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One thing you can do is focus the planning for your trip so that you're assured of doing interesting things that you can't really do at home. For example, you could do a trip focused on food, markets, street fare, and the like. You could even take cooking classes. Many European places are great for this, but you could do a culinary visit of Oaxaca, Buenos Aires, Ecuador, Morocco, Turkey, or whatever.
That doesn't mean you wouldn't see museums and other stuff along the way, but it does mean that many of your experiences will have a theme, and you interact meaningfully with locals and other visitors around that theme. Yes, you can have food at home and go to bars at home, but you cannot experience the depth of a country's food unless you visit that country. And since food is always connected to culture, your trip would bring you into contact with customs and interactions that you can't get at home.
If you like to read, you could do a literature- or history-themed visit somewhere. England, Spain, France, and other places have plenty of cities and rural areas that have been featured in centuries of books. Italy and Greece, among other places, have amazing historical ruins and monuments. The U.S. has historical and literary stuff, too, but not the same things as in other countries. It's all about defining your trip and prioritizing your interests.
This is what most travelers do anyhow. The folks you see in DC are often there to "see the sights" such as the Smithsonian and other museums, the Mall, and so on. There isn't necessarily any pretense at "knowing the culture" deeply--the visit is themed and focused enough to provide a unique experience. It's a way to refresh, to push the "restart" button while experiencing stuff that's new and engaging. You don't have to leave the U.S. for this (many don't), but the only place you'll experience a true Taiwanese night market is in Taiwan, and the only place you can see the amazing mountain-top monasteries of Meteora is in Meteora, Greece. There's no substitute.
When my husband and I travel we do put a lot of emphasis on food and culinary culture, but we also like to visit museums and universities, and wander the streets of urban areas. We both love urban layouts and exploring neighborhoods, including non-touristy neighborhoods. It's like being in a labyrinth or jigsaw puzzle and trying to "get the answer" for ourselves.
We also like to visit wetlands, woods, and other natural areas for birding, flora/fauna in general, landscape ogling, etc. Our trips to Ireland and New Zealand put a heavy emphasis on this, and the experience was like none we've had in the U.S. Other people have different priorities--they want to relax in resorts, or they want to sit at Parisian cafes and watch the world swirl by, or they want to hike famous trails, or they want to visit astronomical observatories, or they want to experience the local sports culture, or they want to look at all of the churches....for example. Some people focus on not having plans at all--they let serendipity take care of their trip. It's all about interest and making priorities.
Last edited by Empidonax; 10-22-2015 at 09:11 AM..
....Odd question I know, but I almost feel bad because there are maybe, I dunno, 2 places I want to go, but being realistic I'm imagining going there and asking myself what now?
Most of what you wrote sounded like you expected a foreign destination to do it all for you, and magically you would just soak it up. You are right to feel that you may be disappointed.
I have travelled only a modest amount, but always to a place that attracted me, lit something up inside me at the prospect of being there.
I cannot imagine bothering to travel abroad without that feeling, and there is no commandment written in stone that says you do have to travel abroad.
I think I'm looking at the wrong places. I don't want to eat at a fancy restaurant. I want to eat local fare. The kind of street food I see Anthony Bourdain eating or something. I need to figure out what exactly it is I'm looking for and choose a destination based on that.
You will definitely achieve this in the Far East, although it's VERY exotic and there isn't much English around. We also never eat in fancy restaurants when we travel, and rarely will we eat something we have at home. We love street and local food. While recently in Thailand, I ate durian fruit, crocodile meat (tastes like alligator which tastes like chicken), and a SCORPION, in addition to the plethora of weird but delicious other Thai food. We then went to China where I ate a fried GRASSHOPPER! While in Thailand, we could have eaten roasted RAT from a roadside vendor but I drew the line there because it absolutely stunk.
So yeah, you can travel and eat local, and eat cheaply. We've done it all over the world. BUT even a KFC or McDonalds is an experience in a foreign country and is something I'd suggest for anyone to experience. It definitely isn't like at home!
I've never traveled outside of the country, and honestly I'm afraid my ROI will be dismal. Maybe that's a bad way to think of it, but the fact is two massive oceans separate the Americas from Europe and Asia, and money has to factor in.
My fear is traveling overseas isn't going to live up to my expectations. And I don't know what I'm expecting. I know it's supposed to make you more "cultured", but I feel being a robust reader fulfills that, and how much culture can you get in a week or two in a country where you don't speak the language and can't interact meaningfully with the native population?
