Let's make a reservation right away: for a spontaneous trip, some preparation will still be needed. First of all, this is a purchased ticket at least one way, or better yet, there and back. In the high tourist season, only the heroes of Hollywood films manage to drive up to the airport with a suitcase and immediately fly away. You also need to book accommodation at least for the first two days of your vacation. From the road, you will clearly want to drop your luggage, take a shower and relax a little. But then there is a solid scope for experiments!
If you decide to travel without a plan, the fuss and the desire to embrace the immensity will only get in the way. Just accept it as a fact — in one trip you will not have time to see all the sights from tourist brochures. Slow down and look around: what interesting places are there nearby to your location, what is being fed in a nearby cafe, where a passerby with a dog is going. Perhaps there will be an authentic courtyard or a cozy cafe with local cuisine nearby, and a guy with a dog will take you directly to a picturesque park.
You will definitely have time to see the main thing — it seems that no one has ever left Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. But a relaxed vibe will allow you to experience what many miss in the pursuit of a million identical photos of museums and churches — smells, tastes, sounds of the city, cracks in the pavement and dusty showcases, the manner of locals to communicate with each other and order coffee, songs of street musicians, sunrises and sunsets.
If a stranger tries to talk to you, you should not take him with hostility. He is not trying to take away your time — in tourist places, the locals show hospitality in this way. You may be asked where you are from and how long you are traveling, throw a couple of interesting locations and explain how it will be more convenient to get to them. Do not worry and ask questions about the culture, traditions and customs of the place where you are resting.
With good layouts, a new acquaintance can even offer to take you to beautiful places on his own and conduct an impromptu excursion. Sometimes such acquaintances grow into an unobtrusive friendship, and sometimes into a strong friendship for years. People correspond, go to visit each other, give gifts. Agree, it's nice to know that you have your own person on the other side of the world.
The harder you wear sneakers, the more interesting places you will see. In addition, walking slowly, you will notice details that would only flash from the transport window.
And it is also profitable to walk. In many countries, taxis and car rentals are not cheap pleasures. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you decide to go to the theater or buy a yacht ride? When traveling without a plan, it is better to save on some familiar amenities so that there is enough money left for unexpected maneuvers in search of impressions.
If it doesn't matter to you how many channels the TV shows in the hotel, because when traveling you come there just to spend the night, book places in inexpensive hostels or guesthouses. They are quite often located in historical centers. If you are not used to saving on amenities, pay attention to the market of daily rent apartments in the same areas. This will kill two birds with one stone: immediately inspect an important part of the new city and provide yourself with a comfortable location for further research.
The centers are always bustling with life. Let's say you haven't come up with anything for the evening, haven't met anyone and don't know how to entertain yourself. Put on smart clothes and go to the nearest bar. Don't like parties? Book a quiet table with a nice view somewhere on the terrace. Finding good places in the sleeping suburbs will be problematic.
Even recognized masterpieces of world art and architecture sometimes arrive from disappointed visitors: the Mona Lisa is too small, the Sagrada Familia temple is too high, and the pyramids are banal to the point of indecency.
Imagine that you have decided on a hard climb to meet the best dawn of your life at the top of some iconic mountain. And suddenly a treacherous thought runs through: what do people say? From the reviews you will learn that the service is poorly organized, the guide does not understand a word of Russian, and in general climbing over rocks in the dark is a form of suicide. If after that you still venture up, the impression of the event will most likely be like glass stained with someone else's fingers: it seems to be clean, but it would be better not to touch it.
If you want to see something, go and see. Perhaps some place, attraction or painting that the whole world is delighted with will not pull the strings of your soul, but it will be a personal impression, and not imposed by a stranger from the Internet.
Therefore, do not forget about personal safety. If intuition tells you that it is better not to do something, listen and think about an alternative. Do you want to get to a nearby city for a rock festival, but are you afraid of hitchhiking? Look for minibuses or cheap commuter trains. A strange company is calling to surf in a cool bay that tourists don't know about? Ask where she is and go there yourself. You should not try food that will definitely make you feel bad, even if this dish is included in the World Cultural Heritage list. And it's even better not to participate in extreme entertainment if you bought the simplest and cheapest insurance before the trip.
