Undiscovered places (s/o of overtourism)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny, I was thinking about something related to this re DC the other day. The tourists go to the mall/monuments. But the locals go to Old Town Alexandria. Point being, I think the trick is to find out where locals in a particular country vacation within that country.

But if you’d never been to DC, wouldn’t the mall and monuments be the key things to see here? That’s why I don’t get this thread. Yes, anyone can find random untouristed spots in every place, but there won’t be much to see! I’m from London and when my friends come here they want to see the museums and monuments and if there is time we might go somewhere like Old Town, but I don’t think Old Town is anything special or worth the visit if you've flown miles to get here. Similarly when friends from here go to London and ask me for recommendations most of my suggestions are in central London because that is where most of the interesting sights are.

Agreed. I have 18 hours in Tokyo this fall, I am going to see Sensoji and then eat my way around Asakusa. Of course I could do to some random location off the beaten path, but with limited time, it just makes sense to hit highlights.

Our vacations are usually a mix of touristy things and then some off the beaten path locations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Furthermore, most people don’t have months of vacation, so the “I research and then spend weeks or more immersing” poster is really out of touch. Most of us aren’t trust fund babies.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who posted that about DC. Oh, yes - if I was visiting DC, I would certainly want to see the monuments/museums first time. I guess I'm thinking about different vacations, where you want to slow down and be more immersed in the local community than hitting the sights (not that hitting the sights isn't fun - it is. It's just a different focus). Years ago we did a trip to Italy where we visited Rome and Florence and saw all the things, and then we went to a completely random town where there was nothing to do but be in the town. It was lovely and had a different vibe than Rome/Florence, I remember we went to a nice casual restaurant one night that was just filled with Italian families. There were tourists in the random town, but from what I could tell, they were mostly Italians. I didn't notice any Americans. It probably would have gotten boring after a few days, but after the busier pace and crowds in Rome and Florence it was really nice to slow down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole travel as a rare commodity thing is exhausting. It’s also the premise for Alex Garland’s satirical book “The Beach” and look how that turned out.

how did that turn out

Badly. The Leo DeCaprio film based on the book is pretty good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We've had lovely trips through Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and the Czech Republic (outside of Prague). Once things calm down with Russia, we'd love to see more north eastern Europe.

I've heard great things about Sweden and Norway.

We had a great trip to Egypt. Even at a crowded time of year and in the most famous locations it wasn't nearly as mobbed as pictures I've seen of Italy. We also spent a good amount of time not at prime tourist sights. There are more amazing old things than one could see in a lifetime. The White Desert is also spectacular and not mobbed.

We really enjoyed our trip to Rajasthan, India. Lots of historic walled cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Udaipur.

In France, I did a lovely kayaking trip down the Dordogne, visiting places like Sarlat la Canada. I'd love to go back and hike the strip of volcanos near Put de Come or Put de Sancy.

We had a lovely trip through the rural parts of the UK, staying at BnBs. We circled from Cambridge, to the Peak district, through the Cotswolds, Bath, and around to Southampton and then to Canterbury. It was lovely and not crowded.

In the US, I recommend Chiricahua National Monument. Obscure but spectacular if you like nature.

How … lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny, I was thinking about something related to this re DC the other day. The tourists go to the mall/monuments. But the locals go to Old Town Alexandria. Point being, I think the trick is to find out where locals in a particular country vacation within that country.

But if you’d never been to DC, wouldn’t the mall and monuments be the key things to see here? That’s why I don’t get this thread. Yes, anyone can find random untouristed spots in every place, but there won’t be much to see! I’m from London and when my friends come here they want to see the museums and monuments and if there is time we might go somewhere like Old Town, but I don’t think Old Town is anything special or worth the visit if you've flown miles to get here. Similarly when friends from here go to London and ask me for recommendations most of my suggestions are in central London because that is where most of the interesting sights are.

Agreed. I have 18 hours in Tokyo this fall, I am going to see Sensoji and then eat my way around Asakusa. Of course I could do to some random location off the beaten path, but with limited time, it just makes sense to hit highlights.

Our vacations are usually a mix of touristy things and then some off the beaten path locations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Furthermore, most people don’t have months of vacation, so the “I research and then spend weeks or more immersing” poster is really out of touch. Most of us aren’t trust fund babies.

I mean, imagine being in Paris for 18 hours. Someone asks you, “Did you see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or Monmartre?” And you sneer and say, “Meh, i found some cute little cafe on the south side of town and that was better.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny, I was thinking about something related to this re DC the other day. The tourists go to the mall/monuments. But the locals go to Old Town Alexandria. Point being, I think the trick is to find out where locals in a particular country vacation within that country.

