I really like your opinions, personality, and the way you think. I wish I had friends like you, especially when I'm traveling. I have been traveling non-stop for almost a month now and I am currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Many people told me that it's not worth visiting, but I find the country and culture very interesting. I have not yet booked my next flight and I plan to take my time here and choose my next destination spontaneously.
I’m 34. I’ve traveled extensively in the past, but my previous vacations were always constrained by time. But after quitting my job in March, I decided to embark on a different kind of vacations, one that would make me feel more alive :) I only needed two things before setting off: the conviction that I would enjoy every experience that life would present to me, good or bad, and some basic information about the country I was visiting, such as its laws, weather, and safety, which usually took me no more than a day to research. After arriving I would choose an attraction as my destination and walk there, paying close attention to every little detail that might catch my interest, and not always reaching my original destination. During my visit to Palestine, I decided to pass through the West Bank to experience the daily life of the Palestinians at the Israeli checkpoints.. I had booked only one night in a guesthouse via Google Maps in a small, unknown village in the north of the West Bank because I couldn't find anyone on Couchsurfing there. Upon arriving in the village, I discovered that I was the only foreigner there. The owner of the guesthouse took me to the main square in the evening, where the locals usually gather, and that's where I met some Incredible people. We had deep and meaningful conversations, and instead of staying for just one night, I ended up spending 6 days in this 3000-year-old village of 3700 people!!!! (I didn’t know that before). I even spent one night in an Ottoman mosque that used to be a byzantine church 800 years ago, a whole day with a Muslim family, and another with their Christian neighbors. If I had restricted my vacation to a set schedule and itinerary based solely on other people's experiences, I would have missed out on all of these incredible encounters and experiences. My goals while traveling are to collect experiences, meet new people, see how I react to different situations, and remain flexible while enjoying the little things. If I needed the advice of others, I would take it from mature and multicultural people like you :) I find it unfulfilling to simply visit 10 countries based on someone else's itinerary, take photos that only document the place, not feelings, and then post them on Instagram….Traveling means much more than that.
This reply is the reason why I pinned the comment. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I understand deeply what you mean and what you’ve lived. And it’s exactly what I was trying to convey in the video. That, to me, is the most valuable kind of travel, not only because I find it extremely enriching on a personal level, but especially because it truly promotes deep understanding and friendship among different countries, cultures and ethnicities.
Thank you for the good advice and lovely video Mary Jane! I like to think of myself as a "traveler" and not a "tourist". My first and second times in NYC were for only one day and they were the best days! Fortunately I have spent over 60 days there since and still can't wait to go back! I also hope to see and experience as much of the world as possible in my lifetime.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and views! I consider myself not only to be a slow traveller but also a responsible one, everytime I am embarcking on a new adventure I think about the transport I am going to take and its carbon emissions for example. Last month I was going from Santiago de Compostela to Madrid, the flight was quite cheap but I decided to take the train. The train was a little bit more expensive, but in the end was acually cheaper because it is less time consuming, the station is located near the city centre, it takes all the way close to the center of Madrid, you can actually immerse yourself in the landscape of the country during your trip and it was only 3 hours. There are times we can't avoid flying, and then I always go for a good stop some where to check another city at least for a few hours as you said in your video, las time it was Singapore, I live in NZ so going anywhere in the world takes ages and is very tyring, so we stopped 20 hours in Singapore and were able to see a bit of the city and maybe some day we'll be back with more time, but for now I could at least see the peak of the iceberg :) I remember visiting Paestum in Italy, which is an amazing place and pretty much no one knows about it, it is sad sometimes seeing people going only to the "must visit" places, of course those are a "must" for a very important reason, but it would be great seeing people also adding to their itineraries other places they can discover with fresh eyes and not through the lenses of the tourism industry. Lots of love from New Zealand! :)
I arrived at your site via Jon Barr's pizza video. First, I love your RU-vid name - but I am an old Beatle fan, Second, Thank You for describing being a traveler and being a tourist. Lastly, thanks for the "must-see Instagram" shot at 0:53 for all those who "do" New York City - the Carpathian (I think) Church at 10th St. and Avenue A. That's where I lived back then - on two of the other unseen corners were the Boy's Club and Tompkins Square Park.
