What is your travel style?

[Gerald Wilgus]

For those of us who travel, or even enjoy it, do you have a style?

My great Aunt and Aunt were Travel Agents before canned experiences became popular, when agents needed to know their destinations, so I learned a lot about setting up things that work. My spouse and I would decide on a place, do research, create an itinerary, and do the booking. When we landed we did the Underground from Heathrow to our hotel at the edge of Soho and Chinatown, ate at Duddles, saw a presentation at the Victorian Operating Theater and toured the replica of The Golden Hind, then went to the theater for the closing performance of Caroline and Change. We enjoyed 7 plays in 6 days: such as; SIX, Company - with a woman lead, When Animals and Children Took to the Streets, Only Fools and Horses, Come From Away and Follies, among other diversions. We discover things.

We have done some "canned" trips, like to dive resorts to pursue our interests. But in April, my trip to Thailand I booked myself and then once there booked other things like an evening Tuk Tuk tour of the night markets, or a Buddhism tour through "With Locals" (an excellent operation). I learned a lot, and came home with a Sak Yant tattoo (pronounced, sak yan).

 

[Stuttermabolur]

I tend to travel light, and if a plan hasn't been provided to me I mostly wander around the streets and eat at places I have never heard of. I'm too shy to get too involved with events and activities more complicated than museum trips.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

I would love traveling in a box truck camper.

 

[Shamar]

I would never book a "canned" tour. I prefer to investigate see things and myself. For example, in Istanbul I saw a small ruin with a small sign next to it. I went over to look. It urns out that this was the zero point for all the mileage markers in the Byzantine empire. For hundreds of years this was considered literally the center of the world. I have never seen a tour stop there. I have seen tours stop at other tourist sight. Usually they are there long enough to say they were there, but not nearly long enough to actually get a good look at it. I have seen them get hustled through museums at a fast walk. Elderly and slow people get a much shorter tour. The tours do, however, spend plenty of time at souvenir stands and tourist shops. Long enough to get a good look at everything.

I prefer to be a traveler and not a tourist.

 

[VictorR]

I’m not sure what I love more – travel, or the planning and anticipation thereof.

To read through a guidebook, or to browse travel websites online is a guilty pleasure – to live vicariously through the writings and photographs of others, wondering if and when I might get to see and experience a place myself..

As solo traveller who doesn’t drive (sensory concerns, like many on the spectrum), I recognize that some places and experiences, like the California Coast, are off-limits unless I hire a private guide. I’m pretty pragmatic about that – no sense getting upset about things you can’t control, and I suppose if at some point in my life I come across a travel buddy, then great – there’s some places I’d love to explore together with them.

Anyways, once I have an idea of what I want to see and so, I’ll start figuring out the logistics – train and bus schedules – what are the frequencies? First and last service of each day? Sometimes I may have several days in a “base” but based on transit availability and museum hours (or maybe I happen upon a free day, or a community festival), I’d need to arrange to visit specific places at certain dates and times.

When building a schedule, I always allow for flexibility. You never know if you might encounter delays, find a charming shop that you want to hang around in, or realize that you have the opportunity for a spontaneous side trip.

I recall having two days in Vienna, and having done a quick walk-through of the city on my first, and seeing how close the other countries were, and the inexpensive train tickets, used the second day for a day trip by train to Brno (Czechia) and Bratislava (Slovakia), allowing me to cross two countries off my list that I hadn’t intended on visiting at all.

I mostly like independent travel, but where day trips are available at a modest cost, and/or transit is not convenient or feasible, I’ll book one. Examples of where day trips are handy include the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, a Stonehenge and Avebury tour (from Bath or London), or Hadrian’s Wall / Vinolanda from Edinbugh. I don’t build in time for multi-day tours, but some, like Scottish Highlands, I’d love to do in the future. One of the challenges in North America, compared to our European friends, is that we just don’t get as much vacation time, and so there’s always the trade-off being seeing more places, or getting to know a region more in-depth.

Some of my best experiences are when I forget to pack a guidebook, and then in amazement stumble upon some landmark while wandering around, be it the July Column (Place de la Bastille) in Paris or the Spanish Steps in Rome.

I try to follow a “when in Rome” mindset when traveling (including, as I mentioned in another post, a tendency to visit local supermarkets to see what's different) and prefer to pack light – usually just a carry-on with several versatile sets of clothing. Ultimately, it’s about the experiences and memories rather than souvenir hunting, though of course I’ll bring back some knick knacks as well.

 

[VictorR]

I like to minimize surprises, so of of studying of maps - of the regions, cities, transit systems, and of airports.

Especially if I'm making a connection, I want to ensure I have a reasonable idea (based on recent flights) of which gates I'll likely be arriving at and which ones I'm departing from, and how to get from one to another.
Even then, sometimes I panic and forget and have to ask for directions.

