TIPS FOR THE PERFECT TRIP
Try local cuisine always and everywhere.
Delicious food is the key to a great journey. Food arguably reflects the lifestyle of any country most vividly and is an important factor in choosing a destination. More than half of travelers worldwide (54%) seek to taste new dishes during their trips, and 22% travel exclusively for the sake of delicious food.
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The first tip
TASTE IT
Main gastronomic regions of Europe.
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany is one of the most attractive places in Italy and a paradise for gourmets.
The culinary and wine traditions of the region trace their roots back to the deep Middle Ages. Tuscany is known for its simple dishes, based on beef, game, fish, vegetables, sausages, and flour products.
Famous for its wines, Tuscany cultivates the main grape Sangiovese in the most important wine regions of Chianti, Bolgheri, Montepulciano, and Montalcino. Particularly valuable are the Super Tuscan wines such as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and Solaia.
Piedmont, Italy
Piedmont is a true gem, especially in the fall, attracting numerous gastronomic pilgrims. It's the time for truffle hunting. Piedmont is renowned for its white truffles, considered the best and most expensive in the world.
Among the favorite dishes of the locals is the warm garlic and anchovy sauce called 'Bagna Cauda,' which is enjoyed like fondue by dipping fresh vegetables into it.
Piedmont is the homeland of cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Grana Padano, Castelmagno, Taleggio, and many others. It was in Piedmont that chocolate pralines were first created.
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The second tip
ENJOY WHAT YOU SEE
During your journey, try to focus only on the best, pay attention to details: the view from your room, explore new locations, cities, villages; stroll through different paths or streets, have lunch in panoramic, colorful restaurants, and then your journey will be dynamic with wonderful snapshots!
Traveler Michelle No, who has toured almost the entire world, shared a few simple but very important tips. If you are traveling with someone, Michelle recommends spending one or two days alone. She came to this conclusion after a trip with a group to Paris. Initially, everything went smoothly, but somewhere around the fourth day, the girl says, a certain tension began to arise. One friend got tired of constantly translating for others from French, another wanted to explore 'whimsical landmarks' that were not interesting to the rest of the group.
In the end, they decided to take a 'day off' from each other. Everyone could do whatever they wanted without worrying about what others thought. 'Honestly, I'm not sure if we would still be friends if we hadn't arranged such a day just for ourselves,' emphasized Michelle.
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Travel far, wide, and with an open heart!
To make a journey successful, it's important to switch to an open-minded mode: look at the world with wide-open eyes, embrace the customs of other countries, try everything that seems interesting without trying to adapt the surrounding reality. This makes you more receptive to new cultures, food, and experiences because the world is so vast and diverse. You just need to give it a chance to show itself. It's better to cry from the spiciness of a taco in Mexico but know what its real taste should be like.
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The third tip
Aroma of the journey
Every country has it's distinctive scent that you immediately sense upon entering it. Entering a hotel room, you'll also feel it. You'll catch it on the streets, in a restaurant, on snow-covered mountain slopes, or when the salty waves of the sea caress your feet. Collect your collection of travel aromas.
Every country has it's own set of scents, marked by geographical, cultural, and culinary peculiarities. The air on the Portuguese island of Madeira is permeated with soft floral aromas. In the charming little Italian town on the Gulf of Salerno, the air is infused with the scent of citrus. The tropical climate, beautiful beaches, enchanting sunsets, plus the aroma of fruits, spices, and exoticism – that's the Caribbean.
The air itself works wonders, evoking emotions that are hard to express in words. In reality, the scent of a country is one of its most significant treasures. Because aroma, fragrance – it's not a thing, but a state; it imprints in memory and even over time, it triggers the most pleasant memories of a particular event, country, or person.
Smell of the people is its inseparable historical belonging.
Carl Vogt
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Slavs smell of herbs.
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Thais - of ginger and coconut.
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Jungle inhabitants - of smoke.
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Chinese smell sweet fat and musk, many people in the south - of onions and leeks.
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Africa smells of sandalwood.
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Ceylonese smell of spices.
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Indians smell pleasant. They know how to preserve the scents of good events and then enjoy them.
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Filipinos have a sweet scent.
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Every country, every nation has its own smell and taste – it's true. That's how the oldest human brain, responsible for memory, is organized.
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The fourth tip
Hear and listen
While traveling, always make use of the services of a quality guide. A tour guide is the voice of the city. It depends on them whether a person will fall in love with the place. Communicate with local residents (even if you only know 4 words in their language), catch the sounds of nature: enjoy the sound of the waves, the chirping of birds, the happy laughter, and the rustle of waterfalls. This way, you can paint your journey with unique colors, enrich it with stories and narratives.
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A tour guide is the voice of the city
What sets the Ideal Guide apart from the rest?
In response to this question, the first thing that comes to mind is staggering knowledge!
"But wait", you might think, "knowledge is something anyone can acquire". The key assessments lie in how well information is conveyed, how accurately landmarks are indicated, and the visual contact established.
So, where am I going with this? A professional (licensed) guide is the ideal guide because they prioritize your comfort and safety, as they have been trained to do. You might not even realize why you find the tour so interesting and reassuring. And if the guide is also a charismatic superstar, well-versed in the material, consider yourself very fortunate!
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The fifth tip
TOUCH AWAKENS FEELINGS
Live in the moment here and now. Create "snapshots" to capture your feelings and emotions from everything that brings you joy. This way, you'll build a collection of happy moments.
While traveling, there's often a desire to pause a moment and make it etch into consciousness. It's something we lack. We are constantly rushing somewhere, doing something, and forever not catching up. New impressions during a journey make us realize that we need to find pleasure in the moment we are in.
We recommend embracing the mindset of "living here and now", immersing yourself in your journey, and joy in each moment: from waking up in the morning to opening the window, and seeing the endless azure sea. Joy fills you, and a carefree smile lights up your face. Suddenly, a warm southern breeze enters through the open window, and gentle curtains delicatenly brush against your skin, pleasantly tickling you, and you smile again. The sun has long risen, with not a single cloud in the sky. You hear the excitement and cries of seagulls. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and tropical fruits reaches you. From these dizzying aromas, you begin to savor the upcoming of breakfast.
Living in the here and now is the ability to live authentically, fully dedicating yourself to the current moment, perceiving it with all your senses and your soul, understanding and being aware of this moment, and most importantly, acting in it.
Yanina Shostak,
SEO and creative director of Bajay travel agency.