Anti-tourism Protests
 

Have the recent anti-tourism protests made you rethink your travel plans?

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It's no fun to be in an overtouristed city. The one we experienced was Rome. The crowds are everywhere and it downgrades your enjoyment of the sights and the place. Best bet is to go off season or to choose a smaller city or town that can be equally charming and beautiful.

Europeans have never been fond of Americans (except when we were saving their butts during WW2). This is just an escalation of global unrest that is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. If you want to go to Europe, you should go now before it gets even crazier.

IMO/YMMV

I think it's funny when they shoot tourists with water pistols.

Nope, summer travel plans to New Hampshire, Maine, Cape Cod, the Villages, and Road Island are intact. Fall plans to New Hampshire and our Villages home are a go. And as always, already looking forward to spending another winter and early spring at our Villages home.

This is the answer. We never hit the big cities. There are so many charming villages and quiet countries to enjoy. They can be found by googling Don't go here; go there, plus the name of a country.

We get all the crowds we need in the winter season in TV.

Ecuadog, good to see your former face back!

We were in Barcelona last October for 2 days before our transatlantic cruise and never had a problem. From the taxi driver to the hotel where we stayed everyone was friendly. From what I gather the rental properties and air b and B's are driving up rental and housing costs. Would definitely go back again with no worries.

Completely agree when to visit. Our families all over Europe give us dates for the best times to visit, during off season.
Ecuador your former face not my favorite :D

And I’ll only go to big cities. I prefer cities in general. One of my unexpected favorites being Istanbul. I was in Barcelona a couple of years ago and I think a main reason lots of these cities don’t want tourists is that they’re also cruise ports. I don’t think the general public understands how many people flood the streets when just one ship docks, much less several in a day. But that goes against what they’re complaining about which is cost of living/rentals. Do people still even use airbnb for a few nights? I know I don’t. It’s kind of like the amount of Villages homes purchased to be only rentals…

No Issues Other than Barcelona
 

We have been in France and Belgium for 6 Weeks and have encountered only hospitality from everyone. There is no dislike for courteous Americans. They are truly friendly and helpful to us. Unfortunately, many we spoke with have decided not to visit the USA for a couple of years and are really scared to do so as a non-citizen. It really is a shame. Also - we visited Normandy and it was truly amazing how the US, Brits and Canadians worked together to push the Germans out of France - it was a team effort for sure. However, a bit of a history lesson, it actually was the Russians at the Battle of Stalingrad that “saved their butts”, as the Battle of Stalingrad was truly the turning point for the war in the European theatre.

In Spain as well as other favorite tourist destinations, Airbnb and other short term rentals have dramatically affected the real estate markets in these crowded areas. Local residents get priced out of the market due to investors buying up homes in desirable areas and renting them out to tourists. Barcelona is so fed up with this that they are banning all Airbnb and other short term rentals by 2028. They believe that residents deserve the chance to own their own home in the area they grew up in and not get priced out of the market by real estate investors.

We are going to The Villages for a month.

We too have been to Europe recently. Just this past year, Nice, Milan, and Naples with day trips to Como, Florence and Venice. As long as you appreciate their culture and don’t act like an A$$, everyone was just wonderful. Don’t complain about paying to use the public toilet either. Even in Naples, ran into a mom and pop pizza joint, no English spoken there but the experience was fun and BTW, pizza was great.

I don’t understand why they don’t want to come to US because of being non-citizen… just bring a passport and don’t over stay. If EU passport, no visa required and they can stay for 90 days, with a B-2 visa, 6 months. Sounds like someone has received some really fake news there.

As of 2025, citizens of 41 countries can travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) using an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). This allows for tourism, business, or transit visits of up to 90 days without a visa.

Actually it was US manufacturing and the Lend-Lease Act (1941) that saved Stalin from total defeat. Yes, many US and other western allied soldiers lives were saved but about 650 million people outside of Russia had to live under communism for several decades.

Great Leap Forward (1958–1962)
Aimed to rapidly industrialize China and collectivize agriculture
Led to the worst famine in human history
Estimated deaths: 15–45 million

But it is ironic that several decades later it was the West's foolish obsession of expanding NATO to the borders of Russia that caused the present day war in Ukraine. Some lessons are never learned.

Rome was terribly overcrowded this year. Jubilee year, Conclave, and war in the Holy Land make Italy, and supposedly Spain and France very much overwhelmed by tourists and pilgrims this year.