Travellers urged to explore the unknown

Culture-seeking holidaymakers have been advised to forgo the most popular tourist attractions in favour of something a little bit different.

According to research from Virgin Travel Insurance, some of the most famous sights in the world - such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Times Square in New York - can fail to live up to traveller expectations, often leaving visitors feeling disappointed.

However, travel expert Felice Hardy said that Britons can avoid such negative experiences by turning away from crowds and high prices and looking to less well-known destinations and attractions.

She recommended that tourists explore sights such as the Treasury at Petra in Jordan, the Tarako Gorge in Taiwan and the Cappadoccia Caves in Turkey.

"It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on cliched tourist sights around the world, but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing," Ms Hardy commented.

"Pick carefully and don't always go for the obvious - natural phenomena are usually more exciting than the man-made and can be wonderfully free of tourists."

Insurer swiftcover.com recently warned that some of the most popular tourist traps are also among the top locations for holiday crime.

Its research suggested that such destinations include Spain, France, Italy and Greece.

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