Excellent and thought provoking video. I go back home to Jamaica every year and its never enough, each trip is different. I have more enjoyment in Jamaica being in nature; seeing lizards in trees, seeing and listening to Birds, seeing all the fruits and natural herbs in the wild. Another thing that I love is visiting the older people and talking to them about life now, and life back in their early years. The Tourism sights and things in Jamaica don't interest me, its not for everyone. You taking about Layovers remind me of the late Great Anthony Bourdain.
Ho scoperto il tuo canale perché nei suggeriti mi è apparso quello su little Italy, comunque volevo farti i complimenti per i tuoi video, davvero divertenti ma soprattutto interessanti, meriteresti più visualizzazioni, giusto per adattarmi allo stereotipo 🤌🏻
So, I am from the US and I have previously lived in Firenze and TOMORROW I am moving back to Italy! This time I will be living in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. I plan to fully immerse myself in the local community and culture. I am even buying a small boat to snorkel, swim, and explore the coast. I tend to think about how a small town and its people are negatively affected by the travel industry when they tell people that their town is unimportant or you only need a 'half day". Think how this impacts the town's people and its economy and everything that goes along with that. Nice and intelligent video today. I am VERY excited to be moving back to your home country!!! Buona giornata, Paul
Maria, unless you've already been there and I missed it, I think you would really enjoy New Zealand. I can never forget the boiling mud pools, scenic train rides of volcanoes, and Māori and Pakeha friends I made. They have birds there that don't exist anywhere else, my fave was an annoying parrot called a kea. They're known for puncturing holes in people's tires with their beaks, among other things. Ha ha! I laugh but may not if it was my car. I also saw continually bubbling pure glacial springs that may be some of Earth's purest water. There's a lot of the go, go, go stuff a person can do, or just zen out with nature. One thing I want to see if I go back, is public toilets rebuilt by artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in a place called Kawakawa. He rebuilt it with bad kids who kept vandalizing it. They took ownership of it and now it's a tourist attraction. Or so I've read.
@@WhatashameMaryJane Grazie! If you are ever near one of Hundertwasser's buildings, I would love it if you could describe your sense of them. He was a Kiwi citizen, but was an Austrian Jew who grew up under the Nazis and partly because of their rigidity, hated straight lines. I think he may have been similar to an early version of a hippie. There are buildings he designed where you can walk on a gentle slope from the parking lot to the roof to eat lunch, and it has grass and greenery all the way to the top. He has buildings all over Europe. The Kawakawa toilets are so weird, fun, and interesting, and made of recovered materials. I believe he passed away in the early 2000s.
Buona Domenica...sei sempre gioiosamente bravissima nel tuo modo di esporre il tuo inglese perfetto...Have a good time ..hug limitless by Pigiiiiiiiiiiii 💓💓💓
My God you're smart Mary Jane. You're absolutely right about all of your points. I suspect the reason people seem so "shallow" with their goals for travel is because we have been trained to be. When a person decides to go "do" someplace, it is because we have been presented with SO many possibilities that we feel we have to "do" ALL of them. The travel industry entices us with beautiful postcard shots of the place - NOT the possibility of getting to know the people who live there and their culture. But you have to realize that your brain is wired differently than most; most people aren't nearly as curious and receptive to new experiences as you are - but of course that is your entire point, isn't it? Your message is "Go! Learn!". Another awesome video MJ. :)
2:50 For what it's worth, guys like Rick Steves started as insignificant small guides that just loved what they did. Everybody *needs* and pursues *money*. Travel writing in general has been going on for centuries, which created wanderlust ideas in the common reader. Also traveling could literally be a small town 2 hours drive from where you are currently. But overall I agree with your sentiment. Just like the Unesco World Heritage Sites....that is the kiss of death where within years huge massive crowds descend upon the sites in a constant flow of destruction. (Easter Island anyone....!!!) Also there is such a thing as traveling too much. You need a balance like any other activity a human does. 5:37 Yes most of Toronto is a ugly city...agreed👍👍 But as always though, your free spirit, carpe diem, spontaneity shines through. Keep being the best you can be. Thanks for your content Mary Jane. 🤗
I never noticed that about Unesco sites. Actually I’ve always only saw the positive side of protection of the sites. I also love the new intangible heritage title, which is less focused on places and more on events: have you observed the same problem there?
