Travelling Apprehension
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
When I was younger I visited Colorado and some surrounding states with my family. As an adult Hubs and I have gone on cruises and visited a friend of mine in San Diego. We also visit Virginia Beach where his parents are. Last year I went to North Carolina for a conference. This year I'm attending the same conference in Portland, and I'm also attending a conference in New Orleans.
All of those trips aren't hard in terms of planning. I've been with friends or family, or on a cruise or conference where many activities are curated for you to choose from. What gives me anxiety is taking a trip where no one I know awaits me. We're hoping to go to Hawaii next year, and I'd love to eventually make it to Italy.
I get anxiety when I think about planning activities in a place I've never been where there is no one I know. I don't want to get caught up in tourist traps or scams. I want to travel around in the most efficient way. I'm also very concerned about looking too much like a tourist or doing something offensive to the culture of a location.
The first uncharted territory we make our way to, I'm sure will come with lots of Google research.
Where have you gone? How did you plan for your trip?
I'm planning on going to San Diego in January for 3 months and I know no one there. If I think about it too hard, I get a little freaked, but I think it'll be a good experience for me. Scary, but good.
ReplyDeleteWow for three months?! That's awesome! When it gets closer remind me to tell you the things to definitely check out. We stayed a week, and now we want to live there some time in the future lol
DeleteI'm traveling with work. I'm not sure where I'll be in San Diego and I'm leaving my car on this coast. The warmth is part of why I chose it. I'm snow birding. Give me any tips for things to see. :)
DeleteI love, love, love to travel. I actually miss having a job where I travel. when it comes to seeing new places, I can definitely understand the apprehension though. Awwee, this makes me want to plan a vacation or at least fund a job where I can travel again!
ReplyDeleteWell, here's an idea: how about beginning to make contacts in those areas/countries/regions/cities, e.g. through your blog, BEFORE you venture there. Thanks to the Internet that's possible, before that really only ham radio operators had a similar chance.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea!
DeleteMy husband and I went to Maui. No one awaited us there. There was a bit of anxious-feeling for us, mostly because it was the first time we were both going so far away from home. I think traveling time was about 10 hours? We pretty much–did as you mentioned–and just researched a lot before going. We made sure to "eat like the locals" and visit as many highly rated/reviews restaurants as we could. I think we planned 1, maybe 2 "touristy" activities, like going to a Luau and on a dinner cruise. There's really no getting around looking like a tourist when you do these things because, almost everyone there is a tourist! Lol Much of the time, we just relaxed on the beach because, we aren't much for planned activities. It was fun. I would say the best way to avoid tourist scams (and offending local culture) is–as you mentioned–research.
ReplyDelete