Stories you were not told, and pictures which never get posted !

I was always amazed by hearing the beautiful stories people share, the experiences they gained, and all the pictures they posted from their vacations. And yes I was in my very own room lost in thoughts, with a bag of chips continuing to scroll down …

A couple of months passed and I stopped buying chips. That happened right after I Asked my self  “Is this what I really want?” I came to realize that I was already influenced by choices that others made, Choices which turned out to be much different from what I wanted.

To be clear, I am still very eager to hear about those stories people have, but at the same time, I want to know more about what triggered their choices, what went wrong, and how to deal with such situations.

Therefore Instead of sharing all the good vibez, I will let you know more about some of the mistakes I have encountered. Even though I have still a lot to discover, I do have some tips gained from my experience which might be worth to have a look at…

Be a storyteller not a follower

Traveling is all about discovering and exploring new experiences. But referring to many people I know, in many cases I have noticed that they tend to follow the “mass”, and the mass in that sense is easily described as:

“A week in Turkey”… 7- days walking in the same areas, eating from the same chefs and getting service from the same Waitresses. Basically, a place where everything is set up…The only different thing you can see are the different angles on how they managed to take pictures, but still, the idea is the same. With the help of word of mouth, you see also others ‘’ following them ‘’ which leaves your hearing the same story over and over again.

That description talks to me as well, but nowadays my desires shifted in a way. I am triggered to see what others have missed. In those family gatherings, I want to be the one who offers something different to the table. Whenever I travel or spend my days abroad, I always seek for the coffee shops in the corners, street food, bakeries, and small talks with the locals. In that sense, I feel closer to their culture and am able to develop myself.

Do Research before visiting 

Once you made up your mind on what kind of vacation are you pursuing it is highly important to do some research in advance regarding the place you plan to be at.  You might get bored from general information you find, but most of the times you get details that are relevant only for that country. It seems simple but yet very important.

I was in Bulgaria, booked a hotel which was among highly rated ones. It had big pools around, close to the beach, basically, an 8.5 rating and negative feedbacks on Tripadvisor were not many. At that time I was more interested to be closer to the city, enjoy nightlife and spend the day at the beach surrounded by younger generations. I paid a significant amount of money for the hotel but still failed to fulfill my actual needs. The hotel was mainly booked from families, and the ” trendy” beaches were 20 min drive… obviously was not the best choice.

Food for thoughts…

• Avoid overpriced Hotels- “a bed sheet is a bed sheet” as long as it is clean. Remember you are on vacations only for a short period of time, and having the basics is all you need, save money and invest them in your own room.
• Airbnb works but also make sure to also check for sharing economy platforms like Couchsurfing, BlaBlaCar, Getaround.
• Spend more time with locals- whenever you travel to a new place make sure to learn a bit of their language, it shows respect and makes it very easy to get into the conversation, and the rest all benefits you as they become your own guide.