What sort of tourist/traveller are you?

[Hugo]

I'd love to hear some perspectives from all the bored. What floats your boat when it comes to holidays?

Weekend city breaks?
All inclusive resorts?
Golf?
Museums and walking tours?

Also, places.... Where have you been where you would love to go again and where have you not been that you are itching to go to?

For me, my favourite place is Italy. I've been twice - Rome, Sardinia and visited Naples and Palermo. I want to explore much more, travel all over Sicily and see more of the south and of course visit Florence and Venice.

[Slick]

I used to work for Trailfinders so travelled the world with my backpack with a bit of 5* luxury tacked on at the end, best years of my life.

Love everywhere I’ve been in Africa and Asia but Iran was also special and would love to go back there one day.

All that travel was long haul though so since we left (I met my wife there - we were company marriage number 98) it has been touring Europe and I absolutely love that. Can’t generally be arsed with long haul any more and very happy to hire a car and drive around on the continent, especially with the kids

[Sandstorm]

Weekend city breaks? Yes
All inclusive resorts? Not for many years
Golf? Sure

Museums and walking tours? Fuck off

My favourite place (at the moment) is Maui. Before that it was Chicago. Before that Seville. Or maybe Amsterdam.

Also 110% I will. Never. Go. On. Another. Cruise. Ever. Again. Wankers. Holiday.

[sockwithaticket]

I still kind of do the interrail thing, just without an interrail pass. Pick a few cities and spend 2 - 3 days in each over the course of a couple of weeks.

When in the cities I'm into walking tours and musesums for sure, plus just wandering around on my own to look at sights and architecture.

Roaming rond big parks or getting outside the city for nature oriented day trips is also cool. Places like Munich, Vienna and Zurich were great for that.

I've been over most of western and central Europe, although not spent much time in Iberia and always balked at the prices of spending any time in Scandinavia. Would love to go back to Croatia for a third time. It's a beautiful country and I'd love to see a bit more of the interior. Previous two occasions were a couple of days split between the capital and Plitvice National Park and 4 days island hopping down the Dalmation Coast from Split to Dubrovnik.

[TedMaul]

Sea change.
Pre Covid - long haul 5 times a year.
Now - can’t be arsed to fly. Cornwall Devon Norfolk Dorset Fife Mid Lothian all fabulous places, having said that 10 days in Hilton Head golfing in September.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

Under normal conditions i.e. prior to COVID/Illness

Annual cycling holiday plus 2 or 3 long weekend cycling trips. Occasional car rally (maybe once a year)

Annual Gastrotour to Europe - food/drink + a little bit of sightseeing with a couple of mates. (Usually several countries chosen from Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Czechia) Mostly by train.

Cities I keep going back to in Europe. Bologna, Bergamo, Innsbruck, Munich, Bamberg, Cologne, Gent, Antwerp, Brussels, Prague, Lyon.

Places I have been cycling : Thailand 5 times Vietnam 4 times Laos twice Morocco 4 times Italy - twice. France - several times self supported. Germany.

Things I don't want to do :

Golf
Cruise
Resort holiday
Beach
Golf

[Tichtheid]

I've not flown very often but I used to love it, I loved the acceleration on the runway and the lift off, that was great. I used to love looking out of the window and I could always sleep without any bother if I wanted to.

Then one time we were on Minorca I suddenly got a fear of flying from absolutely nowhere and then just after I started feeling that way there was a terrible crash at Madrid airport with lots of fatalities.

I flew home but that was the last time, Google tells me that was 2008.

It just so happens that train is my favourite way to travel, so I'll go anywhere by train, it's the way I travelled around Europe as a late teenager/early twenty something.

Now I think I'm happy to explore the little places in the UK* and especially the Highlands of Scotland, I've been in most areas of Scotland, but never Sutherland, that is next on the list, but not the NC500, I don't think I could handle the vastly outsized motor home traffic.

*Rutland is great, smallest county in England, it's probably what the Cotswolds would be like without the tourists and second-homers from Chelsea.

