Whatever I feel like on a given day. I hate itineraries. I like going on vacation with a general idea of what I can do, and then picking and choosing when I get there.
What are things you typically like to do?
That's difficult to say, because it's entirely dependent on the destination.
I like both urban and scenic exploration. I have trouble sitting around, unless my body needs the rest. So, I stray away from most "leisure" activities. Sitting on the beach for hours is not for me. If the destination has a high walkability factor, I will walk everywhere I physically can, and I will do it A LOT.
I barely take any pictures. I find that they detract from my being in the moment, and they never capture what I hope.
I do like thrifting for niche, often older electronics and peripherals.
I like food.
I like cigars, and love cigar bars, because the atmosphere and activity is excellent for meeting locals and travellers alike. That is one thing I will always scout out and do.
Respectfully, I'm assuming a "vacation" here is a US-ism for what we in the UK would call a "holiday" (i.e. a recreational trip somewhere), I'm not sure if there are nuanced differences. To see as much as possible of the local culture is generally my aim, that's my main reason for travelling. I'm not saying that in a snooty "high culture" way at all, sometimes the most mundane cultural things can be the most interesting. Also to try the local cuisine. I like trains, so going to places I can explore by train are great - Interrailing around Europe have been some of my favourite trips. Also I did a great train trip around Japan pre-covid.
I think we (Americans) likely use "vacation" almost synonymous as you would "holiday", with little-to-no nuances. We probably distinguish them from the term "holiday" because we culturally define "holidays" as various annual observances, religious or federal.
Don't worry, you came off as snooty from the pure Britishosity.
What a lovely, humble thing to say, thank you.
Does "vacation" have a different meaning in the UK? Or is it just not used?
In the US "vacation" could refer to either a trip away from home for leisure, or just individually scheduled paid leave from work in general, even if you spend it at home in your PJs (aka a "staycation"). Not sure if "holiday" is used there for only the former, or also the latter.
The only reason I asked is that I wasn't 100% sure what it means, I could have guessed. I got that it probably means the same thing, I just wasn't sure if it would cover a city/train trip the same way I was thinking. I, personally, wouldn't use vacation. If they mean the same thing I think probably the Americans have the etymologically better term, if anything.
If I visit a city, I always try to ride their metro if they have it. I also try to at least find find a historical landmark to visit.
Geocaching! It's taken me so many palces I never would have known about otherwise
I am intrigued. What is this?
It's an outdoor game like a scavenger hunt. Other people place geocaches (tupperwares or similar containers) somewhere out in nature and mark the spot on an online map. Anyone can find them and sign the log book inside, sometimes there are other items to trade as well. Free to play at geocaching.com.
I've done this lots while travelling in Europe and North America, it's fantastic if you want to get away from typical tourist hotspots for a while. It's helped me discover so many spots I never would've seen advertised anywhere
Nothing, anything? I don't actively plan for vacation except maybe where I'm gonna be. Once there, even if I am in another city, I go with the mood of the time and try not to feel obligated to do anything. If I stay home sometimes I end up doing things that were put off for a long time, I finish them, grab a beer meanwhile, afterwards, even if it's in the morning as long as it's hot and that's it for the day.
Eat local foods! I love food tourism.
As little as possible.
What’s a vacation?
I'm an American. The only vacations I've had in the last 5 years that aren't work related trips have been staying home and cleaning. The big problem is lining up time when my wife and I both can take time off work, which has been nigh on impossible recently.
To be clear, this isn't bragging. I need a real vacation but the combination of COVID, wanting to buy a house, and my wife needing to spend her leave on things that aren't vacation (sick leave, bereavement leave) has led us to not being able to sync something up since our honeymoon.
I grew up with parents who loved to do and see everything and it made me exhausted.
So when I go on vacation I just spend time relaxing.
Read. Drink. Read. Not necessarily in that order.
I like to visit historical sites and museums at the place I'm visiting. I'm also the person who will pay the tourist tax to go to the top of tall buildings. The last couple of trips have been road trips around the country I'm visiting. I also like trying foods that the place is known for (or making my spouse try it if it's something I won't like cause I can be picky).
Also, there is something to be said for the occasional staycation where you just live your normal life without having to work.
