From drinking Champagne in the region of the same name in France to sipping Shiraz in Australia to sampling a Mai Tai in Hawaii, there are many quintessential experiences that involve imbibing in the local liquor. Unlike what you might expect, however, we’re not talking about traveling simply to get plastered in as many countries as possible. You may want to do that, and if that’s how you’d like to spend your holidays that’s your business, but there’s more to drinking than getting drunk.

Really.

For one thing, in many of the places where the drinking age is appealingly lower than it is in the U.S., the attitude toward alcohol is completely different. Wine is common at nearly every meal in France, but you’ll almost never see French people falling over after having seven too many at the bar. Several cities in Italy have tried to ban outdoor eating and drinking after hours in an effort to curb the drunken misbehavior of tourists on pub crawls – again, in Italy, alcohol is something that goes with food.

Of course, these countries are also famous wine-producing regions, and any countries where wine tourism is big business are also countries with drinking cultures. You’ll be able to – as they say – “get drunk and call it a cultural encounter” just by signing up for a wine tasting trip. In these cases, just remember it’s best to let someone else do the driving.

Does this mean you won’t visit places where the locals drink like fish with the ultimate goal of getting completely hammered? Absolutely not. In places like Australia, Ireland, and South Korea (among others) you’ll be able to make up for all the lost liver-damaging opportunities you might have forgone in other countries. Be sure to brush up on the rules of drinking in the country you’re visiting, however, lest you accidentally offer to buy a round for the entire bar.

It wasn’t quite “one time, at band camp,” but it was close – I was on a choir tour to Australia and New Zealand.

My alma mater prides itself on encouraging its students to travel, and January terms were a popular time to do that. Every few years, the concert choir of 40-some-odd students would go on a month-long trip somewhere, and during my tenure it was to be Australia and New Zealand. I’d never been out of the U.S., I’d never traveled without my family, and I’d never even contemplated preparing for a trip. To this day, it sort of shocks me that in all the months leading up to the trip it never occurred to me to even buy a guidebook to either country.

Back then, travel details were handled by someone else. I was along for the ride. Six months later, I was on my way to a semester studying in Nottingham, England. Again, I was with a group – albeit a much smaller one – of fellow students from my college. I’d gotten a copy of “Let’s Go! England” before this trip, but hadn’t read much of it. I was content to follow my cohorts around for the first couple of weeks.

Then I got my first taste of solo travel, when I went to visit relatives in Paris.

I lived in a cozy room in their beautiful apartment near the Arc de Triomphe. I said goodbye to them each morning after breakfast as they made their way across the city to their offices. I had dinner with them each night. The days, however, were mine.

This was solo travel with training wheels, which was pretty much exactly what I needed at the time.

I read articles these days with tips for solo travel, or advice on how to meet people when you get tired of solo travel, and I can’t even say what those tips would have meant to me during that Paris trip. Probably I’d have said I wasn’t traveling alone, since I was with family, and certainly I would have been too timid to seek out the company of other travelers in a city so foreign to me. And if I’d been armed with travel advice before that trip, I may not have had what remains a seminal moment in my life – that of getting lost in Paris and finding my way out of it all by myself, without panicking or even needing to ask anyone for help.

All these years later, although I no longer need training wheels when it comes to solo travel, I still prefer traveling with a suitable companion most of the time. It’s that companionship that helps me relish the moments when I’m on my own, to see them as special and not routine. On my own, I move differently, think differently, and travel differently. I sit still when I want, and wander where I want. I ponder.

Part of me wishes I’d been better prepared for travel in general by the time I went to Paris. Part of me wishes I’d joined my cohorts as they Eurail’ed their way across the continent, staying in hostels and drinking with the locals. That wasn’t me then, and kind of still isn’t me today. I’ve never been interested in quitting my job and taking a RTW trip or collecting passport stamps like it’s a to-do list. I’ll never be the one with stories from my stays at the party hostels in Amsterdam (or anywhere, for that matter), because I’m the one who’s fading by 11pm or just wants to get back to her room to write a bit before falling asleep.

And y’know what? I’m still a fan of travel with training wheels.

photo by Richo.Fan

But what if you’re dreaming of one of these uber-expensive countries? There’s no need to cross that country off your list of resign yourself to waiting to visit until you’ve won the lottery. While it won’t be easy and it will still be expensive, there are ways to decrease the cost of visiting the world’s most expensive countries.

On BootsnAll, we’ve rounded up some of these notoriously expensive countries – like Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland – and offered up real tips you can use to save money. From how to find a cheap hotel in Singapore to how to get around cheaply in Japan, these ideas will help you make the most of your budget when visiting these pricey places. They still might not be categorized as cheap destinations, but sometimes the experience is worth a little more expense.

Photo by tantek

>> Are you considering a career break? Going on a RTW trip? Then be sure to register for the Portland MPG event on October 18, 2011!

Since BootsnAll started in 1998, we’ve constantly been adding to and refining our collection of RTW trip planning resources, including an incredibly detailed RTW FAQ and a trip planner with a map that will suck you into its vortex (in a good way) and have you dreaming up itineraries for hours. Our goal is to walk you through each step of the RTW planning process so that you can spend more time focusing on the fun parts of planning rather than the drudgery of figuring out what travel insurance you need or how to create a budget – and it’s this same sort of community support that we appreciate so much about what Meet, Plan, Go! is doing.

Between BootsnAll’s travel forums and the Meet, Plan, Go! alumni, you’ll find many incredibly supportive, informative, and encouraging people who either dream of doing a long-term trip or who have wisdom to share from having taken such a trip. The BootsnAll archives in particular are extensive, going back more than a decade. Over time, the advice changes, too. Remember when taking a long trip meant making a mix tape or carefully choosing which CDs you’d bring? Now there are questions about traveling with a laptop or cellphone, or which RTW iPhone apps are best.

We love answering travel questions and sharing what we know. At the same time, there comes a point when apron strings must be clipped and travelers must stand on their own two feet. We’re always here to support travelers – before, during, and after trips – and can’t take the trip for you.

Will you make mistakes along the way? Probably. And then you’ll come back and share what you’ve learned with the community, thereby helping someone else avoid those exact mistakes in the future – leaving them plenty of time to make their own mistakes.

Hey, whatever floats your boat. We’re not here to judge, man.

No matter what motivates you to travel, our conversations with travelers over the years tell us that many trips end up being quests of one kind or another (see the aforementioned hot dog cart tour) – even if that’s not what got you out the door in the first place. Personally, I’ve made something of a habit of seeking out bone churches (AKA ossuaries) in many cities. It’s never the thing that drew me there, but it provides an odd sort of continuity to many destinations that otherwise have nothing in common.

The strangest things can give travel a “theme,” and it can be a fun way to make your trip unique – looking for small bakeries to sample the goodies in every town you visit, for instance, can help get you away from the tourist trail and into more residential areas. Sure, you’ll probably check off a few must-see things everywhere you go, but after that? The sky’s the limit.

If oddities in general are your thing, every country has something to offer. The United States is known as the home of some of the weirdest roadside attractions anywhere, and making a tour of these is a popular road-trip itinerary. Other countries have strange roadside attractions, too, however – Australia is home to its own long list of “world’s largest” items, including a boomerang (naturally) and blade of grass (yes, really), and Canada lays claim to the world’s largest axe and fiddle.

Las Vegas might seem like one big roadside attraction, but you could do a trip focused entirely on the city’s plethora of wedding chapels alone (no tying the knot required). Not all the chapels are kitschy, but those tend to attract more attention. Before you go, learn a few of the weird facts about getting married in Vegas in case you get caught in any trivia contests, or to impress (bore?) your friends.

Seemingly civilized Europe isn’t immune to weird tourist sights. All those bone churches I’ve visited so far have been in Italy and Croatia, and there are plenty more catacombs throughout the continent that I haven’t seen yet. Even some of the laws you’ll find on the books throughout Europe are amusing enough to make you want to go to these places and see if you’d actually get in trouble for breaking them. For instance, did you know that in France it’s illegal to kiss on the railways? Or that it’s illegal to name a pig Napoleon? There are plenty more weird French laws, but those are two of my favorites. If anyone would like to buy a pig in France and try to call it Napoleon to test the law, please let me know.

The good news is that minimizing your impact while traveling is easier than most people think it’s going to be. Traveling in an eco-friendly way doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t take a flight somewhere. Sure, there are ways to travel that require less fuel, but you can do things like buy carbon offsets from reputable companies and rely on things like light rail or bicycling when you’re in your destination.

Eco-travel also has a reputation for being expensive travel, and in some cases that’s true – many tours that call themselves eco-tours are high-end options, and buying those carbon offsets isn’t free, either. But it’s also possible to travel responsibly on a budget no matter where you go or what kind of trip you take. Bringing your own refillable water bottle instead of buying several bottles of water each day (even if you’re recycling the bottles!) is easy and makes a difference. Also think about things like the amount of electricity you use (charging all your electronic gadgets, leaving lights on in the hostel kitchen when you leave, etc.) and where your money is going (to a big multi-national hotel chain or to people in the community you’re visiting in the form of a small independent hotel or hostel).

Green travel doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be guilt-inducing, and it definitely doesn’t have to be boring. Check out this beginner’s guide to traveling green to put yourself in the right frame of mind, and get inspired about the ways you can travel greener wherever you go.

Unfortunately, that sort of experience doesn’t happen by itself.

We hear about Italy so much it’s tempting to assume that having a storybook holiday there would be almost second nature. It’s true that there are far more difficult places to visit in the world, and that if you stick to the relatively popular path you’ll find a tourism infrastructure that does make it easier, but there are still things you should know about Italy before you hop on a plane. Here are just a few.

