7 Tips to Travel Without Needing a Vacation from Your Vacation
What I learned from traveling alone in Europe for 3 months
Traveling is great. However, when on longer vacations, traveling can be extremely exhausting — especially if you are trying to optimize your time by packing in as many activities as possible.
Being a tourist isn’t easy. You struggle through language barriers, constantly pack and unpack, and you just always seem to be on another plane, bus, or train. It’s therefore not uncommon to feel like you need a vacation from your vacation.
There is nothing worse than being too drained to explore a new city. As someone who always wants to maximize her time abroad, I have spent the past year cultivating seven tips to help you make the most of your vacation.
1. Pick up some basic language skills
There is nothing that will make you feel more touristy and lonely than being completely clueless about all the conversations going on around you.
One of the coolest parts of traveling is immersing yourself in the culture. It’s hard to immerse yourself in culture when all the signs around you are in gibberish, and everyone who greets you sounds like an alien. The silent polite-smile-and-nod you make when your vocabulary is lacking is not fun. Trust me — been there, done that. You don’t want to be in that position if you can avoid it. It’s just a constant reminder that you’re an out-of-place foreigner.
If you’re planning a decently long trip, maybe be ambitious and sign up for Duolingo or some basic language course. You can pick up a half-decent amount of vocabulary in a few months if you’re diligent enough to set aside a handful of minutes a day.
If that sounds overwhelming though, don’t worry. Even learning the basic phrases of “hello”, “goodbye”, “thank you”, or “how much is this” can make you feel a bit more immersed.
2. Cook your own food
Food is the motivator for 90% of my decisions — and that does not change on vacation. I will take economy flights and book 20-person hostel dorm rooms to pinch pennies before I cut down my food budget. I personally view food as a (very tasty) lens to a country’s culture. Plus, you can’t sightsee if you’re hungry, right?
That being said, sometimes cooking food is an experience in itself. Unsurprisingly, cooking classes have increased in popularity recently, and for good reason: They are a fun way to immerse yourself in local culture, gain some skills you can bring back home, and cook some really tasty food. I recommend looking for a local small-group cooking class where the guide will bring you to their own home kitchen. It’s a bit more pricey but well worth it. (If you’re in Japan, check out Airkitchen).
Alternatively, if you’re feeling brave and you have access to a kitchen, go rogue. Search for a recipe on your phone, walk into a grocery store, and just trust your inner chef. Weave the aisles with the locals picking out their weekly groceries. Plus, this is a great excuse to grab some funky snacks. Even if you’re not a great chef, it will be a lot of fun and will make you feel a bit more domestic and at home.
3. Take a (culture-immersive) rest day
I am the kind of person who likes to go-go-go when visiting a new place. It just seems like a waste of time doing something that I could do at home. However, constant travel is exhausting, so sometimes you need to throw in some rest days to recharge your batteries.
I am an avid reader, so my go-to cultural-rest-day activity is to read local or historically relevant books when in a new city. I read “Diary of a Young Girl” on the plane ride to Amsterdam, which made visiting the Anne Frank house way more fascinating. When in France, I would bring L’Anomalie by Hervé Le Tellier — France’s biggest book of 2020 — to all my beach trips. It’s a double whammy — not only do I get to rest and read, but even the book’s content feels so much more special because of the environment.
Another option is to pull up some Netflix and watch some iconic movies that were filmed in the country you are visiting.
If you are going to Iceland, consider using your winddown time to watch some Game of Thrones and Star Wars. Why are you even visiting the Black Sands beach if you’re not gonna at least pretend to be a Stormtrooper? And Thingvellir National Park is way cooler when you can imagine The Hound and Brienne of Tarth maybe fighting in that iconic Game of Thrones episode. Even if you aren’t a huge movie fan, it’s pretty cool when your daily excursion is a backdrop on the silver screen.
If you do it right, rest days can make your experience even better.
4. Go to a local movie theatre
Speaking of movies, you can take it one step further and go to a local theatre. I am not a movie buff, but I still enjoy watching movies in foreign countries. Every country, region, and town has its own cinematic culture and unique theatre snacks.
If you can speak the local language, I strongly recommend watching a local film. Last summer, I watched “La Traversée” in France, and really enjoyed observing the artistic differences in director and production styles.
If you don’t speak the local language, do not fret. Since English is such a common language worldwide, almost all theatres will be showing a movie you can follow along with. Most blockbuster movies will be shown in English with subtitles in the local language, or vice versa.
If you’re lucky and the timing works out, you can also look into local film festivals, premiers, or outdoor movies. Either way, take a break from touristy activities, lounge back in some comfy chairs, and enjoy.
5. Step away from the crowds and walk the beaten paths
What’s the best way to not look like every other tourist? Put the phone and planner down, and just wander some beaten paths. Get away from tourist traps, admission lines, and nagging vendors.
Take the road less traveled for a day. Choose a random area far from the city center and just wander. Put the map away, and just see where your feet, eyes, and heart lead you.
Alternatively, find an area nearby that locals like to visit when they want to get out of the city. This might be a park, a small town, or anything else. If it piques your interest, just go for it. It’s these hidden gems that make your trip special, so embrace them.
6. Stick to one place for longer than you think you need
We all know the people who backpacked Europe and did 12 countries in 35 days. Sure, maybe a few days is enough to see a city’s biggest Trip Advisor attractions. However, I am a huge advocate for staying somewhere longer than you think you need.
The best thing about being in a new city is that it’s new. You don’t know what will pique your interest, you don’t know what you’ll fall in love with. You don’t want to get caught in a situation where you see a great cafe, event, or street, but you have to skip it because your itinerary is too packed with preplanned Colleseum, Vatican City, and Trevvi Fountain visits.
Give yourself a few extra days (or weeks) in a city. This will give you more freedom to do what YOU want when you arrive in the city, rather than being forced to stick to what you planned four weeks ago.
Not to mention, staying in one spot has its fair share of great benefits. Packing and unpacking your bag every few days is not only time-consuming but also absolutely exhausting. I don’t know about you, but when traveling, I find a dry toothbrush to be one of the great comforts in life — because that means you’re staying in a place long enough to not have to stuff your wet toothbrush in your toiletry bag every day.
Keep your schedule flexible and plan for unplanned longer stays. A vacation is all about enjoyment, and you want to have the flexibility to enjoy the places you’ve fallen in love with.
7. Consider a homestay
One of the best ways to stay in a city for a long period of time is to book a homestay. I personally didn’t do one, since I was living at a friend’s place. However, I have many friends who loved their experiences.
Homestays are pretty much what they sound like — when locals have extra rooms in their homes, they’ll rent them out. They’ll adopt you and take you under their wing for anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. Not only do you get a great taste of local life, but you can make some pretty cool friendships.
My favorite part of my Europe trip was living in France with my friend. I got to spend time with her friends doing what locals do, and I am forever grateful for that experience. Even though I was seeing and doing new things, I didn’t feel like a massive tourist.
Depending on what you are looking for, there are different types of homestays available. Some promise immersive home-living experiences, while others just provide a living space. You can look at websites such as homestay.com or homestayin.com to find a place that fits your needs.
As a safety tip, only stay with families that have hosted multiple travelers before, and are well-reviewed. The last thing you want is to end up in a dangerous situation in a country you don’t know.
With these tips, hopefully, the next time you finish your vacation, instead of booking another one to destress, you’re penciling in your next action-packed adventure.
If you enjoyed reading, join my journey by subscribing or becoming a Medium member. You can also support my writing by buying a coffee ☕️!
