#1 (like mentionned in the article and many other comments): I HATE tours. I travel independently…oh, wait, no…it turns out I AM on a tour. It’s called “The Lonely Planet” tour…oh well…I still try to avoid tours, though…

#2 I HAVE to be a “real, cool, TRAVELLER” (vs. a posh, stuck-up TOURIST)…oh, wait, no…I don’t HAVE to be anything. That’s why I am traveling, right ?

So now I try to remember that I am not special or better, I am hardly ever off the beaten track but you know what ? as long as I’m having the time of MY life, why should I care about what other fellow travellers are gonna think ?!

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I perfectly agree on all your points and, concerning hostels, I’ve rarely used them, I preferred guest rooms, renting small apartments or finding tiny hotels.. but probably is linked to the tipe of region I’ve visited, mostly Europe, Africa and US, just a couple of times in Asia.

Italy is another of the countries that stays under the first preconception: Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples .. are each a different univers and if you listen to the locals speaking to each other, even diffferent languages. And in the very moment you leave the town and stard discovering the region and the small villages you’ll find another a new world. I’ve travelled Italy back and forth for my entire life and still I have plenty of experience to live in this country.. you’ve not idea how much I’m annoyed from friends saying : “I’ve a week to spend in Italy and I want to DO Florence, Rome and Venice .. do you have any tip for me ?”…

Thank you again for everithing you’ve written.

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That said, I’ve also met plenty of travelers who DONT fit that description. Gap year travelers and backpackers in South America, travelers in China and Mexico who’d been to dozens of countries and yet didn’t seem to have ever escaped their bubble of American near-sightedness. I think it depends on the why’s and the how’s of each person’s travel, and the political/cultural attitudes they have at home.

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I have done more than my fair share of time in dorm hostels (and grocery store meals), but now I am past 30 and usually traveling with a partner, for the same price we can generally get a private room usually in a hostel. So we get the same hostel experience, without the 8 bed dorm. Some times it’s okay to spend an extra $5 for a private room because some times a good night’s sleep is priceless.

I will have to disagree with #3. I don’t think people who travel are better people, but I have noticed people who travel are generally better educated, more up on world events and way better in geography. This might not be true in other countries where most of the population has gone abroad at least once in their life, but this certainly holds true in the US.

Also, in almost any major city I go to, I love to take walking or biking tours. No matter how hard I try, books do not do justice to describe what you are looking at, plus they don’t answer your on the spot questions. Tours provide great information about the place that you just can’t get otherwise. Some tours I highly recommend include:

Berlin – Berlin Walks http://www.berlinwalks.com/
Reykjavik – Free walking tour – http://www.goecco.com/
Munich – Mike’s bikes – http://www.mikesbiketours.com/
Charleston, SC – http://www.charlestonwalks.com/

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I remember this in SE Asia now…never tried it though. I really like custard apples.

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So the Jelly Frappucinos are a Japanese thing….dang. I had one in Korea and thought it was unique to this country. Nope, it’s either taken from the U.S. or Japan.

Amen on the hostel thing. I think there’s just a time and place and certain kind of trip that warrants a hostel, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with hotels.

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