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I've wondered this, which way do many of you prefer to travel? By seeing as many different and new places as possible? Or do you have a certain few (or one favorite place) that you repeatedly enjoy visiting, and learn to enjoy even more with time? I know for one that I was originally the "see as many places as possible guy", but as time has gone along, I have learned to cherish any time home I get in my hometown (NE Ohio), and instead of trying to see a bunch of different cities, I would prefer to focus on a few spots and really learn them (eg, the idea of a feet deep and an inch wide as opposed to the other way around). I'm relatively young, but have still traveled to many of the places that I really actually would like to. I would like to live a few other places throughout my life, but as for travel, the only major places high on my list that I have yet to see are
(Far East: Tokyo and Beijing are really the 2 I'd care to see)
(Egypt and Israel, possibly also Jordan)
(Central Europe, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, etc.)
But at the same time, I'm still much more content now just to be where I'm at (though, and perhaps this is unrealistic, I would like to travel into space at some point in my life!)
Which do you all prefer? Familiarity or The Unknown?
FWIW: If Israel is on your itinerary for a Middle Eastern tour then it has to be your last stop. Also make sure they stamp paper and not your passport.
Good point. For some reason my poll didn't post either, so I apologize for that, but thank you for that advice. How about in terms of customs? For example, leaving Egypt and heading for, say, Israel, would I be given any difficulty?
I've been to every country in Europe and a few in Africa and South America. I like to explore, but I've definitely been to places like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Berlin, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Venice, etc multiple times, some up to 8-9 times if I really like the place and am comforable there.
Many other places I just go once, but I know like in the case of Istanbul I will definitely be back, or Buenos Aires, even though it's been 10 years since I went there, I definitely want to go back.
In the USA I like familiar for the large cities since I know my way around New York, San Fran, New Orleans, etc without needing any maps.
For unfamiliar in the USA I like to take long road trips out west, knock out a lot of natural parks, or cruise around New England or the Northwest. Natural areas.
So for me: familiar = large cities; unfamiliar = natural areas as far as visiting once or finding myself going back over and over.
I prefer to live for awhile where I'm visiting and work there, preferably by my job sending me there or letting me work remotely. You get to immerse and see regional locations much cheaper than if you would just coldly take vacations.
Good point. For some reason my poll didn't post either, so I apologize for that, but thank you for that advice. How about in terms of customs? For example, leaving Egypt and heading for, say, Israel, would I be given any difficulty?
Currently I would skip most of North Africa and replace it with Turkey or Hungary.
Customs into Israel is pretty easy. Just walk through the Green arch. Keep in mind that in Israel there are cameras everywhere so walk and act like a tourist and you'll be fine. The longest part is the trip from the gate to passport control. Past that is luggage claim and customs. 15 minutes and you're in a cab.
Interesting question. I can't say I have a preference. I like to visit new places that I've developed an interest in, but I also like to revisit places that I want to know better.
The sad truth is that there are too many cool places in this world for me to spend the amount of time I want in each.
One odd hobby I enjoy is driving the entire length of Interstate and U.S. highways in different states, a.k.a. "clinching" highways. Recently I took a road trip to Jacksonville for a pre-season football game, and I managed to clinch U.S. 341 in Georgia, from its northern terminus at U.S. 41 in Barnesville all the way down to its southern terminus at U.S. 17 in Brunswick. Previously, I'd driven on segments of it near Eastman, McRae and Jesup, but now I've driven it all.
I should note that I don't have to drive the entire highway in a state all at once in order to clinch it. Using a concurrent U.S. highway in Georgia as an example, I still have a gap in U.S. 78 and U.S. 278 between GA 17 in Thomson and U.S. 1 in Augusta. All I'd have to do to clinch both is drive that segment of the U.S. 78/U.S. 278 multiplex to clinch both highways, because I've driven all of both west of GA 17 in Thomson, clear to the Alabama state line, and I've also driven the big U.S. 1/U.S. 25/U.S. 78/U.S. 278 quadruplex from Augusta to the South Carolina state line.
Interstates tend to be easier to clinch than U.S. highways, because U.S. highways are often arterial roads with turns in cities and towns, and lower speed limits in the rural areas. There's also a lot more U.S. highways than Interstates. The only Interstate in Georgia I haven't clinched is I-520 (Augusta), and the only Interstate I haven't clinched in Florida is I-575 (Fort Lauderdale). Otherwise I've driven every mile of Interstate highway in both states. So far, my proudest achievement is having clinched I-40 in Tennessee.
As for international travel, I've been to a few places in Asia, and I've honestly always been more interested in Asia than Europe for travel. Not that I'm completely uninterested in Europe, just that Asia interests me more.
^Thanks for sharing! That doesn't really interest me personally, but it's cool that that's a thing and people enjoy doing it! You may have to return to FL when the outer loop of Jax is finished, or the other proposed interstate from Jax to Tampa (although I am opposed to both of them being built but whatever)
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