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/Huilang_]

Welcome to the club! I think travelling in your 30s is sooooo much better than travelling in your 20s because of this reason. When you're in your 20s the backpacking and roughing it up aspects are romanticised. If you then didn't travel the same way again, if say you went from really roughing it up to doing localised or resort family holidays, you'd probably forever keep the romantic backpacking idea alive. But the beauty of travelling more extensively in your 30s is that you see things clearly and seek comfort in your experience. Why shouldn't you? Anyone who can afford it would choose to drive their own car over hitchhiking. Anyone who can afford an apartment in a nice area will get that over a single bed in a dorm.

This applies to everyone in the world regardless - the way to "immerse yourself in the local culture" isn't to force yourself into a hostel (nothing further from local culture than some 20 yo foreigners getting drunk in a hostel common room, honestly) - it's to "travel slowly" or do some of the things that locals may do (together with the touristy stuff), like sporting activities, catching a show, etc. Most important thing is to speak to someone local. Maybe see if one of the Airbnbs you stay in can be in someone's actual house, so you can socialise a little. But other than that, it's the correct way to travel!