Best ports for unique travel experiences?

[gusandgidgetsmom]

Belize, Honduras, Panama Canal and St Maarten are amongst our favorites as well as HMC but that is bascially a beach day. Alaska was by far our least favorite. The wildlife was nice and the glaciers I had not seen before but there are much prettier places in the lower states. the kids were extremely bored except at the one port that we did a glacier copter tour.

[finzup-kt]

I love this topic and I'm going to get wordy!!

 

To me travel is about experiences and interactions with people and in my travels mostly reflect that...

 

Some of my thoughts and recommendations on experiencing a place:

 

The #1 thing I can recommend is doing some research before you travel.

- Know what the culture and area is like.

- Learn any different customs that the locals may have so you can better fit in.

- Learn in advance what the "tourist traps" are and avoid them (TripAdvisor.com is great for reading reviews). Find advice on hidden, out of the way places.

- Learn common scams that happen in the area (i.e. Mexico gas pump fraud, etc).

- Learn where and when you should tip (i.e. if you tip too much you are taken for a fool, etc)

 

 

 

Basically, just arm yourself with information.

 

- Hire a taxi and have him/her take you to see some sights - Know kind of what you want to see, or at least have some ideas, then ask the driver to show you similar things. Example of costs - my sister and I hired a driver in Jamaica for the day (out of montego bay) and we went all over. I think it cost us something like $60 and we gave him $40 in tips -- he spent maybe 9-10 hours with us, watched our stuff, looked out for us, etc. We ended up calling him our "Jamaican dad" as he was so protective, lol If we went to a bar, he would tell us not to drink too much, and he'd show up looking for us after an hour to check on us.. :D

or, on certain islands, it's okay to do it alone ...

 

-Rent a car - explore on your own. This is good for smaller-ish islands that are generally safe and with less traffic. Barbados was great for this, St Thomas/Tortola would be fine (get a Jeep though, it's hilly!) as well, plus probably other islands. It takes some getting used to the different driving styles (i.e. the horn is not a bad thing, they use the horn as a "hello" or a "i'm passing you", etc). Also some islands drive on the other side of the road, etc. Lots of rotaries (round-a-bouts) on islands so if you're not used to that it may be a different experience. I was driving all around Barbados one morning, and I stopped and picked up an elderly woman and drove her to church - had a nice conversation. This is nothing you could experience on an excursion.

 

- Try and go to 'local' bars and restaurants - can't stress this one enough. I met SO many people in Barbados at the local rum shops. The people @ the local rum shops were locals - they were welcoming and friendly and so much different than if I went to some bar on St Lawrence gap (touristy area). It may be a bit intimidating but just walk in and be friendly. I was a female traveling alone and somehow got up the courage to do so and it was totally fine. Your mileage may vary on other islands, but of course that is where doing your homework in advance is good.

 

- Try to find a "local" beach Skip the "touristy" beaches and visit a local beach. It'll be less crowded, the food (if they have it) will be more authentic. You don't need wave runners, jet ski's, over-water trampolines, $9 drinks, etc. Just a a gorgeous bit of sand, a few swaying palm trees, a local cocktail, and some food for snacks.

 

- Talk! Talk to the locals. Open yourself up to them. Most people are very friendly and proud of where they live. I have always found that people love talking - so open up and find a bit more about them, their island, their life. They also might be curious about you and your life too.

 

- See meaningful places - Visit religious sites, temples, etc (regardless of what religion you are or are not, it is still a meaningful experience to see different religions, etc). Where possible, travel with or hire a local guide at some sites to explain the meanings of things. I just got back from India and went to several different temples. It was great having someone local experience it with me and explain the various customs.

 

 

Overall, just put yourself out there, immerse yourself, meet people, go "off the beaten path".

 

Are you incurring some amount of risk (over doing an excursion) by traveling this way? Yes - but use your good judgement, rely a bit on intuition and don't blindly trust everyone - there are bad people everywhere in this world that will take advantage of you -- but there are also really good, friendly, and nice people as well.

 

Another good point is to know your limits. I'm really comfortable traveling - if you have never been to a Caribbean island or different culture - start slow with the level of experiences you do. Gain some comfort in yourself and your abilities to adapt to various situations. It's important that you feel as confident in your abilities to handle various types of situations...

 

Also aim for balance on a trip -- sometimes you do want to do something touristy like zip lines, para sailing, or whatever... It's certainly OK to do these types of things - I enjoy these types of things as well. I try to balance out the experiences when I travel as well.

 

I guess i'll stop now, I've rambled on way too long :)

[JohnSpo]

You might consider the Canada/New England cruise that departs out of NYC or Boston. I did the 7 night cruise out of NYC that stopped in Boston, Portland, St John and Halifx Canada. These are certainly not exotic beach ports but they did offer a great small to large city seaport experience that is perfect for families. You can take part in the many interesting excursions or map out a city walking tour of the ports. I look forward to doing this itinerary again. There was so much to do.

[gtalum]

finzup-kt, posts like yours make me wish CC had a Like button! :)

[finzup-kt]

finzup-kt, posts like yours make me wish CC had a Like button! :)

 

thanks :)