VISIT EASTER ISLAND

Easter Island is surrounded by more than a million square miles of Pacific Ocean and the nearest populated area is more than 1,200 miles away (the even duller incest-ridden Pitcairn islands). It takes more than five hours by plane to get to the nearest continent and there are only a handful of flights every week. This remoteness is an especial problem since, other than to get drunk and go crazy, there is nothing to do there once you've traipsed around a few of the statues. And let’s face it: once you've seen one, you’ve seen them all.

TOnline: if you must go to, then read The talking heads of Easter Island

RIDE A GONDOLA IN VENICE

Tell us your tales of holiday nightmares

Four writers recall their worst ever holiday disaster - can you beat their wince-inducing tales of travel turmoil?

Your worst travel moments

We received holiday nightmares from readers across the globe. And The Sunday Times writers thought they had it bad . . .

The best and worst of travel in 2007

Highs and lows including the best beach, the nightmare island and the greatest meal

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• Tell us your tales of holiday nightmares

The observant traveller to the beautiful city of Venice will notice two things relating to gondolas. Firstly that no locals will ever go near them. Secondly that at best the gondoliers treat their passengers with haughty disdain. Of course, that's no way to treat anyone, but gondoliers can be forgiven for looking down on their clients. They know that you get a far better view of the city if you catch one of the excellent local waterbuses. They also know they've just paid €100 to float around for half an hour on sewage water. In short, they know you’re a sucker.

TOnline: read Ed Grenby's solution - Learn to be a gondolier in Venice

SWIM WITH DOLPHINS

Fun as it may be for us, it’s a reasonable assumption that not every dolphin will welcome having their busy, tiring day interrupted by boatloads of screaming tourists, eager to jostle around them in the water, grab hold of their dorsal fin, and ram a camera in their faces…Worse yet, dolphins quickly become acclimatised to being fed and distracted by humans. They become friendly and start getting too near to boats. They then get caught up in ropes, bashed by sterns and ripped apart by propellers.

DIVE WITH SHARKS

Combines nearly all of the disadvantages of swimming with dolphins with huge sharp teeth and a hard, cold-blooded lust. And that’s just the tour companies trying to persuade you to take part in this crazy activity.

TOnline: Ginny McGrath found a better solution - diving with sharks in Scotland (Edinburgh's aquarium)

GO DIRT-BOARDING

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