traveling Archives • Page 5 of 14 • Wanderlust Advocate

Peak tourist season sans stress.

Posted in the worry free traveler

Peak travel season, oh boy, so fun. Of course top peak season is during the best seasons of the year, which makes traveling much more expensive and challenging.

I also know, that this is the easiest time of year to travel, and I am obviously a huge advocate for travel any time of year.

So, now that you are going somewhere cool during a peak tourist season, what can you do to make the touristy things less touristy? Here is a list of ways you can prepare for your trip during peak season.

Take a walking tour – First things first, and this might be slightly more touristy, but is a super helpful way for you to get to know the city through the eyes of a local – take a walking tour. You can find some wonderful free walking tours, guides working for a tip. When you take a walking tour, you can get to know the areas of the city, learn a little history, fun facts, great stories, and see places you would like to go back to and dig deeper later. These guides are the BEST way to learn of some awesome local cuisines, great museums, local pubs/bars, and are happy to answer any of your questions.
Take the city, and break it into areas – one area for each day you are there. Even though you are probably eager to see it all, if you break down the city and spend an entire day in one area, you will find that you will get more out of the city with less crows and less time in transit between destinations.
Research – look at opening hours for all of the things you want to see. The first half hour of opening for most museums and monuments will have the least amount of crowds. You may find another lull a couple of hours after lunch. Don’t wait to the last minute, it will likely be packed!
Don’t research too much – too much research will be stressful, which in a crowded city during peak tourist season, the less stress the better. One of the beautiful things about having a little money in a city is being able to stop when you see a restaurant with a long wait. Clearly, that restaurant is probably worth it. Or you may hear a band playing in a local pub, stop in and have a pint, listen to some live music.
Accommodation – Look through AirBnB if you will be staying at the location for more than 3 days. If not, hotel it is! This is primarily because key exchange can be slightly challenging, and sometimes is not stress free. Longer stays always make AirBnB very worth it! Look for accommodation at least 0.7 miles away from city center. It is close enough to get to all the good stuff, but far enough away so you will not suffocate. It is always better to stay a little outside anyway, mainly because you can explore a couple more areas in route to city center!
Don’t rush – When stressed, slip into a local cafe and take a short break. No need to rush through the city!

When in doubt, remember where you are and enjoy every moment! Also, please make sure to watch your pockets and purses. No need to stress about it, but just be aware during peak tourist season!

Creative thinking – Themed Vacations

Posted in the worry free traveler

When you have a little extra money, no longer a poor student, can actually afford to stay in a hotel instead of a hostel – travel becomes just a little easier.

If you are a middle-class traveler, it probably means that you have two weeks of vacation every year and you are looking to spend it somewhere new. Awesome, that is exactly what you should be doing!

So how can you make your travels just a little more unique? Well, whether you are domestically traveling or international traveling, there is an easy way to make your travels unique and fun – themes.

Now, different than a Disney World Theme Park trip, or cruise, or all-inclusive; I’m saying make your trip around a theme, get creative. Of course you won’t make every waking moment centered around the theme, but this will make planning your trip really fun and fulfilling. Great stories to bring back to friends and family.

Let me give you some examples and then you take it from there.

New Orleans, Louisiana – NOLA is famous for its dark history – you can do a Ghost Tour Theme. Do research on haunted hotels in NOLA and stay in one. Take a Haunted Ghost walking tour with a company that takes you around the city telling you haunted and historical stories of the town. Research restaurants that are supposedly haunted throughout NOLA and go there for dinner. Visit a cemetery. Read a haunted story based in NOLA before and go in search of all the locations. Plan your trip to go around Halloween.

Brussels, Belgium – Famous for its French Fries, Chocolate, and Waffles – you can do a Waffles topped with Chocolate Covered Fries Theme. Take some time to do research on the best chocolate, fries, and waffles places in Brussels. You can find information on the Best Fries in Brussels, the Chocolate Trail, waffles galore. Hit all the hot spots and take a picture of the chocolate. Learn to pronounce the words and try ordering always in both Flemish and French.

London, England – Famous for its literary background – you can do a Literary Theme. Stay at hotels that authors would frequent. Go on a Literary Pub Crawl. See a show at the Globe Theatre. Do a literary self-guided walking tour. Take a day trip to Stratford Upon Avon, home to William Shakespeare. Read the books of some of your favorite English authors and hit all the places mentioned in the book.

Buenos Aires, Argentina – deemed one of the most colorful cities in the world – you can do a Colorful Theme. Give yourself a “color of the day” and try to take pictures of all the buildings you see with this color. Try foods that are colorful. Buy the most colorful souvenirs. Get a colorful dress and take Tango lessons. Go around a time where there is a color festival.

Have you ever done a theme vacation? What are some of your favorite themes?