On the cheap, like a local, and without a lot of luggage
This is <i>such</i> a strange article.<p>I too, in general, avoid starting with &quot;pre-packaged&quot; experiences when traveling. My most memorable experiences were only possible because, like the author, I travel light and don&#x27;t plan too far ahead and mostly avoid being spendy. There&#x27;s a kind of looseness and spontaneity that is possible if one plans generally and keeps funds available to take advantage of opportunities that only crystalize once you get to where you are going.<p>But the high-handed tone in this article, denigrating the popular attractions countries are known of, feels entirely at odds with that philosophy.<p>&gt; <i>I stay away from the coolest neighborhoods in the world, which all end up being variations of the same thing.</i><p>If you have spent any time traveling, you know this is a silly thing to say. Even the most tourist-y places like Bali, though you see similarities, retain a national character. They are also generally very different from the rest of their host country - bubbles with their own rules and features. This is a feature! I have never regretted spending some time in heavily tourist&#x27;ed areas. Being catered to and seeing how culture shifts is interesting and fun. Taking a break from forging your own path and doing some pre-constructed-fun is nice. The reasons those areas are popular is because they are interesting and fun!<p>To me, a lot of this comes down to balancing the time you invest in figuring out how to spend your time and money v.s. the time you want to take &quot;doing the thing.&quot; If you have a low budget, then just kind of scrap around (you don&#x27;t have a choice so there&#x27;s no need to pretend this is some crazy tip). If you have a higher budget you have options! You can jump right into a pre-planned experience for a little bit or you can scrap it a bit and see what turns out. Ultimately, for most of us, even if you travel on &quot;the cheap&quot; you are still actually planning around a budget of how long you can skip work.<p>I 1000% think that, if people have never taken just a carry on to a less touristy city in a foreign city, you should consider it. But the experience is a close cousin to the one you have when you are in tourist land and the two approaches support each other.