[Slick]

Yes, should have added, I have absolutely fallen in love with holidays in Scotland since Covid. The week we had on Mull and then a week near Skye have given me the most amazing memories. Genuinely restless and can’t wait until our next home adventure in October

[Jim Lahey]

Did a lot of backpacking through S.E. Asia and South America in my early 20s. Loved it. Vietnam my favourite spot. People are just so friendly, so much to do and see, cheap as chips etc.

Now in my mid 30s with 3 kids, somewhere with pool facilities, kids activities, good food, and somewhere where I can escape for a few hours each morning to do some fun climbs on the bike. Eurocamp holidays in French Riviera are the holiday of choice atm.

[Gumboot]

I also did a lot of shoestring travel through Asia, but way back in the 80s and early 90s. Including a few very long cattle class train journeys in India and China. Also did Sydney to Cairns, which took a while but was a lot more comfortable. On our recent trip to the States, I intentionally got a hotel in a gritty LA neighbourhood near a Metro station, and we got to see quite a bit of the other side of the silver dollar.

[Paddington Bear]

Generally very active, it’s a running joke that I end trips away with blisters (I currently have blisters on my little toes and they make me walk like John Wayne).

Echo exploring Scotland (I’m coming towards the end of 2.5 months gardening leave and I’ve spent 3 weeks of it up there) although when I was walking on footpaths that were streams with sideways rain coming straight at me on Eigg on Monday I may have had thoughts about how nice Italy is.

Love a museum, as much to get different perspectives on history and to find new people/events to read up on afterwards. I’d never heard of Amerigo Vespucci before I went to Tuscany, and he’s a fascinating figure, for example.

There’s only so many religious buildings I can go to in one trip, albeit I have a very soft spot for churches in rural England, which tend to tell you an awful lot about the village you’re walking through.

I’ve always maintained you can only truly enjoy playing cricket or golf, not both, and I made my decision on that years ago. Don’t mind the odd round with someone who also can’t putt followed by beers, but not a chance I’d go on a golf holiday.

A weekend away for a random rugby match, often European cup, is also good fun. Nice just to soak up an atmosphere and enjoy the game without crippling nerves.

[Ymx]

Used to be a wing it traveller. Fly in and figure out accommodation after.

Then marriage and family. Now it’s prebooked several months in advance resort holiday.

We have a favourite resort on the beach. Formentera. Includes breakfast and dinner - very very good food. Works out at about £7k for 14 nights. Used to be under £5k, sigh.

[Biffer]

I like to have a wander about, a city with lots of wee nooks and crannies.

Some nice places to sit and have a coffee or a beer and watch the world go by.

Museums and galleries, maybe an opera in the evening.

Some sport

[Blackmac]

We are very much a city break couple since the birth of our granddaughter as we have quite a tying care commitment. Also my work schedule in the summer makes week long breaks difficult.
We take about 4 or 5 city breaks during the summer and autumn and a couple of winter sun weeks during the winter.
We did a lot of long haul breaks just before and after I retired and really don't have much interest anymore other than a visit to Japan which is on the bucket list.

[Blackmac]

I like to have a wander about, a city with lots of wee nooks and crannies.

Some nice places to sit and have a coffee or a beer and watch the world go by.

Museums and galleries, maybe an opera in the evening.

Some sport

This kind of sums us up. Love quirky, more out of the way places and we have found that we have been lucky enough to visit some cities before they became mainstream destinations. Northern Spain is brilliant in that respect.

[Jock42]

Since getting our dog, and becoming a big softy, we're a staycation type couple.

Yes, should have added, I have absolutely fallen in love with holidays in Scotland since Covid. The week we had on Mull and then a week near Skye have given me the most amazing memories. Genuinely restless and can’t wait until our next home adventure in October

Off to Mull in a fortnight, all the pics I've seen of the place look awesome.

[Insane_Homer]

All Inc, sun, sea, swim, read, shandys is the pool from 10am

[Slick]

Since getting our dog, and becoming a big softy, we're a staycation type couple.

Yes, should have added, I have absolutely fallen in love with holidays in Scotland since Covid. The week we had on Mull and then a week near Skye have given me the most amazing memories. Genuinely restless and can’t wait until our next home adventure in October

Off to Mull in a fortnight, all the pics I've seen of the place look awesome.

