| I’ve never understood the appeal of living like a local. The best vacations are nothing like how locals live. |
| I used to be the Airbnb person and off the beaten path person. I might still have off the beaten path tendencies but a hotel is just fine and I’m okay being a tourist. I still can’t get behind tour groups or cruises but who knows what I’ll think in another 15 years. |
Nothing wrong with “off the beaten path.” It’s the pompous ones that have to announce how they travel is better than you and god forbid you stay at a Hilton Hotel in Milan, because it’s the wrong way to travel. These types are the “I’m a traveler, not a tourist.” They’re nauseating and usually full of air. |
No, that’s not a vacation. That’s artificial and you learn nothing. OP here. I never really said I “live like a local.” But when I go on, ahem, “vacation” I like to go where I’m fluent in the (second) language, spend extra time, get to know people, and return and see them again. And I always take my time. There’s nothing better just doing nothing for a day or two when you’re traveling because you know there’s no rush. Or when you’re walking down the street and people see you and wave to you because they know you. And you have phone numbers and you exchange WhatsApp messages with your new and old friends when you’re back in the states. It’s just a different, and better experience. To me when you have an “itinerary” and “must sees” and you’re in some fancy hotel and it’s all about “where are we going to eat?“ that’s not fun to me. That’s work — just of a different kind. Boring. No thank you. |
You’ve strayed far from your original post and managed to get more obnoxious with every update. Enjoy your travels and we’ll enjoy ours. |
How much PTO do you get in a year? |
I retired young. Haven’t worked in 10+ years. |
Agree 100%. And this getting to know people and living like them is just do phony and pretentious. Unless you’re going to Burkina Faso or Haiti, most people around the world are living pretty much the same. Drinking a different wine and walking to a small out of the way market, for a loaf of bread, doesn’t make you enlightened. |
You quoted me, op/pp, and you’ve made a lot of weird assumptions. FTR, I don’t have an itinerary or busy agenda. I prefer to play it by ear and my daily goal is to simply have a fun day. We do enjoy eating, but we rarely make reservations. We like finding local bakeries and fun places. We love live music and seek it out in small venues. I have WhatsApp #s for lots of folks we’ve met abroad. So? I’m FB friends with cool drivers we hired and hung out with in Kotor and St. Kitts and guys we chartered boats with in St. Thomas and Split. I also have friends who work on cruise ships and in hotels. So? It sounds like you like to visit the same places time and again and that’s fine. A relative owns a villa in Tuscany and goes there twice a year for extended periods. I only lasted a week before I wanted to move on. I can lounge on a beach or boat all day, but I need a change of scenery at some point. I don’t think you realize that your bizarre definition of “travel” isn’t actually a thing. You want it to mean a higher level of authenticity but the reality is the common usage means something else. |
That you really think this is true means you haven’t done it. |
Do you ever go anywhere besides the Caribbean and Italy? That’s all you ever refer to. How boring. |
Ha ha I’m not talking about people I hired and paid to be my friend. I’m talking about people I met. |
Too funny. I married well and have never worked. |
Says the “traveler” who it sounds like just goes to Italy and St. Thomas 🙄 Nothing wrong with Italy (I love it) or the islands, but if you’re going to cosplay as Anthony Bourdain, and really expand your worldview, you might want to try harder. |
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People who really are trying to save money under the "not resort people we want to live like a local" blather rent in Waianae on Oahu, use their home car insurance on the rental, get lots of stink eye and their cars keyed or worse.
Vacation rentals especially in improperly zoned areas are a curse on local residents trying to find a place to live. |