But if you’d never been to DC, wouldn’t the mall and monuments be the key things to see here? That’s why I don’t get this thread. Yes, anyone can find random untouristed spots in every place, but there won’t be much to see! I’m from London and when my friends come here they want to see the museums and monuments and if there is time we might go somewhere like Old Town, but I don’t think Old Town is anything special or worth the visit if you've flown miles to get here. Similarly when friends from here go to London and ask me for recommendations most of my suggestions are in central London because that is where most of the interesting sights are.

Agreed. I have 18 hours in Tokyo this fall, I am going to see Sensoji and then eat my way around Asakusa. Of course I could do to some random location off the beaten path, but with limited time, it just makes sense to hit highlights.

Our vacations are usually a mix of touristy things and then some off the beaten path locations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Furthermore, most people don’t have months of vacation, so the “I research and then spend weeks or more immersing” poster is really out of touch. Most of us aren’t trust fund babies.

That has been our approach as well and works well for us. Have found that staying in big cities like Paris, but just outside the tourist core, works really well for us. Close enough to be able to hit a big site like Musee d'Orsay easily on the Metro, but get back near our rental for dinner at less crowded places.

[Anonymous]

In Italy,
Giglio or ponza.

Lots of links here on airbnbs off the beaten path. From a post on where to work remotely for a mo th.

[Anonymous]

I mean honestly you go to where everyone goes cause there's a reason everyone is interested in going there you know?

What you do is find places around to see where it's not as nuts. Ponza if Rome trip is smart. Santa Fe go to that place where it's all white rocks I forget the name but it was awesome we had it to ourselves - cause everyone goes to Georgia okeefe place.

Mongolia as a destination if you really want to be adventurous but you can't be vegan or vegetarian there really - you gotta be able to eat meat or you'll starve lol

I always loved Tge neighborhoods in Chicago v navy pier/mag Mile for example and I'm from chicago so I'd know.

In Paris you really want to go to specific interesting places even e joying a walk in a neighborhood or a special meal v just being parked at the Louvre ir Effie tower for a wk. I've done that and honestly it's fine seeing pics.

Just take a different approach and perspective - see what you must feel you have to but look at off-season or times when people aren't swarming.

There's no way to avoid the population of 7.7B people in the world honestly. It's that simple - there's too many people and all of us want things to ourselves but we can't go back in time to change things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Funny, I was thinking about something related to this re DC the other day. The tourists go to the mall/monuments. But the locals go to Old Town Alexandria. Point being, I think the trick is to find out where locals in a particular country vacation within that country.

But if you’d never been to DC, wouldn’t the mall and monuments be the key things to see here? That’s why I don’t get this thread. Yes, anyone can find random untouristed spots in every place, but there won’t be much to see! I’m from London and when my friends come here they want to see the museums and monuments and if there is time we might go somewhere like Old Town, but I don’t think Old Town is anything special or worth the visit if you've flown miles to get here. Similarly when friends from here go to London and ask me for recommendations most of my suggestions are in central London because that is where most of the interesting sights are.

Agreed. I have 18 hours in Tokyo this fall, I am going to see Sensoji and then eat my way around Asakusa. Of course I could do to some random location off the beaten path, but with limited time, it just makes sense to hit highlights.

Our vacations are usually a mix of touristy things and then some off the beaten path locations. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Furthermore, most people don’t have months of vacation, so the “I research and then spend weeks or more immersing” poster is really out of touch. Most of us aren’t trust fund babies.

That has been our approach as well and works well for us. Have found that staying in big cities like Paris, but just outside the tourist core, works really well for us. Close enough to be able to hit a big site like Musee d'Orsay easily on the Metro, but get back near our rental for dinner at less crowded places.

PP here, I like staying centrally located in an AirBNB. Walk to key sites in the AM before the crowds, then swing into the less touristy areas for afternoon/dinner. No wrong way to go, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally if you go anywhere where English is not the main language, you will see fewer tourists. There are lots of places like this.

+1. We try to learn the language of the country we are visiting before we arrive. Like this summer, we are visiting Japan, so we started learning and practicing Japanese everyday since September. Now we can spend most of our time outside the main tourist areas.

It’s quite a bit of effort, but it makes trips really amazing because you really interact with the people.

There are tons of videos from Americans who understand Japanese who were disheartened to hear all the anti-American trash talking they heard on their trips.

Think: Being called fat, ugly, stupid, etc.

You might want to learn those words as well.

The videos are equal parts hilarious and sad. The locals say it to their faces—often with a smile on their face.