It’s incredible. Where are you staying? We saw Golden Eagles pretty much every day as well as Sea Eagles, Otters and dolphins

[Tichtheid]

Since getting our dog, and becoming a big softy, we're a staycation type couple.

Yes, should have added, I have absolutely fallen in love with holidays in Scotland since Covid. The week we had on Mull and then a week near Skye have given me the most amazing memories. Genuinely restless and can’t wait until our next home adventure in October

Off to Mull in a fortnight, all the pics I've seen of the place look awesome.

It’s incredible. Where are you staying? We saw Golden Eagles pretty much every day as well as Sea Eagles, Otters and dolphins

I saw a sea eagle on Barra, I didn't know what it was but the twitcher that was part of our group got very excited and kept telling me how lucky I was, fair dos to him, he convinced me.

That was on a sailing trip that took in Mull, Barra, St Kilda and over the of top of Lewis and down the Minch.

Watching dolphins and porpoises playing in the bow wave of your boat is really cool

[Slick]

Since getting our dog, and becoming a big softy, we're a staycation type couple.



Off to Mull in a fortnight, all the pics I've seen of the place look awesome.

It’s incredible. Where are you staying? We saw Golden Eagles pretty much every day as well as Sea Eagles, Otters and dolphins

I saw a sea eagle on Barra, I didn't know what it was but the twitcher that was part of our group got very excited and kept telling me how lucky I was, fair dos to him, he convinced me.

That was on a sailing trip that took in Mull, Barra, St Kilda and over the of top of Lewis and down the Minch.

Watching dolphins and porpoises playing in the bow wave of your boat is really cool

On the 4th day of our trip we were walking along a beach having seen Golden Eagles the last 3 days (we were staying in a very remote place) when we came across 3 guys with 2 of them crying. They explained they had been wanting to see a Golden Eagle for decades and pointed to a dot in the sky. My wife and I smiled and went to walk past but one of the kids blurted out “I can’t even see that one, we’ve seen them every day, so many”. Was quite embarrassing

[Simian]

Mostly city breaks (recent favourites were Gent, Nice, Utrecht, and Munich) and a big fan of museums and galleries. Also love breaks in the Scottish islands (Isla and Jura are probably my two favourites, though I can see how they wouldn’t be for everyone).

[Jock42]

Since getting our dog, and becoming a big softy, we're a staycation type couple.

Yes, should have added, I have absolutely fallen in love with holidays in Scotland since Covid. The week we had on Mull and then a week near Skye have given me the most amazing memories. Genuinely restless and can’t wait until our next home adventure in October

Off to Mull in a fortnight, all the pics I've seen of the place look awesome.

It’s incredible. Where are you staying? We saw Golden Eagles pretty much every day as well as Sea Eagles, Otters and dolphins

Superb. The Isle of Mull Hotel in Craignure, right on the beach. I'm going up Ben More on one day (Mrs going to the spa). Would like to head over to Iona and up to Tobermory

[Yeeb]

Not a fan of weekend breaks purely because of the faff of travel for only 2 days at a place, much prefer a week to chill and relax.
Not adverse to the odd museum providing its interesting and not clock museum or plant pots or other shite. Natural history , imperial war, science museum quality only.
Generally prefer places with nicer weather than Uk, and not Benidorm quality chavtastic built up shit. More Byron bay than Surfers paradise.

Only place I would never return to because it was shit on absolutely every level, was Tunisia - that can go fuck themselves .

On my to-do list are Argentina, Canada , Hong Kong, Nordics , Amalfi coast & lake Como, and Montreux.

My love it and will return many times again list - Crete , Lemnos, Montpellier, Sete, Cornwall , Devon, Lake District, Edinburgh , Tenby, Gold Coast

[Biffer]

Also, I do a sports trip to the US every couple of years. One week stuffed with American football and baseball.

[Blackmac]

Also, I do a sports trip to the US every couple of years. One week stuffed with American football and baseball.

4 hours watching the Dodgers verses the Mets a few years ago was time I will never get back. Couldn't believe how shit it was.

[mat the expat]

I used to average 3 OS trips pre-Covid. Slowly working up to that this year - Japan twice and UK/Greece Trip long overdue since 2017.

