The Titanic Awards reveal the world’s worst in travel

Who do you think has the world’s worst national cuisine? I said Lithuania, but Doug Lansky, author of ”The Titanic Awards,” to be published by Peigree/Penguin and released in spring 2010, said consensus revealed that travelers disliked their meals from the U.K. the most. On the Web, Lansky, who has written several books, including the “Signspotting” series for Lonely Planet, has already started taking nominees for the world’s worst in travel.

Take the survey: Who has the world’s rudest flight attendants, dirtiest beaches, most dangerous country roads, even the worst architecture? Speak your mind by taking this quick and easy survey. Sure, the long list of obscure countries might make a person who takes an international trip every year still feel a bit under-experienced - but Lansky says that skipping questions (there’s a blank space at the top of the list) is totally natural.

In a nutshell, the Titanic Awards are the Darwin Awards for travel — only nobody dies.

So far, Americans are leading the world for the worst-dressed tourists, but Germans are on their tail. The U.S. is also leading in worst souvenirs, ahead of Mexico and China.

Submit a nominee: The Titanic Awards needs your pics and videos. Submit your “worst” nominees by video, pics or news links. The video above (taken in Pakistan) is a nominee for the world’s worst road.

Don’t miss the famous writers section: I liked that Keith Bellows, editor in chief of National Geographic Traveler Magazine, admitted that Ankor Wat was the worst overrun attraction. “You arrive at this majestic, primeval place, but you don’t get the sense of it because of all the visitors. We’ve got pictures on a busy afternoon where this whole edifice is covered in scrambling tourists.”

– Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel & Deal blogger

[Video: YouTube]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 5:01 pm by Jen Leo and is filed under Angry Traveler, Global, News, Tips & Advice, Travel Photography, Travel Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.