"Off the beaten path"- What do you think?
Two recent long threads on this website have generated some peripheral thoughts in my otherwise rusty brain. Chief among them, the frequent references on this website of travelers/tourists (I couldn't care less which term you use) wanting to "go off the beaten path" and "appreciate local culture". Rather than continue to mentally snark at these phrases everytime they pop up, let me ask some questions to the forum. Mainly, what exactly does it mean to you to "go off the beaten path" and more importantly, what do you expect to find there? I promise to try to behave and listen intently... unless you give me a completely cliched answer or a direct reference from some travel TV show (including the one starring you-know-who), then all bets are off!
On an unrelated topic, if you're in Europe this week, don't miss the continent's annual televised exercise in bad taste, otherwise known as the 55th running of the Eurovision Song Contest. Grab yourself a drink (or several) and enjoy!
Tom
Hüttenfeld, Hessen Germany 5/24/10
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Thank you, Pat. Very well put.
"Off the beaten path" for me has been when I have gotten lost while on my travels. Believe it or not, I traveled to Europe many times prior to learning about the benefits of RS guidebooks. During these trips I was OTBP many times because I had no idea what I was doing . . . AND . . . loved every minute of it. My best memories of getting confused and taking buses the wrong direction and then finding my way back to town. I found the most memorable churches and parks this way. I have also found the best places to eat by stumbling upon a small place away from all the crowds (tourist or locals). I will admit that a couple of times I was OTBP and REALLY should not have been there - but that is another story.
What do I expect to find when I am OTBP? Something new - not found in a guidebook.
Pat makes a great point. We just returned from our Paris/London trip last week. Italy 2012! I am already thinking of our return. My husband says "I will only go if you do not drag me to every church, museum or cemetary." (which I did in Paris/London and I still did not see everything in 14 days) My husband is not a "snob" he acutally would prefer a motorhome travelling across the U.S. (I wish RS had a series USA) but he went to Europe for me and he really likes what he thinks are the simple aspects of life in a new city. Going to the market, doing laundry etc. (Did you know Mondays in Paris are a happening night to do laundry in Paris?..at least Rue Cler neighborhood. That doesn't mean that he does not want to be a "tourist", which we know we are, but just "experience" something different.
Everyone has lots of good points regarding to go OTBP or not, but one thing I know for sure is if your entire tour group is wearing matching shirts and/or matching florescent lanyards with name tags you definitely aren't going OTBP! I saw a couple of groups like this in London while on a RS tour, with a wonderful guide who always wore black or navy blue until the last day when he wore fire engine red. I said something like "Hey - why did you wait until the last day to wear something that lets us easily find you in a crowd?" and he said I was the first person to notice his method (or madness). He explained that he purposely dressed to blend in so that we would really pay attention when he was explaining to us the streets we were walking or the bus or Tube lines we were using, because he knew we'd need to use them during free time, as well as to catch up if the whole group couldn't get into the same bus, etc.
Excellent perspective, Pat! Thanks for that. I also wanted to point out that Steve’s approach for his current holiday seems to me to be about as close as a typical American worker with limited vacation time can get to trying to “live like a local” in Europe (assuming that’s what they wish to do), even if it’s just for a month. Of course, you’re not really living like a local until you get back home, but who cares about that...you're on vacation now. :) I also appreciated Norm's comments. Glad to see that this thread didn’t deteriorate like others have as of late…although a hearty attempt was made.
Chris...thats funny. On our trip when I could not get my husband and son's attention while doing one of our "walks". I would whip my umbrella out of my citysafe (product placement) purse and hold it up like a tour guide and say "this way boys!". Now we for sure where acting like tourists.
"Glad to see that this thread didn’t deteriorate like others have as of late…" I was waiting for the really pretensious clap-trap about "I'm a traveler, not a tourist", but for the most part, the replies thus far haven't been as stuck-up as is typical for these more pensive threads. Maybe we need a little more clueless narcisism to liven things up and validate Godwin's Law.
Don't know if I'm a narcisist... maybe... maybe even probably. But I am a headonist (forgive my spelling..). Part of why I travel the way I do is to "fill up my senses" (like in the old John Denver song). I love to experience the sounds, smells, sights and sensations of a place! When I travel, I can relax and revel in it, unlike my normal everyday life where I rush from task to task!!! Europe or Vegas, Canada or Florida.... I like being able to FULLY experience a place. No, I'll never be a local... I don't try to be. But I do want to savor everything...
