My So-Called Philosophy of Travel

I've purposefully become obsessive in travel. When I'm there- I want to really be there- not somewhere else or in some other time.
You will come to recognize my favorite expression "In The Moment", it is to become my guiding principle in life.

So, I

Go Slow
Go Small
Stay Local
Eat Local
Do Less
Dig Deeper
Open My Mind

Go Slow
The slower you go the more intimate your contact with your surroundings, so.
Don't fly on planes- ok, so I have to cross an ocean and there aren't many boats anymore, Do.... take trains- they are affordable, fast, easy, let you off in the middle of everything and I meet cool interesting people, local as well as fellow travelers. Do take boats to islands, it's what they're made for. DON'T drive cars- they are expensive, often inconvenient, too American, unwanted in many towns and cities and often just a pain in the ass. When all else fails, do a car rather than not do at all.
Do ride subways, trams and buses. They make big cities easy and when you know how to get around, big can be way cool.
Do bike or walk- the most intimate form of transport- you'll see so much more.

Go Small
Don't try to see it all in one trip! Don't try too many countries- Europe is bigger than you think. One country is usually way big, you'll find plenty to see and do, if you just slow down.
Do stay 2 or more days in a place, it takes that long just to begin to get a sense of place. Do day trips out from a well located town.
Don't be afraid to change your plans-it's ok to think on-the-fly.

Stay Small
Don't stay in big overpriced 3,4,5 stars, in resorts or American branded hotels.
Do stay in small 1,2 star family run hotels, inns, pensionnes, auberges, rooms above restaurants/cafes, guest houses, convents/monasteries, B&B's or even hostels. Don't be afraid of "bath down the hall" you know they work just fine.
Do these things and it will trim your budget and better plug you into the local culture.
Don't book thru 3rd party sites or rely on their "customer feedback". Don't book thru slick Internet sites sight unseen- you see what they want you to see.
Do use well-known guidebooks, tourist information offices or personal recommendations. Their only agenda is you.
Do, once you "know the lay of the land", try renting and apartment, gite or agritourismo thru a reputable site. These longer term rentals with kitchens and all the "modcons" can be the ultimate in "full immersion living".

Eat Local
Some travelers would say that you really haven't been somewhere until you've eaten the local dishes and drank the local wine and done so among the local people.
This is how I feel and more!
Don't eat in big hotel restaurants, or go for overpriced "stars", places with English or tourist menus, places "with a view' unless of course the view is what you're there for and not the meal. Don't do places where English drowns out the local language, and need I say it- never, never in an American branded fast food joint!
Do eat in small mom & pop restaurants/cafes on the backstreets, where a crowd of locals are, where it smells outrageous and where the menu is on a chalkboard and changes at the whim of the cook or the market.
Do try different things, eat more lunches- they're cheaper- and less dinners. Do picnic- go shopping- the local market, the grocery, deli, local wines- it's as local as it gets.
Absolutely do local outdoor cafes with a view, front and center. Do be sure to take time to "people watch", to sense the buzz of the place.
Do drink the local drink, inexpensive carafes of wine in a wine country and big cold glasses of beer in a beer country.

Do Less
As said before, Don't try to do everything- Do a few select things really well.
Don't go to every museum or ruin 'cause it's there- educate yourself about what's in there before you go, otherwise you can just be looking at random things- or just don't go at all. Do go to the principal cathedrals- they are the highest expression of mans creativity with an unlimited budget and they're easy to understand.
Do go to public markets- these are for the real people! Do go to a grocery store, they are real and a unique window into the local culture.
Do, make sure you allow some time to just "stop and smell the roses".

Dig Deeper
Do try to learn all that you can about where you will be. Do try to learn even a little of the language- it will so endear you to your "neighbors" Do try to talk to these "neighbors"- what is their everyday life like?
Do limit yourself as much as possible to walking- you will see, hear, smell and feel so much more.
Do look for the beauty in everything- big & small- do try and see it "through the eyes of a child"
Do try to imagine as often as you can, yourself living in this place.

Open My Mind
Do go as a guest- leave your judgements, prejudices and preconceptions. Do see everything anew. Do give the benefit of the doubt.
Don't be ugly
Do try and see life thru the eyes of the other.
Do always practice humility and respect.
Do try to always carry a smile.
And, DO ALWAYS TRY YOUR MOST TO BE "IN THE MOMENT"!!

Cousin