TOP TRAVEL TIPS
New to traveling? Tired of those hop on and off buses? Want to make the most of your vacations? As a wanderluster on a budget, I’ve learned how to make the most of my travels when I am lucky to experience them. I want to really experience a place as a local, live it up with entertainment, and not go broke in the process. So here are my top travel tips to visiting a new city. Or town. Or whatever.
JOIN A WALKING TOUR
This is something I wish I had started doing way earlier. A walking tour is typically a local taking a small group of people on a stroll for an hour or two around a city. This is your chance to explore a city with someone who actually lives there. They know all about the tiny little bakery on a side street corner with the best pastries in Prague, or where to get the best photo of Budapest for your Instagram. In Edinburgh my guide was a local actor who played a flute while we walked and told us fantastic stories of the city in the 1800’s. You see a lot in a short period which is great if you’re only in a city for a day. If you have longer you can go back to your favourite spots for a longer experience. Walking tours are advertised as free but tips are generally expected and deserved (around 10 euros seems to be the average amount from travellers I’ve talked to). I’ve tried Generation Tours and Sandmans before but if you Google whatever city walking tour you’ll find loads of options.
WALK EVERYWHERE (or at least a lot)
When I travel I eat alllll the food and still I usually come home a few pounds lighter and with toned af legs. I walk so much when I travel I’ve had to buy shoes while in Paris cause mine got a hole in the sole. I can easily spend a solid 12 hour day roaming about a new city. Sure, you can take a bus or cab from tourist destination to tourist destination, but you miss soooo much inbetween. There are also spots you simply can’t get to if you don’t walk, like this viewpoint of Barcelona. I find in most cities that the big tourist attractions are all near each other anyway, so you may as well walk. It’s better for you health wise, you’ll see and experience more, and you’ll save money. Think of all the calories and change you’ll save that you can spend on things like drool worthy croissants at the bakery you wouldn’t have passed if you took the train. Just makes sense people.
TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT (when you can’t walk!)
I’m a big fan of taking public transit when I travel. I may be weird, but I like comparing the transit systems in other cities to what I’m used to at home (they almost always seem better!). It’s also another level you can add to experiencing the local lifestyle. Walking is king in my books but when desitionations are far apart or the weather is shit, transit is the way to go. Think of all the beers you can buy with the money you save not taking cabs. Priorities right? Sometimes you’ll find yourself on transit right before or after a big event and you can experience that crowd energy as well. I’ve been on the tube in London after a big rock concert and on a packed train in Barcelona after a football game and both times were super fun journeys.
GET HIGH!
And not marijuana (though if you’re in Amsterdam or Canada or wherever else it’s legal and easily accessible I definitely promote that highness if it’s your cup of tea.) I’m talking about elevation here. A fantastic way to see a city or town or forest or wherever you are is to get yourself to a vantage point that overlooks all the beauty around you. Sometimes this may mean paying for access to a tourist attraction like the CN tower in Toronto or the Willis tower in Chicago. (Note here: checking out one of these during a thunder/lightning storm is amaaazing. 10/10 recommend) but it can also mean simply climbing up a hill, which I love doing. You’ll often end up with the view to yourself and different photos from all the other tourists. I loved the above view of Prague overlooking all the red roof houses.
BUY A SOUVENIR
When I first started to travel I didn’t buy souvenirs. I thought it was cheesy, the items overpriced, and I hated feeling like a tourist going into the gift shops. Then I realized I like cheese, that memories are priceless, and I AM a tourist. I’m not big on material items and didn’t want to start accumulating a bunch of stuff, so I decided to start buying magnets. Magnets are a great souvenir. They’re available everywhere, pretty damn cheap, take up next to no space in my carry on, and have a designated spot when I get home. When I’m having a rough day I can look at my fridge and see all the places I’ve been to. I also think of all the empty space that will eventually be filled with magnets of places I’ve yet to visit!