Expanding upon the "fill up my senses" theme;
I'll bet the vast majority of people can and do live much of their lives on something like a mental "autopilot" where their days are filled with familiar tasks that they can do without a great deal of thought. There is nothing wrong with that, of course - in limited doses. But I need to shake things up a little. That's why I like to travel. It forces the autopilot to click off and the mind to turn on.
Now, if my trip is full of things familiar (like familiar chain hotels, restaurants, road signs, architecture, etc.) there is a danger of the autopilot kicking in again. That's why, after visiting something like 42 states and 5 Canadian provinces, We started focusing on Europe.
When Europe starts getting too familiar, we'll look harder for the less beaten paths (as we are this year with a dip into Eastern Europe). But for us it's more about keeping the imagination active than how well something qualifies as off the beaten path to someone else.
"live like a local"...I noticed nobody was there to witness my lawn mowing prowess. For those that want this experience, what do you think about the thousands of military and civilian contractors that are stationed in Europe, living on the economy? Jealous? I can guarantee you, the grass is not always greener here.
For me, OTBP has been things like going to a dog show in Gonzaga, Italy and visiting distant cousins on their farm outside Leimiswil, Switzerland. Also, going to the Source de Lison the day after Christmas and eating at a Mexican restaurant somewhere between Gray and Dijon, France (for that matter, visiting my sister and her husband in Gray when her husband was on a special project at the Deere plant in Arc le Gray). However, all of these were framed by being ON the beaten path (sightseeing in Verona, Florence, Venice, Luzern, Strasbourg and Heidelberg; spending two weeks in the Berner Oberland and a week in Berlin; going wine-tasting in Beaune and then spending 3 days in Paris). What did I expect to find each time I went OTBP? Well, the dog show was something I planned into my itinerary and I was hoping to connect with Italian dog fanciers and I certainly did! I also got to see exactly how it is done differently there and what is the same as in the US (for example, in some breeds the handlers are dressed very casually while in others, they are as dressed up as we are and ALL dogs are vet-checked before they can be exhibited--something that doesn't happen here in the States). As for visiting distant cousins, well they have a small farm and I got to see how the Swiss government's subsidies have made it possible for them to continue to make a living and I learned how their building codes are such that you cannot build if you might block someone else's view so they put up stick structures to show exactly what the volume of a building will be and allow the neighbors plenty of time to comment on whether or not the thing should be built. Visiting the Source de Lison was a chance to connect with nature in the dead of winter and eating Mexican food in France was a chance to see how the food was presented differently from my usual Tex-Mex fare. First time I had mole sauce, too! In short, OTBP gave me learning opportunities that are not in guidebooks.
All right, at least I can see that the veterans here, with a few exceptions, aren't so deluded that they think they must be "living like a local" if they stray one block off the Rick Steves walking tours. If you really want to live like a local this summer... put on a pair of shorts, leave your money belt behind, and help James mow his lawn, help my father-in-law harvest his vegetables, go to Carrefour and Aldi to buy groceries, etc.
I'll pass on Aldi...we have plenty of them here in the United States. I prefer to get my OTBP Prawn Cocktail or Lamb & Mint crisps at Marks & Spencer's Food Hall (which we don't have here).
I think that once a place is touted as being OTBP, it no longer is. I agree with Angela, it's where I haven't been before and not having any expectations about it. It's turning off the GPS and letting yourself get lost. But, mind you, you can miss a lot of good stuff by going OTBP
Tom makes a great point. But since most of us only live like locals when we’re home, can’t we just mow our own lawn and be done with it? I’ll pick up some organic vegetables at the downtown farmer’s market on Saturday and will hit our local specialty market tonight for a few imports not available at the grocery store. Rest assured, I will shop at our huge supermarket chain, Hy-Vee, this weekend. I sure as hell don’t need to go to Germany to live like a local or watch another American living like a local…I live like a local every day in Iowa. When I am in Germany, I’m on vacation. When I’m in California, I’m on vacation. Regardless of where I vacation, I always try to weave in a few unique and off the well-worn road experiences that the masses wouldn’t care about or even know about. I also experience the big hitters relative to the places I’m visiting…isn’t that part of the reason we visit the places we do? The lawn will need to be mowed when I get back, and I can then start living like a local again...in Iowa.
