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Interesting things to do when you travel

Traveling is in and of itself anoften life shaping and character developing experience. There is much more to traveling than following the standard package tour and getting photo ops in the tourist traps. Travel can be an enriching experience if the visitor steps off the beaten path andseeks unique cultural experiences often missed by the rank-and file weekend photo snappers. In this article, we will go over some broad categories of traveling and some tips to enrich the experience. Do notconsider these tips as especially binding, as activities and destinations are often interchangeable.

1. The buddy road trip.

A buddy road trip is one taken with close friends without family members play pokies online or small children. This sort of journey is best for younger adults orolder folk taking few days to a week from the daily grind. As opposed to the superficially similar family road trip described below, a buddy road trip can incorporate a great deal more partying and can allow the travelers to explore more adult themed destinations. Travelling light and without too much responsibility, the travelers get to be themselves and truly let loose. Desert rides to Las Vegas, or your more local sin central, offer weekend-range destinations that enable the participants to relive scenes from ”The Hangover”, to their pleasure or peril. Things to consider on this sort of journey is to let loose and do things you have never tried and may very well never have the opportunity (or the inclination) to ever do again. Rock climbing perhaps, jump off a cliff into a lake, or take a helicopter ride if it is in your budget. This sort of journey is great for bachelor parties, as it is likely to be the last time that the old wolfpack is together, so its best to make the most out of it.

2. The Family Road trip

On this journey, we are dealing with a typically larger vehicle, and a considerably less nimbleset of travelers. This should not in any way take away from the experience, in fact, contrary to what National Lampoons would have us believe, family road trips are often close bonding experiences, provided all participants relax. A recipe for disaster in most family outing is overbooking. Especiallyif the travelers intend to go to all of Disney’s Orlando theme parks in a single weekend. Over booking can be a recipe for disaster and you may very well end up returning more exhausted from your trip than the first day you took off work!

So the key bit of advice is take your time. Importantto remember in all road trips is that the best route to a destination is rarely a straight line. Plotting your navigational schedule is a fun game in and of itself. A few tips on navigation, if you are traveling on an interstate that passes through a major city, its nearly guaranteed that it will begridlocked on Monday through Friday during rush hour. Plan your route so that you stop at a point of interest well before the city, avoiding being trapped in congestion in the evening. If you have 2 weeks to kill with the family, then plot a reasonable itinerary through a scenic area of the country and do a town every other day. This way,shopping can be satisfied for the shoppers, the history buffs can schedule a stop at a fort or a historic battlefield, and the kids can always look forward to a local water park or carnival. Planning road trips to coincide with small local festivals also gives the travelers a more authentic experience than going to more heavily visited places. A family road trip can give the kids a much better sense of the USA. The scenery available from some of the interstates is sometimes worth the journey in and of itself.

One fun, and pocketbook friendly addition to a road trip is to pack a tent. Camping lots are much cheaper than motel rooms, and allow the bonding experience of setting up and removing the tent every night. Most campgrounds provide Barbecue pits, allowing the family to stretch the traveling budget even further. Roasted marshmallows, of course, are a bonus. A road trip allows the freedom to change destinations on a whim. It permits travelers to visit such unforgettable natural sights as Yellowstone, Lake Tahoe, and the painted desert, at the traveler’s own pace.

3. The quick city sightseeing tour

Good for couples and groups of students, perhaps families with grown children, these trips typically last for an extended weekend, although if you are on an extended European vacation, its best to think of it as a series of this type of journey. Key for a successful one is to choose acity not to far away, to avoid jet lag and exhaustion from the journey. The idea is to use a car as little as possible, most cities worth visiting having acceptable public transport, especially in Europe. Due to the limited time, it is rarely possible to get a true feel for the destination, but this style of travel offers great opportunities for travelers wishing to emulate “The Amazing Race”. Maximizing your time is everything, so its important to wake early and not lounge about the hotel any longer than necessary. Plan your route around the sights you and your party have identified as being of interest. Try notto double back and forth and zigzag between destinations, as you will end up spending most of your day getting acquainted with the local transit system. Plan an itinerary that forms the closest thing to a circle you possibly can, with the furthest point of interest being at the furthest edge of the circle from your hotel. It is possible to glimpse the most prominent sights in most European capitals in a single day, so its best to schedule that rat race for the first day. For example, a weekend inParis best starts at the Eiffel tower early in the morning, as the line will end up eating most of your day any later. After the view, notre dame, the champs elysees, and other notable sights are all reachable in acircuitous by taking the local metro. This way, the second day can be spent focusing on aspects that most appeal to your group, shopping, the Louvre (a day in and of itself) for art lovers,or Napoleon’s tomb and the Invalides Museum (also a day in itself) for History Lovers.

