This is one sounds like a no-brainer. But it’s not. When traveling, what do you do once your plane lands? How do you spend your time? Where do you go to eat? How do you have fun without spending all of your money? This is one of the unspoken realities that keep more people from traveling outside of their comfort zones. They just don’t know what to do once they get where they’re going. But expert travelers have plenty of suggestions. They know how to get the most out of a new place from experience. I’ve got a few tips I’ve picked up on my own travels, and from other people who really know their ways around the planet.Learn all of the basics about What To Do When You finally get to your first destination Advice for New Travelers.
1) Learn While You Travel. One of the best ways to keep yourself hungry for new lands is to take classes and learn new things as you go. I have applied this insight in a few different ways. When I’m in down south, I attend classes at Bird Golf Schools in Florida. When I’m in Europe, I work on my French and classes and with free language groups where French people converse with English-speakers over coffee. There are plenty of other ways to get better at whatever you love to do, or even to try something new. If you are going to a country with a different climate, why not try out a sport that is popular with the locals? There are endless opportunities, so make sure you allow your travel to stretch you. This is an investment in yourself, and you’ll return to home with a broadened mind.
2) Work While You Travel. Because I like to travel for 4 months or more every year, I have cultivated a freelance business that I do from the road (like this article, for example). This enables me to be out doing what I do for more weeks out of the year, because I can generate income while I go. Often, I’m able to generate a lot more than I spend, especially if I’m able to find cheap housing and reasonable airfare. I have a friend who has worked as all kinds of things overseas: boat tour guide, gondolier, sculpture model, English teacher. There are plenty of ways to make it work, and you’ll get a lot more time to travel if you do it this way.
3) Go Where the Locals Go. Get off the beaten tourist path. This is how you save the most money and have the most memorable experiences. Find out places to eat that the locals flock to. This will give you a sense of local flavors and culture, and will stick in your mind much longer after you return home.
There are plenty of other things to do while you are out of your hometown or overseas, but it takes inspiration and experience to know where to look for them all. This is a skill that can be cultivated with time, so after a couple of trips you’ll be a lot better at finding awesome things to do while you’re on the road.
