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Let’s make a reservation right away: for a spontaneous trip you will still need some preparation. First of all, this is a purchased ticket at least one way, or better yet, a round trip ticket. During the high tourist season, only the heroes of Hollywood films manage to drive up to the airport with a suitcase and immediately fly away. You also need to book accommodation for at least the first two days of your vacation. Once you’re on the road, you’ll definitely want to dump your luggage, take a shower, and get some rest. But then there is a lot of room for experimentation!
1. Activate all your senses and take your time
If you decide to travel without a plan, the bustle and desire to embrace the immensity will only get in the way. Just accept it as a fact – in one trip you will not have time to see all the attractions from the tourist brochures. Slow down and look around: what interesting places are nearby your location, what they feed in the neighboring cafe where a passerby with a dog is heading. Perhaps nearby you will find an authentic courtyard or a cozy cafe serving local cuisine, and a guy with a dog will lead you straight into a picturesque park.
You will definitely have time to see the main thing – it seems that no one has ever left Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. But a relaxed vibe will allow you to experience what many miss in pursuit of a million identical photos of museums and churches – the smells, tastes, sounds of the city, cracks in the pavements and dusty shop windows, the way locals communicate with each other and order coffee, songs of street musicians, sunrises and sunsets.
2. Talk to locals
If a stranger tries to talk to you, you shouldn’t be hostile to him. He is not trying to take up your time – in tourist places, the locals show hospitality in this way. They may ask you where you are from and how long you will be traveling for, give you a couple of interesting locations and explain how it will be more convenient to get to them. Don’t hesitate and ask questions that concern you about the culture, traditions and customs of the place where you are vacationing.
If things go well, a new acquaintance may even offer to take you to beautiful places and give you an impromptu excursion. Sometimes such acquaintances develop into unobtrusive friendships, and sometimes into strong friendships that last for years. People correspond, visit each other, and send gifts. Agree, it’s nice to know that you have your own person on the other side of the world.
3. Walk
The harder you wear your sneakers, the more interesting places you will see. In addition, while walking leisurely, you will notice details that would only flash through the window of a transport vehicle.
Walking is also beneficial. In many countries, taxis and car rentals are not cheap pleasures. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you will decide to go to the theater or buy a yacht trip? When traveling without a plan, it is better to save on some of the usual amenities so that you have enough money left for unexpected maneuvers in search of impressions.
4. Choose housing in the center
If it doesn’t matter to you how many channels the TV shows in the hotel, because when traveling you just come there to spend the night, book places in inexpensive hostels or guesthouses. They are quite often located in historical centers. If you are not used to saving on amenities, pay attention to the market for daily apartment rentals in the same areas. With this you will kill two birds with one stone: you will immediately examine an important part of the new city and provide yourself with a convenient location for further research.
The centers are always full of life. Let’s say you haven’t come up with anything for the evening, haven’t met anyone and don’t know how to entertain yourself. Dress up smartly and head to the nearest bar. Don’t like parties? Book a quiet table with a good view somewhere on the terrace. Finding good places in the residential outskirts will be problematic.
5. Don’t read reviews
Even recognized masterpieces of world art and architecture sometimes receive disappointment from visitors: the Mona Lisa is too small, the Sagrada Familia is too high, and the pyramids are banal to the point of indecency.
Imagine that you decided to make a difficult climb to meet the best sunrise of your life on the top of some iconic mountain. And suddenly a treacherous thought runs through your mind: what are people saying? From the reviews you will learn that the service is poorly organized, the guide does not understand a word of Russian, and in general, climbing the rocks in the dark is pure suicide. If after this you still dare to rise, the impression of the event will most likely be similar to glass stained by someone else’s fingers: it seems clean, but it would be better not to touch it.
If you want to see something, go and see it. Perhaps some place, landmark or picture that the whole world is delighted with will not tug at the strings of your soul, but it will be a personal impression, and not imposed by a stranger on the Internet.
6. Remember safety
Saying “Yes!” any adventure is a lottery with an unpredictable prize fund. Everything can turn out as fantastic as you never dreamed. See new places, take part in interesting projects, experience a vibrant holiday romance, or even meet a life partner – spontaneous travel is full of such plot twists. But the risks are also quite high: a nice guy who invites you for a romantic tour of the rooftops may in fact only be interested in your wallet.
Therefore, do not forget about personal safety. If your intuition tells you that it is better not to do something, listen and think about an alternative. Do you want to go to a rock festival in a neighboring city, but are you afraid of hitchhiking? Look for minibuses or inexpensive trains. A strange company invites you to surf in a cool bay that tourists don’t know about? Ask where it is and go there yourself. You should not try food that will definitely make you sick, even if this dish is included in the World Cultural Heritage List. And it’s even better not to participate in extreme entertainment if you bought the simplest and cheapest insurance before the trip.
Where to go for impressions 📌