New York is by far the most popular weekend exploration for American cities, and much nearer at hand than Europe. New york can be done in a day, starting a Battery Park, south street seaport, taking a quick subway ride to Rockefeller center, a stroll through central park, the subway again for a ride to the top of the empire state building, and back down the east side for a view of the UN building or the bridges. The Statue of Liberty, Eliis Island, or one of New York’s massive museums are best left for the more slowly paced second day.

4. Backpacking

Good for couples and young folks,and only the hardiest of families. Backpacking expeditions can range from a few weeks to a complete gap-year. For the whole period, the traveler subsists off what can he carried in a single back, and generally stays at very cheap lodgings. The advantage of backpacking is that due to its relatively low cost, the traveler can visit and experience many corners of the destination country. Unlike other forms of travel, backpackers regularly meetand form close (if at times rather ad-hoc) relationships with other backpackers, often from different countries as well. Combined with the self-reliance such a form of travel builds in young people, as well as the cultural experience it provides, backpacking has become a sort of rite of passage in many western societies, sort of like what the ”Grand Tour” of Europe was to members of the upper classes was in the nineteenth century. Popular backpacking destinations include Europe, Thailand, India, and Indonesia. For parents with high school graduates clamoring for a backpacking trip, some research should be done on wherethe kids will travel. Western Europe is quite safe, with low crime rates, an abundance of youth hostels, and enough culture to fill two summers, the cost of things like travel and food are quite high though. Asian destinations are great adventures for travelers who can handle it, probably not high school graduates, best to go here after college or while on sabbatical. A month in Thailand or India allows thevisitor to visit truly ancient sites and observe rituals and ways of life unchanged for thousands of years. Fortunately for the parents stress levels, internet and cell phones are easily obtained to keep in touch with the young adventurers. These travels allow the visitors to trek to exotic forgotten temples in deep canopy jungle, visit traditional villages, sample local cuisine the way it should be, not from some corner curry shop, and come back home with a sense of having seen a bit of the world and a bit more confidence in their ability to handle it.

5. The romantic getaway.

This is for couples only. Equally attractive for honeymooners, or old couples seeking some alone time, the destination really depends on the interests of the couple. A few rules should be followed and kept. First of all, keep any and all activities latein the day and only one or two per day. This trip is about being close to each other, not seeing how many statues you can get a photo op of before sundown. Also, settle on one destination with enough points of interest and activities to keep you busy for the length of your stay. A couple seeking to escape literally all kind of human contact are seeking a different kind of trip. Expect lots of dinners, if you are a hardworking couple, now is the time to make up for all those pizza nights. Choose a destination with interesting cuisine options. Scenery should be chosen wisely as to accent the mood. Some tourist locations, such as Venice and Niagara Falls, advertise themselves as hot destinations for lovers. Venice certainly has the scenery, the gondolas with their singing gondoliers, and the masquerade balls. The smell of the canals can be a touch off putting for the first couple of days, though. Niagara falls, aside from the obvious natural wonder, has little to recommend it, though the Canadian side is a tourist festival all throughout the summer. Interestingly, the spray generated from the falls results in a very highconcentration of lithium ions, which increase a personal sense of contentment and well being, so perhaps Niagara would be the better destination out of the two.

6. Complete seclusion

Works for couples, or a family seeking some quality time. Thisform of travel generally involves renting a lake house or a villa far off the beaten track and outside visual range of most neighbors. If fishing or hunting is your thing, then this is the trip for you. If there is a novel you would like to finish in a month, its more likely to be completed in this sort of vacation than any other. Good chance for the kids to play around and explore the outdoors, but likely to win only complaints from a teenager who would rather beback home in their ”scene”. sometimes it is better to invite another family to share the lake house or villa. This works best if the two families in question are already well acquainted with each other. Cabin fever could set in among strangers who are not familiar with the other groups habits, any friction would make the purpose of getting away from it all completely moot. This sort of vacation is perfect for the nature lover. Secludedhomes often offer fine birdwatching opportunities, and nature trails to local landmarks are a great way to take advantage of the fresh air. The unspoiled landscapes provide fine inspiration for any member of the trip who dabbles in painting as well.

So as you can see, each trip requires different expectations and a different mindset. The destination andthe traveling style generally depends on the interests of the participants. These styles are by no means written in stone, however, most can be mixed and matched depending on the destination and the inclination of the travelers involved. Just remember, wherever you travel tothink of it as an adventure, and that mindset will make the journey that much more rewarding.