Kitschy Tourist Activities That I Love

In the world of travel today you hear a lot about “intentional travel”, “cultural immersion”, “health and wellness”, and “eco travel”. It’s wonderful that there are so many resources these days that allow individuals to create unique and personal trips. However, as people seek those “authentic experiences”, sometimes they miss out on little adventures that are just…fun. You’ve seen those list published on travel sites, the ones that point out destinations or activities that are overrated, overpriced, boring, tacky, or simply a waste of time.

Of course, I’ve occasionally found myself disappointed with a location, landmark, or activity. I just shrug my shoulders and move on. On the other hand, I have often found some of these unrefined experiences amusing and entertaining. Here are a few examples.

Hop-on-hop-off

These huge double-decker buses can be spotted in almost every major city in the world. The upper deck, uncovered and usually crowded as those tend to be the most coveted seats. Tourists buy a one or two day pass, and are provided with a route map and a cheap set of ear buds to plug in to hear commentary in their language of choice. Nothing screams “tourist” like casually dressed individuals crowded onto a bus with uncomfortable seats gaping in awe at historic buildings and hop off in droves at the most popular attractions.

I love the hop-on-hop-off buses. They are such a great way to get to know a city. You get commentary on the history of the city, are able to acclimate to the lay of the land, gain ideas on places you may want to explore, and you get to relax. I’ve found it to be an enjoyable activity when arriving in Europe after an overnight flight so tired that my brain can barely formulate a plan for the day. I’ve also found it a pleasant option on day two of a trip after overdoing it on day one by walking 10 miles and waking up with legs that refuse to cooperate. On those days the hop-on-hop-off is like a gift from the travel gods. It can be absolutely delightful.

Pub Crawls

Pub crawls are for 20 somethings, college kids who want to experience a local party scene without having to decide where to go or risk wandering into a bad area or waiting in long lines. They can still be entertaining and more than just an excuse to drink to excess while someone guides you from place to place. Let’s be honest, pubs are fun. Especially if you’re with people that you enjoy. People tend to have a good time in a pub and happiness is contagious. After a beer or two it’s easier to start conversations and it is amazing the people you will meet and the stories that you will hear.

When my niece graduated from high school, I took her to Amsterdam and Paris as a graduation gift. We road through the canals, visited the Anne Frank House, spent an afternoon visiting windmills and participated in a pub crawl. As an 18-year-old this was an experience unavailable to her in the US. She was the youngest in the group and I was the oldest and we both had a wonderful time. The 20 somethings we met thought I was “cool” for participating in a pub crawl and my niece had the opportunity to meet other young people from Germany, UK, Australia, France and Belgium. She made fast friends by the second pub I was universally referred to as “Auntie”. It was an amazing evening.

I’ve done a literary pub crawl in Dublin, a drag queen pub crawl in Savannah, and others. Some had a greater diversity of age, some were more interesting than others, some started out great but then gradually devolved into small groups of stumbling, tourists who probably remembered little the next day. They are rarely the most memorable part of a trip but always a good time.

Ghost Tours

All cities have their legends, dark tales, and haunted locations. I’m not really into horror movies and I’m skeptical about all things supernatural but I still love a good haunted tour. The truth is that you learn a lot of history on these tours, and you get to feel like you’re a kid again sitting with your friends around the campfire trying to scare each other with tales of the paranormal.

There are bus tours, walking tours, trolley tours. You can hear about the ghosts of gangsters in Chicago, Jack the Ripper in London, walk through cemeteries in Savannah, learn about Voodoo in New Orleans, and the list goes on. Simply google any city followed by “ghost tour” and enjoy the thrill of feeling frightened.

From Movies and TV

There is a monument in Riverside Iowa, a stone with the engraving claiming this location to be the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. Even though I’m a huge trekker, I can’t imagine ever planning a trip to Iowa simply to stare at a stone. However, if I ever happen to find myself in Cedar Rapids, I'll probably take the sort drive over to snap a photo.

These pop culture locations are everywhere. I’ve seen Walter White’s house in Albuquerque (Breaking Bad), the Rocky statue in Philadelphia, Katz’s Deli in New York (When Harry Met Sally), the Trojan Horse in Canakkale (Troy), the steps where Baby practiced her dance moves (Dirty Dancing), and I even wandered Chippewa Square in Savannah to find the spot where Forest Gump’s bus stop bench used to sit.

These locations or props from movies and TV shows offer little more than the opportunity to take a photo to post on Instagram. Yet in a weird way, these places can make us feel connected. Connected to stories and characters that we love, connected to our fellow fans, and connected to our inner desire to feel like we are experiencing something unique.

Planning a trip is time consuming and travel can get expensive and often when we visit a place we know that it may be the only time in our life that we will be there. As a result, we put pressure on ourselves to see and do everything. Personally, I always seem to want to visit every museum, landmark and UNESCO site. Then I remind myself that sometimes it's okay to choose an activity for no other reason that it just might be fun!