See what's important to you, skip what's not

For me, travel is about experiences. I love going places I’ve never been and doing things I’ve never done and meeting people I wouldn’t normally meet. I once spent a highly amusing morning on a step in San Francisco’s Union Square communing with three friendly pigeons and a very odd man who insisted that I should be a model. This is not something that happens to me during the course of a normal day. Nor does it occur when I’m hiding my pale body under an umbrella on long weekend at the beach. And it certainly wouldn’t have happened if I’d opted for an overpriced breakfast in my hotel’s dining room. It happened because I took my Starbucks venti regular and my chocolate croissant and ventured out to see what I could see.

I planned my trip; I knew what I didn’t want to miss, where I wanted to go. What I didn’t do was schedule it. In the morning I picked a destination and sort wended my way there. Occasionally I didn’t make it where I wanted to go, but I was never sorry. I met interesting people and saw the real San Francisco; I found little places I would never have seen otherwise. Plus, seeing what I missed the first time is a great excuse to go back to a city I absolutely loved. I can’t help but wonder if I would have enjoyed it so much if I hadn’t spent a leisurely dinner at Trattoria Pinocchio (I highly recommend the Gnocchi Enzo) talking with my waiter–who was from Naples and introduced me to my beloved limoncello–or chatting with the gentleman walking his bicycle down Fisherman’s Wharf. Yes, I rode the cable cars, but I also rode the bus. And I walked through neighborhoods and took pictures of people’s houses and doors in addition to the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a journey, not a quest to see as much as I could in my allotted time. I wanted to experience as much as I could and leave feeling an intimacy with the place I’d spent a week of my life.

When you travel, slow down. Really see what’s in front of you. The character of a place, the feel of it, is the basis for every experience you have there. Don’t miss it while you’re focused on the next tourist trap.

There are a few things you can do to help you travel more deliberately:

1. Find a centrally located hotel. Being in the center of all the action makes it much easier to get to more of the things you want to see without tons of travel time. This way you can walk a lot more and experience more in the process.
2. Do your research. Find out everything you can about where you’re going. In addition to traditional travel sites/guides, you might also want to peruse resources for people planning on relocating to your destination. You’ll get an insider’s view and also learn about neighborhoods it’s best to avoid while you’re wandering around.
3. Talk to a friend who’s been there. Or better yet, lived there. They can give you the real lowdown on what’s worth seeing and what’s better to skip. And they can also give you great recommendations on places and events that the guidebooks don’t tell you about.

When you’re on vacation, don’t just see where you are, be where you are. You will be amazed at how rich your trips will become simply by changing the way you approach them.

Photo by Finn