‘Most Visited Attractions’: For Better or Worse
I recently came across the 2006 Forbes Traveler 50 Most Visited Attractions list. After glancing at the top twenty or so attractions and feeling underwhelmed, I began asking myself – What do I enjoy more: popular tourist attractions or non-mainstream travel?
While pondering that query, I was reminded of one my favorite travel lines, from the early 20th century British writer, G.K. Chesterton.
“The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see.”
• Many travel to get away from the crowds and stress of everyday life. Why go where the people are and lines are long?
• Often at tourist locations I feel like I’m a walking dollar sign, consistently being preyed upon by salivating locals (I will call them ‘tourist poachers’).
• Everyone has a story that goes something like this, “We were supposed to check out the Eiffel Tower but instead we………and it was awesome.”
• My avid traveler parents try to hit the touristy spots early (sunrise) in the morning to enjoy sites in their serenity (especially for ancient attractions) and to avoid the ‘tourist poachers’.
• I’m not calling for the abandonment of all tourist locations. I think they can be a great starting point, and the intrigue of a specific attraction often drives initial motivation. For instance, I really want to visit the Egyptian pyramids, the sole remaining wonder of the original seven. But I would make it a priority to visit Petra (pictured) in neighboring Jordan, a more difficult to get to lesser-known wonder (albeit Modern). And of course walking through local street markets, interacting and bartering with peddlers in the global language of smiles and expressions of amusement (often at the initial price ‘quote’), is always a must.
This is the first in a series of posts surrounding the notion of mainstream tourism versus cultural immersion travel. But let’s start the conversation with your opinions and insights. Which type of travel do you favor? Who has the best “Do the Unexpected” travel story (‘When everyone else zigs, zag’)?
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7 Responses
Good thoughts and good advice. I spent two days at Petra in ‘99, and it was a wonderful experience. BTW, part of the “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was filmed there.
I think this is a great topic. I hope that Kango can help people create those memorable experiences that have nothing to do with guided tours and mainstream tourist attractions.
In ‘93, my wife and I went to Switzerland and France on our honeymoon. In Paris, just a stone’s throw away Ecole Militare and the Eiffel Tower, we stayed at a 1-star hotel on Rue Cler, a great Parisian food street. This small food market, with fresh chocolate croissants, charcuterie, patisserie, and Parisians doing their daily shopping, was one of our most memorable places on our honeymoon.
In this series, I’d love to see some tips on how to best discover these hidden gems, before you go on the trip, and when you are actually on the trip.
Great idea. Thanks!
There’s actually a whole book and website built around this idea of contrarian travel–zig while the others zag and save a lot of money in the process. Check it out here: http://www.contrariantraveler.com/
Particularly when it comes to family travel, I think the whole Disney themepark vacation to be highly overrated. There are so many more interesting (and less crowded/expensive) places to visit.
Looking forward to this series of posts!
I have to admit that I want to visit some of these most popular attractions, though I also like the idea of non-mainstreem travel. The more they are controversial, the more I want to see them with my own eyes. I think travel companion (travel mode) is very important in choosing a destination/attraction. People on the road with you will make your experience totally different.
Eager to read your coming posts…
This may not be directly responsive to your inquiry, but one of the ways I zig when everyone else zags: I travel almost exclusively during the week as opposed to during weekends. This usually avoids any premiums for weekend hotels, and it typically reduces my travel hassles. However, I’m able to do this because my job has a lot more flexibility during the week than most jobs. Eric.
I agree with Eric ^^ i believe that going to places during the week helps the zig process, a lot less people, its more of a vacation/ getaway. I tend to avoid hot spots, vegas, LA, or any of the amusement parks. My plans for a usual get away is to visit a specific area, for example all i had were reservations for a hotel in san diego, other than that i made no plans or other reservations and wandered the streets. Coronado was a great place to visit, and i just happened to stumble upon it.