 

[Aspychata]

My idea is plan the crucial stuff and let the rest fall into place. Leave room for a little exploration. But l will study the airport layout for connections because l don't like surprises. I had to change hotels in San Antonio because the area was unsafe. But then we moved to a really neat hotel which really made the trip memorable. I was stranded in London because the bus stopped running but l walked back to where l was staying despite complete unfamiliarity with the area. And met a kindred soul who helped with directions.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I’m not sure what I love more – travel, or the planning and anticipation thereof.

To read through a guidebook, or to browse travel websites online is a guilty pleasure – to live vicariously through the writings and photographs of others, wondering if and when I might get to see and experience a place myself..

As solo traveller who doesn’t drive (sensory concerns, like many on the spectrum), I recognize that some places and experiences, like the California Coast, are off-limits unless I hire a private guide. I’m pretty pragmatic about that – no sense getting upset about things you can’t control, and I suppose if at some point in my life I come across a travel buddy, then great – there’s some places I’d love to explore together with them.

Anyways, once I have an idea of what I want to see and so, I’ll start figuring out the logistics – train and bus schedules – what are the frequencies? First and last service of each day? Sometimes I may have several days in a “base” but based on transit availability and museum hours (or maybe I happen upon a free day, or a community festival), I’d need to arrange to visit specific places at certain dates and times.

When building a schedule, I always allow for flexibility. You never know if you might encounter delays, find a charming shop that you want to hang around in, or realize that you have the opportunity for a spontaneous side trip.

I recall having two days in Vienna, and having done a quick walk-through of the city on my first, and seeing how close the other countries were, and the inexpensive train tickets, used the second day for a day trip by train to Brno (Czechia) and Bratislava (Slovakia), allowing me to cross two countries off my list that I hadn’t intended on visiting at all.

I mostly like independent travel, but where day trips are available at a modest cost, and/or transit is not convenient or feasible, I’ll book one. Examples of where day trips are handy include the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas, a Stonehenge and Avebury tour (from Bath or London), or Hadrian’s Wall / Vinolanda from Edinbugh. I don’t build in time for multi-day tours, but some, like Scottish Highlands, I’d love to do in the future. One of the challenges in North America, compared to our European friends, is that we just don’t get as much vacation time, and so there’s always the trade-off being seeing more places, or getting to know a region more in-depth.

Some of my best experiences are when I forget to pack a guidebook, and then in amazement stumble upon some landmark while wandering around, be it the July Column (Place de la Bastille) in Paris or the Spanish Steps in Rome.

I try to follow a “when in Rome” mindset when traveling (including, as I mentioned in another post, a tendency to visit local supermarkets to see what's different) and prefer to pack light – usually just a carry-on with several versatile sets of clothing. Ultimately, it’s about the experiences and memories rather than souvenir hunting, though of course I’ll bring back some knick knacks as well.

I like your style. In new places I'll get to markets. The best have been in Mexico and Thailand. I once brought home about 15 kilos of the dried chiles from Oaxaca that I cannot get at home.

 

[Luca]

I travel a lot. Traveling is one of my special interests. Sometimes I go with friends or family, but sometimes I go by myself (always with my dogs though.) I could definitely post extensively about my travel experiences on here but I don't know if it would be interesting or not.

This will be a long post lol, sorry in advance! I have a lot of experience with this stuff that may be helpful for some of you to know.

I read a lot of travel guides beforehand, and use my GPS (phone) frequently. I usually have a set plan/itinerary before I go and usually stick to it. Most of the places I'm interested in visiting are outdoors- national parks, beaches, forests, hiking trails, lakes, mountains, etc.
Nightlife/shopping/movie theaters and stuff like that is not a priority for me when traveling for the most part, because I can do that at home. I will always get a couple of shirts from local shops though.

I usually ask locals what the best places to eat are. Tourist trap restaurants are usually pretty meh, imo, and often overpriced. And I'm sure as hell not going on vacation just to eat at a McDonalds lol. Although I will resort to fast food if it's very late and everything else is closed, or if I'm in an airport or something. However, I do need coffee.
I will also make sure I know where the supermarkets are because I can't afford to eat at restaurants the whole time, if I'm there for more than a few days. If it's somewhere I'm going to be staying longer term, I usually rent a house or a cabin, rather than stay in a hotel, especially not an expensive hotel. And I want to stay somewhere that has a kitchen and a shower.
I'm mostly joking about the McDonalds thing and I'm not saying anything bad about anyone who chooses to eat fast food on vacation, but it's not my style.

On my most recent solo vacation, to Maine, I ate seafood pretty much the whole time. That was kind of the only option for restaurants that allowed dogs. Although I have to say that the restaurants there were so much more dog-friendly than the majority of the ones in my home state.

