So you’ve decided to finally do what you’ve always wanted to. You’ve decided to listen to that voice in the back of your head that says “Go.” You’ve learned to say “Why not?” instead of “Why?” and follow it up with action. So what now?
If there is one major thing I learned on my trip it’s be honest with yourself. There’s a pressure we deal with in a bigger and bigger way each day in this highly technological age – impressing others. I very quickly learned I don’t care too much for the big cities, the things everyone tells you you have to see…just to see it. That’s not what I wanted out of my trip; I wanted an authentic local experience. When our focus turns from experiencing to impressing and satisfying "pics or it didn't happen" commands we lose the heart of travel.
It was strange standing in front of something you’d only ever seen in pictures but the charm was missing. I realized that what I was doing was starved of all of the things I loved. For the next couple months I changed the nature of my trip, started looking past the face of my destination and aiming for its heart. Without a car, getting to an intimate town or countryside can be near impossible but even in the cities you can see what lies behind the postcard perfect scenes.
If you can, leave your trip open. When you plan every moment of each day (and accommodation) you starve yourself of experiencing things you didn’t know about. What if you meet someone who offers you home cooked meals and a weekend getaway to beaches on the Venetian Lagoon? (Yes, that happened - pictured below)
You can’t plan an authentic, local, spontaneous experience. In addition, what you thought you would want to see may not actually hold true when you actually see it. The most I could do was plan to put myself in the way of local life and give myself the flexibility to say “yes” or to change my mind.
If you publicize the fact that you’re taking a trip most people you meet will donate some recommendations and memories. When listening to advice on your destination choice be mindful of who you’re talking to. What myself or any other traveler loved may be the exact opposite from what you might love, and vice versa. The only people who really pressured me to find my way to Belgrade were avid club goers and drinkers, so I passed it up. I didn’t love Paris so I don’t often recommend it but others may absolutely adore every inch of it.
Find some travelers you trust and find yourself similar to when looking for destination direction. Seek out those with similar situations and interests to you as well. Asking someone who took private helicopter rides on their trip for help when you’ve got a painfully limited budget might not prove to be so effective.
If financial strain is a big deterrent avoid France and the UK and head straight for Czech Republic or Croatia. Countries in Europe whose currency is anything but British sterling or euro had a much more favorable exchange rate to the United States dollar. I hear it only gets better the further east you go to countries like Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, and Belarus but I didn’t end up making it that far…yet. Pick some places you’ve always wanted to go and some you’ve never heard of. I always had a rough travel route to fall back on should my attempted spontaneity not deliver.
Clearly, what I prioritize in travel is open-ended cultural immersion but if you don’t agree, be honest with yourself. Make the trip that will make you want to go through all the hardships backpacking will offer. If you want to see all the big cities, do it. If you want to spend one day on the couch doing a solo Netflix and chill instead, do it (that’s me). Though your trip may not get as many “likes” as an alternative, your trip is truly only what it is to you. Don’t feel guilty for not doing or seeing more. You’re not on vacation, you’re living abroad. Sometimes you need to hunt down a bag of Doritos and watch rom-coms all day long. Don’t be discouraged by the difficulties of life like this, it’s worth every ounce of struggle; I can promise you that. Know you can do it, just be honest with yourself.
