I have a particular soft spot for central Europe, from Poland down to Hungary and Romania, from the Adriatic to the Carpathian mountains. So much history, romanticism and old Europe. I'm attracted to the cities and towns tourists don't think about, rather than head straight to Prague (for example) I'd find out the name of the 6th largest city in Czechia and go there.
I'm going to Hong Kong next year and am preparing by reading about the city's history and as much HK-related fiction I can find. Also learning a handful of phrases in Cantonese, it's important for me to at least be able to say 'hello', 'thank you', 'good bye' etc as a way of showing some respect to the locals.
Getting beyond the major cities is a must, but it often takes a second or third visit to a country to really start exploring. I also like older or newer destinations that aren’t drawing hordes of tourists. Hong Kong strikes me as increasingly neglected given China bearing down on it in recent years. I’m finding I need to do more fiction reading vs non-fiction histories, too. Thanks for commenting!
My sister and I are planning a trip to Istanbul right now, and I found this post so helpful as we go about preparing!
I have a particular soft spot for central Europe, from Poland down to Hungary and Romania, from the Adriatic to the Carpathian mountains. So much history, romanticism and old Europe. I'm attracted to the cities and towns tourists don't think about, rather than head straight to Prague (for example) I'd find out the name of the 6th largest city in Czechia and go there.
I'm going to Hong Kong next year and am preparing by reading about the city's history and as much HK-related fiction I can find. Also learning a handful of phrases in Cantonese, it's important for me to at least be able to say 'hello', 'thank you', 'good bye' etc as a way of showing some respect to the locals.
Getting beyond the major cities is a must, but it often takes a second or third visit to a country to really start exploring. I also like older or newer destinations that aren’t drawing hordes of tourists. Hong Kong strikes me as increasingly neglected given China bearing down on it in recent years. I’m finding I need to do more fiction reading vs non-fiction histories, too. Thanks for commenting!