggers, journalists and travel companies give too much publicity to the good stuff. We’re experts at polishing turds and glorifying the brilliant standout places we take our backpacks to. But there’s not enough travel sites and blogs detailing the shit places and the worst cities.

As well as a load of amazing places I have also been to a lot of horrendous cities. I thought I’d give you my worst 10 cities to backpack in for 2014, based on my own experiences and some input from a few others. I’ve recently been to cities such as Changhsa in China, Amsterdam in Netherlands, Erbil in Iraq, Stepanakert in Nagorno Karabakh and Yazd in Iran. These are cool spots – great cities to travel in. In terms of living, Sydney, London and Hong Kong are 3 of my favourites and I was recently surprised to read that Calgary in Canada is actually considered one of the best cities to live in currently. But what about the other end of the spectrum though – let’s be honest there are some shitholes out there and here are 10 cities not to live in.

1. Caracas, Venezuela
Easily number one on my list of horrible and horrendous cities. I hated every minute of it. Perhaps I was there at a bad time but I saw a cocaine raid, got refused a Suriname Visa, got attacked and almost mugged, had bank cards refused, got ripped off, ended up paying $70 US a night for a hotel and just had a horrible experience. In fact Venezuela as a whole is my worst country.

2. Prague, Czech Republic
Despite the fact that I backpacked there with one of my best mates, Lock In Lee I just didn’t enjoy the city. Rip off merchants, wannabe backpackers and just full of scams. Mind you this was back in 2007 and I was a younger backpacker. But my girlfriend went back last year and felt the same as me, I won’t be renting a flat out in Prague in the near future.

3. Riga, Latvia
My hatred of Riga probably lends itself to food poisoning, a poor football performance and some corrupt police. I was there in 2007 watching Northern Ireland when we were on the crest of a wave and almost qualified for the 2008 Euros. Unfortunately this is where it all went wrong for the team. We lost 1-0 to a horrendous own goal and we played badly. Our fans were attacked by the locals and the police. That night I spent the night in bed with food poisoning.

4. Vang Vieng, Laos
This place just has to be in there. The less said about Vang Vieng in Laos the better, I lost $1000 US in one day there. I don’t care if it’s actually a city or not either – it’s on the list. Avoid.

5. Beijing, China
Whilst being a stable economic city, Beijing is not a place you want to take your family if you care about their health. With terrible pollution issues, Beijing is ranked second worst in the world for conditions. But more to the point, it’s not the real China. I don’t care what anyone says but if you want to see old school Chinese culture, head out to the countryside and you’ll see what I mean. I’ve gone backpacking to over 10 provinces in China but I won’t warm to Beijing. It’s rare for me to ever slag off China, but I’m doing it here.

Those top 5 are my PERSONAL WORST 5 cities to live in from my travels, ones that I would avoid. To level things up though, here are a further 5 shithole cities that are renowned but I haven’t been to yet. I felt I had to include them in a post like this as no doubt I will get slated if I don’t…

6. Detroit, USA

Detroit has a reputation in the USA for being the worst city to live in. Gang violence is prevalent here, with violent crimes being some of the highest in the country. Five times the national average to be exact. Ouch!

7. Riga, Latvia
With its over-bearing peelers and military presence, Latvia can feel unwelcoming for the avid tourist. I backpacked it twice and it still hasn’t charmed me yet.

8. Lagos, Nigeria
Have you ever been offered a million dollars from a Nigerian? I have… Lagos has serious problems with piracy, terrorism and kidnapping. Socially, politically and economically, this city has great steps to take before it even gets off the bottom rung of bad cities. Let’s hope it gets there – it’s on my list when I go to Africa again.

9. Cleveland, USA
The second entry for the USA, economically poor Cleveland has a major issue with drugs. Being on prime drug trafficking routes, violence is rife. Substandard housing, tragedies and high unemployment rates make this a city that often appears on “Worst Cities” lists. Although New Orleans has had also its fair share of tragedy, recovery in New Orleans is also pretty poor but I don’t want to clog this post with 3 USA cities!

10. Baghdad, Iraq
Despite the fact that I went backpacking in Iraq, I did avoid the capital city, Baghdad. Mainly as it’s still a warzone, off limits for travellers and doesn’t exactly have a hostel or a happy hour down the local just yet.

By the way, this post is a bit tongue in cheek and it’s each to their own. I know you’ll disagree with me! Safe travels everyone.