Seeing the old and the new
On my first round the world trip, most of my time was spent socializing in hostels and guesthouses, meeting five hour friends, drinking, and living everyday like Saturday. There was always something going on and a constant stream of bodies in and out of the hostels. It was pretty hard to get bored but sometimes it became sensory overload. This trip I am reaping the benefits of all those meetings by staying with friends instead of in hostels. I’ve been on the road for a month now and, except for one night in Salisbury, I haven’t stayed in a hostel.
By traveling two totally completely different ways, you get two totally different experiences. When you travel and stay in hostels, you meet people everyday. Everyday new people come in, old ones go out. I can’t even begin to count how many people I met while I was away. Moreover, many hostels have bars and organize activities. There is always a party going on, there is always some activity to do. It’s never boring in a hostel.
Yet when you stay with friends, there aren’t wild crazy nights all the time, a constant stream of drunken debauchery or a stream of people. It’s more like visiting a friend’s house for the weekend. You spend most of the time hanging out and doing a few things. It’s quieter and more relaxed. You get to “live like a local.” The biggest catch-22 in traveling is that everyone wants to live like a local but few ever do. No one really stays around long enough in one place to do so. When you stay with locals, you see the world through their eyes. I got taken to places I’d never would have found in a guidebook or through wandering on my own. It’s a great way experience to see a city from the inside out instead of the outside in.
It has been great bouncing around England this way. The setting and tone is different but I’m having just as much fun. It’s different seeing friends in their own environment, away from the hustle and bustle of the road where I last saw them. I can’t say anyone is really any different than I remember, though the working world has toned down their partying. When you stay at hostels, you rarely get to met locals so it’s nice to be able to “live” somewhere and get exposed to England as the English know it.
However, going from house to house has taught me that I don’t like doing it for such a long time. I love seeing my friends but the social butterfly in me yearns for more excitement, more people, and a few more parties. A month has been long enough for me. It’s now time to mix it up with a few hostels just to meet new faces. I’ll always be bouncing between friend’s couches so long as I have friends where I travel too. One of the greatest things about traveling is meeting people you can visit- people who will open up their home to you. However, in the future, I’ll break up these visits more so I can balance my twin desires- seeing old faces while meeting new ones.
That sounds like a very cool plan, Matt. Looks like what I’ll be doing one week from now
Oh you should totally mix it up!
I’m have quite a few ‘party animal’ friends but if I’m on a trip and visiting people I sometimes need a quiet night at a hostel to recuperate!
Hey Matt!
Greetings from your home town!
How are the travels going so far???
You are such a bravel traveler! We could all learn something about just going ahead and seeing another country- whether we have a set plan, want a random trip, or anywhwere in between. Just think of all the things we WOULDN’T have seen without our awesome international friends- for example, my aunt took me to some small towns when I visited her back when I was studying in Spain, and we even ended up running into a Flamenco wedding while we sat high up on a cliff overlooking Malaga! It was great, and I would have NEVER gone there, or to some of the ports that she brought me to. If you don’t have family abroad, it’s really easy to meet new people, and if you aren’t close enough/ comfortable with them, to travel with them, they’ll most likely tell you all about these hidden places, and you can go on your own
Keep up the travels!
Looking forward to your posts-
Yes! gota agree with Anthony, that’s what i’ll be doing in 10 days from now, doign it the cheap way, visiting friends, sure I’ve got a long time ahead of me being only 18, but I don’t intend on wasting too much from the get-go as a tourist!!! keep it up
I agree. Mixing things up is the way to go. Hostel it up when you’re just getting into the area and want to get a sense of what’s happening in town, and then towards the end of a visit in a place, couchsurf with friends to recharge for the next locale. That, and depending on the buddy, there’s nothing like good home cooked local food while abroad.
I like the idea of mixing it up. Have you used CouchSurfing.com at all? Maybe a good way to both meet new people AND get the local perspective! We’ve only done it once so far but it was great.
@jessica: I didn’t even think you read this. hehe. I’m totally appreciative of my international friends. They’ve shown me a lot of great things but sometimes, it’s good to mix it up
@pokin: yes i love having access to a kitchen…a fully stocked kitchen…all the time!
@karie: yes, i’ve been couchsuring a bit! it’s fun!!