(I wrote this post's title on my phone and auto correct suggested 6 Reasons to be a 'tortoise' in our own country. I know what my next post is going to be about anyway...)
Recently a friend of mine from Switzerland that I met while volunteering in South Africa came over to visit our Emerald Isle for the first time. I offered her the choice of staying with me and allowing me to guide her through the best of Dublin and the country side. However instead of guiding, I ended up holding that map with her and exploring places in my own country that I've never seen before.
Ireland is a very small country. The culture doesn't change with the landscape. You barely have to go 100 meters and you meet someone you know and haven't seen in years. For these reasons, I'd never think to really put on tourist mode as I feel I'm not going to see anything new and those landmarks we have I'll eventually get around to road-tripping to one day. I get used to the place I'm in and never think to look around with new eyes. I think everyone reading this can say you've had someone visit you at some point and you had to turn on tourist mode. You instantly become more active as you're going out, eating and drinking in nice places and bringing them to the historical, pretty or famous places you know of. You do this instead of going to the same pub or club or sitting in watching hours of movies you never heard of on Netflix. When tourist mode is on, several wonderful things can occur. Here are some of them;
1. You Notice More
Places and scenery that are mundane to you suddenly show signs of beauty. As an example, my friend Janina, stopped to take pictures of a pub in Dublin that had beautiful hanging flower baskets outside them. This was a pub I passed often and yet never stopped to admire these well looked after flowers that added so much life to the street otherwise consisting of concrete. I often take pictures of the strangest things when abroad like huge doors, fancy gates and markets. If you look around your home locality with tourist mode on, you'll see these strange things pop out at you.
Places and scenery that are mundane to you suddenly show signs of beauty. As an example, my friend Janina, stopped to take pictures of a pub in Dublin that had beautiful hanging flower baskets outside them. This was a pub I passed often and yet never stopped to admire these well looked after flowers that added so much life to the street otherwise consisting of concrete. I often take pictures of the strangest things when abroad like huge doors, fancy gates and markets. If you look around your home locality with tourist mode on, you'll see these strange things pop out at you.
2. Meeting People & Other Travelers
By visiting attractions and going on tours you'll meet people from all over the world. These travelers come from all walks of life and have some amazing stories to tell. They can also give you tips they've learned on the way and if you get on well there may be a contact in a future city/place you travel to or even better, a couch!
By visiting attractions and going on tours you'll meet people from all over the world. These travelers come from all walks of life and have some amazing stories to tell. They can also give you tips they've learned on the way and if you get on well there may be a contact in a future city/place you travel to or even better, a couch!
3. You Can Help
Like I said, doing touristy things leads you to other tourists. You'll often witness a bus driver or tour guide getting asked for directions or help and often it's 20 questions from 20 groups at once. If you are familiar with the area you might be able to answer some of their questions which would in turn help them and the bus driver. That's your good deed done for the day and you never know, you could get a job out of it!
Like I said, doing touristy things leads you to other tourists. You'll often witness a bus driver or tour guide getting asked for directions or help and often it's 20 questions from 20 groups at once. If you are familiar with the area you might be able to answer some of their questions which would in turn help them and the bus driver. That's your good deed done for the day and you never know, you could get a job out of it!
4. Knowledge
Everyone knows traveling abroad teaches you so much about the country you're in from its history to the language. A lot of people will say they also learn about themselves. It is no different in your own country. You may know some of the stories behind where you go but guides will teach you more. You'll see things you never noticed before, be brought to places you never thought to go and perhaps learn from the travelers you're in company with. There's no better time to put that French you learned in school to the test either!
5. Save Money
I know as much as the next person what it's like to have no money but want nothing more than to escape and see new things. Go on holiday at home and you won't need to pay for flights. If your visiting local areas you won't need accommodation. No travel insurance is needed, your loyalty cards will still work, there's no charge for withdrawing money from the ATM, no need to change currency, if you have a local student card you'll get discounts almost everywhere, you'll know where's expensive to eat so you won't get ripped off, and all those discount vouchers you have but always forget about can be used once they're valid! Oh! And you won't arrive home to find a phone bill closing in on a four digit cost because of roaming charges. Now how many of the above things would still apply if you were abroad? Close to none or none at all. I know it's no Ibiza, but if you can't afford a foreign holiday, just take a few days off and be a tourist at home.
6. You'll live.
There's living i.e. eating, breathing, excreting. And then there's living i.e. savouring, appreciating, loving, seeing, smelling, listening, tasting, learning. I don't know about you but I can nearly always tell a tourist from a local by the way they walk. Locals walk fast and bustle through the streets in a constant rush, they rarely look up/around and can often look sad/angry/upset/bored. Tourists have a slower pace. They stroll around, not a bother on them! You can see them looking up at the buildings and sites that they pass. They take pictures and see things we don't. They don't stick to a rigid routine. We should make the time to slow down and look around like we do when we're in a new place.
If we lived with tourist mode on in our home country, imagine how much happier we could be? Imagine taking the relaxed, appreciative approach to life and how better you could feel? Just taking things easy, not letting the stress of work get to you. I think it's something we should remember to do more often.
I'm not saying you should pretend you don't know where you are or get a map, put on an accent, ask every second person for directions, walk around with a fanny pack, your camera around your neck, your phone in a pouch around your neck or buy Irish souvenirs for your Irish friends/family. I'm simply suggesting you turn on tourist mode at home so you can meet new people, learn and appreciate your surroundings. Break away from your usual routine and don't give time to any stressful calls or e-mails from work etc.
Apologies if this post is cheesy but after my recent 4 day tourist mode in Ireland, I know I'll definitely continue living with tourist mode on.
Until next time, grá,
Ceara (:
Everyone knows traveling abroad teaches you so much about the country you're in from its history to the language. A lot of people will say they also learn about themselves. It is no different in your own country. You may know some of the stories behind where you go but guides will teach you more. You'll see things you never noticed before, be brought to places you never thought to go and perhaps learn from the travelers you're in company with. There's no better time to put that French you learned in school to the test either!
5. Save Money
6. You'll live.
 |
| Me feeling the wind after climbing a cliff. |
If we lived with tourist mode on in our home country, imagine how much happier we could be? Imagine taking the relaxed, appreciative approach to life and how better you could feel? Just taking things easy, not letting the stress of work get to you. I think it's something we should remember to do more often.
 |
| Eh... |
I'm not saying you should pretend you don't know where you are or get a map, put on an accent, ask every second person for directions, walk around with a fanny pack, your camera around your neck, your phone in a pouch around your neck or buy Irish souvenirs for your Irish friends/family. I'm simply suggesting you turn on tourist mode at home so you can meet new people, learn and appreciate your surroundings. Break away from your usual routine and don't give time to any stressful calls or e-mails from work etc.
Apologies if this post is cheesy but after my recent 4 day tourist mode in Ireland, I know I'll definitely continue living with tourist mode on.
Until next time, grá,
Ceara (:
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