I’m a big advocate of the fact that everyone is different and what makes me happy may not make someone else happy.
I am also a firm believer that I can feel one way and someone else can feel the exact opposite. And both are valid ways of thinking.
So I share my feelings, knowing they are my personal feelings and not a projection of how the world really is.
I personally do not like resorts. This is for a very similar reason that I do not love cruises.
On a cruise you are boated around with a giant mass of people and dumped in an area very close to the shore where people have set up stands for you to purchase little trinkets (almost NEVER made in that area, from what I have seen).
You are there for a few hours and you maybe sign up to do an excursion with a group of other fellow “cruisers” before you are herded back on the boat.
After you leave, the people pack up their stands and go home.
The next day the same thing happens.
I’ve been on 3 cruises. I’ve loved so many aspects of them. I love not having to plan. I love eating good food for every meal. I love the convenience of waking up in a new place and never having to pack and repack suitcases. I love all of the amenities and experiences available on the boat. I love that everyone in the group can always find something to do.
I hope to go an another cruise with all of my girlfriends some day. And maybe one with my parents and siblings.
Travel means a lot of different things for different people.
It can mean relax time. It can mean escaping to nicer weather It can mean spending time with family. It can mean leaving your worries and cares.
But for me, traveling mostly means getting to know another culture.
I travel for many different reasons, but the most common goal I have when I travel is to get to know the people and culture in a different country.
And for me that keeps me away from resorts. Most locals are usually not at resorts.
Resorts are amazing. And there is a place for them in life.
But I worry about what I would be missing out on outside of the resort walls.
I want to be WITH the people.
If I want to be with a bunch of other Americans, I can go to Starbucks.
I want eat what they are eating!
If I want to eat American food I can go to McDonalds.
I want to go where they go!
It’s usually cheaper, and they are always having more fun haha.
Traveling to local places keeps me humble.
There is a lot of poverty in the world. There is a lot of need. There is a lot of sadness.
It is good to be aware of everything we have been blessed with, because SO OFTEN I forget how good I have it.
There is a mile long list I have of things I want to teach Beckham and be a good example of to him.
But pretty high at the top of the list is that he doesn’t need THINGS to be happy, and whether he works hard and has a good life or is just very blessed, he is never better than anyone else.
Like I said, this is nothing against resorts. There’s a place for them.
But just as everything has its place, I also love the experiences I have had exploring on my own, really getting off of the beaten path and seeing a country as much as possible “as the locals see it”.
Our last trip (The Dominican Republic) we arrived with no plans. We booked a rental car, and that’s it.
We drove around and stopped where we wanted.
Our route was guided by suggestions and pursuing what was around the next windy road.
And it was by far my favorite trip I have been on with my boys.
We slept in a tent on the beach, explored caves with a 10 year old guide, danced Bachata in a bar in the middle of the day, ate yummy Dominican food, and saw some of the most beautiful sunsets on beaches I had not read about online.
The people who know the best places to go are locals, not TripAdvisor. They are the ones who know their country.
I tell myself that if I want to get to know a country, the people need to show me!
If I want to feel like I visited a new country, I have to submerge myself in that country!
And when we left The DR I felt like I had taken the time to appreciate and get to know the people there. They shared their beautiful country with us and we took the time to appreciate them.
And it felt so good.
And I never cease to be amazed at the ability we have to love someone we barely know. And every time I spend time with people in a new culture, even for a little bit, I can’t help but love them.
And for me, that makes me love traveling even more.