I think that to go to a place that you knew nothing about would leave you less enriched IF you only had a very short time to learn the interesting things. IF you know where to find them on a short trip than you will leave more enriched. For a long patient trip it would be easier to settle down and let the information find you in a way. I define long and short in my mind differently than some.

I find "seat of the pants" style the greatest. Without such, I never would have ventured to the more unusual places I have been, or had some of the best memories, and met the best people if I had my nose in the book or stuck to a rigid intinerary. I also enjoy spending a lot of time in the same place, really geting into what it has to offer rather than being in a bus or train all the time.

I love the "seat of pants" idea — just starting somewhere, staying there until I feel that I’m done, and then deciding where to go next based on the people I’ve met or things I’ve heard, and repeating the process. But somehow there’s never enough time, and the hostels get too booked, and… I end up having to plan ahead a bit more than I’d wanted. Maybe someday I will take more time and travel in low season and see if that method feels as magical as it sounds.

I need a mix of different kinds of travel. I love trips where I’m active, and moving from place to place all the time and doing a lot of walking around and sightseeing and activites. But that’s travel, not vacation. Those trips tire me out. So I also need the sit-on-the-beach-and-do-nothing vacations, to recover from the travelling. Sometimes I enjoy visiting people and just taking it easy. Other times, I like to be always on the go.

I find I have to do at least some planning before I go away, romantic as it sounds to just go without any. And I get caught up in the planning sometimes because it’s so much fun. But I always try to stay flexible about changing the plans once I’m wherever I am, so that I can take advantage of opportunities or deal with setbacks as they come along.

I don’t think it’s about a travel style. I think that the first trip is always the best in the sense of it being a "first" Future trips have their own specialness but for me going back to Europe in 2000 when it had been 15 years since I had been there, was magic. I went again in 2002 and it was not as good a trip. I think because I had expectations after going two years before. This last trip in 2004 was again a great trip because I went open to whatever was to happen and didn’t "expect" anything.And I also went to some places I had never been before which was exciting. I also visited friends I had made on past trips and that too was rewarding in a different way.

Travel is always an education and a lesson in self reliance We learn alot about who we are and how we relate to the world around us.

Judith, you mentioned the key word that I try to stay away from in all of my trips: expectations. Expectations and planning seem to grow exponentially for me, but I’m trying to change that on my next trip… somehow. I suppose I could just block out the expectations I have, but that seems just as tough as removing a catchy tune from your head.

I was contemplating the idea of not taking a camera on my next trip – to see if that might help in making the journey more enriching by forcing myself to make every moment count because there’s nothing around to record it with other than memory. But that’s almost a rediculous notion for a webmaster of a travel photo site and a wannabe travel writer…

I’ve had to adjust my travel style, now traveling with my bf after years of solo travel, so I understand where you’re coming from.

Traveling is sort of like love: you only get one first love, nothing else is ever quite the same, even though it often comes close, that first love is always special.

I found that to get my "high," I had to rejuvenate that sense of discovery by going to more exotic destinations. The Middle East, Se Asia, Myanmar. Now my goal is to get to places before McDonald’s does, and I hate to say it, but the less American tourists, the better.

That being said, I find that I get more out of my trips when I’ve done a little homework first. I’m still crushed that I didn’t know about Obi Wan Kenobi’s house on the Tunisian island of Djerba and missed it!

I’ve studied history and geography in university, and have a huge (lame) passion for maps, plus I read a lot of history and historical fiction, so I am pretty informed about a lot of places in Asia and Europe. I also enjoy travelling and meeting locals and foreigners in pubs and talking about different places and cultures. Talking to people and taking the time to learn about the place you are in and others is a great way to learn about that area and others. When I used to rush from place to place I never had a chance to do it. Now I find my pictures, when I take them, are of the people I meet, the places I have seen stay in my mind, but the people stay in my heart.

I also read guidebooks and find out what there is in the whole region, you can always find somehting to do, so if one thing doesn’t happen, you can always find another. Play it by ear, and if you meet someone cool, or hear about somehting interesting… just go!

My last several trips, Japan 6 or 7 times (now live here), Korea a few, China, Viet Nam, Thailand a couple times I have gone without a camera, and I don’t think I have missed much. Like I need pictures of a bunch of several slightly different wats anyhow.

I’m sort of the opposite when it comes to the first trips are the best thing. I find that my trips keep getting better and better!

When I travel my main focus is meeting people and experiencing a lot rather than seeing famous sights or going to pretty places. I’m far more confident now than I was on my first trip when it comes to meeting people and I think this has had a definate impact on my more recent travels.

