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Most people would rather go to an all-inclusive resort, but I would rather go and stay, eat, play, etc... with the locals in their environment.
I'm not a "socialize with the locals" kind of traveler, but I prefer to find my own places to eat rather than rely on a single repetitive dining experience. And if you choose wisely, you can stay more cheaply than at an all-inclusive -- there's rarely an excuse to do so in a non-third-world country, especially.
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Originally Posted by mdp_az
Most people (at least where I live) would rather go to the same beach for a week every summer, but I would rather go somewhere different every year.
Absolutely. I find seeing different destinations incredibly stimulating. Going to the same place yearly would bore me to tears unless there's family I'm visiting there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdp_az
Most people would rather go to an expensive hotel, eat every meal out, drive a rental car and then complain about how expensive travel is, but I would rather rent an apartment, prepare some of my own meals, use public transit and travel more often because it is not insanely expensive.
Most people would rather fly or drive but I would rather walk, bike, paddle or sail.
I'm a cheapskate from way back, and that goes for travel on many issues. You don't want to stay in a flophouse or eat at Mickey D's to save money, but staying at solid quality lower-end places and scrimping on meals you can get away with stretches your travel dollar further. Taking advantage of free entry times for attractions and taking the appropriate discount on admissions makes good sense. There's usually nothing wrong with the cheap seats at sporting events and cultural presentations, either. I also walk and take public transportation rather then drive.
I wouldn't say there is anything "wrong" with cheap seats at a sporting event but let's be honest, they are cheap because they aren't as good. Much farther away, obstructed view, etc.
I think fancy meals are one of the bigger wastes when traveling, since one can usually find outstanding food that isn't fancy. Whether it's a sidewalk restaurant in Bangkok, a strip mall BBQ joint in Kansas City, or little soup & potatoes place in Warsaw, great food is out there without breaking the bank.
I wouldn't say there is anything "wrong" with cheap seats at a sporting event but let's be honest, they are cheap because they aren't as good. Much farther away, obstructed view, etc.
I think fancy meals are one of the bigger wastes when traveling, since one can usually find outstanding food that isn't fancy. Whether it's a sidewalk restaurant in Bangkok, a strip mall BBQ joint in Kansas City, or little soup & potatoes place in Warsaw, great food is out there without breaking the bank.
Why not do both? I went to HK with my best friend last year before all the turmoil started and we went to a Michelin starred place in our hotel for lunch. The price was quite reasonable. A friend of mine had also recommended we do a high tea experience at another hotel, so we did that. We also tried street food, diners, dim sum, and a variety of places in between.
In terms of the actual topic, I lived in Japan for two years and prefer Osaka to Tokyo.
To the person who mentioned the Mexican ruins, Chichen Itza and Tulum are favorites, but Uxmal is my favorite because you can still really walk around and see it due to the lack of cruise ship travelers there. I really enjoyed my visit there.
I'd rather see Death Valley National Park than the popular once such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and so forth.
I understand why it's much less popular. It's far away from anywhere, its attractions are very spread out (the part is about the size of the state of Connecticut), and it gets rather hot in the main tourist areas during the summer vacation season.
However, the hiking opportunities are nearly endless (and you generally don't need trails in the desert), solitude is abundant, the arid environment has preserved many spectacular backcountry mining ruins from times gone by, and the park's mountains are perfectly comfortable when it's 125F at Furnace Creek.
I wouldn't say there is anything "wrong" with cheap seats at a sporting event but let's be honest, they are cheap because they aren't as good. Much farther away, obstructed view, etc.
I think fancy meals are one of the bigger wastes when traveling, since one can usually find outstanding food that isn't fancy. Whether it's a sidewalk restaurant in Bangkok, a strip mall BBQ joint in Kansas City, or little soup & potatoes place in Warsaw, great food is out there without breaking the bank.
Here’s where a little extra research comes in handy. For some stadiums, they list which cheap seats are obstructed and not. Older venues like Fenway Park in Boston do list this kind of thing. For newer stadiums, the park designers tend to avoid problems like obstructed view seats, and even the worst seat in the house in spots like Oracle Park in San Francisco are plenty good enough. When I go to baseball games, I pick bleacher seats or more inexpensive seats. The best seat in the house is fine, sure, but usually costs a fortune.