I fear I'm going to fly somewhere else, land, and then ask myself, what now? I leave my hotel and where do I go? What do I do? Do I go to a bar? I could go to a bar at home.
I'm pretty much asking what is the mindset you take with you that makes whatever you're doing in another developed country different from anything you can do at home?
Odd question I know, but I almost feel bad because there are maybe, I dunno, 2 places I want to go, but being realistic I'm imagining going there and asking myself what now?
I'm not really sure what you're asking here. It sounds like a part of you is deeply reluctant to travel, and perhaps you feel uncomfortable because we see traveling overseas as a kind of accomplishment or 'bucket list' item in our culture?
Honestly, it really blew my mind a little to read this entire post. How could you possibly be bored, listless or lonely in another culture while visiting when most popular overseas travel destinations have endless amounts of things to do other than drinking or going to bars? These journeys allow us to expand our knowledge and our horizons all while having endless amounts of fun. I would suggest locking down a destination that's rich in history and sight seeing, like going to Stone Henge and visiting other famous sights in England, or going to Rome for the ancient architecture and colosseum, for example. Or even Greece -- one of the most cultural and historical places on the planet. Spending a week in either of those locations would NOT leave you bored, I assure you of that.
I would suggest dropping any expectations you have right now that are making you think pessimistically and only anticipating having a great time.
Last edited by nomadicheart7; 10-22-2015 at 10:41 AM..
If you want to try Asia, but with the training wheels, go to Singapore. English is spoken everywhere, arguably the best street food in the world at the hawker markets, but spotlessly clean, safe and comfortable. If you want to get adventurous, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are all right there.
Additionally you can easily get to Singapore from the Washington area for less than $1000 consistently. A second choice after Singapore would be Hong Kong. Both are great starter Asian cities.
I love it you said ROI and I get this. I am a seasoned traveler and when I started traveling it was all about ROI. The best bang for the buck. But really, it's not just the buck, it's dollars, VS time spent, VS how much you get to see! Later I added another parameter, the quality of the stay.
One of the travel truths according to me is once you go, you will go back. Keeping this in mind, here's my strategy for a high ROI trip. My first trip to an area is usually a bus tour like Cosmos. They have it down to a science. You will see more faster than you can even take in. You are up and going every morning and for the most part it isn't relaxing. You are seeing as much as possible in the time allotted. Think If this is Tuesday, this Must be Belgium(an old movie about the classic pajama tour). 10 countries in 7 days, it can be done! You scrape the surface and see the high points. They take care of you and herd you from place to place. You don't have to worry about getting lost or driving. Missing that train. No parking available. You get to be JUST a tourist.
I do this first because it lets me get to know the places I like well enough to return and spend more time. Subsequent trips are usually lower ROI but higher quality! I said Cosmos because they are among the low price travel companies. I actually like these much more than the expensive choices. They don't stay at the Marriott, they do stay at small inns(generally), not large chain hotels. And I want to feel like I am traveling someplace exotic. And well, the Marriott is nice but it's still the Marriott. I can stay there in Chicago. Same thing with food. No Pizza Hut! No McDonald's!
I love to travel. If it were free I would be gone all the time! And I am very grateful for the education I got while seeing the world!
I'd like to go someplace that doesn't seem like anything I could find in the States. I'd like to go to Egypt. Japan. India. SE Asia.
Unfortunately for me I live on the east coast, just outside of DC. Flights to Asia are prohibitively expensive as they also include a cross continental flight before I've even left the country.
So my choices are primarily in Western Europe or Latin America for a more affordable trip.
Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong. I don't need to be comfortable. I'd like to experience something new, but I'm afraid I'm just going to be dropped off in a random country surrounded by people going to work.
It's like people from all over the world come to DC and I see them all the time and I'm like, why would you come here? It's full of snobby rich people who couple every feasible activity with alcohol in some way.
I think I'm looking at the wrong places. I don't want to eat at a fancy restaurant. I want to eat local fare. The kind of street food I see Anthony Bourdain eating or something. I need to figure out what exactly it is I'm looking for and choose a destination based on that.
Can this thread be closed?
Look at South America. There are non stop flights to Buenos Aires, Santiago and others. And it's much cheaper there than Europe.
I think the advice here is good, I would just add that about that cost of crossing the big oceans, you may want to get a travel rewards credit card (such as Barclay's or the Chase Sapphire). If you spend much money on a credit card you can get a free or reduced price ticket for an overseas flight.
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