If I'm going to travel anywhere, I make sure that everything is dog-friendly. Hotels, restaurants, trails and beaches, etc. "Bring Fido" is a good website to use if you're aiming for dog-friendly. You can also purchase dog owner's guidebooks in a lot of places.
Some places though, like Hawaii for example (which is a place I've been longer term) will sometimes require you to quarantine your dog for a specific amount of time (5 days, I think) but not all dogs have to be quarantined. Service dogs are exempt from this but you have to let the department of agriculture or animal control know that you are traveling with a service dog and where the dog will be staying. I think the requirements for bringing a dog to Hawaii by plane are microchip, rabies vaccine, health certification, and flea/tick prevention. At least they were the last time I was there. Because I was there for a long time (a few months) I ran into minimal issues with dog stuff compared to someone who would just be there on vacation.
I have not been to Australia but I'm pretty sure Australia has a stricter quarantine requirement.
You can travel across the Canadian border from the US with dogs by car, I have successfully done this, but you need some paperwork (proof of rabies vaccine, microchip, etc, I believe.)

I also prefer not to fly much, for a couple of reasons... it scares the crap out of me and stresses me out, and I also hate flying my dogs in the cargo hold even though a lot of them are climate controlled now and they take more safety precautions. Still kind of not a great idea unless it's an absolute last resort, like if you're traveling internationally or going somewhere that is isolated from the mainland US (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, etc)

And most importantly, I make sure I bring my DSLR camera because a lot of what I do on vacation is take pictures and videos. And phone photos are ok but they don't do a lot of these places justice.

Sorry if that was just a ramble but I hope some of this was useful.

 

[Luca]

My idea is plan the crucial stuff and let the rest fall into place. Leave room for a little exploration. But l will study the airport layout for connections because l don't like surprises. I had to change hotels in San Antonio because the area was unsafe. But then we moved to a really neat hotel which really made the trip memorable. I was stranded in London because the bus stopped running but l walked back to where l was staying despite complete unfamiliarity with the area. And met a kindred soul who helped with directions.

Yes, this is important to note. I had to switch hotels in Tampa because I originally found one that, well... let's just say they made it sound safer and less disgusting than it actually was
I can't say what was so bad about it because it isn't PG-13. I was 19 at the time. Such a bad experience.

Edit: nothing bad happened to me specifically. Something just wasn't sanitary, and it was in a really sketchy area.

 

[Fino]

I've only traveled once. I find it very stressful to get off work. We went to Disney World. It was fantastic!

 

[Sherlock77]

Driving on empty highways on the Canadian prairies (even some gravel roads), exploring small towns and prairie landscapes, camera in hand, mostly on my own, or with no more than one person...

 

[Suzanne]

I love to travel and currently in South Korea. Oh, best add that it is via internet and feel so safe. Away from the horrors of thousands of people!

 

[SusanLR]

I've been over most parts of America.
Never out of the country because I won't fly.

I like vanping.
Vanping is short for Van Camping. Converted Vans, Camper vans, Cars and 4x4's to camp in.

This is my preferred way to travel because I like the outdoors and off the beaten
paths. Although I did like Disney World. Spent some time there.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I've been over most parts of America.
Never out of the country because I won't fly.

I like vanping.
Vanping is short for Van Camping. Converted Vans, Camper vans, Cars and 4x4's to camp in.

This is my preferred way to travel because I like the outdoors and off the beaten
paths. Although I did like Disney World. Spent some time there.

I do like road trips. On these, I try to find the odd things to see and experience. I once took a motorcycle trip to the Black hills (not for Sturgis, I get claustrophobic in crowds) taking highway 20 all the way out. Stopped at Galena, The Ashfall Site, The Museum of the Fur Trade, Carhenge, the Mammoth site, among others. I stay at hotels close to walkable areas. Here are a couple of pics; from the Rhino Barn at Ashfall, Me at Mt. Rushmore. A herd of barrel chested rhinos and associated animals around a watering hole were grievously injured by the silica ash from one if the massive eruptions in Idaho and were entombed where they died.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I travel a lot. Traveling is one of my special interests. Sometimes I go with friends or family, but sometimes I go by myself (always with my dogs though.) I could definitely post extensively about my travel experiences on here but I don't know if it would be interesting or not.

This will be a long post lol, sorry in advance! I have a lot of experience with this stuff that may be helpful for some of you to know.

I read a lot of travel guides beforehand, and use my GPS (phone) frequently. I usually have a set plan/itinerary before I go and usually stick to it. Most of the places I'm interested in visiting are outdoors- national parks, beaches, forests, hiking trails, lakes, mountains, etc.
Nightlife/shopping/movie theaters and stuff like that is not a priority for me when traveling for the most part, because I can do that at home. I will always get a couple of shirts from local shops though.