Be prepared…or not. Not sure I’d want to know if people were making fun of me on vacation.

There are hateful jerks in every society. I don’t want to be judged on what the coarsest Americans might say to Japanese tourists and I won’t judge the people of Japan that way. Not that it’s not a great idea to learn some Japanese, but wtf am I going to do if I ask directions snd someone says “two blocks down, fat dummy!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP who posted that about DC. Oh, yes - if I was visiting DC, I would certainly want to see the monuments/museums first time. I guess I'm thinking about different vacations, where you want to slow down and be more immersed in the local community than hitting the sights (not that hitting the sights isn't fun - it is. It's just a different focus). Years ago we did a trip to Italy where we visited Rome and Florence and saw all the things, and then we went to a completely random town where there was nothing to do but be in the town. It was lovely and had a different vibe than Rome/Florence, I remember we went to a nice casual restaurant one night that was just filled with Italian families. There were tourists in the random town, but from what I could tell, they were mostly Italians. I didn't notice any Americans. It probably would have gotten boring after a few days, but after the busier pace and crowds in Rome and Florence it was really nice to slow down.

I get it, but the whole “immersed in the local community” thing is a bit contrived.

What would one traveling from abroad to DC, Chicago, NYC, etc. aspire to do to “immerse themselves” here?

Face it: when Americans travel abroad we are seeking history through museums, churches, and architecture coupled with a vibe that is foreign to us (language, locale and food).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally if you go anywhere where English is not the main language, you will see fewer tourists. There are lots of places like this.

+1. We try to learn the language of the country we are visiting before we arrive. Like this summer, we are visiting Japan, so we started learning and practicing Japanese everyday since September. Now we can spend most of our time outside the main tourist areas.

It’s quite a bit of effort, but it makes trips really amazing because you really interact with the people.

This sounds like voyeurism. Those people will not remember you and could care less about your interactions with them. You are not part of their local community. Whether you know their language or not, they will still see you as yet another tourist making a lame effort to “connect with the locals” for “authentic experiences.”

I think people should go wherever they enjoy, whether it’s on the beaten path or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally if you go anywhere where English is not the main language, you will see fewer tourists. There are lots of places like this.

+1. We try to learn the language of the country we are visiting before we arrive. Like this summer, we are visiting Japan, so we started learning and practicing Japanese everyday since September. Now we can spend most of our time outside the main tourist areas.

It’s quite a bit of effort, but it makes trips really amazing because you really interact with the people.

This is a serious question, but how well can you actually learn each language?
I’m bilingual, spent 6 years studying French and can have a very basic conversation with a French person, learned Spanish for 3 years and can ask tourism relevant questions. I’ve studied Korean for 2 years, can read signs and menus and ask very basic questions.
I’ve been to only 30 countries, but there is no way I am learning every single language other than hello, please, and thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally if you go anywhere where English is not the main language, you will see fewer tourists. There are lots of places like this.

+1. We try to learn the language of the country we are visiting before we arrive. Like this summer, we are visiting Japan, so we started learning and practicing Japanese everyday since September. Now we can spend most of our time outside the main tourist areas.

It’s quite a bit of effort, but it makes trips really amazing because you really interact with the people.

This is a serious question, but how well can you actually learn each language?
I’m bilingual, spent 6 years studying French and can have a very basic conversation with a French person, learned Spanish for 3 years and can ask tourism relevant questions. I’ve studied Korean for 2 years, can read signs and menus and ask very basic questions.
I’ve been to only 30 countries, but there is no way I am learning every single language other than hello, please, and thank you.

I’m a little confused. Bilingual in which languages? You spent six years studying French and can only have a very basic conversation? I’m sorry if this sounds rude but how can that be possible?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally if you go anywhere where English is not the main language, you will see fewer tourists. There are lots of places like this.

+1. We try to learn the language of the country we are visiting before we arrive. Like this summer, we are visiting Japan, so we started learning and practicing Japanese everyday since September. Now we can spend most of our time outside the main tourist areas.

It’s quite a bit of effort, but it makes trips really amazing because you really interact with the people.

This sounds like voyeurism. Those people will not remember you and could care less about your interactions with them. You are not part of their local community. Whether you know their language or not, they will still see you as yet another tourist making a lame effort to “connect with the locals” for “authentic experiences.”

I think people should go wherever they enjoy, whether it’s on the beaten path or not.

You sound incredibly presumptuous to claim to speak for ‘those people’. You could be right but you actually have absolutely no idea whether people would appreciate this. You’re clearly just projecting your own opinion.