I look for good food and things to see and do that are unique to the area.
New Orleans, for example. The French Quarter is interesting. I like the food, art, and street music. But it's also nice to see the bayous. Lake Pontchartrain. Plantations and oak trees. Trucks full of sugar cane driving down the road. People fishing in lawn chairs at the side of the road.
Or taking a tour of a destroyer in July. Sunny, 95 degrees, and like 115% humidity. Those nice thick metal walls absorb it all. AC in only one corner of the ship. That sweet-ass Southern iced tea feels just right after that. Gator meat isn't bad either.
Eat and drink, sleep in, sit somewhere and watch the world go by.
If I am traveling out of town, I try my best to eat locally at my destination city. I would rather get the flavor of a city by its local cuisine offerings rather than from its underpaid chain fast food workers that I can suffer at home 😂
Any local cuisine of note?
Not the person you're replying to, but I'm also a "try the local cuisine" person. A good percentage of the places I've visited have had some local thing that you'd have to really look for to find elsewhere. I don't end up liking all of them, but I like the experience of trying something new. Some specific examples:
- St. Louis, MO, USA: Gooey butter cake which is as gross and as delicious as it sounds.
- Changsha, Hunan, China: Stinky tofu. The local Changsha style of stinky tofu is completely unlike the more common style you'd find in night markets in Taiwan or elsewhere; it's only a little stinky but is dense, savory, and spicy.
- Singapore: Kaya toast. Kaya is a sweet coconut-based spread and they put it on buttery thick toast. I was addicted to this when I was in Singapore for work.
- Scotland: Haggis. It was... okay? Didn't love it, didn't hate it, don't see why it has the reputation it has.
- Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China: Jiaoziba, which is a little local style of dumpling that's rich and quite spicy.
- Hiroshima, Japan: Okonomiyaki, a kind of savory pancake. Okonomiyaki is common in Japan but it's usually Osaka-style. The version they make in Hiroshima includes noodles in the dough.
In my experience, if you talk to a few locals, one of them will usually think of a local specialty and tell you where to try it.
I like to see some natural wonders or explore a new city where nobody knows me.
I also like a nice spring/winter trip to rent a beach house too. Cheaper, no ones around and I don't like getting in the ocean anyway.
Currently am on vacation to go see a band with some friends and in a couple weeks renting a beach house on Vancouver Island with the family. It will be a good September.
My weekends are a vacation.
I've put in a lot of time and effort to make our back yard an oasis for relaxation, and we maximize our use of it. We have a strict "no work talk" rule from 6pm Friday to 6pm Sunday, strictly enforced. (Also, not in the bedroom, but that's a different story.)
When we're on actual PTO, we travel, nerd out, get stoned and find a spa for massages, eat decadent food and enjoy the night life.
Sounds generic, but it's what we do.
I have a rough outline of things I'd like to see. Such as some tourist attractions , nature sites , zoos , museums etc.
We do as many as we can but also eat out along the way. We avail of metro , trains and walking where possible. If the city has a river or canal tour we usually do that too.
Mainly it is just to unwind and get away from the rat race for a few days.
Depends on where I'm going, whether I've been there before, and how long my trip is, but as a rule I'll always seek out the local food and try to see a mix of famous big-name sights and weird niche things that interest me. For example, when I was in Tokyo last, I went to the top of Tokyo Tower at sunset (normal tourist sightseeing thing) and also went to see their underground flood-control tunnels.
I don't enjoy "sit on a beach and do nothing" vacations, but more power to you if that's your style.
I love an off-season beach trip when it's cold. I love walking along a cold desolate beach then go back to a cozy cabin with a book. Perfection. A crowded beach, peak summer and just sitting there. Yuck.
Discovering food and places
Any specific kinds of food and places or just whatever is local and good?
Beach, swimming, hikes...
Eat new food and look at architecture.
We usually go to a city somewhere and just explore, soak up the culture etc, We usually try to go on an adventure, Like when we went to Iceland in the winter and hired a car to drive round, That was fun, I just like to have a lot to remember and talk about when I return. I try not to visit the same place twice, Though I did go to Moscow twice as the Mrs wanted to go the second time.