(I really didn’t mean to call Toronto ugly, I noticed later the coincidence of that clii with the voiceover, but was too lazy to change it in the hope that nobody would recognize it from such a perspective 🥴)
Nice video MJ... I see Plitvice Lakes among the tourist attractions. Were you there? If you haven't, I definitely recommend it. I think it is one of the most beautiful places in Europe in terms of nature, especially clear lakes and waterfalls. I spent 3-4 hours on the tour at one time. I think they are so interesting that if I had time and money and if I were to go again, I would come early in the morning and be there until dinner. I only passed the lower lakes, but there are upper ones as well. There are several paths and directions. This philosophy of yours about traveling is great. Everyone is interested in different things about travel. Of course, anyone who goes to Paris cannot miss a visit to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and especially Montmartre and the view of the city from the steps in front of the church Basilique du Sacré-Coeur - Sacred Heart Basilica... I was on my graduation trip to Paris and no matter how much I thought, I had the feeling that if I lived in Paris for 10 years, I wouldn't see even 1% of the places and secrets that the city hides. Let's say it was nice for me to be at Jim Morrison's grave in Paris. Normally I don't like and avoid cemeteries, but this is an old cemetery that looks more like a city with big monuments. That's what you're talking about. I often listened to The Doors group and somehow we decided to visit that place too, even though it wasn't on the itinerary. Unfortunately, it was in the era before cell phones and I'm sorry that there is no photo of that moment. Memories were recorded more permanently on cameras with film that had to be developed. Today, most photos go down with the cell phone. I apologize for the long post. I definitely recommend Croatia to everyone, the nature is beautiful, the cultural sights too, the Mediterranean spirit on the coast and the Slavic spirit throughout the country... The food is a mixture of Italian and Austro-Hungarian, of course with old Croatian traditional food. In short, an honest recommendation. In the summer, the sea and the coast, the rest of the year inland, especially the unforgettable Plitvice Lakes.
Some Americans think one or two days are enough to see Berlin, Rome or Paris. Those persons will never be my travel companions. Of course, they would not couch surf either...I visited Rome in February, 1979. Hardly anyone was at the Colloseum. The youth hostel by the Olymipc City was filled, however. I slept outside by the swimming pool with about 100 travelers, Algerians, Israelis, etc.
@@WhatashameMaryJane I was amazed at how the roads were filled with small Fiat 500s. At that time I had no drivers license, but I really like the older ones. I had no idea then how they would become a classic car. Incidentally, no buses were running to the airport because of a fuel shortage. While I was in Rome, I made my only overseas call on my 14 month long trip . There was a wonderful place with spacious booths. Comfortable seats with closing doors. Callers signed up at a front desk, gave the tel. number and when a booth was available, the clerk directed the caller to it. I think it was about $14 to make the ten minute call. Not at all like the pay phones in the U.S. bolted onto walls next to each other in noisy public places.
Your Batak will be featured in one of my videos, of course! That video will probably come out at the end of June. You should tell Rocco to send me a text via WhatsApp or Telegram so I get his number too, otherwise I’m not able to communicate with you. This way I can tell you when your video gets published 🙂
MARY, apparte questo video (apparte questo video) sarebbe bello sarebbe bello che tu e tuo marito facciate un bel figlio🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕 e che lo educare con amore. E se vostro figlio quando avrò 18 anni vi chiederà di vivere con voi fino alla vostra morte per vecchiaia per avere piatti e vestiti pronti da voi, voi accettate la sia richiesta senza chiamarlo "mammone" o "parassita". Sarebbe fantastico se tu e tuo marito facciate un figlio🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🥺🥺🥺🥺🙏💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕
