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This is such a strange article. I too, in general, avoid starting with "pre-packaged" experiences when traveling. My most memorable experiences were only possi

This is such a strange article. I too, in general, avoid starting with "pre-packaged" experiences when traveling. My most memorable experiences were only possible because, like the author, I travel light and don't plan too far ahead and mostly avoid being spendy. There's a kind of looseness and spontaneity that is possible if one plans generally and keeps funds available to take advantage of opportunities that only crystalize once you get to where you are going. But the high-handed tone in this article, denigrating the popular attractions countries are known of, feels entirely at odds with that philosophy. > I stay away from the coolest neighborhoods in the world, which all end up being variations of the same thing. If you have spent any time traveling, you know this is a silly thing to say. Even the most tourist-y places like Bali, though you see similarities, retain a national character. They are also generally very different from the rest of their host country - bubbles with their own rules and features. This is a feature! I have never regretted spending some time in heavily tourist'ed areas. Being catered to and seeing how culture shifts is interesting and fun. Taking a break from forging your own path and doing some pre-constructed-fun is nice. The reasons those areas are popular is because they are interesting and fun! To me, a lot of this comes down to balancing the time you invest in figuring out how to spend your time and money v.s. the time you want to take "doing the thing." If you have a low budget, then just kind of scrap around (you don't have a choice so there's no need to pretend this is some crazy tip). If you have a higher budget you have options! You can jump right into a pre-planned experience for a little bit or you can scrap it a bit and see what turns out. Ultimately, for most of us, even if you travel on "the cheap" you are still actually planning around a budget of how long you can skip work. I 1000% think that, if people have never taken just a carry on to a less touristy city in a foreign city, you should consider it. But the experience is a close cousin to the one you have when you are in tourist land and the two approaches support each other.

com2kid 4y ago
> If you have spent any time traveling, you know this is a silly thing to say. I know from my own home city, Seattle, that this is bad advice. If someone comes here and doesn't do any of the tourist things, hike up one of our many many mountains, go to the rain forest, spend a day out on Lake Washington, or stop by one of the many Sea Fair events, then they aren't actually doing the things that locals also do. Because, surprise surprise, locals around here also go hiking and camping and go watch naked bicyclists. Go to the "touristy" parts of Japan, and they are filled with Japanese residents doing fun things! Feeding the deer in Nara is something everyone loves to do, so don't be elitist, go do it! The fashion districts in Tokyo are amazing, go buy an outrageous new outfit! Anyone who spends half a second looking around will see that plenty of people who live there have done the same thing. Likewise, the large museums in different countries are all worth visiting. The museum in the Forbidden City has dioramas made out of gem stones, they are one of the most memorable things I have ever seen! I agree, staying at an Air BnB in a "safe but not cool" part of a city that is still on a transit line is a good idea. Eating at local restaurants is a good idea, but wow, the author is so self assured that his way of doing things is superior. I agree that if someone goes to an all inclusive resort in Mexico, then they haven't visited Mexico. I encourage everyone I meet to go spend a week in Mexico City (CDMX is one of my favorite cities!!!), it completely destroyed any lingering bullshit stereotypes I had about Mexico. (Fun fact: Mexico City has the second largest metropolitan GDP of any city in North America) But, again, also, GO DO FUN STUFF.
- aeturnum 4y ago
  Absolutely agree! I 100% think that, if you're not from somewhere and you've heard of a thing to do - there's a good chance that's because there's advertising money behind it and you're going to pay a premium to do it (museums are a frequent exception). So, going into a trip, you will know about the "pricey" side of the cool stuff in that area. That's fine! Those things are still cool! But if you hang out a bit and look around at what the locals do, you will pretty quickly learn about the "cheap" side of the cool stuff in the area. You will also discover the day-to-day parts of being in a city or town that lead people to live in that area: small shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, street food, the bar scene, etc.
- ambrose2 4y ago
  Fully agree with your take on this.
x0x0 4y ago
Not really. The author was super clear -- sentence 1, para 2 -- what his goals were: "I travel to get an idea of how other people live." And from that, everything follows.
- aeturnum 4y ago
  I guess that's why I said called it strange. People live in tourist towns. The people there are real people with real lives (that involve a lot of interaction with foreigners). There's no reason to avoid those places if you want to "get an idea of how people live."
  - em-bee 4y ago
    if i want to get an idea of how people live making money of tourists. (not that this is a bad thing) but i think that is the point, the life of people making money from tourists is similar everywhere. it's not the life that i am interested in learning about. i want to interact with people that don't make money from talking to me. if i visit a tourist place, then i do it with local friends, and my interaction is focused on the local friends and not the rest. you may say that not everyone living there makes money from tourists, and that would be true. but why should i make things hard for me, instead of going to a place where only very few people make money from tourists.
    - aeturnum 4y ago
      > the life of people making money from tourists is similar everywhere I think, what I am getting at, is that this sentiment equally applies to every industry. You will find similarities if you compare any two tourist areas. You'll also find similarities between cities with healthy financial services sectors, or towns with small fishing industries, or towns where light (or heavy) industry is the main source of employment. Tourism is just a way of making money, just like any other. It's normal and expected to get bored of tourist areas (because they are often the areas you go to most) - but the fact that you (or I) are bored of them does not make them worse than any other area. If this article's pitch was "I got bored of tourist areas so here's how to travel in other places" I would be into it. Instead it is suggesting that tourist areas are somehow lesser than where people are living "real" lives, which is pretty off-putting and, as I said above, strongly clashes with my own travel experience.
m463 4y ago
I'm kind of conflicted here. I used to avoid Pier 39 in san francisco because it was an overpriced tourist trap. But recently I went there and had a lot of fun. I just relaxed and accepted the mini donut place and the left-handed store. And I genuinely enjoyed the USS Pampanito submarine and the Ripley's Believe it or not museum. and the bacon wrapped hot-dogs...

com2kid 4y ago

> If you have spent any time traveling, you know this is a silly thing to say. I know from my own home city, Seattle, that this is bad advice. If someone comes here and doesn't do any of the tourist things, hike up one of our many many mountains, go to the rain forest, spend a day out on Lake Washington, or stop by one of the many Sea Fair events, then they aren't actually doing the things that locals also do. Because, surprise surprise, locals around here also go hiking and camping and go watch naked bicyclists. Go to the "touristy" parts of Japan, and they are filled with Japanese residents doing fun things! Feeding the deer in Nara is something everyone loves to do, so don't be elitist, go do it! The fashion districts in Tokyo are amazing, go buy an outrageous new outfit! Anyone who spends half a second looking around will see that plenty of people who live there have done the same thing. Likewise, the large museums in different countries are all worth visiting. The museum in the Forbidden City has dioramas made out of gem stones, they are one of the most memorable things I have ever seen! I agree, staying at an Air BnB in a "safe but not cool" part of a city that is still on a transit line is a good idea. Eating at local restaurants is a good idea, but wow, the author is so self assured that his way of doing things is superior. I agree that if someone goes to an all inclusive resort in Mexico, then they haven't visited Mexico. I encourage everyone I meet to go spend a week in Mexico City (CDMX is one of my favorite cities!!!), it completely destroyed any lingering bullshit stereotypes I had about Mexico. (Fun fact: Mexico City has the second largest metropolitan GDP of any city in North America) But, again, also, GO DO FUN STUFF.

aeturnum 4y ago
Absolutely agree! I 100% think that, if you're not from somewhere and you've heard of a thing to do - there's a good chance that's because there's advertising money behind it and you're going to pay a premium to do it (museums are a frequent exception). So, going into a trip, you will know about the "pricey" side of the cool stuff in that area. That's fine! Those things are still cool! But if you hang out a bit and look around at what the locals do, you will pretty quickly learn about the "cheap" side of the cool stuff in the area. You will also discover the day-to-day parts of being in a city or town that lead people to live in that area: small shops, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, street food, the bar scene, etc.
ambrose2 4y ago
Fully agree with your take on this.

x0x0 4y ago

Not really. The author was super clear -- sentence 1, para 2 -- what his goals were: "I travel to get an idea of how other people live." And from that, everything follows.

aeturnum 4y ago
I guess that's why I said called it strange. People live in tourist towns. The people there are real people with real lives (that involve a lot of interaction with foreigners). There's no reason to avoid those places if you want to "get an idea of how people live."
- em-bee 4y ago
  if i want to get an idea of how people live making money of tourists. (not that this is a bad thing) but i think that is the point, the life of people making money from tourists is similar everywhere. it's not the life that i am interested in learning about. i want to interact with people that don't make money from talking to me. if i visit a tourist place, then i do it with local friends, and my interaction is focused on the local friends and not the rest. you may say that not everyone living there makes money from tourists, and that would be true. but why should i make things hard for me, instead of going to a place where only very few people make money from tourists.
  - aeturnum 4y ago
    > the life of people making money from tourists is similar everywhere I think, what I am getting at, is that this sentiment equally applies to every industry. You will find similarities if you compare any two tourist areas. You'll also find similarities between cities with healthy financial services sectors, or towns with small fishing industries, or towns where light (or heavy) industry is the main source of employment. Tourism is just a way of making money, just like any other. It's normal and expected to get bored of tourist areas (because they are often the areas you go to most) - but the fact that you (or I) are bored of them does not make them worse than any other area. If this article's pitch was "I got bored of tourist areas so here's how to travel in other places" I would be into it. Instead it is suggesting that tourist areas are somehow lesser than where people are living "real" lives, which is pretty off-putting and, as I said above, strongly clashes with my own travel experience.

m463 4y ago

I'm kind of conflicted here. I used to avoid Pier 39 in san francisco because it was an overpriced tourist trap. But recently I went there and had a lot of fun. I just relaxed and accepted the mini donut place and the left-handed store. And I genuinely enjoyed the USS Pampanito submarine and the Ripley's Believe it or not museum. and the bacon wrapped hot-dogs...