I love rounding off the week with the latest travel news, holiday trends and surveys, so I was delighted to find one such article in the Daily Mail Newspaper today, revealing the 10 Worst Destinations in the world for a holiday!

An interesting survey, but one that seems to be based on crime, notoriety and ratings, rather than sunshine, beaches and activities, the infographic study by buymeagift.com has highlighted those areas we should be avoiding in 2014 (or perhaps indefinitely), for those of us who are not sure where we should not be heading this summer…!

1. Stolipinovo – Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Bulgaria may be famous for Dimitar Berbatov, Winemaking, Rose Oil Production and inventing the digital watch, but the Bulgarian City of Plovdiv rated exceptionally low in cleanliness and exceptionally high in crime.

2.  Bogotá, Colombia

With high violent crime rates, Bogotá has long been listed as one of the most dangerous cities in the world, but why you would want to spend your holiday here is beyond me!  There are some beautiful beach resorts in Colombia, and it is one of the best places to go island hopping!

3. Golyanovo – Moscow, Russia

Said to “lack the charm of Red Square”, the rundown town of Golyanovo rated poorly in the Crime, Danger and Cleanliness categories.

4. Ferentari – Bucharest, Romania

Notorious for badly parked cars, organised crime, and pick pocketing, the little town of Ferentari in Bucharest is enough to put off the most adventurous traveller.

5. Naucalpan – Juarez, Mexico

Deemed a ‘High Risk Zone’ due to its cartels and corruption, the city of Juarez is a no-go for inexperienced travellers.  But hey, you’ve got the Riviera Maya, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta to choose from, who wants to holiday in a city?!

6. Bywater – New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Home of Jazz Music and the Mardi Gras, New Orleans attracts millions of travellers each year, but according to the ‘buymeagift’ infographic survey, the Bywater neighbourhood should be avoided.  Well, that’s easy – stay in town and have a blast like we did!

7. Camden – New Jersey, USA

New Jersey might be famous for the Soprano’s and the first Drive-in Movie, but it is also famous for its crime rate, which is said to be 560% higher than the national average. Stay in town – simples!

8. The Cape Flats – Cape Town, South Africa

This is getting silly now! Who on earth would head to an informal settlement for their holiday when the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town is a mere 20 minutes drive?  The Cape Flats scored an overall rating of two stars, but showed high levels of crime and danger.

9. Detroit – Michigan, USA

The home of Motown Music and Eminem, Detroit was listed as the ninth Worst Holiday Destination in the world due to its high gun crime statistics and danger levels. Would like to hear what Slim Shady has to say about that!

10. Hrebendova – Bratislava, Slovakia

Described as “a vibrant Gypsy Ghetto in the city of Bratislava”, the Hrebendova neighbourhood ranked highly in poverty, desperation, crime and filth.

So there you go, if you had Stolipinovo or Ferentari on your holiday wish list this year, you might want to cross them off, and try Disneyland or Lapland instead!