After a decade of travel together, Cam & I have settled into a travel style that suits us. I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as laid-back (it involves me, after all), but we do try to be cognizant of the fact that we are on vacation, not only for enjoyment but also to avoid stirring up my anxiety. That’s not to say that we don’t deviate from this style occasionally, but for the most part we follow a small set of “rules” we’ve set for ourselves, and the itineraries here on die Fernweherin will reflect that. I recognize that not everyone will share our travel style, and in fact I encourage you to find your own! You’re more than welcome to adapt my itineraries to better suit you, and I value any feedback you have to give me on how you made things work.
We don’t check luggage
Okay, so this one doesn’t really affect my itineraries all that much. We’ve done plenty of two- & three-week trips with carry-on luggage only. But it’s honestly one of the most important parts of our travel style. It allows for substantially more freedom of movement and choice of transportation in getting from place to place, and it will save you so much time (and money!) when flying. If you’re interested in learning how to travel without the encumbrance of extra baggage, subscribe to die Fernweherin to receive carry-on friendly packing lists to accompany every itinerary I post.
We don’t drive in foreign countries
Cam hates driving with a passion. So much so that if his parents hadn’t made him, he never would have gotten his license. Since I’m on the indifferent side of things, I’m the de facto driver in our relationship. And while I don’t mind driving within Canada, I am uncomfortable with the idea of driving in a foreign country and confronting unfamiliar rules, signs, and conventions. So far, we have managed to follow this rule 100% of the time by utilizing a combination of public transit, shuttles, guided tours, the occasional taxi, and a LOT of walking. To us, hoofing it a couple kilometres from the train station to our hotel or a point of interest is bog-standard fare. However, if you are comfortable renting a car to drive around, say, Costa Rica or Greece, it might save you a fuck-ton of headaches (but, then again, it might not; after all, you’ll have to contend with navigating unfamiliar roads, negotiating traffic jams, and nosing out parking).
We don’t set alarms
I work shift work at a job that is mentally & physically exhausting, and when I’m on vacation I want to be able to relax. For me, an important part of that is being able to sleep in if that’s what my body wants. Add in the fact that Cam is just so not a morning person, and we’ve made the collaborative decision not to set an alarm to get up in the morning while we’re travelling. This means that we try as much as possible to book tours, flights, etc. later in the day, and that we’ve accepted that we have a shorter window to work with than someone who gets up at the asscrack of dawn. Obviously, there are times we have no choice but to set an alarm—like when the only flight available leaves at 6am, or when there’s a must-see destination on our list that fills up early in the morning—but by & large we swear by this rule. If you’re an early riser, expect to have a few extra hours to kill when following my itineraries (don’t worry, there’s always more to do & see). If you’re like me and one of the things you enjoy about vacations is a good night’s sleep, I’ll let you know when you absolutely need to drag your butt out of bed to start the day’s adventures.
We don’t “hop”
A lot of itineraries that explore a country or region will encourage you to “hop” between cities by changing your base location (where you’re staying) every day or two. For example, a typical guide for exploring Italy will give you two days in each major city, which means that every second day you have to pack up your suitcase, lug it along as you change cities, and then get settled back into your new accommodation. This leaves you with essentially one day to explore an entire city in one of the most culturally-rich countries on the planet (to which all I can say is good luck!). We find this style of travel exhausting to say the least, and you can rest assured that most of the itineraries here on die Fernweherin will give you three to five nights (two to four full days) per base for most destinations. That said, if hopping from one place to the next is your jam, more power to you! Feel free to condense away when using one of my itineraries; they’ll still be useful in helping you to pick your must-visit sites.
We don’t go overboard
One of the major triggers that sets off my sneaky hate spiral is feeling like I’ve failed to achieve my goals. So, per my shrink, I have to make sure that any goals that I do make are super manageable (yeah, you read that right; I’m lazy on doctor’s orders). This means that die Fernweherin is not one of those sites that promises that you will hit all the must-see spots in 24 hours. My itineraries are designed to be unrushed, if not leisurely, and to give each destination the time they deserve. Depending on your personal interests, you might want to change things up a bit, and that is totally fine! A week-long itinerary for me might take some hardcore sightseers just three days to cover; on the other hand, something that I might designate an hour for might warrant an entire afternoon for someone else. With that in mind, there are generally three types of ‘days’ you’ll find in the itineraries on die Fernweherin:
travel days
These are the days that we’re arriving at and/or departing from a destination. Most other itineraries out there deliberately leave these days out, but I feel like that’s disingenuous. If you see an itinerary for a week-long trip, you should book flights seven days apart, not nine. I don’t generally schedule any sightseeing or other activities for travel days unless it’s something that can’t be done any other time, or unless we’re moving between cities that are fairly close together and the transfer time is only a couple hours or less. If we feel up to knocking something off the list of miscellaneous things to do/see, great! If not, that’s okay too, because all our must do/see items are planned for days where we’re not travelling.