Agreed about fancy meals. I prefer to eat local specialties, diet allowing. Back in the day, I ate BBQ, Cincinnati chili, hot brown and horseshoe sandwiches, fish and chips, street vendor crepes, tapas, soul food, smoked meat sandwiches, po-boys, poutine, and similar inexpensive indigenous fare, and much preferred these to a fancy four-star spot. Once in a rare while, I’d splurge at a posh place that was really worth the money and more of a unique experience (like in New Orleans generally, or having Dungeness crab in San Francisco or lobster and steamed clams in New England), but otherwise, no.
Most people(at least on the Internet) prefer to visit Big island/Maui/Kauai, but I prefer to stay in a hotel near Waikiki beach on my next Hawaii visit. Honolulu is actually pretty good, and Waikiki beach is wonderful despite of being touristy. Hate the hassle of inter-islands flights and rural settings of less populated islands.
Wait, wut? Your "Y" is the most "X" it could possibly be, lol. Not only are Honolulu and Waikiki Beach among the most popular tourist attractions, but the entire island of Oahu gets as many tourists as the Big island/Maui/Kauai combined! (And that's nights spent on the island, not just people passing through HNL on their way to other islands.)
As for me, I'll keep most of my Y's to myself lest they become more popular. However, as far as locally, I will state that I'd rather go to North Beach (which is a definite "Y") than South Beach in Miami, and I'd rather go to Islamorada instead of Key West in the Florida Keys. As for amusement parks, I'd rather go to Universal Studios in Orlando rather than Disney World.
Wait, wut? Your "Y" is the most "X" it could possibly be, lol. Not only are Honolulu and Waikiki Beach among the most popular tourist attractions, but the entire island of Oahu gets as many tourists as the Big island/Maui/Kauai combined! (And that's nights spent on the island, not just people passing through HNL on their way to other islands.)
As for me, I'll keep most of my Y's to myself lest they become more popular. However, as far as locally, I will state that I'd rather go to North Beach (which is a definite "Y") than South Beach in Miami, and I'd rather go to Islamorada instead of Key West in the Florida Keys. As for amusement parks, I'd rather go to Universal Studios in Orlando rather than Disney World.
I spent 5 nights in Kauai and 3 nights in Waikiki, I planned so
because everyone on the Internet says Oahu is too touristy, Waikiki is probably the touristy of the touristy. But I actually enjoyed Waikiki than Kauai.
The presence of Japanese tourists is a huge draw for me! I had some of the best Japanese food in America in Honolulu. I also enjoyed my stay at Prince hotel in Waikiki, which is also Japanese.
Most people prefer to visit San Francisco but I prefer to visit Chattanooga. That's because I've lived in California almost my whole life until last year, but I had never stepped foot East of the Rockies until I was almost 22 years old, so the Eastern US generally bears a lot more in novelty for me. Chinatown in SF is nice but if I'm travelling for Chinese food, I'm going to travel to China, Taiwan or Singapore. Chinatowns are great if you already live in that city but not really worth travelling there from across the country.
SF has the more impressive architecture, with the bridges and skyscrapers and cable cars and Victorians, but I actually find Chattanooga to have a more interesting natural setting, with a river gorge, caverns, and all the ravines, plateaus, and ridges scattered across the city, and an amazingly attractive waterfront. SF has hills, some small mountains, and the Bay, and it is big and impressive, but it's not as intricate, inviting, or nuanced as Chattanooga's topography. Both the Bay and the Pacific are too cold and rough to really do any kayaking unlike the lazy Tennessee River. Chattanooga has done such a good job with the waterfront, I'd actually put their waterfront above much larger Sacramento in terms of attractiveness.
Most people prefer to go to Disneyland, but I prefer smaller theme parks like Knott's. The so-called "Disney magic" is mostly just clever marketing which people pay through the nose for.
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