Book Review: Don't Go There! - The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World by Peter Greenberg

When we think about vacations, "Where would I like to go?" is probably the most frequent question. Peter Greenberg, the travel editor for NBC’s Today show, CNBC and MSNBC, suggests "Where should I avoid?" should also be on the list.

In Don't Go There!: The Travel Detective's Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World, Greenberg surveys a wide range of things that might cause serious pause about a particular locale or a method of getting there. Greenberg takes a worldwide look at factors ranging from the environment to weather to traffic conditions to the risk of natural disasters while still opining on such things as the worst cruises, hotels, airports and airlines.

His opinions are downright brutal at times:

• "I'm sorry. Unless you like ugly, oily beaches and a totally unimpressive waterfront, Galveston, Texas, is a definite don't-go-there destination."


• "Would I go to Haiti? Sure, but it sucks."


• Even on a good day Miami International Airport is "appropriately initialed MIA. On a bad day, it's like the last flight out of Saigon."


• South of the Border, a tourist attraction on the border of North and South Carolina, "is nothing less than a tourist trap marked by every racist stereotype you can imagine about the Mexican community." (Greenberg doesn't mention that the internet domain name for the business is "pedroland.")


• "Gaudy, clashing, and downright corny" is how he describes the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota (about 70 miles from my home). Oh yes, it's also a "fiasco" and "an eyesore."

As Greenberg admits in his introduction, the book is not intended to be objective. It necessarily depends in part on personal opinion and Greenberg closes with the opinions of five seasoned world travelers of places they don't want to go or return to. For the most part, though, Don't Go There combines personal knowledge and experience with extensive data from hundreds of sources. The result is a handy compendium of information that might otherwise not be readily available to or found by the average traveler.

Article Author: Tim Gebhart

Tim Gebhart lives in Sioux Falls, SD, where he practices law in order to provide shelter for his family, his dogs, and his books. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and his blog de guerre is A Progressive on the Prairie.

Visit Tim Gebhart's author page — Tim Gebhart's Blog