I usually ask locals what the best places to eat are. Tourist trap restaurants are usually pretty meh, imo, and often overpriced. And I'm sure as hell not going on vacation just to eat at a McDonalds lol. Although I will resort to fast food if it's very late and everything else is closed, or if I'm in an airport or something. However, I do need coffee.
I will also make sure I know where the supermarkets are because I can't afford to eat at restaurants the whole time, if I'm there for more than a few days. If it's somewhere I'm going to be staying longer term, I usually rent a house or a cabin, rather than stay in a hotel, especially not an expensive hotel. And I want to stay somewhere that has a kitchen and a shower.
I'm mostly joking about the McDonalds thing and I'm not saying anything bad about anyone who chooses to eat fast food on vacation, but it's not my style.

On my most recent solo vacation, to Maine, I ate seafood pretty much the whole time. That was kind of the only option for restaurants that allowed dogs. Although I have to say that the restaurants there were so much more dog-friendly than the majority of the ones in my home state.

If I'm going to travel anywhere, I make sure that everything is dog-friendly. Hotels, restaurants, trails and beaches, etc. "Bring Fido" is a good website to use if you're aiming for dog-friendly. You can also purchase dog owner's guidebooks in a lot of places.
Some places though, like Hawaii for example (which is a place I've been longer term) will sometimes require you to quarantine your dog for a specific amount of time (5 days, I think) but not all dogs have to be quarantined. Service dogs are exempt from this but you have to let the department of agriculture or animal control know that you are traveling with a service dog and where the dog will be staying. I think the requirements for bringing a dog to Hawaii by plane are microchip, rabies vaccine, health certification, and flea/tick prevention. At least they were the last time I was there. Because I was there for a long time (a few months) I ran into minimal issues with dog stuff compared to someone who would just be there on vacation.
I have not been to Australia but I'm pretty sure Australia has a stricter quarantine requirement.
You can travel across the Canadian border from the US with dogs by car, I have successfully done this, but you need some paperwork (proof of rabies vaccine, microchip, etc, I believe.)

I also prefer not to fly much, for a couple of reasons... it scares the crap out of me and stresses me out, and I also hate flying my dogs in the cargo hold even though a lot of them are climate controlled now and they take more safety precautions. Still kind of not a great idea unless it's an absolute last resort, like if you're traveling internationally or going somewhere that is isolated from the mainland US (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, etc)

And most importantly, I make sure I bring my DSLR camera because a lot of what I do on vacation is take pictures and videos. And phone photos are ok but they don't do a lot of these places justice.

Sorry if that was just a ramble but I hope some of this was useful.

I saw your photos from the Maine trip and it looked nice.The "fast food" that I like in Acadia and the Maritimes is Lobster Rolls.

 

[Gerontius]

My "traveling style" is pack yourself and what you think you need into a cheap old car & take off, make sure you take pictures, travel until you run out of time & gasoline, and it's not a road trip unless you've had to get out and try to crank a stalled car with a dead battery on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Then you take a massive detour to go hang out with some of your friends, stay up past midnight building some ridiculous project in the barn, and go from there.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

It kind of depends on the trip, but typically, we find an area of interest, find lodging,...vacation rentals, hotels, KOA camping cabins, whatever is available,...and then decide whether to take our own vehicle (and risk damage), or fly and rent a vehicle. We do our research on the area, make any needed reservations, etc. I try to make it a vacation,...in other words, some time to relax,...and try not to push the agenda.

I haven't been overseas,...but if I did, I would lean towards a tour group in that situation, for no other reason than "safety in numbers", driving laws, and language barriers.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

It kind of depends on the trip, but typically, we find an area of interest, find lodging,...vacation rentals, hotels, KOA camping cabins, whatever is available,...and then decide whether to take our own vehicle (and risk damage), or fly and rent a vehicle. We do our research on the area, make any needed reservations, etc. I try to make it a vacation,...in other words, some time to relax,...and try not to push the agenda.

I haven't been overseas,...but if I did, I would lean towards a tour group in that situation, for no other reason than "safety in numbers", driving laws, and language barriers.

One tour that I enjoyed was with a group of geologists and interested amateurs on an intensive trip to the Anti-Atlas of Morocco. I was able to help with the fossil identification.

 

[Judge]

Frankly these days I hardly travel at all. Though in terms of "style" I do appreciate the recommendations of travel guru Rick Steves. Always enjoy his advice and commentary on his travel show often seen on PBS. I think you can see virtually any of his travel shows directly from this website as well:

Travel Tips | Rick Steves' Europe

Rick Steves' travel tips help maximize your time and money spent in Europe and beyond. Travel Tips topics include packing, planning, safety, tourist scams, transportation, money, sleeping, and much more.

www.ricksteves.com