The Traveling Fool
Traveling off the tourist path. Talking about those places most tourists just don't know about because, well, nobody ever told them. Also travel tips and news about travel and tourism to make your trip a little easier, cheaper and more memorable.
The Traveling Fool
How Travel Themes Can Help You Achieve Amazing Memories On Your Next Trip
What if you could transform every trip into a more enriching and memorable experience by simply adopting a theme? Join me, Bob Bales, in this episode of the Traveling Fool, where I reveal the magic of theme travel. From immersing yourself in military history to exploring local food and drink scenes, we'll discuss how selecting a travel theme can open doors to hidden gems and fascinating stories. I'll share my adventures, like visiting the haunting "Prison Without Walls" in the Philippines and savoring delights at the oldest operating delicatessen in Texas.
Whether your passion lies in culinary delights, historic locations, or the finest local brews, I'll provide tips and insights to help you seamlessly integrate these themes into your travel plans. Let's discover how focusing on what you love can make your journeys more exciting and rewarding. Plus, stay tuned till the end for my top tip on saving money during road trips. Hit that subscribe button and embark on a travel journey that's bound to inspire and transform the way you see the world!
Please subscribe and leave a review on I-Tunes.
Feel free to drop me an email I would love to hear from you editor@thetravellingfool.com
You can sign up for my email list
Follow me on social media
Hi and welcome to another episode of the Traveling Fool. My name is Bob Bales, your host. You know people have been doing theme travel for years and in many cases they never call it that, but there's something to be said for it. This week, we're going to talk about how to get more out of your trips by having a theme, and you might be doing it without even realizing it. Listen to the end for this week's travel tip and how to save money on some road trips, and don't forget to hit that subscribe button.
Speaker 1:It seems every year or two there's the next big thing in how people travel, and I'm sure you've heard a few of them. It could be wellness travel, culinary travel or one of the many others. Now, I don't know whether or not they're really hot trends or just some made-up list by somebody, but the fact is, by having a theme around your travels, you might find your trips a lot more enjoyable. So what am I talking about when I say theme travel? Well, I have a couple of themes, but if you've listened to previous podcasts or read articles on thetravelingfoolcom, you will know I love history and historic locations, and when I tell people this, they always say we have a great museum you'll love and sometimes I do but it's a lot more than just visiting museums. There are almost always historic locations, no matter where in the world I've traveled to, and whenever I do travel to a destination, I always seek out those historic locations, and to me that means somewhere where something interesting happened or there's a story behind it, and I'll give you a couple of examples. When I visited the Philippines, I visited a place called the Prison Without Walls on the island of Palawan, where I spoke to some of the inmates and I toured the prison grounds and the facilities. Now, why in the world would I visit a prison? Well, because it sits across the bay from the location of a World War II Japanese POW camp where Allied prisoners were murdered en masse, and the handful of prisoners that did manage to escape the slaughter swam across the bay and were rescued by the prisoners, where they were assisted in getting back to the Allied lines. So I love military history.
Speaker 1:I love visiting out-of of the way places tourists don't go or just don't know about, and this place fulfilled both, and it doesn't have to be a big destination either. I live in Texas. There's a town called Victoria, texas, and it's a fairly small town a couple of hours southwest of Houston. However, it is only a few miles from the towns of Goliad and Gonzales, both of which played important roles in Texas independence, and there are some old Spanish missions, battlegrounds and just lots of cool things to see and do there. But Victoria Texas also has the oldest operating delicatessen in Texas, fosati's Deli, which opened in 1882 and is still owned and operated by the same family. Plus, the food there is fantastic. So of course I had to visit the oldest deli in Texas.
Speaker 1:So my main theme is history, and over the years I've visited the Pueblo cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde, colorado, world War II tunnels in Germany, taken a walking tour of where Jack the Ripper committed his crimes in London. I've visited battlefields, historical forts, historic hotels and just a whole lot more. And I do have a couple of secondary themes. Whenever I visit somewhere, I like to check out the breweries and distilleries, as well as locally owned cigar shops, because I do love a good cigar, and by doing so I've met some really amazing people, got to hear their stories and heard about their history, of where they came from and how they started. Now some people want to visit US or state parks, some like culinary travel, some adventure travel or where they can play golf at a famous golf course. So having a theme, that doesn't mean that that's the only thing you travel for, but it is something that you can incorporate into your trips and you might find it opens up a whole bunch of locations that you never even thought of, and you can make a travel theme out of just about anything.
