I think one of the great gifts my parents gave to me growing up was a love of travel. When I was a kid, we didn’t have much - but my folks were always sure to take my sister on trips all over the countryside, where we would stay with family and friends and get to know different towns, meet new people.
My parents always told me that travel made us wealthy - and they were so right.
You really don’t need loads of dough to have an enriching travel experience. Years ago I spent 6 weeks traveling through Japan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand - on a budget of around 40/50 dollars a night for accommodation - and it was one the best trips of my life. The key is to be prepared and open minded. Here’s my tips for making the most of your next trip!
Pack Light.
It sounds obvious - and I’m notoriously terrible at following my own advice on this one, but I never regret calculated packing.
- Co-ordinate your clothes. Don’t take any single statement piece that only works when worn a particular way. It’s a really good idea to go with a particular theme of colour series, like white/navy/red/denim or neutral tones that compliment one another. It’s really helpful to be able to mix and match everything and this way, you can bring just one or two coats/jackets that match with everything. I read somewhere once that Chloe Sevigny packs mostly white clothing when she goes on vacation. Solid advice.
- Don’t bother with heels. I say this because you can’t truly be a great explorer when you’re foot is at such an awkward angle, it’s not healthy. If you want to make the best out of your destination then comfort is key! The sad truth of heels, as wonderful and beautiful and ‘I need to have them’ as they are - they are really bad for your feet.
- On that note - make sure you pack comfortable clothes/shoes, but have just one option that works for the odd chance you go somewhere nice, like a restaurant or a club. I’ve been caught out on holidays being too casual and have ended up wearing dirty white plimsoles to a nice restaurant. Doesn’t matter that much really - but it would have felt more special to be a little neater!
- Roll everything up - and be aware of ‘creasy’ clothing. I wouldn’t recommend packing too many things that crease easily, its such a hassle and some places won’t have the option of an iron to tidy your clothes. Rolling your clothes up helps a bit with creases, but also allows you to move your items around your case and find them easily. It’s like fashion tetris.
Talk to the locals.
Seriously, wherever you get the chance to do so. Ask for tips from your cab driver, ask questions from people on the bus, stop people on the street if you have to! People who are local to the area know all the secrets about where to go and what to visit - and they can help your avoid tourist traps!
You could even make some new friends by being open to talking to people. Whilst I was in Osaka, my friends and I were wandering around looking for a bar to have a drink in, we asked a couple on the street and they invited us to follow them to a bar they were headed to. When we arrived it was this incredible little hole in the wall with wooden benches and walls, a bit like a sauna. It was apparently the birthday of the owner and my friends and I ended up right in the middle of the party, warmly welcomed by everyone but not understanding what on earth was going on. We had an amazing night ‘lost in translation’ style - drinking sake and attempting to sing along to Japanese songs we didn’t know.
You can’t get spontaneous experiences like that one without being ready to just walk up to people and starting conversations.
Be damn well researched.
While I’m quite the advocate of free-styling and being open minded when it comes to scheduling, I do believe its a mistake to arrive in a city without some understanding of the layout i.e. knowing which areas are good to stay in and what you’re in for, culturally. A few pieces of knowledge you should have in your back pocket before you arrive.
- Culture, is there anything in particular you should be respecting - for example, in Japan there are plenty of places you shouldn’t be wearing shoes and in places like around the middle east, it’s disrespectful (and expect to be disrespected for it) to wear anything too revealing.
- Know which areas are good to stay in - and also which ones are bad! The goal should be to have good transport walking distance from your accommodations, or even better - be walking distance from the city centre and all the best sights.
- I would have a few good restaurants and cafes up your sleeve in case you get stuck to find places to eat, it can be tough to find places that are both good and reasonably priced. Check out more sites than just Trip Advisor which can lead you to some tourist trap style places. Eating great food can be a reason to travel in itself, so don’t skip this one out!
- Check the methods of getting to and from the airport and train stations - and whether just jumping in any cab is safe. Sometimes cab drivers will rip you off, which is the worse feeling! Even here in Stockholm, there’s a few cab companies that have decent fixed pricing and some independent drivers who’ll up to three times at much!! I feel sorry for the tourists who aren’t aware of the difference, some of those cabs can charge nearly 300 dollars to get to the airport…
Get outside.
The first thing you need to do when arriving in any city is acquaint yourself with your surrounds - and ground yourself after your journey. It’s amazing how you can really gauge the feel for a place by traipsing around on foot. I recently traveled to Belgrade for work and even though I only had small chances to walk around, doing so really helped me understand better the city life and the mood of the people. It’s all about getting intimate with your surroundings!
On that note - if you can ride a bike, it’s really the best way to soak up more of the urban environment and get around. Cycling gives you a particular kind of freedom - plus you can get a daily dose of exercise which is helpful for energy levels while travelling. Win Win.
Do the geeky stuff.
Take bus tours, visit museums and galleries and check out historical landmarks. Take loads of photos!
Plenty of cities have museums for free - like London. Visiting galleries in London is my idea of the perfect day out - my favourite is the Natural History Museum, the exhibits are so impressive. It’s actually a great undertaking if you’re solo because you can wander at your own pace and take in anything that interests you. Get lost in history and your own imagination… and then have a picnic in the park. So great!
Anyway, I know there’s probably loads more to include here - this is what I’ve got so far based on the context of my experiences. Wishing you all loads of fabulous memories from your next holiday x
Photos By Gustav Carlson