I split my travel between holidays and Martial Arts trips - lucky, in that like Rugby, I have MA Friends all over the world to visit.

Next year, unsure of bar the usual 2 Japan trips.

Always do a bit of sight-seeing, rest, adventure on trips. I can't sit on a beach for days on end

[Paddington Bear]

Also, I do a sports trip to the US every couple of years. One week stuffed with American football and baseball.

4 hours watching the Dodgers verses the Mets a few years ago was time I will never get back. Couldn't believe how shit it was.

Baseball always strikes me as being like test cricket condensed into a few hours - if you like that it’s great if not I can imagine it’s a tough watch

[Blackmac]

Also, I do a sports trip to the US every couple of years. One week stuffed with American football and baseball.

4 hours watching the Dodgers verses the Mets a few years ago was time I will never get back. Couldn't believe how shit it was.

Baseball always strikes me as being like test cricket condensed into a few hours - if you like that it’s great if not I can imagine it’s a tough watch

What got me was that most of the crowd didn't seem to pay the slightest interest until the last half hour or so. We did the usual tourist thing. Turned up an hour early, got the beers, hot dogs and foam hands and went into our seats 30 minutes early. You were lucky if there was 1000 people in the stadium. Even after an hour or so the ground was less than half full. Even a few hours in all the locals around us seemed more interested in a social blether than what was going on.

[Niegs]

I've been fairly 'poor' most of my adult life (big student loan hanging over me, getting f/t perm work was tough), so my only overseas trips were three working holidays in my 20s, two two-week vacations to Europe in my 30s.

I'm a 'pack as much as I can into a day' traveler. See all the sights post breakfast until dark, eating lunch on the go. I rarely do a tour, tend to avoid the bigger tourist traps. I'm a history geek so mostly stick to that kind of stuff, especially old buildings, but not so much art galleries. One summer, I drove from Niagara Falls (skipping the Falls, actually) to see three 18th century forts across NY State and the water falls in the Finger Lakes region. I love open air museums especially and probably annoyed some workers at Ft Ticonderoga about their job and not the character they were playing (as I knew enough about the history ).

I'm a big fan of cheap day trips within driving distance of where I live, esp. scenic hikes, paddling lazy rivers, and historical homes. Where I've lived across Ontario and on Vancouver Island, there are very few attractions I haven't seen. I'll stop and read the blue plaques, do some extra reading when I get home and add tidbits to the pics I share on socials.

Being half-ginge, I definitely avoid beaches (one time was as a chaperone on a school rugby tour to Caymans - did not love it).

[Uncle fester]

Not into package holidays. Much rather meander about and find interesting stuff.
Love a decent city break. Rome and Berlin particular favourites.
Partial to mountains so never going to NL

[assfly]

Anything in nature, as far away from civilisation as possible. It's the only way I can switch off.

I've seen enough cities in my life, they all start to look the same. But I've never gone to a new game reserve or forest that hasn't filled me with a sense of awe.

[Biffer]

My regular yearly holiday is to stay at home and go to the Edinburgh festival. Pack a pile of shows in, take the money I would have spent on a flight and hotel and spend it on tickets. I'm off from tomorrow until the end of next week - already spent about £350 on tickets, will likely double that but it's less than ten days in a hotel

[Tichtheid]

My regular yearly holiday is to stay at home and go to the Edinburgh festival. Pack a pile of shows in, take the money I would have spent on a flight and hotel and spend it on tickets. I'm off from tomorrow until the end of next week - already spent about £350 on tickets, will likely double that but it's less than ten days in a hotel

Are the crowds on the streets back to pre-pandemic levels yet?

We have a festival here in Brighton and whilst I believe it's the biggest arts festival in England it's nothing like the size of Edinburgh. One of the things I went to see this year was Yuja Wang with the LSO, it was terrific.

[Gumboot]

My regular yearly holiday is to stay at home and go to the Edinburgh festival. Pack a pile of shows in, take the money I would have spent on a flight and hotel and spend it on tickets. I'm off from tomorrow until the end of next week - already spent about £350 on tickets, will likely double that but it's less than ten days in a hotel

Feck all travel hassles. Days jam-packed with entertainment. Then your own bed to sleep in...

