In this day and age, traveling it something that many people simply cannot afford. Things like maintaining a steady job, keeping up a house, and saving for retirement or a child’s college tuition has taken precedence in most people’s minds, with luxurious like traveling taking a back seat.
Traveling, however, is a wonderful way to spend money if you are going to spend it at all. Fancy dinners or nights out on the town may be enjoyable, but nothing is more relaxing than getting away completely, and no dinner is fancier than one spent in Italy, France, or on the Greek Isles.
The key to traveling is not saving up for years and sacrificing getting your kids braces. The key is avoiding tourist rip-offs. While we might feel guilty for visiting Florence without ever seeing The David, or for visiting Paris and not climbing the Eiffel Tower, there are so many things to enjoy outside the regular tourist rip-offs. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, for example, is larger and more historic Galleria dell’Accademia, where The David is housed (and there are replicas of The David scattered all over town). It may be tradition to climb the Eiffel Tower, but it is cheaper and more relaxing to pack a picnic and spend the afternoon in the gardens behind the tower.
Italy is especially known for ripping off its tourists, so be careful to research where are you going and what you plan to do when you get there. Guidebooks may not exactly mesh with the free-spirited, wherever-the-wind-may-take-me traveler, but can be a lifesaver when it comes to saving money. While “Europe on Five Dollars a Day” is not exactly still feasible, the suggestions and guidelines in Frommer’s 1957 book are still applicable. The newer versions of Frommer’s Books, known a “Rome Day by Day” or “Venice Day by Day” give you exact suggestions for day trips and places to eat and stay for a visit to any city for one, two, or three days.
As for Germany, Jaunted has taken to traveling the beautiful country and making a detailed list of all its tourist traps. Checkpoint Charlie is just one of them. Europe, however, is not the only place you may fall victim to a tourist rip-off! Even Houston boasts the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats. The key to traveling to any place in this world is research. If the place is packed with Americas and back-packers, stay away. If the place is filled only with two elderly locals, sharing a sandwich, you’ve found your spot.
Get to saving, get to researching, and get excited! A non-rip-off trip just may be in your future.