Well, I start out every trip in Germany with a visit to Aldi :-)
A big selling point when choosing a hotel in Berlin was the Aldi located next door. We bought breakfast, snacks and drinks cheaply - incl. the mandatory champagne to toast the New Year - thus saving money and allowing us a splurge dinner on New Year's Eve
Going OTBP is something we do all the time as visiting family and friends forces us to do so since they live OTBP. But we have learned to make the best of it. That means sometimes you have to work extra hard not to feel bored. Sometimes you find true gems that I wouldn't have want to miss for the world
Is being part of the New Year's Eve festival in Berlin OTBP? It doesn't make any list of top festivals to visit in Germany even though there were at least a million people surrounding us
Going OTBP doesn't mean I will not see a Christmas Market. But it doesn't have to be the one in Nuernberg, the one in Muenster is well-known and incredible beautiful as well. Just not a well-known tourist destination. People watching becomes more interesting and "authentic"
Leipzig is still OTBP for RS, doesn't get mentioned in his books. But if you want to understand anything at all about Germany's more recent history you cannot miss the "City of Heros". The "Museum Runde Ecke" is small, the exhibits aren't presented in any spectacular way. But if it doesn't touch you to the core nothing else will. Not much in this Stasi (the Secret Service in the GDR) museum was news to me as I lived some of it. And still there was one exhibit that makes me tear up just typing these words right now: a list of political prisoners who were secretely executed and anonymously cremated - and their ashes mixed with cement to be used for road construction
The museums in Berlin are bigger, maybe flashier. But I take Runde Ecke over Checkpoint Charlie any time. Still, I couldn't imagine not visiting the Pergamon either which is on TBP for well-deserved reason
We did a home exchange in a tiny village called "Tuchan" in the Aude region of southern France. No one spoke English. It was completely untouristy. Yet, while in the village we got to see two outdoor concerts. The first night we were there, we heard music and walked over to the school yard and found a cabaret show with topless dancers going on right in the square (my 12 year old son almost passed out from embarrassment!); but the second show was a fabulous concert with singers and dancers performing all kinds of fun music (including a lot of American music). It was the night of their annual wine festival and thus their was lots of cheap wine, a crepe stand, a 20' long candy cart and lots of laser lights & balloons for the kids. It was a magical night for the whole family. The festival brought residents from local villages, but we were the only foreigners. This was a wonderful off the beaten path experience. Doing home exchanges you live in the home of locals and really get the whole cultural experience.
Pamela,
I think my off-the-beaten-path is similar to yours, but not for the same reasons (no family connections). I will be visiting Orkney for a week on my trip this summer and then walking in Scotland for about a week and a half along the Great Glen Way and in the Borders :-). I plan to visit Hoy for a day, too. It was great to see a mention in your post of the places I am planning to visit!
To the thread: My reasons for traveling a little off the usual trail is that I am fascinated by prehistory, and many of the remains from the Neolithic, Iron Age, and so on can only be seen outside of cities. Many people are not interested in seeing these places, or have other priorities (I love art museums and architecture too, but I don't care as much for being in the city.) I also love seeing the land of a place I go, and since I live in a dry and landlocked state, I love water too. Most of my best travel memories have involved just being in a place, walking or biking, and experiencing it with all my senses. And I've had fun meeting local people in these places and the other travelers who go to them.
And the winner of the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest is: Germany!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmOeISUYXuI
Interesting accent... like she's trying to channel Dick Van Dyke from "Mary Poppins".
...and infamous stage crasher Jimmy Jump makes a cameo appearance:
Interesting question.
I am definitely guilty of using the OTBP phrase. Like most things each of us have our own take as some of the responses show. To me, it is getting to places that are not on the common tourist route that is frequented by US, European and other tourists. It is seeing places that have some tourist draw a few years before the masses arrive.
I just returned last evening from 10 days in Colombia (Bogota, Cartagena, Medellin). Colombia is definitely not on most US tourists list even though the cruise ships are now starting to hit Cartagena. I consider Colombia OTBP even though it is firmly established as part of the Gringo trail through Central and S America.
Like most folks here, to me, some places are more OTBP than others. When moving through the Middle East I considered Syria and Lebanon OTBP but not Israel or Egypt. Similarly, traveling in E Europe last year I found Serbia and Ukraine a different tourist experience than Hungary.
Overall, a good thought provoking question though I am surprised that so many folks consider parts of Western Europe OTBP. I wonder what phrase to use for really far flung destinations such as Mali, Namibia or the Central Asia countries through which the Silk route passes.
Enjoyed reading all the responses on this thread (including the Eurovision ones). Thank you. I'm not so concerned any more about going OTBP, as long as I have a good time, encounter the 'local culture', see the places that interest me, learn something new, and come home safe. If anything, OTBP is about finding a place that surprises you and makes you appreciate life and your travels that little bit more.
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