A volley of exclamation marks suggests anger and even disbelief, and is often followed by the immortal words:

“I will never come here again.”

The following online reviews show travellers at their most disgruntled, although in some instances, still able to find humour in their predicament.

One reviewer was less than impressed: “Ugly clunk of metal ruining the view of the park, looks like it was made by a homeless man.”

And here’s a tourist who will not be getting married in the French capital any time soon: “What is wrong with people to think this is romantic? If someone proposed to me at this tower or even in Paris […] I’d RUN a mile and be on the next flight out of the city.”

The writer then takes a sinister turn, adding “The feeling and aura was just bad,” before reverting to the role of tedious tour guide: “However there is a convenient [sic] store and it is near the night markets.”

But according to someone going by the name of Bonvoyaddict it’s a “Cluster of ugly looking rocks and a gorge that runs for miles. Boring is an understatement. Don’t waste your time visiting.”

This online scribe, however, must have seen something in the landmark that attracts close to 5 million people a year: “I drove nine hours one-way to see it, but it felt like it was only worth a two-hour drive. So if you happen to be within two hours, it’s worth considering.”

“Not very impressive. [I’d give it] two stars if they install wifi.”

One ultra-frustrated sightseer was clearly expecting the ancient Incan citadel to be of a more contemporary design, waterproof and less, erm, infernal: “The view is one of the few strong points of this dilapidated place. The houses are literally in ruins; not even a ceiling to protect us from the heavy and frequent exotic rain […] I do not recommend this hellish destination.”

Not necessarily. Commenting in March, Ajay S. writes that The Venetian “is the WORST hotel in Las Vegas”. Reviewer Tina L. is also a fan of upper case for emphasis: “This place will try and SCAM you for anything.”

And one Vegas visitor seems to have confused the neon-lit Nevada city with a war zone: “I was horrified and felt that my life was at risk many times in the daytime.”

“What a silly bunch of ancient rocks! Also very high up the hill. They should have made it more accessible but it doesn’t [sic] worth the visit anyway.”

And here’s the winner in the “brevity is the soul of wit” category: “It’s a long way to go to see cranes, scaffolding, a tractor and a lot of people stood too close together.”

I would not be in too much of a rush if I were you, though.

Of the five ancient fishing villages known as Cinque Terre, Vernazza is considered the most beautiful. But if we browse reviews of the picturesque seaside settlement in northwest Italy, negative opinions trounce positive feedback.

“Wall to wall people. So busy you just shuffle along”; “There was no seating at any restaurant. Every ledge and step was filled with cranky looking hot people”; “Just hated the place, so many people in a very small place.”

But is it reasonable to complain about crowds clogging village streets without acknowledging that we are all tourists and thus part of the problem?

As a Dutch satnav maker pointed out in an ad campaign a few years ago: “You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic.”

“Businesses boarded up. It’s such a mess. Hardly anyone walking around the falls or the parks. It’s a disaster. So sad. Canada built their side up and we let our side die.”

Oh, and choose your accommodation in Agra, home city of the magnificent mausoleum, with care: one visitor managed to stay in “the worst hotel I have ever visited. Most of the staff, even the on-duty manager, were all drunk and don’t know how to deal with a customer.”

Most of the staff were DRUNK? That certainly deserves to be in capital letters.