I’ve had the good fortune and opportunity for a few weekend getaways recently, and it has reminded me of what I like and dislike about travel (in general).  These opinions are entirely my own, but let’s see how they stack up to yours:

Likes

The planning/anticipation

I love to research the city or destination I’m planning to visit.  I scour the internet for restaurant reviews, points of interests, and sample itineraries.  I look at photos, maps, and try to get a general lay of the land BEFORE I even set foot in my vacation spot.  Why?  It gives me options.  While my travel style is pretty free-wheeling and unstructured (once I arrive), I like to know what’s available.  It’s good to know what time that museum closes, the best day to hit up that local attraction (for the least crowds), or where to get some really authentic dim-sum.

The experience

I’m not a “bucket list” type of traveler.  In other words, I don’t go to a new destination and then try to “tick off” boxes of sights and places to see and experience.  I had the good fortune of being able to live and work in Paris for a few months in my younger days.  Want to know how many times I went up in the Eiffel Tower?  Zero.   I enjoy getting to know a place, even if it’s only a small fraction of what is offered.  My wife and I traveled for a week in Tuscany, and we spent the entire time based out of a small hilltop town that looked like a set from a Federico Fellini film.  We strolled the cobblestone streets, had long lunches in the local cafes, and drank bottles of wine in simple gardens, talking and laughing with the vintners as we sampled their wares.  Glorious.  Always treat a destination as if you’ll someday return.  It’s amazing how it takes the pressure off to “see everything” in one trip.

Embracing the unexpected

Sometimes things go wrong on vacation or on a trip.  One can focus on the negatives, or seek out ways to turn a lemon into lemonade.  The Tower of London was unexpectedly closed on the day of your visit?  Ask a local for another recommendation.  Intimidated to speak a foreign language in front of a native speaker?  Give it a try (at least learn “hello”, “please”, and “thank you”) – you’ll be surprised at how much they’ll help you along – and I guarantee you the experience will be 100% better than if you simply try to speak to them slowly, loudly, and in English (think about how you feel when someone doesn’t at least try to speak English here in the States).  Got lost on a back road?  Stop and ask for directions.  In that same vein, something may pop up that is totally weird and off of your schedule or itinerary.  Take a chance.  Passing by “Foamhenge” (the roadside replica of Stonehenge built out of foam in Central Virginia)?  Why wouldn’t you stop and take a look?  My kids still remember it to this day.  

Dislikes

Doing something at my vacation destination that I can do at home

Look, I can eat at a ‘McDonalds’ anywhere – do I really need to visit one when I’m in Paris?  No.  Same thing goes if I’m in Philadelphia, or Annapolis, or San Francisco.  I want to experience something regional – something local.  I want to eat at the local Italian joint, get lost at the farmer’s market, or sample something from a food truck.  Sure, I can take the train across the English Channel from France to England, but have I ever done it by hovercraft?  Now I can say “yes, I have”.  Search out the new, the different, or the unique.

The drive/journey home

The fun and excitement of a vacation is now history, and the reality of returning home is slowly sinking in.  The plane/car ride home always seems to take longer, my patience is thinner, and I’m already thinking about what needs to be done when I get back (i.e. go through the mail for bills, doing  laundry, going to the grocery store for restocking, etc.).  Look around you in the airport terminal or at the gate on that journey back home from Walt Disney World.  Everyone is cranky.  In a word?  Ugh.

Checking the credit card bill

I’m pretty free-wheeling when it comes to vacation.  Want to rent a mini-speedboat and take her for a spin?  Sure thing.  Winery tour?  You bet.  Pina coladas at 3:00 PM?  Point me towards the bar.  Para-sailing in the Caribbean?  We’re here – may as well try it.  In other words, if it interests us and looks like fun – let’s go for it.  They say you only go around this big, blue/green ball once.  Now I’m home and checking out my champagne tastes on the old Visa bill.  Ouch.

What are your favorite things about travel?  What do you hate?  Drop me a line in the comments below and let me know!