TAKE A COFFEE (OR BEER) BREAK
It’s easy while travelling to get caught up in all the sights, rushing from one attraction to another, trying to cram in as much as possible. I’ve been there, most times I’m only in a city for a night or two. But one of my favourite things to do is to find myself a nice little cafe or cool looking dive bar and just sit for a bit. It’s a good opportunity to plan where you’re heading next, take a breather, charge your phone, and do a little people watching. I get that may sound a bit creepy, but I don’t think it is as long as you’re not staring. I love sitting outside a cafe in London watching people come and go. You really feel like you’re not a tourist too, unless you go to a Starbucks next to a popular attraction which I don’t advise. In the evenings if I’m not going to a concert, bars are where I’m at. Usually I look up “metal/rock bars” or “arcade bars” as I find it super relaxed to hang out in these places alone without any sort of judgement or awkwardness. If you’re ever in Krakow and like pinball, I highly suggest the Pinball museum. I spent a freezing evening here by myself and had a blast.
CHECK OUT A CONCERT
OBVIOUSLY, RIGHT? It’s pretty common for me to plan an entire trip around a music festival or tour – actually that’s usually what happens. In the rare time I decide to go on a trip just cause, I often check out songkick to see what bands are playing in whatever city I’ll be in. Or I’ll change my plans while in travel to see a show. I remember seeing online a last minute ticket for Gojira in Utretcht when I was on a train to Amsterdam. I literally went to my hostel, dropped off my bag, and got on another train straight to the concert. And it was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. I love travelling, I love concerts, and both at the same time? Perfecto. It’s super cool to see different venues, how fans react in other cities, and is just fun. I’ve made several friends at concerts while travelling, more so than doing anything else, including staying at hostels. And it doesn’t have to be a big stadium show or anything either. So many bars have live music, especially on weekends, with no cover charge or anything.
DON’T OVER PLAN!
I know someone that has to plan their trip at least six months in advance. They have an excel sheet with minute by minute itineraries, a budget to the dollar, and an insane packing list. This sounds AWFUL. You’ll constantly be checking the time, rushing around, just to tick off your checklist. What if you make a friend and they have an extra ticket for some awesome show? Do you want to lug around a giant suitcase over cobblestones cause you brought five pairs of shoes “just in case”? Do not be this person. Find a healthy balance. Personally, I like making a small list of MUST SEES, another small list of WOULD BE COOL, and leave some time open for .. who knows? Maybe something cool you would have missed with your nose buried in your excel sheet schedule.
BALANCE TOP SITES AND HIDDEN GEMS
There is more to London than Big Ben, more to Paris than the Eiffel Tower. (Of course you’re going to go see the Eiffel Tower in Paris). But that’s not all the city has to offer. When I look up “things to do in _____” in a city, it seems like every article has the same five touristy spots. As if that’s it, you’ve seen that, you can go home. But what about all the other cool shit? Cause there’s loads! I like to find a nice balance on my travels and finding things to do based on my interests. You can be in a city known for it’s art galleries but guess what, if you don’t like art, you don’t have to go! As I’ve already said, I love coffee, metal music, and pinball. So when I go to a new city, I try to find a cool coffee shop, a dive metal bar, or arcade. What do you like? See if any of that is where you’re visiting! My favourite resource for finding hidden gems is Atlas Obscura. There you’ll find interesting, bizarre, strange places you can check out that won’t be on every other to see list. Definitely suggest checking it out wherever you go.
LOOK FOR DEALS
I love finding deals when I travel. It means I can experience more for less. Sometimes a good flight deal is how I can afford to take a trip at all. I usually stay at hostels because my accommodation budget can go two-four times further. I went to England for a month with the same budget as my friend who went for two weeks by staying in hostels. And hostels have more deals besides a bed to sleep in. Many of them offer a free breakfast, or a packed lunch to go like a hostel I stayed at in Prague. They also often offer deals to attractions which can be huge. In Paris I got a “fast track” pass for the Catacombs. It was a few dollars cheaper and when I arrived to a hugeeee line that went around the block, my pass let me skip the line!
Other deals to be found, happy hour for half priced drinks, going to fancy restaurants for lunch instead of dinner, checking out websites like last minute tickets. I got a front row centre ticket for a play in London for 12 pounds simply by showing up the day of the performance to box office and asking if they had any deals. A quick google search, asking the hostel or hotel staff, or simply keeping your eyes open can score you some wicked deals on your travels. Above is a photo of The Clash London Calling exhibit I saw at the Museum of London for free.
So here you go, my top travel tips to visiting a new place based on my experience. But if you like doing the opposite of all the above, you do you! Travel is different for everyone, don’t let anyone feel like you’re doing things wrong if you’re enjoying yourself and not harming anyone else. Just get out there and rock and roam!
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