2torial #0715:
Learn2 Avoid Tourist Traps

Take the road less traveled

Tourism is a huge business worldwide. Sometimes it's a city or country's biggest industry, in fact. This travel boom has led to an amazing proliferation of tourist traps--spots intended to attract vast numbers of visitors and relieve them of excess cash. This often involves either the selling of a superficial, prepackaged version of local culture, or the creation of a more or less phony "attraction."

Some tourist traps are obvious, like the "World's Biggest Mall" or a giant roadside statue of Little Orphan Annie. But many natural or historical marvels, like Yosemite or the Great Pyramids, are also overrun with tourists--and the people who sell stuff to them.

So what do you do if you can't stand tourist industry trappings, but aren't really sure what the alternatives are? We'll help you avoid disappointing destinations and experience something unique.

Any destination catering to tourists will have tourist traps. So avoiding them should not necessarily be about skipping famous, popular, or trendy destinations. Rather, it's about trying to get beyond the packaging of the tourist industry and have genuine, direct contact with the place you're going to visit--wherever that place is.

This often involves traveling independently: making your own arrangements for lodging and services on the road, rather than reserving them ahead of time. But it's also possible to have meaningful adventures on a good package tour, or to get stuck in a boring rut on your own.

Even if you're planning most of your own itinerary, a good travel agent can be an ally and rich source of information (and a bad one can be a roadblock). If you don't already have one you like, find one that specializes in leisure travel; or, better yet, in independent or off-the-beaten-path travel.

Decide when to go

Timing can have everything to do with whether a destination is swarming with tourists or not. If it's your wish to avoid crowds, find out (from books, travel agents, or travel sites and chat rooms on the web) when the busy season is, and don't travel then. In addition to being less crowded, the off-season frequently has lower prices and, sometimes, more pleasant weather. For instance, the Greek Isles are packed in August, when everyone in Europe goes on holiday, but the weather is milder in October--and hardly any tourists are there.

Occasionally, your travel will be restricted to the peak season, either by weather or by your own circumstances. For instance, Antarctica is accessible to tourists only during its mid-summer, which is around January. Or, you may really want to visit the French Riviera, but are only able to travel during the summer. If the latter is the case, you should prepare yourself mentally for crowds--or consider going someplace else this time and saving the Riviera for later.

Find out what there is to see

If you know where you're going, but don't have a very good idea of what's there (aside from the obvious), you're in danger of getting bogged down in tourist traps, because they're always easy to find. It helps to educate yourself a little before you arrive.

Talk to your travel agent. Tell your agent as much as possible about what you want and don't want from your vacation. At this point, you're researching your options, not buying. A good travel agent will help you do this: Though it's not really what they're paid to do, conscientious agents are always gathering information to pass on to clients.

Read up. Guidebooks (even older ones) are helpful for giving you background information about the history, culture, and political situation of your destination. They can also suggest stellar sights. Just make sure you pick one that seems to address the kind of travel you want to do, and whose suggestions are in accord with your budget. There are a growing number of individual books and series aimed at the independent or budget traveler. Check your local bookstore or library (also good sources for travel-related periodicals).

Tourist brochures can also be good resources--they'll tell you where you don't want to go (because everybody else is likely going there). Publications of various national tourist boards can be used in the same way.

Talk to people (part 1). Other people are, without question, the best source of offbeat travel gems. Find out if anyone you know has been where you're going, then ask them about it. What did they like and dislike about where they stayed and what they ate, did, and saw? Get online and find chat rooms and message boards about your destination (most major search engines have these services--type in "travel message board" or "travel chat" to find them).

People's travel preferences vary widely, so try to find out whether your source's biases (and budget) match your own. Personal anecdotes are not always reliable on the details--try to verify such information with another source before you make plans based on it.

Note: It's helpful to remember how travel agents are paid: They get a commission from airlines, hotels, tour operators, and other travel service providers. Be wary if your agent seems to be steering you toward choices that don't really suit your needs or budget.

Even good agents will mostly be able to book you into only the biggest, most expensive, and most "touristy" tours and services. Most of the more modest, local travel service providers don't have the wherewithal to reach foreign travel agents, much less offer them commissions.

Decide if you want to see it

Once you've gathered the background information you need, use it to make decisions about what to see and do.

Seek a balance. Whether you love art, people watching, canoeing, or military history, if you plan at least part of your trip around your interests, it's hard to go terribly wrong. Conversely, try to include some things that seem beyond your usual experience. At its best, travel expands your horizons without overwhelming you.

Make a list. Write down all the sights and activities you want to experience. Be careful not to pick something just because it's there (that approach has turned even Mount Everest into a tourist trap!). Choose instead what you really want to see, according to either what you enjoy or what intrigues you.

Prioritize the list. Choose just a few must-see items--the things you'd feel deprived of if they weren't part of your trip. These are the hooks you can hang your itinerary on. Next, decide on a number of alternatives, or "would-like-to-sees." You can fit these in, or not, as you go along. The idea behind prioritizing is to spare yourself the stress of frantically trying to see "everything" (which you'll never be able to do).

Plan your time

This step should probably be called "Plan your time--but not too much." Ideally, your itinerary will give your trip structure, but not rigidity.

Sketch an itinerary. Try to make the concrete parts of your itinerary as realistic as possible--for instance, don't burden yourself with too many tight travel connections. The logistics of traveling take a lot of time and energy--often more than people plan on.

Aside from the nuts and bolts of non-changeable air or rail reservations, a non-touristy travel itinerary should be a flexible plan. Schedule your must-sees, hold on to your list of would-like-to-sees, and leave lots of time open for serendipity.

Plan to take it easy. If you are in any doubt about the amount of traveling or sight-seeing you'll be able do, plan on less. Any gaps will fill up naturally.

Keep an open mind

Your first experience of a new city will probably be of the tourist district. Transport from outlying airports and train stations is usually set up to take people to hotels and other tourist businesses. Once you're checked in, try to get out of that rut quickly.

Find city listings. When you get to a town, look for a local newspaper or arts magazine to find out what's happening locally. If you don't speak the language, find out if there's a local English-language newspaper. Don't just look at the entertainment listings: Attending a political rally can be just as exciting as going to the theater or a concert.

Get on a bus. Instead of taking a tour bus, grab a local bus schedule and spend the afternoon riding around town at random. Get off and poke around if you see anything interesting. Walk instead of taking a taxi. Rent a bike.

Talk to people (part 2). Even more valuable than talking to people before you leave is talking to people after you arrive. Friendly conversations with like-minded travelers and with residents--especially those not connected with the tourist trade--are bound to turn up recommendations about their own favorite places.

Let new acquaintances know that you're interested in seeing the real, everyday side of the city--not just the stock sights. Ask locals where you can go to meet more locals, or whether there are parts of the city or surrounding countryside that are interesting and relatively tourist-free. Travelers who show local people their genuine interest in exploring a city are often overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of the response.

Most of all, be flexible. A city you thought would be fascinating might just make you tense; another might beguile you into spending more time than you'd planned. An unforeseen activity may entice you, but conflict with your plan to do something you know you really want to do. Being able to change your mind is one of the freedoms and joys of traveling. So is the realization that there's probably no wrong decision.

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