My travel preference: I love immersing myself in local culture! I’m not big on cities but they are an essential part of travel. They provide the “travel hub” where lowest-priced flights can be found. Places like Phenom Penh house museums of artifacts from Angkor Wat giving a more complete image of life there. Food carts and people watching and local markets in Bangkok are amazing. But it is in small communities where I really connect with daily life and local customs.
Immerse or fly through travel?
I’ve met people in many countries on tight short trips racing between activities. Overnight bus to Inle Lake, day tour on a boat, dinner, overnight bus to the next experience…racing and experiencing a lot of activity but rarely connecting with locals.
I prefer having time, going slow, getting away from primary tourist zones, and connecting. One block away from the crazy tourist activity of Hanoman or Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali and you will suddenly experience a completely different Bali! A block or two away from Khao San Road in Bangkok, it’s a different world.
I also travel on a budget and stay in hostels or homestays. In Sulawesi, I stayed in homestays that included breakfast with a room cost of $7 US. Everyone comes to breakfast together so I might be making new friends from France, Australia, Germany, South Africa, New York…you get the picture. Genuine connection is the richest part of travel for me!
When I left my homestay in Sulawesi, I was presented with a parting give: freshly harvested cloves and vanilla from their tree! When I “splurged” and stayed in a $17 hotel in Bangkok with a pool on the roof, no one talked! People went to their rooms and closed their doors! I don’t travel on a budget just to save money but to form more connections.
Immersion: in budget lodgings like hostels or homestays, I meet everyone. People talk and share and spend time together. I met a woman in Borneo who had traveled to the same small village in Sumatra where I went to see wild orangutans! I have never met anyone who has been there! Connection. Genuine, authentic connection and sharing…those are highlights of travel for me!
This remote place with a lovely family and an awesome experience is where I went in Sumatra: Wisma Cinta Alam.
And, travel this way has allowed me to travel for less than $1,000 a month except for the few times I’ve splurged! Going someplace like the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. It’s pricey, transportation can be challenging, and local travel information can be spotty. However, National Geographic described it as the most biodiverse spot on the planet. OK….I’ll splurge for a short trip to go have that experience. Plus, it was my birthday and I hadn’t traveled for over a year because of COVID.
The budget lodge was my favorite. I’m still in contact with people I met there. I also stayed in a deluxe lodge. It felt sterile, distant from the forest creatures, and less warm to me. Very nice! Just not my preferred kind of place. I will go back the budget lodge, Bolita Lodge, in the future!!
Packing light, I’m eager to head off and simply savor nature!
