World Traditions

I keep seeing this advice everywhere: "Don't rush! Stay in each place for at least a week! You'll never understand a city in two days!"

And I think this is sometimes genuinely good advice and sometimes complete bullshit that romanticizes slow travel as the only legitimate way to see the world.

Here's my take after about 50 countries and varying speeds of travel:

Slow travel is incredible IF you have unlimited time and you're the type of person who actually chills. If you're someone who genuinely can spend a week in a single city and feel fulfilled by that, amazing. More power to you.

But I'm not that person. I get restless. After three days in any city I'm itching to move. And you know what? That's valid too.

My trip to Italy last year: I spent two weeks covering Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples. Was it rushed? Absolutely. Did I "experience" each city the way a local does? Absolutely not. Did I see the Colosseum, eat pizza in Naples, ride a gondola in Venice, see the David, drink espresso at every possible opportunity? You bet. Was it an incredible trip that I wouldn't trade for anything? Also yes.

Would it have been better if I'd spent a month in just Rome and Florence? I genuinely don't know. Maybe. Or maybe I'd be bored out of my mind by day ten.

The people telling me to slow down usually have something in common: they're either retired, work remotely, or have significantly more vacation time than most working Americans. That's great for them! But the rest of us are working with two weeks a year and we want to see things.

My actual take: travel at whatever speed brings you joy. If slow travel is your thing, amazing. If you want to hit five cities in ten days and sleep in a different bed every night, also amazing. The point is to see the world, not to perform travel "correctly" for an audience of judgmental strangers on the internet.

Stop gatekeeping how people explore. Some of my best travel memories are from quick hits where I crammed as much as possible into a short time. The exhaustion was real but so was the joy of constantly discovering new things.

Change my mind.

I have a trip at the end of the month to Japan and wanted to apply for Pre-TSA before that but then stumbled onto Global Entry and after looking into it, and it seems to be a good deal since I travel international about 1-2 times a year.

The problem is I can't get an appointment for Global Entry until after my trip so I wouldn't be able to use it for that and it's now made me wonder if I'll still be better off just getting Pre-TSA.

The main reason I wanted to apply in the first place is because I just wanted to speed up the security check which is the most annoying step for me when traveling. I usually use MPC when coming back from abroad anyway so I'm still getting through pretty fast on return.

Would it be better to just apply for Pre-TSA or is it really worth waiting for Global Entry?

The title may be a bit confusing but what I mean is what’s the largest city that has another, larger city with the same name? For example, Cartagena, Spain, has around 220,000 people. Cartagena, Colombia, has about 915,000 people. But surely there’s an example of a city out there that is larger. Anyone got any?

I am bored with the daily grind and want to stop and smell the roses. I need an adventure.

The problem is I am very challenge motivated and need to be stimulated to commit to the bit and actually go on the trip. Can I get some help coming up with some travel adventure challenges? Maybe this would help other folks to get out there too.

Here is an example that kinda peaked my interest: "Moose are rumoured to still be alive in New Zealand’s Fiordland. Put your hiking boots and pack on, get into the wilderness and find one. Take a photo and fame awaits."

Edit: I get it it... the moose thing is quite the challenge :/

They are found in the mythology/history of so many different cultures all around the globe. Makes you wonder if there's something to it

Maybe a stupid question, but I don’t know the answer so I’ll ask anyway.

My passport expires in October, I plan on taking it to get renewed this week.

I want to book some flights with Air China in November, and if possible, I’d like to book them asap. Am I able to book them with the expiring passport? What information actually changes when you renew a passport? And am I best off to wait until I have the new passport in hand before I book?

My wife and I have vacation planned in mid October for a week and was thinking of going somewhere that's warm and all-inclusive as we're from Canada. I see that Aruba or Curaçao could be an option as it's away from the hurricane belt. However, it says online that it still rains quite a bit during those months.

Is it worth going to one of these places or should we go to Europe instead like Portugal or Spain? Thank you!

I'm trying to decide where to travel and spend around 2–3 months (Starting this mid August). I currently live in the UK, but I'm originally from Chile.

Right now, I'm looking for places where I can rent a private room for under £600 per month. I'm especially interested in places with rich folklore and history, not just beautiful landscapes, but also interesting people, architecture, and local myths. I'm an artist, and I want to paint these places and learn about their stories.

I've already spent a month in Japan 5 years ago, and it was beautiful. I'd love to go back someday, but I'm not sure my current lifestyle and the kind of trip I want right now really fit Japan.

Scotland has really caught my attention, especially because of the weather and Edinburgh.

Eastern Europe also interests me a lot, mainly because I'm fascinated by Brutalist architecture, and it seems like it could be much more affordable.

I'm open to any suggestions! If you know of a place with a strong folklore tradition, beautiful architecture, and a reasonable cost of living, I'd love to hear about it.

Anyone have recommendations for 5ish days in Europe with the kids?

Here’s a bit of info:
- They’re 11 and 13…it makes it a bit tough oddly enough. That seems like really close in age and they are but I see a distinct difference in maturity level and general sensibilities. The 13 y/o is very “teenager” in his ways. The 11y/o still has very kid-like leanings.

- They’re reasonably well-traveled for their age - they’ve been to London, Paris, and the Big 3 in Italy alongside lots of domestic trips, the Caribbean, etc.. BUT because of their age, I struggle with taking them somewhere new vs somewhere they’ve been. A new place is great, and at the same time, Paris is probably so different when you’re 13 vs when you’re 6.

- We’ve tried to raise cultured worldly kids. At the same time, they’re still kids. They are absolutely interested in museums, less so art galleries, and can be adventurous with food when they feel like it. They still probably need a mix of energy-burning activity and something that’s going to intrigue their kid brains (in my experience this can be way different than stuff we’re into in our 40s).

I think the default is Paris…never gets old to us as adults and there’s tons to do.

But would love other ideas…what say you?

We are in the early planning stages of a trip next June. It will be my parents in their sixties, my husband and I, and our two kids (7 and 9). Anyone have recommendations on where to stay? Or just areas to stay? I’m pretty lost on where to start. Budget is pretty flexible. Open to both in the city and outskirts if we can easily get to things via public transport or uber.

Me and my partner have been planning a week trip to Italy in the first week of June 2027. We originally planned on going to Limone Sul Garda after falling in love with the videos and pictures we saw. However lack of transport and sky high taxi fees to get there have swayed us else where.

We have now started to look at other towns of Lake Garda or towns in Puglia but really struggling on where to go and finding accommodation.

Would you guys and gals have any recommendations around either Puglia or Lake Garda. Would love a picturesque town, amazing food and bars, walkable etc. trying to make it as special as possible as I’m planning a bit of a surprise 💍

Thanks