So much to like about that. You lucky bugger!

[Ymx]

Anything in nature, as far away from civilisation as possible. It's the only way I can switch off.

I've seen enough cities in my life, they all start to look the same. But I've never gone to a new game reserve or forest that hasn't filled me with a sense of awe.

They are quite incredible. Only a limited experience but it was amazing.

It was also strange to learn about the eco system. Eg in order to sustain the predators/big cats, etc, in these reserves, they were taking stock from an actual game hunting place.

[Dinsdale Piranha]

My regular yearly holiday is to stay at home and go to the Edinburgh festival. Pack a pile of shows in, take the money I would have spent on a flight and hotel and spend it on tickets. I'm off from tomorrow until the end of next week - already spent about £350 on tickets, will likely double that but it's less than ten days in a hotel

Feck all travel hassles. Days jam-packed with entertainment. Then your own bed to sleep in...

So much to like about that. You lucky bugger!

Edinburgh Festival is a great choice. I went many times and stayed with my Uncle & Aunt but they have left Edinburgh after 35 years sadly. Not sure if I could justify the cost without that advantage.

[assfly]

They are quite incredible. Only a limited experience but it was amazing.

It was also strange to learn about the eco system. Eg in order to sustain the predators/big cats, etc, in these reserves, they were taking stock from an actual game hunting place.

Yes it's incredible. I agree, these places are such a fine balance that if you take one element out, it affects everything else. Even the introduction of exotic trees into an indigenous forest can have an impact.

[Yeeb]

I've been fairly 'poor' most of my adult life (big student loan hanging over me, getting f/t perm work was tough), so my only overseas trips were three working holidays in my 20s, two two-week vacations to Europe in my 30s.

I'm a 'pack as much as I can into a day' traveler. See all the sights post breakfast until dark, eating lunch on the go. I rarely do a tour, tend to avoid the bigger tourist traps. I'm a history geek so mostly stick to that kind of stuff, especially old buildings, but not so much art galleries. One summer, I drove from Niagara Falls (skipping the Falls, actually) to see three 18th century forts across NY State and the water falls in the Finger Lakes region. I love open air museums especially and probably annoyed some workers at Ft Ticonderoga about their job and not the character they were playing (as I knew enough about the history ).

I'm a big fan of cheap day trips within driving distance of where I live, esp. scenic hikes, paddling lazy rivers, and historical homes. Where I've lived across Ontario and on Vancouver Island, there are very few attractions I haven't seen. I'll stop and read the blue plaques, do some extra reading when I get home and add tidbits to the pics I share on socials.

Being half-ginge, I definitely avoid beaches (one time was as a chaperone on a school rugby tour to Caymans - did not love it).

Started off reading this thinking ‘ah poor neigs, I will buy him a beer if he’s ever in London ‘ - then noticed the bit at the end where he disclosures his half ginge status, therefore beer offer recinded as I don’t sponsor people with no reflection that smell like upstairs in Wilkos

[Thor Sedan]

Was a backpacking 'w**ker' from 23 to 27. In saying that - it was the best time of my life. I was in shape, had disposable income and no mobile phone or social media. Ticked off all the things I had wanted to do in Europe. Did amazing things in SE Asia for a few months and fell in love with Africa.

I remained very 'backpacking is the only way to travel' snobbish until I had my first all inclusive stay at Sharks Bay Hilton in Sharm el Sheikh. I realised that travelling didn't have to be an ongoing task - relaxation is also an important part.

Since then I have done numerous package holidays with my girlfriend - now wife - but since having kids we have been more UK centric with our travelling. We have been lucky enough to find a couple of perfect places to stay which we now frequent annually.

I have done one golf holiday with some mates - it was fine - but super expensive for what it was.

I will never do a cruise - unless it is a river cruise. I get horrific sea sickness - so no way I am paying hundreds of pounds just to feel like warmed up death. Plus cruise people seem like people I don't really want to hang out with.

Flying scares the heck out of me - but it is a necessary evil....and diazepam is awesome.

[Gumboot]

Fear of flying is worthy of its own thread, I reckon. Just on the evidence of this thread, there are people who love to travel but would much rather stay earth-bound doing it.