101 Places Not to Visit: Your Essential Guide to the World's Most Miserable, Ugly, Boring and Inbred Destinations

by Adam Russ

101 Places Not to Visit has it all: dull attractions, pointless festivals, sites famous for their biohazards or radioactivity, tips on how to avoid marriage to locals desperate to escape, and more. Brimming with vitriol and useful information, this eye-opening guide will have you canceling your next vacation. Stopping at every continent, this cautionary companion offers a look at the places that tourist organizations would rather you didn't know about. Refreshingly abusive, it makes no effort whatsoever to be fair or even-handed. Each entry begins with a unique point system that awards stars for "Boredom Factor" and "Likelihood of Fatal Visit." This is followed by a history of the destination, a look at its culture or lack of it, non-attractions, and any culinary specialties you might be expected to endure. Throughout, color photos and special features draw attention to particularly ghastly places, people, and events. Don't leave home without it…or, perhaps, don't leave home at all.

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Adam Russ is a versatile writer, director, and executive coach whose professional journey spans over two decades. First published in 2004, he had already spent years honing his writing craft, driven by a deep belief in its therapeutic power. His writing encompasses books, scripts, and speeches, and he is equally at ease generating original ideas or working to a brief. Much of his written output complements his work in corporate learning and development, where storytelling and change—both personal and organisational—are recurring themes.
Adam began directing with a series of short films for corporate training, an experience that taught him adaptability, efficiency, and the value of a motivated team. Since then, he has directed primarily in the corporate sector, working comfortably with both actors and non-actors. While he appreciates natural light, he is experienced in studio environments and collaborates closely with skilled editors to shape the final product.
In the coaching arena, Adam has worked in corporate training since 2000 and earned a diploma in executive coaching in 2012. He designs and delivers development programmes for individuals and organisations, notably contributing to TfL's award-winning Fit for the Future initiative. He also specialises in Simulation Design and Delivery, a field he has been engaged in since 2007, blending his skills in storytelling, performance, and behavioural insight.

Reviews

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little satire on the other travel books with names like places to visit before you die, etc.
Broken down by geography, country and city, it lists things like boredom rating, likelihood of this being fatal visit, essential packing and most likely cause of death.
An example from the text:
Amsterdam
Boredom rating * (one star)
Likelihood of fatal visit **
Essential packing: Holy Bible
Most likely cause of death: STD

Notes to the effect on Amsterdam's lack of culture, morals etc.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked up this book I thought it would be a humorous look at the worst places in the world. Although that is what was attempted it failed as it was far too cautious about what it said. Some sentences were very amusing but overall it was just a very boring travel book to places no-one is likely to go to.

It would appear the author thought of a great idea but was far too worried about litigation to see it through - this is a shame as a book like this had great potential.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty funny, but not as funny or good as I thought it would be. Kind of a disapointment, I think this had a lot of potential. Plus you need two hands to keep the narrow book open, annoying. I think Dave Barry or Bill Bryson could have made this idea really sparkle. Who knows, maybe they will read this & do it!

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A satirical look at some of the most popular destination cities on all seven continents and why one should not go to each. I thought it would be funnier.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious guide, recommended before traveling to any new and unfamiliar places...or just laying on the couch.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great funny book and I as surprised to see that I had visited 23 of these places. It was a laugh, kept me very amused and there are some places I would not visit.

[Sydney | sydneys.books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Randomly picked this up visiting a friend's house and read/skimmed it in less than an hour. Pretty hilarious, borderline offensive, and does actually contain some interesting and useful information. Separated by continent, each city that is not worth going to is laid out with the likeliness of getting killed and boredom on a 5 star rating (typically 1 star given). Also listed is the way you would get killed, with everything from "mobs" to "having an opinion." Some history and authentic photos are given, along with attractions, places to eat, your typical information found in a travel guide-- just with a touch of snark. I highly disagreed with quite a few of the cities, as London, NYC, Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid were on the list and I highly recommend visiting all of them, but otherwise it was quick and entertaining for a travel fanatic as myself.