Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we’re talking about the best and worst of traveling! Many people wonder why travel is important. Obviously, we love traveling as a family, but there are some drawbacks to traveling, too. These are the things we love, and the things we hate, about traveling!
Love #1: Cool Things to See
Visiting places that you’ve read about, or seen on TV, is such a cool experience. From the Inca Trail to the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall to the Eiffel Tower, traveling opens up the entire world for you. Sometimes it can be a surreal experience to actually stand in the streets of a city you’ve only ever dreamed of visiting before.
Hate #1: Cost of Traveling
Traveling is not free, unfortunately. Even the most budget-conscious traveler has to spend a little bit of money in order to travel. You have to pay for transportation, whether that’s gas in your own car, plane tickets or train tickets. Then you have to pay for food, accommodation, and sightseeing. There are ways to save money while traveling, but it will never be completely free!
How to Save Money While Traveling
Love #2: The People You Meet While Traveling
The more you travel, the more friends you will have around the world. Whether it’s meeting locals or fellow travelers, traveling is a great way to broaden your friendship circle. If you are a fan of slow travel like we are, you can really get to know an area and the locals. It’s a really special treat to be invited over for a traditional dinner at the home of a local while you are traveling.
Hate #2: Bad Service for Tourists
When you travel to heavily touristed areas, you won’t always get the best service. They are dealing with tourists all day, and they aren’t trying to win back your repeat business. This is especially true when you are in very popular areas, like Piazza San Marco in Venice or right next to the tower in Pisa. We always recommend going a few blocks off the main streets, and you’ll get much better food at better prices. Another good approach is to ask your local friends or the concierge at your hotel what their favorite restaurant is.
How to Eat Cheap and Well While Traveling
Love #3: Shared Memories & Experiences
I have traveled solo and with friends, but traveling with my family is by far my favorite. Creating shared memories with my wife and kids brings us closer together. Travel also makes a great conversation starter when you are trying to meet fellow travelers. Sharing your travel tales and experiences is a great way to bond with family, friends, and strangers.
Hate #3: Overrated Tourist Attractions
Every city or country has that one spot that everyone tells you that you HAVE to see. And you might get talked into visiting even though it’s not your usual travel style. For example, I didn’t love Milan, Italy so much. I think Brussels is a bit overrated. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is literally just a leaning tower. It doesn’t look any different in person than in the hundreds of photos you’ve already seen.
Overrated Cities and Attractions in Europe
Love #4: Food Around the World
One of the best parts of traveling is trying new cuisines around the world. I would venture to say that France has the best food in the world, so it’s a great destination for foodies. Other destinations, like China and Mexico, are known for amazing street food. Sure, some destinations are a little heavy on beans and rice, but the food is a great way to bond with your fellow travelers as well.
Hate #4: Tour Groups
If you’re in a popular destination during high season, you’re going to have to deal with tour groups. You’re either going to feel rushed to get ahead of the tour group, or you’re going to get behind them and end up going really slow. Tour groups are great for some travelers, but if you’re an independent traveler and like to go at your own pace, you’ll do best to try and avoid the tour groups. Traveling in the offseason is a great way to avoid huge groups of tourists.
Five Things You’ll Love & Hate About Package Tours
Love #5: Travel Stories
We don’t buy a lot of souvenirs since we travel so much, but we do love to buy artwork while we’re traveling. So, we can sit in our living room and look around at all of the places we’ve traveled to, and remember stories from each destination. The best part of this is when you are not traveling, you can travel back through your memories.
Hate #5: Bad Weather Days
Chances are if you travel often enough, you’re going to run into some bad weather days. If you try to avoid crowds and travel in the off-season, you’re more likely to have bad weather days. Try to anticipate bad weather ahead of time. When you’re planning your travel itinerary, find things you can do indoors on the bad weather days. Save your museum days for the rainy or cold days that you don’t want to be outside.