Speaker 1:So what do you enjoy doing or what are your hobbies? Do you like wine, whiskey or beer? Well then, before you travel to a destination, do a search of wineries, breweries and distilleries in the area and, while you're there, take a tour. Buy a couple of souvenir bottles to take home. Are you interested in the paranormal? Well then, do a search for haunted hotels and other places and plan to stay there or take a tour of the facilities. Are you an adrenaline junkie? Well then, check out the destination you're visiting and see if it offers things like whitewater rafting or skydiving or cave diving, for example. People love visiting Thailand and the beautiful beaches around Krabi, but they also have a climbing school there that caters to all levels, so you can enjoy the beaches and the nightlife, but do a little mountain climbing as well.
Speaker 1:Now there is a trend that seems to be going around again, because it seems to pop up every year or two, where people are traveling to dangerous countries just for the thrill of it. For some reason, people want to travel to countries that are actively engaged in hostilities or where there's travel advisories telling you use extreme caution or do not travel here. Now, having met a few of these people over the years, all I can tell you is that they are delusional To think you can travel to somewhere, and just because you put out positive vibes and tell them you're a citizen of the world, well, that doesn't mean that you have a real good chance of that being the last place you visit. So don't just don't find you another theme, and there's no law saying that you can't have more than one theme. Heck, I do. I mean, after all, we're just talking about what your interests are or what your hobby is, and incorporating that into your travels. So whether you're headed to a Caribbean beach, a European city or road tripping through your home state, chances are you'll be able to find places that fit your theme through your home state. Chances are you'll be able to find places that fit your theme, and there's nothing wrong with doing other things on your vacation, other than your theme or your trip. But you can still find time to fit your interests in. I mean, after all these years, I can recall all the places I traveled to that fit my themes, even though the rest of the trip might have been fun, but nothing really that memorable. But when I think back on some of the best trips I've had, I always remember the things that fit my theme as the highlight of those trips. So do you travel with a theme in mind? If not, what are your hobbies and interests? And start incorporating them into your travels and drop me an email and let me hear from you. I would be very interested to hear what your theme is. Heck, I might find a new one myself. Okay, that's it. We try and keep them short and sweet. So for this week's travel tip, the last couple of podcasts, I told you how to save money when booking flights to anywhere in the world.
Speaker 1:Now, this week I'm going to give you two apps that you can download to your phone that will save you money on road trips. Now, I love road trips why? Well, because I can take my time. I can stop along the way to check things out and explore a little bit and find new things. Now, when I'm home, I always know the best places to gas up and get the best price on gas, but where are the best prices on gas? On the road? Well, who knows? Now that's where this little app comes in handy. It's called Gas Buddy G-A-S-B-U-D-D-Y, it's available as an app for either your iPhone or your Android, and it can really come in handy. Gas Buddy is a search tool that allows you to find the cheapest prices on gas by providing real-time gas price information at 150,000 plus stations, and it also offers cash back rewards on purchases with their brand partners. Now, it's really simple to use and, with the prices of gas the way they are, you might as well get the best price possible. I have the app. I use it a lot. They also have a free card that links to your bank account and that gives you a discount of up to 25 cents, and you can save up to five times more than just using the app. Plus, they offer a credit card that gives you cash back on purchases, and if you want to pay $10 a month, you can go the premium route, which offers even larger discounts and roadside services. Now, I just used the free version. But, trust me, download the app on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or whatever they call it on Apple, and you won't be disappointed, because it's a fantastic little tool to use anytime you're driving around.
Speaker 1:Now the next one. It kind of plays into the theme travel that we just talked about. It is called Get your Guide. It's an app available both for iPhone and Android, and they have a website you can use as well. Get your Guide is a place where you can book tours and experiences. Now, in a lot of cases, these are cheaper than if you just went to the location and did it yourself. Plus, it's a great way to explore things to do at various locations around the world. If you like fishing, well, then book a fishing charter. If you like paranormal activities, well, book a ghost tour. I looked on there at San Diego, california. They have numerous tours and experiences there, including the USS Midway, a two-hour kayak tour in La Jolla, a food tour, the San Diego Zoo and just a whole lot more.
Speaker 1:You headed to Daytona Beach, florida. Well, you can book cruises, dive, bar crawls and dinner shows. Headed to Amsterdam, well, you can take a World War II walking tour, a pub crawl with unlimited shots, or you can even take a walking tour of the Red Light District with a former prostitute as your guide. Hey, who am I to judge what your travel theme is? But the point is you can find all kinds of unique things to do, and they're mostly in large cities and the surrounding areas, but they're worth taking a look at.
Speaker 1:Go to Get your Guide, check them out. Chances are you're going to find something interesting to do. Your guide, check them out. Chances are you're going to find something interesting to do. So that's it for this week. Don't forget to hit the like button and, if you get a chance, head over to thetravelingfoolcom, read a few of the articles and sign up for the newsletter. The newsletter gets you all kinds of information the latest news in travel, what's going on, travel contests, a little information. I only send them out a couple of times a month. Hope you enjoy it. Until next time, safe travels, thank you, you.
