Go on a tour or read a book?
I like to read. I love to sit and stare at beautiful scenery. I love making conversation with travelers and locals alike, and maybe even isolating myself for a while and just listening to music. I don’t really like tours. I move very slow. I like to sleep in, drink tea for hours and maybe start my day around noon. This, of course, in the eyes of certain people, is the worst way to spend a vacation. Whether you are a loaded businessman taking the family on a short trip, or a lowly backpacker being as cheap as possible, defining your trip and spending your time how you want is an important part of travel.
The first step to really defining your trip is figuring out where you want to go, and whether you want to pre-plan. For those on time constraints, actually setting up travel details, such as housing and transportation, beforehand can be helpful. If you are planning to do this though, one of the pitfalls is only working with western companies. This takes money out of the hands of locals, and often times supports monopolies that don’t aid their community. Doing some research beforehand on the company you're traveling with is very important for ethical travel.
After deciding location, it’s also important to figure out your budget. Availability of funds is the largest deciding factor in what types of activities you will do on your trip. Sure, those using the travel agency mentioned in the Times article have seemingly limitless funds, but if you are on a tight budget, waiting to plan activities until you are in a country is a better choice. Locals will give better prices, and most the time, bargaining can give you a little extra wiggle room that pre-booking can’t offer.
Whether you want to sit and stare at beautiful scenery or take a helicopter to far-off temples, defining your own travel is what makes a trip special. Make sure you're doing what you want to do while seeing the world.
Photo courtesy of author.