Love #6: Cultural Experiences
Besides all of the cool things you get to see while traveling, the cultural experiences will blow you away. Whether it’s running with the bulls in Pamplona or toasting during Oktoberfest, the cultural experiences are what really make travel special. As parents, it’s fun to see how parents do things differently in other countries, and it’s fun to watch our kids bond and play together despite language barriers. At the end of the day, we’re all the same, but we just do things a bit differently.
Hate #6: Missed Connections & Travel Delays
Sometimes the worst part of travel is just getting to your destination. A canceled flight is a horrible way to start your vacation, especially if you have connecting flights. Rebooking your flights, along with everyone else who was supposed to be on your plane, can be stressful. You can help alleviate some of this stress by carefully choosing your itinerary. Try not to book yourself a connection that doesn’t leave you enough wiggle room. This applies to trains as well, make sure you have enough time between trains to find your platform.
Five Things You Will Love & Hate About Long Layovers
Love #7: Discovering Hidden Gems
While it’s great to see the big sites and famous cities when you travel, sometimes the best experience is stumbling on to a smaller village that doesn’t see many tourists. I love visiting Bamberg, Germany because there aren’t as many tourists, so it feels like a more authentic German village experience.
Hate #7: Travel Stink
When you’ve been traveling for a while, you might start to stink! Whether you’ve been in transit for 28 hours and desperately need a shower, or you’ve been traveling for two weeks and haven’t had time to hit a laundromat, you will stink! If you’re backpacking around Europe, you’ll notice this in your fellow travelers before you realize that you also stink!
Everyday Annoyances of Long-Term Travel
Love #8: History Comes Alive When You Travel
One of the best thins about travel is making history come alive. Whether it’s visiting famous battlefields or even movie scenes, it’s such a fun and unique travel experience. In Salzburg, you can visit all of the sights from Sound of Music. And even when you’re back home, it’s cool to see something on TV after seeing it in real life. Our youngest son gets so excited when he sees the Eiffel Tower on TV because he’s been there already.
Hate #8: Driving Abroad
Some countries are really easy to visit without driving, but other destinations make it nearly impossible to get around without your own vehicle. Whether they drive on the left or the right, it can take some getting used to. Driving through a roundabout in Ireland for the first time can be tricky. Not all traffic signals are the same from country to country.
Everything You Need to Know About Renting a Car & Driving in Europe
Love #9: Travel Surprises
You may have your travel itinerary planned down to the minute, but you’re still going to have some surprises along the way. Sometimes it’s as simple as turning a corner to find a picture-perfect setting or jaw-dropping scenery. Even the surprises that aren’t so pleasant at the time make for great stories later. Getting out of your comfort zone and going with the flow is what makes travel so great.
Hate #9: Travel Planning & Budgeting
Budgeting for a trip can be really difficult, especially if you are visiting multiple countries. For example, one beer in Copenhagen costs about $8, while beer in Portugal is about $1 per glass. Prices can vary widely from country to country, and even amongst cities in the same country. Besides budgeting, planning can also be overwhelming. Trying to narrow down all of your options into an efficient, enjoyable vacation can be tough. It helps to set a budget first, then choose destinations based on your interests and your budget.
How to Choose the Best Travel Guidebook
Love #10: Learning Experiences
Besides experiencing other cultures, you get to learn about them and understand how people are different (and the same) around the world. World culture is about so much more than food and language, and the more time you spend in a place, the more you will understand the nuances of the local culture. Going to local festivals and museums is a great way to learn about the culture and history of a region.
Hate #10: Lack of Space on Public Transit
If you decide to travel by train and bus, you’ll quickly realize that there isn’t a lot of space for luggage. On a lot of European trains, for example, there’s a small overhead rack for your luggage. If you have a large suitcase or you can’t lift it up over your head, you’ll have to put it in the luggage area at the end of the car. This area fills up quickly and is near the exit, so it could be stolen pretty easily if you aren’t able to keep an eye on it. This is why we recommend packing light.
Traveling is such an amazing experience for people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or someone at home wondering why you should travel, we hope our travel stories inspire you to travel more. Obviously, we think the best parts of travel outweigh the worst parts of travel by far, and we plan to keep traveling as long as we can. Want more of our travel tips? Check out some of our other blog posts: