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Travel Creates Memories – Where to Travel?






I have traveled to 19 countries but places that I want to visit in my bucket list keep growing.  My spouse and I enjoy traveling and creating memories.  Given time and money constraints, we are often forced to make choices about where to travel and when to travel to make each visit special and a memory to cherish.

Thinking of places we have visited, the question of where to travel is relatively easy in hindsight.  Most of the places we have visited are for cultural tourism.  Cultural tourism is a kind of tourism that involves learning about the history of a given region, the lifestyle of people in a particular geographical locale, architecture, oral traditions, religions, festivals, cuisine, etc. Activities of cultural tourism involves visiting museums, theaters, art galleries, and learning about indigenous cultural communities and their traditions, lifestyle, and values.  The countries that we have visited that can be included in this category include India, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, France and Germany.
 
We have found that the best way to learn about the culture of a country is to visit its famous memorials and museums.  Some of the museums and memorials that have left a lasting impact are the holocaust memorials.  We have visited the Jewish Museum Berlin (photo) and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, both are in Berlin.  In Italy we visited several beautiful art museums but I continue to remember the visits to the Holocaust museum. Remembering these visits today on 27th January is significant, as today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, commemorating the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War. Personally, these visits help to remind me of the thousands of lives lost in Sri Lanka during its Civil War and how fortunate we were to escape and be able to share our experience.  By visiting and contributing money to the holocaust museums, I hope I help people never forget the atrocities that have been committed in this world.  

We also love visiting historical places and monuments, churches and temples.  Who can ever forget standing in awe in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre or walking to the Eiffel tower from there?  There are plenty of cafes to have a break during the 2 mile walk; wine was cheaper than a bottle of water. In Italy, climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa is an awesome experience but this should be done when we are physically able.  Florence also has good cuisine and excellent wine.  Always look for a family owned small restaurant; their service is extra ordinary even if you can’t converse without knowing Italian. Temple of the Reclining Buddha is a must see in Bangkok, Thailand, but the city is not for people who have road rage.  There are millions of memories and hard to write about them all; but these help to summarize the lessons I have learned.

Question:  How do we prioritize and select places to visit?

My experience: 

  • Identify the types of tourism that you like, see the Slide Show on Different Types of Tourism
  • Select a country or a place that fits the type of tourism that you like.
  • Read about the historical places, museums, monuments and other attractions in places that you can visit.  Plan your trip.
  • Allow plenty of time for traffic, enjoying the sights, and tasting the local cuisine.

    Share Your Experience: If you travel frequently to see different places, how did you prioritize and select the places that you have visited?

     

    RESOURCES:

    1. Destinations you should only visit in the summer 

    2. Nordic Summer Holidays

    3. Bucket lists according to travel agencies 

     

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