I’m changing my travel style completely for my upcoming trip to Egypt! First off, it’s only three weeks which is short for me, secondly I’m going with 10 friends, and the last and most horrifying… I’m going on a tour!!! SHOCK, HORROR! Granted it’ll be a private tour with just us and led by a good friend of mine who works for IM Trav… but it’s still got a set itinerary, private transport and hotels! I’m a bit apprehensive but know it’ll be a great time with great friends and that’s all that matters!

Kahunna I think the fact that you’re trying to think up ways to enrich your future trips is kind of creating expectations in a way. Your sort of assuming your trip will need something to make it better. Spending your trip in a constant search of enriching experiences will only lead to disappointment, I’d say – especially if you try to force the issue with leaving your camera behind and so forth. I like to just take things as they come and not try to get too much out of it – just to enjoy it!

Kirsty—which tour are you doing? I did two weeks in Egypt with ImTrav—Nile Valley and Red Sea, I think, and had a great time. The hotels were more upscale than the hostels I usually stay at and sometimes they fed you way too much, but it was a good experience. I’d travel with them again.

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Kahunna I think the fact that you’re trying to think up ways to enrich your future trips is kind of creating expectations in a way. Your sort of assuming your trip will need something to make it better. Spending your trip in a constant search of enriching experiences will only lead to disappointment, I’d say – especially if you try to force the issue with leaving your camera behind and so forth. I like to just take things as they come and not try to get too much out of it – just to enjoy it!

Kirsty, this is excellent advice. Truly eye-opening, lightbulb-over-head kind of insight. Thank you!

Definitely my first couple of trips were the ones that amazed me the most.

Thinking about it, it’s really important to have curiosity about other people and the place you’re in. On my first trip I was overflowing with curiosity, and to have new experiences. It’s easy to lose that over time. Anyway, I have to remind myself to still keep on meeting people, and listen to their stories instead of talking too much about my own.

I really liked the other responses on this thread, some very good thoughts there.

I’m going on the Sailtrek and Sinai one. Think it’s 15 days and my mate’s scammed us an extra day in Luxor and all sorts of other goodies. It’ll be really cool because she’s got Egyptian friends the whole way along and we’ll be hanging out with them as we go. I’m really pumped about that bit and will have to see how I like this hotel thing! I’m a hostel fan all the way, but as I’ll be heading off on a one-way trip to NZ in December with few funds and no plans, being pampered for a couple weeks in Egypt might be just what I need! We’ll be spending the last week in Dahab or might try to hop over to Jordan if we have enough time. Five more sleeps!

Kahunna – I’m not the type to take much from my trips except lots of new friends, fuzzy memories and hangovers, so don’t look into my advice too much! But I think people who go travelling expecting it to be a life altering experience in a spiritual/enriching way might be setting themselves up for a fall. I think for some people some trips might have this effect, but for the most part, trips might be life altering for more practical reasons such as meeting amazing lifelong friends or discovering that travelling is your true passion in life and doing everything you can to get on that next trip asap! But I’m not a spiritual type.

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Kahunna – I’m not the type to take much from my trips except lots of new friends, fuzzy memories and hangovers, so don’t look into my advice too much! But I think people who go travelling expecting it to be a life altering experience in a spiritual/enriching way might be setting themselves up for a fall. I think for some people some trips might have this effect, but for the most part, trips might be life altering for more practical reasons such as meeting amazing lifelong friends or discovering that travelling is your true passion in life and doing everything you can to get on that next trip asap! But I’m not a spiritual type.

LOL! Don’t even begin to think that I don’t party from time to time when I travel. When I label my trips as &quotilgrimages", it doesn’t mean that I’m dressed in a toga, carrying a walking stick, and praying with every step I take. I just enjoy trying to get as much as I can out of my trips – whether it’s places I see or the people I meet. (I’m still in touch with a few people I met on my trips).

But I do try to make my journeys spiritual, but not in a religious sense. My whole thought process on travel changed after reading the brilliant book called[url=‘http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1573245097/qid=1096349453/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-3008103-0430561?v=glance&s=books&n=507846’]THE ART OF PILGRIMAGE[/url] by Phil Cousineau. If Lonely Planet is the traveler’s bible for external travel, then this is the best book for internal travel. He talks about ways on making journeys more sacred, but not with a religious point of view.

You are right on what you said before, that I do have expectations on my trips. Now that I recognize this, I’ll be able to adjust accordingly so they don’t effect my attitude as much.

All of the comments in this thread are great! I look forward to hearing more from others.

Hey I didn’t say anything about you not being up for a good party now and then! It’d be madness if you weren’t… Europe’s too much fun to have your nose stuck in a journal all the time. I recommend the toga though for sure.

I think what you’ve said about curiosity is spot on, Pedro. It’s easy sometimes to feel all worldly and gab on about my own trips when loads of people seem to always be asking about them, but I think it’s really important to swap stories and experiences because there are always new things to be learned. I love speaking to people on their first trips because it really reminds me about how exciting it all is and their energy can be infectious!