scheduled days
These make up the majority of any itinerary, including mine, and are days that have some form of agenda, whether loose (AM & PM) or specific. Generally I try to limit the number of things to do/see on any given day, so that we don’t get overwhelmed. A typical scheduled day will include one or two sites to visit in the morning, followed by a somewhat busier afternoon. I always allot time for travel and the all-important experience of eating.
free days
These are days where we haven’t planned anything specific. I generally will designate the last day at a major base as a free day, so that if there’s something that we missed doing or something that we want to visit again, we have the flexibility to do so, and if we just want a day off to relax, we can. Of course, if you don’t want to leave these in because you don’t like the idea of having a day without plans, you don’t have to. You can either shorten the trip as a whole, reduce the amount of sightseeing you do on the other days & schedule it instead on the free day, or visit something not on the itinerary. Basically, you do you! But from one Type A planner to another, some of the best experiences we’ve had have resulted from following a whim on a free day, such as taking a day trip to Tivoli from Rome.
Food, glorious food!
When it comes to my views on food and eating, I’m a bit OK, a lot, like Remy the rat from Disney’s Ratatouille. So it should come as no surprise that when I’m travelling, food is an incredibly important aspect of my trips. And it should be for yours, too! Eating on vacation is not only a physical necessity—if done right, it can also enhance the overall experience in many ways. Through both the ingredients used and the style of cooking, food allows you to explore a destination in a completely different sense (pun intended) by accentuating the beauty of the region and revealing details about the local culture.
The best way to get the most out of your travels is to eat like a local, or as close to it as possible. It can be hard, especially if you have dietary restrictions and/or allergies (my husband has plenty of both), but it’s worth it. Aside from the food usually tasting better, eating locally is a great way to practice responsible tourism. By patronizing local restaurants you’re giving back to the community, rather than putting money into some global conglomerate’s swollen pocket. You’re helping to preserve the local culture by keeping authentic cooking methods and styles alive. And as the ingredients are typically sourced from the region itself, you’re also helping to sustain the environment by lowering your carbon footprint and eating seasonally (this—along with the use of authentic cooking styles—is what makes the food taste better, since the ingredients used are fresher).
As the celebrated chef James Beard said, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience”. Through eating like a local, you will create and strengthen bonds, and help to improve the relationship between tourists & locals.
The posts on die Fernweherin will tend to reflect this travel style by recommending restaurants and other food sources that engender these principles. For example, you won’t find me writing about a Greek restaurant in Germany or a Mexican restaurant in Alberta unless it’s absolutely amazing (and there are definitely some odd gems out there!). Of course, the most important thing is that you stay safe while eating abroad, so stay tuned for a future post about how to eat locally while travelling with allergies & dietary restrictions.
A note on budget
Like most travel bloggers, I try to ensure that my itineraries appeal to a fairly wide audience. Part of that involves offering options for different budgets, and so in my posts I will be referencing three different ranges when discussing travel expenses (I can’t provide specific dollar amounts in this summary because every destination has different base costs). Remember to use your own discretion when considering these recommendations, and take into account your own personal ideas regarding cost. For example, I think of myself as being fairly frugal; however, a super thrifty backpacker will probably have a notably different opinion concerning what “inexpensive” is compared to me. So please consider any prices listed in the posts as well (and FYI, all prices on this blog—unless otherwise specified—will be in local currency, include tax, and are rounded to the nearest whole number). So without further ado, here are some of the things you can expect in each tier:
economy ($)
Rock-bottom prices, or as low as possible when taking into account the destination. Think hostels & budget motels (don’t worry, I’ll never endorse anything seedy), street food & other low-priced eateries (such as convenience stores), and things you can do for free (or at least for very cheap).
mid-range ($$$)
Exactly what it sounds like. Picture hotels, B&Bs, vacation home rentals, bars, pubs, cafés, bistros, restaurants serving anything from fast-casual to fine-dining fare, paid attractions, and tours. Basically, everything in between the two extremes. This is the “zone” that Cam & I typically travel in, so most of my personal recommendations will be in this category.
luxury ($$$$$)
Top-of-the-line, splurge-worthy expenses. Imagine five-star accommodations, michelin-quality restaurants, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Happy travels,
