It's been my experience that going to places I'd resisted was much more enlightening and enjoyable than I ever thought it would be. I just needed to get over myself, including any preconceived notions I had about those places.
That doesn't mean that I'd necessarily return or that any became frequent destinations for me. But then I rarely return to any destination unless there are things I missed on the previous visits there, or they are flight transfer locations where I want to ease out before going on to my real first stop for that trip.
I live in a very quiet and dark location. Dirt roads, lots of wildlife, very few houses and no street lights. Due to our close proximity to Kitt Peak, exterior lighting on our houses is severely restricted. It must be low wattage and point down with a cover on the top of the fixture or be under a porch.
Perhaps as a result, I enjoy visiting densely populated towns and walkable cities with real public transportation. I like the contrast.
For years I've schemed on a 4 or 5 week trip where I'd spend one week each in 3 or 4 major European cities I've never been to before and 1 week in one I have . The difficulty would be choosing the cities. There are really no EU or NATO places that I'd classify as anti-bucket.
However, I do have a hard time with noise. That's the primary reason NYC is #1 on my anti-bucket list. I made the decision to never return over 35 years ago. It is never quiet there. Fortunately, most of the European cities I've been to are much quieter than NYC, making returns to them or visiting others possible targets.
I don't get the attraction of tropical locations and climates, whether they are in the Atlantic or the Pacific. So Hawaii, other Pacific islands and the Caribbean countries will never see me on their beaches.
Similarly, the countries of the Far East and Middle East don't call to me. I like the food from most, the fabrics, jewelry and ceramics from some, but I'm definitely not interested in the human rights records and the level of population density of most. The long plane ride to any of them is another negative.
Australia and New Zealand are both places I once wanted to go. I actually considered the possibility of moving there in my early 30's when they were recruiting US trained librarians. Now my age and that long plane ride puts them in my anti-bucket.
Having been to Mexico for 2 long trips and many cross-border excursions back when I was much younger, having never been to Mexico City and having friends who've retired there from the US and Canada, Mexico is not an anti-bucket location for me. Full disclosure: I was born and grew up in San Antonio. Love the history, the art, the cultures and the food.
I'm glad that I went to Moscow and Leningrad in the early 1980's before the wall came down. I worked for the US Army in Nuremberg and was on a German tour. It was fascinating, even though we were obviously followed. I've had no desire to return.
