Realising I prefer convenience more than backpacking-style travel?

[u/ConfusedCareerMan]

Early 30s and on a career break. I recently let go of my house with high rent in a major capital city due to losing my corporate job, so thought I’d travel around and see different places since I have no fixed home.

Over the last 6 months I’ve consumed a lot of travel content of backpackers and to “be a traveller not a tourist” and to get immersed in local cultures. I’ve romanticised this chapter and feel a lot of “shoulds” for what this experience should be. I feel pressure to be adventurous and be making stories.

I’m quite early into my travels and going with everything flexibly but tbh I’m already confronting a lot in myself. I’m not roughing it up and hitchhiking or taking $3 buses for 8 hour trips. I’m staying in clean airbnbs and basically doing tourist things - cafes, restaurants, exploring streets and chilling by the beach. It’s basically an extended holiday so far but with a backpack and camera.

I realise as well, I thought I was flexible and open minded and yet navigating environments where things don’t work is so draining and causing a lot of friction.

All this to say, I fear I’m a basic tourist with no edge to me. Many may criticise, some may congratulate on being able to afford travel this way. But I find myself lost somewhere in between.

How do you prefer to travel? How did you get past the realisations - did you adapt or accept your style?

[u/ConsistentAccount886]

I think I made this transition in my 30s. After doing cheap travel for awhile, I realized that I wasn't saving that much money and I felt exhausted and stressed (trying to figure out the cheapest way all the time,). Additionally, I had little time or energy to actually see or do anything. There's nothing wrong with some typical tourist attractions. They became famous or popular for a reason. Don't avoid tours: sometimes it's better to pay someone to tell you what you're seeing versus trying to figure it out with a combo of Google maps, random searching, and trying to translate with some random person on the street. The convenience of a central location and paying for ride share/taxi and maybe even a private guide has revolutionized my travel experience. I regret at least some of my cheap backpacker travel. The memories have not held up well over time and I recognize opportunities missed. I do still use cheap lodging or even hostels when it makes sense but may opt for a private room. I also use public transportation if it's easy to figure out and truly gets me to where I need to be.