• Everyone wants to go to Tuscany – and then they want to go to Florence. As it turns out, that’s redundant – Florence (the city) is the capital of Tuscany (the region).
• Speaking of Tuscany, did you know that the biggest airport in the region isn’t in the regional capital? Instead, you’ll almost always find better deals on airfare to Tuscany by looking at flights to nearby Pisa.
• Flying to Tuscany isn’t usually the cheapest option, but you’ve got more choices than just Rome and Milan – there’s an international airport in Venice that often has better deals than either of the two bigger cities.
• What most of us think of as “Italian food” is really a mix of different regional cuisines, and while you can find pizza pretty much everywhere you’ll eat better if you’re eating what’s local to a city or region. (Hint: pizza was born in Naples.)
• Italians are, for the most part, very forgiving if you struggle with the language – but learning a few polite words and phrases will go a very long way. Get away from the main tourist cities and fewer people speak English, so a little Italian is crucial.
• Italy is famous for its fashion sense, so it may not surprise you to learn that Italians don’t typically wear shorts and T-shirts around all summer long. If you’d like to try to fit in even a little bit, learn more about packing for summer in Italy before you leave.

Have you visited Italy before? What are some of the things you think people should know about Italy before they go for the first time?

photo by curran.kelleher

The fact that it can be tough at times to find cheap tickets to Canada is certainly one thing that might keep us from venturing north of the border more frequently, but the fact is that from Portland it’s a relatively easy drive up to Vancouver. You wouldn’t want to make a day trip of it, of course, but it’s not so far away that you couldn’t consider it a good spot for a 4-5 day trip.

There are plenty of reasons to travel to BC, and I enjoyed one of the best road trips of my life a few years ago when my mom and I drove up to Gwaii Haanas National Park from Portland. At the moment, however, I’m knee-deep in the final planning stages for the TBEX conference in Vancouver. Since it’s a work trip I know I’ll be focused primarily on the conference and the various meetings I’ve got scheduled over the four days I’ll be in the city, but I’m hoping I’ll get to do a few fun things while I’m there.

I’ve already got my TripDoc iPhone app loaded with all sorts of recommendations for dining out in Vancouver – including a few choice selections for great sushi and seafood, as well as a food truck that reportedly has good pizza. I’m excited to learn that at least one of the TBEX meetups is out on Granville Island, just in case I wouldn’t have had time to get over there otherwise, and I love that the conference itself is in the Convention Centre right on the water. It’s been far too long since I’ve been in Vancouver, and although I know I won’t get to do much sight-seeing I’m looking forward to a fun trip.

And whaddaya know? Canada’s one of the places listed on our recent “where to go in June” article – is it fate? You decide.

photo by caseyyee

A 25 minute ferry whisks passengers from Fremantle to Rottnest, or you can take the 90 minute ferry from Perth (just be sure to bring a cure for motion sickness if you are prone to it!). Small charter flights and helicopter flights also depart from Perth but are a much more expensive option.  Once on the island, you can easily get around on bikes or opt for an all hop on and hop off bus pass for just $13, adult.

On Rottnest Island you can do as much or as little as you like: lay on one of the island’s 63 beaches, go snorkeling, fishing or get in a round of golf. Accommodation runs the gamut as well, from hostels and campgrounds to villas and hotels, so you can spend as much or as little as you like. For more, just check out our Rottnest Island travel guide.

Photo by vtveen

With summer approaching, the one thing that seems to be on everyone’s minds right now is how to celebrate the joys of the best season of the year. Indeed the regular things pop into mind; relaxing in the park with a bottle of wine and a cute little picnic, spending a few weeks in an even hotter destination than the one you are currently in soaking up the rays and sipping on exotic cocktails, having a BBQ in the garden and inviting around the whole family. Whist these things are great to do, why not make this summer a little more special and venture to London to experience the delights of the British capital.

London has a lot of things to entertain during the summer. London Zoo is great to visit during the sunny days, as are the many parks such as Primrose Hill. Museums are plentiful and a great way to spend a relaxing, carefree day.

London is famous for the West End, hence the great London show and hotel deals that have been made available in recent years. There are many theatres that grace Theatreland, the collective term for the region that includes Shaftesbury Avenue, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The high quality shows range in genre. For families a Lion King theatre break is a great way to spend a weekend from home. For groups of friends shows such as Legally Blonde provide perfect evening entertainment. Couples can enjoy the thrills of Chicago or Les Miserables.

London is certainly the place to head this summer, and it provides a welcome change from usual summer routines.

About Just London Theatre Breaks:
Just London Theatre Breaks specialises in cheap London theatre breaks. They provide the best central hotels and a choice of seats to a large variety of shows at the best possible prices.