Five years ago, I was all about taking Ryan Air and bunking it down in the cheapest hostel I can find. Now I loathe Ryan Air with the fire of a thousand suns and will happily pay more to avoid flying them. And this is coming from someone whose own thrifty-growing-up-poor mother calls her cheap. So yeah no more Ryan Air for me. Mainly because they suck.
When it comes to my accommodations now, I really, really prefer hotels, guesthouses or a small bed and breakfast. Or at the very least my own room in a hostel. I think I’m done with sharing a room with 10 strangers. Although I must admit I do miss randomly talking to people and connecting with folks from all over the world just by virtue of the fact that you’re sharing a huge (or in some cases tiny) dorm room with them. That aspect of hostels is cool. The 40+ year old guy sharing a hostel room with a bunch of 20 something women is not. That’s just creepy.
I think the way I sightsee is changing as well. Five years ago, whenever I went to a new city I wanted to see as much as I could fit in. Now I just want to enjoy the city. Take a leisurely stroll. Perhaps list a couple of can’t miss items to check out before I actually arrive, but in general I enjoy taking the time to really explore a city now, of getting a feel for it. To wander around, snap pictures, eat food, chat with folks and (if I speak the language) practice my
I’m not sure what exactly triggered this change in my travelling ways. Perhaps I just don’t having the energy and stamina to run around all day anymore. Perhaps I’m starting to develop a better appreciation for not just seeing everything but really taking it in. Perhaps I just don’t have the patience to deal with drunk teens/early 20somethings stumbling into a hostel room and turning on the light while completely oblivious to their own noise level at 3am.
Or perhaps I’m just getting old.
10 comments:
I think you may just be getting old- but I am too! I'm the same as you- I realize that I'm just not interested in cramming in everything during my trip and instead opt for quality over quantity! I realized on my trip to Chile that I COULD NOT do the whole hostel dorm thing any more (I tried it for a few nights when I first got there) and near the end of my trip opted for a single room in a hostel instead. I figure that spending a little bit money on accomodation is worth the piece of mind!
I'll be turning 30 next July too. I can't believe it, but at the same time I can't wait!
I was never into the hostel thing and didn't mind spending the extra bucks on a hotel (to enjoy my own company.) However, I did try my first hostel with a couple friends about a year ago here in Japan. I didn't think it was bad at all, then again, we did have a room to ourselves. I guess what I'm saying is I'll consider using hostels if I'm in need of saving money... and that's only if I can get a single room.
I definitely agree with you on taking the time to enjoy a trip compared to trying to see every single landmark in xx days. That's just asking for a headache.
I didn't do any significant travelling until I was about 24 and never really wanted to do hostels then and I am much less so now. However I did stay one night in a capsule hotel in Japan for the experience. It was fun but if I never do it again I'll be happy. Basically like sleeping in a human kennel, with communal showers. I much prefer a B&B or a single room if travelling alone. That has seemed to work out really well for me and not been too much more expensive. I chalk it up to age and my low tolerance of bs.
Hey -- been reading your blog for a while but have yet to comment until now.
Anyway, I'm 27 and I loathe, loathe, loathe the idea of sleeping in a hostel. Sometimes I look back on my European hosteling experiences when I was in my teens/early 20s and just shudder.
I would rather save money now and splurge on nicer accomodations than have to deal with drunk college kids roaming around at 4am after a too-long night at the pubs! ;)
You're getting old, but as Oneika said, I am too! I'm turning 30 next year (What's up 1982?!) and I can't stomach traveling in a way that makes me exhausted physically and mentally. I too love wandering about a city, enjoying a few fine things as opposed to tons of kind of okay things. I travel with the goal of falling in love with whatever city I am in. You can't do that on a tour bus in 12 hours!
Hola! I'm 33. I Love Hostels. It's not an age thing. It's a perspective thing. Everyone is different. We are all different and want different things at different ages. There's no cookie cutter reason for when we should want something or why we want what we want when we want it.
I found you blog via 'Oneika the traveler" and I totally agree just had this conversation with a colleague at work.
I am about to turn 30 and I feel the exact same way. The whole idea of hostels turned me off, so I never did that. But overall, I like to be more comfortable instead of always going the cheapest route.
I most agree with you about taking time to enjoy a city vs rushing to see everything. When I looked back, I realized that some of my favorite travel moments were spent doing mundane things as opposed to visiting landmarks. I also find myself more attracted to family oriented events and places as opposed to "singles" ones.
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